Chapter 36
Thirty-Six
MATEO
“We look ridiculous,” Violet mutters to me as we walk through Carson’s resort.
“Why?”
“Why?” She glances back at her guards and then to where more guards walk ahead of us. “It looks like we’re heads of state or something.”
“I don’t really give a rat’s ass what it looks like.” I lift her hand to my lips. “As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
We round the corner to her studio, and I’m pleased to see that the neon lights have been installed and the floor is going in.
“Holy shit.” Violet does a little hop and then skips into the room. “Cliff! It looks amazing.”
The contractor props his hands on his hips and nods, looking around. “Give me four more days, and you’ll be open for business.”
Violet blinks rapidly. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Maybe three, but I want to underpromise and overdeliver.”
“Cliff, I can’t start before next Monday. I have shit happening this weekend.”
“Well, then it’ll be waiting for you.”
He nods at me. “Boss.”
“Cliff. Good work.”
“I’d better get back to it.”
He walks away and Violet turns to me.
“I can’t do everything that needs to be done by Monday.”
“Breathe, Savage.” I take her shoulders in my hands and make her look in my eyes. “Like he said, it’ll be waiting for you. Let it sit for a month, I don’t care, but I wanted it to be ready for you as soon as possible.”
“I have to lease out to other artists,” she murmurs. “I have a few ideas on who to call. And I need to get my station set up and put out the word that I’m open for business pro bono. There’s so much to do, and we have the gala on Saturday, and if we get Rose back that night—”
“Okay, take a breath.” She pulls in some air, and I push a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “There is no rush. None. Start making your calls, but don’t let this be the thing that stresses you out. And we will get Rose.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“I know. Now, we need to get downstairs to see the others.”
I lead her to the private elevator that we use, and when we get to the basement, I see that Rome, Lulu, Julian, and Natasha are already here, along with Scarlett, who’s beating the shit out of the hanging bag.
Carson walks around a corner, carrying a rifle.
“It’s so cool down here,” Violet says, rubbing her hands together.
“You’re a violent little thing,” Carson says with a chuckle. “I like it.”
“Of course you do. Wanna spar?” Violet counters, and Carson immediately takes a step back.
Smart man.
“No, ma’am. I will not hurt my brother’s woman.”
“Are you also in the camp of ‘I don’t hit women’?”
Carson’s eyes narrow on her. “No. I’ll kill a woman who deserves it.
I’m an equal opportunity assassin, and I won’t apologize for that.
But you? I’m not touching you, little fighter.
Because I love your man and I respect you.
Now, if you were to do something to make Mateo bleed? You wouldn’t survive it.”
Violet nods, not at all afraid, and anyone else would be running for the hills right now.
“Good to know. Also, I bet I could beat you in the ring.”
Carson barks out a laugh and claps her lightly on the shoulder. “We’ll never know.”
“Excuse me,” Natasha says from where Julian’s showing her how to handle a switchblade. “There’s a flashing light coming from that side of the room. Violet, get your butt over here!”
Violet giggles—I’ve never heard her actually giggle before—and saunters over to her friends, holding her hand up as she goes.
“You’re engaged?” Lulu demands.
“No, we’re married,” Violet replies and does a little dance.
“Got hitched, huh?” Rome asks.
“Yeah, she agreed, and I wasn’t about to give her the chance to change her mind.”
“Smart,” Julian says as he joins us, and we watch the girls fawn all over the ring and give hugs. I like that they’re friends. They’re going to be family forever, so the fact that they get along is imperative.
I wouldn’t have married her otherwise.
“Let’s get started, ladies,” Carson says. “You can ogle the fake diamond later.”
“I will cut you for less,” Julian snarls, but Carson just laughs.
An hour later, once the training is over and everyone else is just gathered around chatting, Violet walks up to me and lifts an eyebrow. “I need to spar.”
“Let’s do it.”
“You have to hit me,” she reminds me.
“No. I have to make it hard for you, Savage.”
I help her tape up her hands, and then we get into Carson’s ring, and fuck if she isn’t sexy in her yoga shorts and loose black tank over a sports bra. I don’t love that my brothers can see so much of her, but I can’t expect her to work out in jeans.
Or, maybe I can.
“Kick his ass, girl,” Scarlett yells out, and I smirk.
I have no doubt that I would win in a fight against my wife, but she wouldn’t make it easy on me.
“You know the first move is yours.”
I ignore my brothers and their girls lined up beside the ring and focus in on my savage. She pushes her shoulder back, and then she advances, but she fakes me out. Instead of a punch, she kicks and gets me in the side, sending me against the ropes, and the girls cheer.
I spin around and grab her wrist, pull her arm behind her, and pin her back to my front, and for a moment, she’s immobile.
