"She asked for a divorce," he says.

  I turn to face him. He looks like he's hiding something.

  "She said there is someone else. Nothing else for me to say. We knew this day was going to come, and you kept telling me to end it. I just thought maybe she would change her ways," Dad tells me.

  I know this is hurting him. The day we found out what she was doing, he turned to the bottle.

  “‘How are you?” I ask.

  "Surprising, I'm good. Like I always tell you, if you don't have a woman who supports you, you won't get far in life." He taps my back. "Now let's get to business."

  I give Pike a nod and he walks over to us. I see my brothers in the kitchen talking to my mum.

  I don't say anything to her, and make my way to dad's office. The less I say to her, the better. We've never been the same since she broke my dad. Elijah and Warren keep it civil with her. Who she is in bed with and what she will tell them, aren’t topics we discuss. My dad has promised she won’t talk to the other families. Even though I don’t trust her, I trust my dad to handle the situation.

  As everyone walks in, Warren shuts the door. “I hear someone was losing their temper.” Elijah looks at me. “Good luck winning her back.”

  "As soon as I have her, I will work on the winning part," I bite back.

  She isn't going to forgive me easily, even if I tell her I never fucked that woman, she won't believe me, and I don't blame her. I plan to make sure I put fear in every guy again, so she knows I won't let anyone touch her. She is mine. I will work on the forgiving part. If I work on getting her to forgive first, I might go crazy. Waiting for her to give me a chance will test the limits of my patience. Just now, I wanted to kiss her, fuck her. I need to show her she is mine.

  We all sit down and look over a computer screen as it starts up. Leaning closer to Pike, I ask, "You think she likes flowers?"

  "Not fucking helping. You're on your own," Pike tells me. Fucker.

  I start to reply, but stop when the Carter family appears on the screen. "Frost family. It's nice to see your face again, Angel. Welcome back," the head of the family, Frank, says.

  “Good to be home,” I tell him before saying hello to the rest of the family.

  We have been in business with this family for years. Grandad and Frank’s dad met in their twenties when they were at a strip club. They started talking, found out they were in the same line of business, and have been loyal to each other ever since.

  “Robert told us about this new family. We only get guns from you, always have. We’re family and we look after each other,” Frank starts.

  I light up a cigarette.

  “We have another family here that we talk to a lot, and they said they would keep an ear out to see if anyone on this side of the pond is buying from a new family in England. As soon as we know something, I will let you know.”

  "This family…you’ve never spoken about them before. Who are they?" I ask. I don't like new people getting close to what we do.

  "They've been here as long as we have. Let's say they have a common enemy with the Frost family. The Midlands. I don't know the ins and outs of it, but they killed a family of theirs in England, a war broke out between the two. Some of the Midlands are here and are always watching what they are doing," Frank says.

  I look over at my dad and brothers.

  “Do you think it could be them selling the guns?” Warren asks.

  "At the moment, I couldn't say, but I don't think it is. Why would they want to start a war with you again? Are there any new families coming to England?" Frank's son Carlos steps in and asks.

  "Not that we know of, but we are working on bringing them out. If you hear anything about drugs or guns coming out of London, please let us know." I stand up. "If you’ll excuse me, I have some other business to attend to," I say as I button up my jacket.

  "Angel, try to stay out of trouble. We've missed you," Frank says.

  I nod at him. “I plan to,” I say before looking over at my dad.

  “Leave her alone,” he warns.

  "I’m going to see how Carl is. I might bump into Alice on the way out," I say, and he shakes his head at me. Pike and I leave the office, and I walk straight towards the pool, but they aren't there anymore.

  Without saying a word, I leave my dad's house before Pike can say something I might punch him for. By the end of the night, Alice will know she is mine. Once she realizes the truth about what I did, she’ll understand and realize why I had to do it. She’ll also realize that being together is really the only answer for either of us.

  Chapter 13

  Alice

  “Looks like Angel is going to ruin your night again,” Drew says as we sit in the pub before our shift starts.

