“I want your word that you will leave Miles alone.”
“And?” Clive prompts.
“That’s it,” I reply, stumping all of them.
“That’s it?” Bobby says before he can stop himself.
“Pretty simple, huh?” I respond, tilting my head to the side.
“Too simple,” Bobby replies, and I can see him trying to figure me out. He needn’t bother. I don’t give anything away.
“You stay away from me and mine, and I stay away from you and yours,” I say, my words loud and clear, my tone holding a threat behind them.
“Very well,” Clive replies as he slides the photograph back across the table. I pick it up and place it back in the pocket of my jacket.
“Well, that concludes our business then, gentlemen,” I say sweetly. Too sweetly. Gentlemen my ass. These guys are nothing but low life assholes who need a lesson in manners.
I stand from the table, I don’t wait to be dismissed.
Without another word, I turn and walk away.
Chapter Twelve
Joey
“Who sent you here?” I ask as the poor excuse for a man who lies beneath me, my knee crushing his windpipe.
“Fuck you,” he spits at me, I throw another punch. He groans as my fist connects with his cheek, his head slamming to the side.
“I can do this all night,” I tell him. I have no intention of leaving here until I get my answers.
“I ain’t telling you nothing,” he says through gritted teeth.
“You know that if you don’t tell me what I want to know, then the only way you’re leaving here is in a body bag.” I mean it. Every fucking word. I have no intention of letting this fucker live, not after Raymond found him trying to get into my private office here at Club Valentine.
“You need me,” he says.
“I need nobody.”
“You need to know who sent me,” he goads, but fuck if I am going to let him know that he is right.
“You clearly know who I am, and you clearly know what I am capable of. I only ask you to tell me because I like to give people the benefit of their stupidity. Make no mistake, asshole, I will find out who sent you, but not before I torture you until you are begging like a little bitch to be spared.”
The guy has the decency to close his mouth, his eyes widening a little.
“Now, I’ll ask you one last time. Who sent you?” I say each word slowly.
He gulps, and I press my knee into his chest a little harder.
Time ticks by, and with every second that passes, his breathing becomes a little shallower. I press down again and wait.
Raymond is by the door, looking down at this fucker like the piece of trash that he is.
“Miss Roderick,” he whispers.
“Speak up,” I say, needing him to repeat the name again.
“Roderick,” he says a little louder, even though I heard him the first time. The fucking shock that shoots through me is like nothing else. Paige? Paige sent him here?
“Why?” I ask.
“Information,” he says, wheezing.
Fuck.
I release my hold on the twat and stand up, adjusting my suit jacket and tie. When I walk back outside of this door, I need to look every inch the fucking boss that I am.
Paige sent him here? What the hell does she want to know? What the fuck does she have planned?
“Boss?” Raymond says, and I give him a nod.
“Finish the job,” I tell him and the smirk that spreads across Raymond’s face would make you think that all his Christmases had come at once. Raymond loves nothing more than inflicting pain on disrespectful little runts.
“Wait,” the guy calls out and I look down at him. Pitiful. “You’re gonna let me go, right?” he asks, and now it’s my turn to smirk.
I look him dead in the eyes as I respond. “Afraid not.”
“But… but you said––”
“You think that you can come in here, uninvited, and try to dig up dirt on me? You think you have the right to walk back out of this room like nothing ever happened?”
“But I told you who sent me,” he replies, his voice going a little higher pitched than it did a minute ago.
“So?” I say with a shrug of my shoulders.
“So, you gave me your word.”
“No, I didn’t, because my word means something. I told you what you wanted to hear, not what was actually going to happen.”
“You son of a bitch,” he says, knowing that his time on this planet is coming to an end quicker than he would have liked.
I don’t bother to respond to his pathetic insult. I turn back to Raymond and he steps out of the way of the door.
“Enjoy yourself, Raymond,” I say as I pull the door open and step outside. I can hear Raymond’s laugh as I shut the door. That asshole in there is going to wish that he had never come here, especially once Raymond has had his fun.
I make my way through the club, ignoring anyone who tries to interact with me as I get to the exit and step outside.
“Boss,” Big Danny says, falling into line beside me as I walk to my car. “You need me for anything?”
I stop when I reach my car and turn to face him. “You just stay here and keep watch. I need to pay someone a visit,” I say before opening the car door and getting in. Big Danny walks back to the club and I start the engine.
I never travel alone. I always have someone with me, but tonight, with the revelation that Paige has sent someone to try and find out information on me, I need to deal with this on my own.
I may have crushed her heart once before, but that is going to feel like nothing compared to what I will do next.
Chapter Thirteen
Paige
“Paige,” Donovan says as he waltzes into my bedroom.
“Well, excuse me, but haven’t you heard of fucking knocking?” I ask as I pull my dressing gown tighter around my body.
“Now is not the time to focus on fucking knocking, Paige. We have a problem,” Donovan replies, and I close my mouth. Donovan doesn’t ever speak to me like this, or barge in on me, unless it’s important. And by important, I mean that someone is either about to get dealt a lesson for whatever they have tried to do to screw me over, or we have an unexpected visitor.