But then she ducks and spins, and she’s free. She plants her foot in the center of my chest, but before she can kick, I take her ankle and shove her off balance, making her fall on her ass.
“Fuck,” she mutters.
“Don’t forget that your hips are your center of gravity,” Carson calls out to Violet, and she nods.
“Who’s side are you on?” I ask him, my breath heaving from the effort of grappling with my girl.
“Hers,” he says with a grin and crosses his arms over his chest.
Violet rushes me again, and I evade an uppercut and manage to get her on the mat, on her back, and pin her there, but the little savage bites my shoulder.
“You’re going to pay for that.”
She smirks and bucks her hips, throwing me off her.
“She’s a strong little thing,” Julian says.
“I’m not little,” Violet tosses back. “I’m over five foot eight and weigh close to one sixty. I’m not little.”
“You’re sexy as fuck,” I inform her, and her eyes narrow.
“Now he did it,” Lulu says with a laugh.
But my girl is tired. We’ve been at this for a while, and she’s losing steam.
“Don’t you fucking dare let me win,” she growls at me.
“Good girl,” I hear Carson say, but I don’t react the way I want to, which would be to tell him if he calls her that again, he’ll lose his fucking tongue.
“Never,” I tell her. “But you’re about out of fuel, Savage.”
She bares her teeth, and then she moves in, and goddamn if she doesn’t put me through my paces. When we’re finished, our chests are heaving and we’re dripping with sweat.
When Violet steps out of the ring, Scarlett passes her some water and high fives her.
“I want to be you when I grow up,” Natasha says. “I wouldn’t need my guards.”
“You’ll always need your guards, Angel,” Julian tells her, and then turns to Violet. “But that was damn good. You’ve been doing this a long time.”
“A long time,” Violet agrees as she tries to catch her breath. “And one of these days, I’ll win.”
I honestly don’t doubt it.
“You’ve seen him cage fight,” Rome says. “And the men he’s won against.”
“It’s not always about being the strongest,” Violet says. “It’s also about speed and brains. I’ll outsmart him. Or I’ll flash him my tits and blind him with my pierced nipples and distract him.”
“Jesus,” I growl, shaking my head. “My brothers don’t need to know that about you, baby.”
“How badly did that hurt?” Natasha asks, looking down at her own boobs. “Because I’m intrigued.”
“It didn’t hurt as bad as—”
“No,” I growl, and shake my head at her.
“My—”
“I will spank your ass in front of all of these people.”
“You’re pierced down there?” Lulu demands, and Violet just smiles.
“I didn’t say it.”
“You’re a menace,” I tell her, and shake my head as I reach out to help her get the tape off her hands.
“I have so many questions,” Natasha says. “And when it’s just us girls, I’m going to ask all of them.”
“Deal,” Violet replies with a nod.
“I don’t think my vagina is ever going to be the same after this baby,” Lulu says, and now it’s Rome who’s glaring.
“Firefly.”
“I’m just saying. I wouldn’t mind doing the piercing thing, but what if—”
“We’re going to change the subject,” Julian says as Carson doubles over with laughter, as if this is the funniest thing he’s ever witnessed in his life.
“Someday, you’ll have a girl that hangs out with us, and you might not be laughing,” Violet tells him, and he instantly sobers.
“Nah, fighter, I won’t. But it’s nice of you to think so.”
“We’re meeting at Rome’s compound at noon on Saturday,” Julian tells us. “The girls will get ready there, and we have some business of our own to see to.”
“I can’t believe it’s so close,” Lulu says. “I’m excited.”
“I wish you’d stay home,” Rome says.
“Absolutely not,” Lulu replies with a scowl. “Everyone is getting dressed up, and I might look like I’m wearing a muumuu in my maternity dress, but I’m going. It’ll be fine, we’ll have a million guards with us.”
“Not as many as I’d like,” I mutter and drag my hand down my face.
“Is it not going to be safe?” Violet asks with a frown. “Why do you look like that? If something’s wrong, you need to tell me now so I don’t get my hopes up, Mateo.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I assure her as I tug her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. “It’ll be safe. But the heads of every major crime family in North America will be there, and that usually means that something could happen.”
“So yeah,” Rome adds. “We’d rather you all stayed home.”
“Well, we’re not,” Natasha replies. “Because even though this was last minute, it’s now a real charity, and we’re going to host a gala for it every year. We’ve decided.”
Julian smiles down at his wife. “Were you going to clue the rest of us in?”
“We were waiting until after Saturday,” Lulu says. “Get through this one and then talk to you guys about the rest of it. It’s such an excellent cause, and it needs money.”
“We know rich people,” Natasha finishes. “So there you go.”
“There you go,” Violet agrees. “I’m down for this. But now, I have to go home and start making some calls to get my studio staffed and ready to go.”
“Then let’s get out of here.”