  "What?" Vinny asks as he drinks his beer.

  “Nothing,” I look over at Drew, telling her to shut up.

  "Drew, did he realize he fucked up, and now wants to make things right?" Vinny asks her, ignoring me altogether.

  “Yep, and he’s told her that he will win her back.” Drew finishes the last of her wine, “Ellie said—”

  “How about we stop talking about this, and get going,” I say as I finish the last of my drink.

  Am I ready for Angel to be controlling again? No. But if the pool party was anything to go by, Angel is going to kill anyone who comes close to me. I have no idea what game he is playing, but what he did, I refuse to let him think I’m going to lie down and take his shit.

  “All I’m saying is—”

  "Drew, please stop. The Frost men think they can treat women like they mean nothing, and then be forgiven when they snap their fingers, but that's not me," I say.

  When Ellie found out what Angel had done, she kept saying it doesn't sound like Angel. Out of the three brothers, he was the one that respects women the most. He was the one who kept telling Elijah he had to marry Gwen because he found a woman that would be there for him, even with what the family does. Ellie kept saying I had to be wrong, but Drew backed me up and said we saw it through the window. When she finally believed what we were saying, she said Angel would have done it for a reason. There must have been family business that he is keeping me away from. I couldn't stop laughing when she said that. Before having sex with me, he knew what his family did. He didn't think about it then, did he?

  I look over at Vinny as we enter the bar. "Did Ben call you?" I ask.

  I told Ben we were going to the city for a spa weekend, and he said he would come visit me there. Drew said she would keep Ellie busy for me so we could talk for a few hours.

  "Yeah. He said that he has Midlands business to do in the city, so when you call, he can meet you there," Vinny says as we get to the lockers. "Ben said they went to see the family again, asking about you, but they said you haven't been there." Vinny’s voice is a little quieter this time.

  "Yeah, Ben mentioned it, I called Uncle Stuart and he said I don't need to worry. But if anything does happen, they will be here to help." Closing my locker, I look around us. "He did say that the Frost family is a good family to get close to."

  "He's not wrong. You have enough people to protect you. I mean Angel realized he messed up after, what, a few hours? There is no way he will let anything happen to you." Vinny wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Stuart won't let anything happen to you, either. The moment you call and say he needs to help, he will be on the first flight over," Vinny adds as we reach the dance floor.

  "I asked him to talk to Ben, about leaving the Midlands and going back to America. That went the way I thought it would. He says the same as Ben. Until they know they are no longer looking for me, he is staying." I fold my arms across my chest. "I'm just scared something bad will happen to him," I say as my voice trembles. That is the only thing that I fear, losing him.

  "We all knew what we were getting into, and we all knew that if the day ever came, some of us might not walk away alive." Vinny pulls me in for a hug. "We might not be like the Frost family or the Midlands, but Stuart has made a name for himself in America, and we can kick some ass if we need to," Vinny says and kisses the top of my head.

  I know he’s right, everyone got into this to protect me. They will all stay in it until this ends. They live, or they don't. They don't care, but I do.

  "Right, best get ready for work." I pull away from him. "I'm not here this weekend, so stay out of trouble," I say, and he smiles.

  “I should be saying that to you. We both know who trouble is,” Vinny shouts at me as he walks over to Jeff, the other bouncer.

  As I turn, I laugh at Vinny, and my eyes automatically move up to Angel's office. Just as I expected, he is there watching me. I start to make my way to the bar where Drew and Amy are getting things ready, but I'm stopped in my tracks as Pike stands in front of me.

  “There is a family meeting tonight. Bring the drinks up about five minutes after Robert comes,” Pike says.

  I look up at him. He's a good looking guy. He has that mysterious look about him, but he doesn't have the hardness Angel does. He can still scare someone if he wanted to.

  "I would, but I'm not behind the bar tonight. I'm on the floor," I say as I walk towards the bar where Drew is getting drinks set up.