“Joey Valentine,” Donovan says, momentarily stumping me.
“Here?”
Donovan nods.
“Shit,” I say as I quickly run to my walk-in closet and throw my dressing gown on the floor.
I pull out a knee length skirt, a white, sleeveless shirt, and a pair of black heels. Luckily, I still have my hair pinned up from earlier, and my make-up on. I have no desire for Joey to see me in anything other than boss mode.
I exit the closet and walk over to Donovan. He immediately turns and leads me from my bedroom.
“Did he say why he was here?” I ask, wondering why on earth Joey fucking Valentine would be paying me a visit at my private residence.
“No. He merely says that he isn’t leaving until he speaks with you, and he looks all kinds of pissed off.”
“Pfft, a pissed off Joey is nothing.”
“I don’t know, Paige. I mean, I know that we have dealt with some of the toughest assholes in this business, but none of them have been on the same wavelength as Joey.”
I stop walking, Donovan doing the same. Turning my head to look at him, I know that my eyes are blazing.
“Joey is no more dangerous than anyone else that I have dealt with.”
“I beg to differ,” Donovan says before he can stop himself.
I take a step closer to him, my eyes narrowing. “Are you doubting me?”
“No, boss,” Donovan replies quickly.
“You sure about that?” I question.
“Absolutely.”
“Good,” I reply, satisfied with his answer for now. “You know better than anyone else that I will never let anyone take my fucking crown.”
“I know, boss. Sorry.”
<
br /> With a nod of my head I continue walking, the click of my heels echoing along the hallway.
When I reach the top of the stairs, I look down and see that Joey is stood by the front door, his stance dominant, Bray and Tony pointing their guns on him. Donovan wasn’t kidding when he said that Joey looked pissed off. His jaw is clenched, as are his fists at his sides, his legs slightly parted. He looks ready for battle, and I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Guess all I need to do now is find out what has got him so rattled.
“Mr Valentine,” I start as I make my way down the stairs. Joey’s eyes follow every one of my movements. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?” I sound like a bitch, and damn does it feel good. But you know what feels even better? The way that Joey is devouring me with his eyes like he wants to fuck my brains out and reprimand me at the same time.
I smirk at the memory of us. Together. In his bed, in the car, in the alleyway behind what used to be our favourite restaurant. We couldn’t get enough of one another. Some might find it repulsive that we couldn’t keep it contained to the bedroom, but fuck what they think. Joey and I were hot together, and his eyes hold the same fire that they did once before.
I reach the bottom of the stairs and come to a stop. Joey still hasn’t said a word, but the flaring of his nostrils has picked up pace.
“Cat got your tongue, Mr Valentine?” I goad. Still silence. I roll my eyes. Joey has no idea how much I love a challenge nowadays. I didn’t fight for what I wanted all those years ago, but now it’s a different story. My heart grew colder over the years, and I love nothing more than a good old game of cat and mouse.
“Seems like Joey’s lost for words,” I say, looking to Bray. His eyes are still fixed on Joey, his gun still trained on him. I move beside Bray and place my hand on top of his, pushing down gently to indicate that the gun isn’t needed. He gives me a quizzical look, but Bray would never question me. He’s a good boy, does as he’s told, never asks for a reason.
I can feel Tony watching our exchange out of the corner of his eye. I turn my head towards him and give him a nod. He hesitates for a second before lowering the gun, clicking the safety on and putting it back into the waistband of his trousers.
“I get the feeling that the conversation that Mr Valentine and I need to have can’t be done in the presence of others. Bray, Tony, wait here,” I instruct.
“Yes, boss,” they answer in unison.
“Mr Valentine, follow me,” I say before I turn and make my way down the hall. A few steps along I turn back to see that Joey hasn’t moved an inch. It pisses me off. He’s in my house, my territory, the least he can do is fucking respect me.
“I don’t ask twice, Mr Valentine,” I say, my tone cold and hard, my eyes narrowing to slits.
Seconds tick by before Joey seems to realise that I meant what I fucking said. He eyes Bray and Tony before stomping in my direction. I turn and continue down the hallway, leading him to my private meeting room. No one is allowed in here except for me and whatever asshole I may be sweet talking. It’s a place of business, a place of negotiation, and most importantly, a place where there are no clues as to how I operate my business.
When I reach the door I push it open and wait beside it as Joey follows me inside. Closing the door behind us, I reach for the light which illuminates the room. A mahogany table sits in the middle, eight chairs placed around it, a bookshelf runs all along the left wall, a fire place on the right, and floor to ceiling windows line the back wall which looks out onto the pool house.
“You got eyes on me in here?” Joey asks.
“I’ve got eyes everywhere, Joey,” I say as I stare him down.
There are a couple of cameras in here, but I am the only one that has access to them. I’ve never needed to be monitored in here. People that come to my house are usually ones that I have done several business deals with, and they are ones that know better than to try and take me down.
I would never just invite random people into my home. The world is a dangerous place, and this is my fortress from the madness that goes on, day in and day out.
