And if I had to guess, Lorenzo is in the back seat. If I make a scene, it’s going to fuck up the relationship between the Front Mob Family and the club. Which would be bad for several businesses, and the fact that we’re entangled with them now means, to a degree, they have us by the balls.
So instead of charging toward them the way I want to, I watch as he approaches her. He makes a motion behind her. She shakes her head a couple of times, a welcoming smile playing onher lips, then says something, and since I can’t read her lips, I have no idea what it is.
He dips his chin, then reaches out, and she slips her phone into his hand. I watch with contained rage, but just barely. I suck in a breath and hold it for a moment, waiting for him to get back in his expensive fucking car and drive away.
For his sake, he does.
When he drives away, I inwardly flip him the bird. Outwardly, I stay perfectly still, my eyes never leaving Lainey. She makes her way toward her car, which is parked in the lot on the side of the building so she doesn’t take up space in front of her store.
She stops at her car door, then looks over at me. She doesn’t say anything, but her eyes are on mine for a full thirty seconds before she opens her car door and sinks down inside. I don’t move. I don’t need to. She knows I’m here, and there’s no reason to pretend I’m not.
Taking the phone out of my pocket, I find Bullet’s name and send him a text.
SHIT JUST GOT REAL. PAUL AND LORENZO CAME TO THE BAKERY.
BULLET: WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
NOTHING. AT LEAST NOT YET.
BULLET: I CAN’T CALL THEM OFF.
BUSINESS. I GET IT.
And that’s the fucking long and short of it. Business. Club business is the be-all and end-all for us. I understand it, though,mainly because there are a hell of a lot of us and everyone has bills to pay. I’m not about to fuck up my brothers’ shit.
I would absolutely love to beat the shit out of Paul. Well, it doesn’t matter who it is. Paul is just the one who is trying to get my woman currently. I couldn’t give a fuck about the actual person himself. It’s what he’s trying to do that I have a problem with.
My woman.
My back straightens as I step away from the wall. I’ve been spending too much time watching her. I haven’t been laid nearly enough. I’m starting to hallucinate, calling Lainey mine when I know she is anything but… and she’ll never be.
I need to get laid.
And fast.
Luckily, I know someone who lives in the building across from Lainey. I can pop in, fuck her, and then get back to my duties. I have to. Otherwise, I’m going to continue to think of Lainey as mine and fuck everything up.
LAINEY
The knock on the door should surprise me, but for whatever reason, it doesn’t. I half expect it. I’ve been waiting for him to make himself known. Clearly, he’s watching me for a reason, and now that I know for certain it’s something to do with only my safety—not the other women’s—and with the club, I want to know who the hell is after me.
I walk over to the door and look through the peephole, just to be sure, although the knock was manly, loud, and obviously Viking’s. The man is almost seven feet tall, and even though he’s buzzed his blond hair, it doesn’t make him look or seem any less intimidating.
Opening the door, I tilt my head back slightly as I look up into his eyes. His brows are furrowed as he watches me for a moment. I don’t move away from the doorway. My thighs tremble, and my knees threaten to give out.
I hold my breath as I wait for him to say something. When he does speak, I don’t expect it. I thought that maybe he’d have something else to tell me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he jerks his chin, his eyes flicking from mine to past my shoulder.
“Out of the way, babe. I’m coming in.”
What an asshole.
Stepping to the side, I let him in, but only because he would charge past me in about five seconds if I didn’t. Closing the door behind him, I flip the lock in place, then turn around to face him. But I stay in place, leaning against the door as I watch.
Viking moves toward one of the windows, looking outside. He stays there for an uncomfortable amount of time in silence, then slowly turns to face me. I think about asking him what the hell is going on, but decide against it, mainly because he opens his mouth and starts to speak… begins to demand.
“What did that man say to you today outside the bakery?” he demands. I blink, unsure as to why he’s asking me about a customer. Before I can answer him, he continues. “The one in the fancy-as-fuck Audi. And what the fuck were you doing with his phone?”
I didn’t need further explanation. I knew exactly who he was talking about. I could feel Viking’s eyes on me, burning a hole into my clothes as the man was talking to me, then following me to my car.