  “No, you’re not. I changed—”

  "I know what Angel did, and I changed it back," I cut him off.

  I knew Angel would make things hard, and he changed my shift to serving drinks behind the bar, instead of being on the floor. There are always two members of staff on the floor. They are the ones who make sure the dance floor is busy, and drinks are in their hands.

  “Are you trying to get someone killed?” Pike asks me.

  I glance up at Angel looking down at us talking.

  “Well, it looks like you have to do your job tonight and make sure he doesn’t.” I look over at Drew as she talks to Amy about something.

  “Alice.”

  "Pike." I copy his tone, placing my hands on my hips as I look up at Angel.

  If he wants to play mind games, then mind games we will play. I look back at Pike. "This is what I'm going to do. I will work behind the bar, and I will bring the drinks up to the office, but before the bar closes tonight, one of two things are going to happen." I turn to see Drew leaning on the bar, listening.

  “And what is that?” Pike asks.

  “Before the bar closes, I will kiss as many guys as I want, and Angel will just have to get over it…”

  “That’s not happening. A lot of guys will be getting hurt tonight, because you want to play a game with him,” Pike argues.

  “Or, I kiss one guy.”

  "You kiss no one, unless it's Angel." Pike looks up at Angel.

  "That's not happening. He fucked a woman just last night in that office. So, you better go back and tell him that he has to make a choice. One guy, or as many as I like," I say.

  Pike looks at me worriedly.

  "Are you not going to ask who that one guy is I’ll kiss?" I ask him.

  Pike creases his forehead, and I smile. “Are you fucking crazy? Let me tell you now that Angel won’t let either of those options happen,” Pike shouts at me.

  I look up at the window again.

  "Who is the guy?" Drew asks from the side when I turn to face her. I see Amy has joined in on this conversation.

  "I kiss Pike. If Angel allows it, I won't touch a guy in this bar tonight or any other night." I stop Pike from talking, as I have more to say. "Outside this bar, I can do whatever I want. Go back to him and tell him to pick. I'm not telling you when this game beings, as I’m sure Angel would close the bar before that."

  I walk away before he can say anything to me.

  I know Angel won’t stop, but I’m not going to just let him have me back without making him pay for what he did.

  I look back at Pike, who’s still staring at me.

  "You think that you can play this little game with Angel, let me tell you right now it won't happen. I won't let it happen, and no chance in hell Angel will." Pike slams his hand on the bar. "Hell isn't a nice place, and you haven't seen the devil yet," he says before walking away from us.

  I look over at Drew and Amy. “I want a super hot guy. As soon as you see him, point him out to me,” I say.

  “Alice, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’ve never seen Angel lose it, but if the stories I’ve heard are true, I don’t think I want to,” Drew says as she looks up at the window. “The rage in his eyes right now…I wouldn’t want to be you.”

  I look up, and his eyes are darker than I've ever seen them before. I can't even see the beautiful blue in them anymore. The more Pike tells him about what I've said, the more Angel's jaw tightens. Lightning bolts hit me as he continues to glare at me.

  Pike’s mouth hasn’t stopped, but Angel is out of the office. My gaze moves to the stairs, and I watch Angel powerwalk down them. Fear runs through my veins. Fuck. Angel stalks over to me, gaze locked with mine.

  “Bye,” Drew and Amy both say and leave me.

  Angel grabs my arm and, without stopping, walks me away from the bar and pushes me hard into the lockers.

  “We’re going to have a little conversation, Alice,” Angel snaps. His hard voice hits me, sending a chill down my spine and raising goosebumps over my body.

  I take in his sexy, woodsy scent as I stand still against the locker. His eyes blaze with anger as I feel his hand on the back of my neck. My gaze moves around his face. As he moves closer to me, his day-old stubble looks sexy as hell and his controlling gaze pierces me.

  The closer he gets to me, my breathing begins to stutter. When his lips touch my neck softly, he hisses, “Listen to me, and I mean listen, because I won’t be repeating myself.”