“Those eyes of yours are going to be your downfall,” he says, his voice low.
“I think you’re mistaken, Joey. My eyes are what keeps my ass from hitting the fucking floor.”
“You sure about that?” he says as he takes a step towards me. I don’t move, I have no reason to. Joey doesn’t scare me, but he does make my heart beat wildly. I’m not sure which is worse.
“Why have you come here, Joey?” I ask, the need to know what his game is thrumming through me.
He smirks, and it sends a shiver down my spine. Bugger. The last thing I want to do is give Joey any indication that he can still make my body zing.
He takes another step forward. And another, until he is stood right in front of me, an inch away from touching me. In another life we could have had it all. Our love story could have been great, amazing, soul consuming. But he ended it. He cast me aside, and for that I can never forgive.
“You want to get straight down to business?” he asks, his eyes holding mine.
“Yes.”
“Who was the guy, Paige?”
His question throws me for a second, because I have no clue what the hell he is talking about.
“You’re going to have to be more specific,” I answer, folding my arms across my chest. I am aware that it pushes my breasts up a little, and Joey falters slightly, letting his eyes drift down for a second before they return to holding my gaze.
“Don’t play games with me,” he says, his voice low, dangerous and fucking delicious.
“I thought that was what we were doing here, playing games, having some fun before I pull your throne from under you.”
Joey lets out a laugh before putting his hands either side of my head, palms against the wall, caging me in, forcing me to lean back a little, making me struggle to find my next breath. Bastard.
He lowers his head, eyes blazing, breath feathering over my face.
“You don’t want to fuck with me, Paige. You know what I am capable of,” he warns.
“Maybe, but you clearly don’t know what I’m capable of,” I reply as I try to battle against my body that wants to turn to jelly for the Adonis that is millimetres away from me. I don’t want to be seen as a weak woman, brought to her knees by a man. I’ve been there before and promised myself that it would never happen again.
“Oh, baby, I know more than you think,” Joey says before closing the gap between us and brushing his lips across mine. It takes me by surprise. Throws me for a loop. Messes with my mind. My heart beat accelerates, my body screams at me to give in and take what I have been missing for so long. I want to, oh boy do I want to, but my mind is that little bit stronger. I don’t react, on the outside. Inside, I’m a fucking hot mess.
Joey places his lips beside my ear. “Don’t ever try to come for me again, Paige, because next time I won’t hold back.” His warning rings loud and clear, but it doesn’t scare me.
I turn my head so that I am looking straight at him.
“I look forward to it,” I whisper as I run my tongue across my bottom lip. Joey watches me, and I know that he still wants me. It’s fucking obvious, and a total win. If he wants me, then it may throw him off of whatever plan he has cooked up, making my end goal all the easier to reach.
“I suggest you rethink whatever scheme you have concocted,” Joey says, his eyes never leaving my lips. I lick them again, and I swear that I hear him stifle a groan.
“I’m not the pathetic girl that you used to know, Joey, and I have no plans to rethink anything.”
He chuckles.
“You always did have a determination running through you, Paige, but now, you’re playing Russian roulette with your life.”
“Do you think so?” I ask, one eyebrow quirked up.
“You wanna get burned, baby?”
Oh fuck, yes, I do.
“You gonna start the fire?” I ask
, enjoying every single second of our dangerous flirtation.
“I’m going to light it up under you before you even realise what is happening,” Joey replies.
“Once again, I look forward to it, and when I bring you to your knees begging, don’t forget that it was me that made it happen. Me that rocked your world. Just me. Only me.”
His eyes harden, and he pushes his body against mine, chest to chest.
“You’re the only one that’s ever rocked my world, Paige, and you damn well know it.”
Fuck.
“Then you’ll be counting down the days until it happens again,” I whisper, my voice losing its edge ever so slightly.
Joey pushes himself back, his hands moving back by his sides. The loss of his closeness has me feeling things that I blocked out years ago. Disappointment being the biggest one.
“Don’t ever send another man to try and infiltrate my world, because the next time I have to come here, it won’t be ending this amicably.”
What the fuck is he talking about?
I don’t get a chance to ask him because he’s opening the door and walking out, his shoes echoing along the hallway as he goes. I move to look outside of the door, watching his retreating back.
Well, his little visit sure throws up more questions, the first one being, who the hell is the guy that he was talking about? The second being, why the fuck does he still get to elicit a reaction from my body? The third, and possibly the most dangerous is, why do I still feel like I could fall back into his arms and forget all of the hurt and the pain? And that question alone is the one that I refuse to answer, because if I do, then there is no coming back from it.
Chapter Fourteen
Joey
Fuck.
This is not good.
Paige goddamn Roderick is messing with my mind.
Had I just spoken to anyone else about trying to find shit out about my dealings, they would have been dead. No questions asked. But Paige? She’s a weakness in my armour. She’s disabling my default settings, and that is a danger to my whole existence.
I have built a wall around me, a force field, and a fucking cage that no one can unlock. Except her. She has the key, and I don’t even want her to give it back.
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