  In that small moment, I forget what he did to me. I forget that, just last night, he ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it over and over again. I push him away from me before I lose control and let him have me. But my push doesn’t do anything, and he stays firmly in front of me. The corner of his lips curl up a little.

  “I’m going to ask a question, and you’re going to answer it, yes?” Angel asks.

  “Ye...yes,” I stutter.

  "Did Ellie talk to you?"

  I nod, knowing what he's talking about.

  "Do you believe her?"

  I shake my head. Why would I believe he didn't have sex with her? Of course, he would say he didn't. He’d say anything take convince me to forgive him.

  "This is the part you're going to listen to. I won't repeat myself," Angel says as he closes the small space between us. "I. Did. Not. Fuck. Her." Each word comes out strong, hard, and to the point.

  I lick my lips, and I see his body become less tense. I push him away from me, but Angel pushes back into me. I try to push him away again, but it's not getting me anywhere.

  “I want you to take a step back. I want you to know what you had, what you’ve lost,” I snap. “I want you to know that I won’t trust you. I want you to know that I will never be able to look at you and believe what you say. Now, get out of my way,” I shout loud enough that everyone can hear me.

  Angel needs to know that even though I want him, I can't look at him at the moment. All I see is him kissing that woman last night.

  Without another word, Angel takes a step to the side. I march past him, heading back to the bar. I don't know why he moved, but I'm happy he did.

  ***

  I never needed to go to the office to take drinks. Something had happened at the place Elijah and Warren ran. I don't think I've ever seen anyone leave so fast.

  They came back ten minutes ago, and you could see they weren't happy.

  "Hey, beautiful, the guys thought we could go watch a movie tomorrow. You want to come?" Ed asks.

  I'm surprised he's standing in front of me. He ran out of the pool when Angel told him to leave. I glance up at the window and see Angel looking down at me, then looking back over at Ed. When I return my eyes to the window, Angel's not there.

  “I don’t think…”

  "If you want to be able to walk tomorrow, get the fuck away from her."

  I turn to Angel and, before Ed or I can say anything, Angel grabs my arm and starts pulling me up the stairs.

  As he pulls me into the office, he practically throws me into the room. I stand in the middle of the office as the door slams shut, making it shudder in the frame.

  “I told you, and you didn’t fucking listen. Stop playing games—”

  “Games!” I shout. “I’m playing fucking games? You were in my house fucking me in my bed. You said you were mine, and no one else would touch you. Then just last fucking night you…” I stop as my voice cracks from shouting at him. “I have no idea…”

  "I was keeping you safe. Making sure nothing would happen to you!"

  "Don't you think I know what your family is like? Don't you think if I were scared the moment I saw your scars, I would have run? Even if I wanted to fucking run, you wouldn't let me." I have so much anger filling me in that moment. I have no idea where it came from or why I do it, but I slap Angel so hard it stings my hand.

  Without warning, the space between us closes. Angels acts on instinct and his hand is suddenly around my neck, not hard to threaten me, but enough to make me gasp. I hit the closed window looking down at the bar. The heat from his body burns me. His eyes look only at me. Even though they are dark, I can still see the blue in them.

  “I deserved that, for what I did.” Angel pauses as his fingers loosen.

  I take in a deep breath.

  “But you will never do that again.” The corner of his eyes crease as they narrow. “I’m about to show the fucking world that you are mine, and mine only.”

  Without warning, his lips crash into mine. I pull my head back, trying to get away from him, but he shoves his body against mine, pinning me to the window. "You. Are. Mine," he growls before his lips devour mine once again.

  He overtakes me, devours my soul. It’s a battle of wills and I will not lose, but Angel’s touch does these things to me. He bites down on my lip, causing me to moan in pleasure as he shoves his tongue into my mouth, possessing me. This kiss is unlike any other we have shared before. This is claiming, ensuring that the entire world knows who I belong to.

 

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