Page 80 of Intolerable Bishop

Nash

It wasn’t bad enough that Ren was at school with me and living in my cabin—making it smell all girly—now here she was, strutting around my business like she owned it. That might be a little cynical, Ren never acted like she owned anything, but that wasn’t the point. It didn’t matter where I went. She was there like an annoying fly, just buzzing around and trying to draw my attention.

Ren was wearing short jean shorts that showed off her legs and hot ass. She had shitkickers on, but they were blue with snowflakes on them, and I knew that they had to be a gift from Myles. The long blue wig suited her, and so did the fashionable hat and dark glasses. Myles stepped into my line of sight, and I glared at him for ruining my view.

“Ya havin’ fun starin’ at my girl’s ass,” he asked quietly, and I shrugged.

“How do you know that’s what I was looking at?”

Myles rolled his eyes. “Spare me. That look on yer face is not for my brother, or if it is, I’m cleanin’ yer clock right now.”

I snorted. “Fine, you caught me. What the fuck are you going to do about it?”

Myles smiled. “Nothin’, just askin’.” He looked over his shoulder at Ren, and his entire face lit up. I hated him just a little for finding a piece of happiness in this world where it was less than rare. “She does have a nice ass, man. The perfect handful and firm.”

“Enough of that. You act like you’re addicted,” I said as he laughed.

“That’s because I am.”

I pushed aside the little green monster, trying to grow. “Follow me, I’ll show you downstairs and fill you in on some other shit.”

As we walked, I pointed out all the extra improvements the city didn’t know about, including my new soundproof cells. That took some significant configuration from the engineer. So was the walk-in vault that was going to house all of our cash, drugs, and weapons. We’d just exited out of the lower area when Myles’s phone rang.

“Shite, it’s my father. He’s probably wanting an update on Lip. I’ll be right back,” he said and then answered the phone as he walked outside.

The place was really coming along. When Liam said that the workers were fast and efficient, I didn’t think they meant this fast, but I wasn’t about to complain. It was better if they thought I was pissed off rather than impressed. It kept them on their toes.

Walking back to where we’d left Ren and Lip, I stopped and leaned against the wall. Ren had found a place to sit down, and Lip was sitting on her lap with his eyes closed. She was rocking him slightly, and the sight of them tugged at a long-lost part of my heart. A part that had shattered and I thought was gone forever. My child would’ve been two by now. Had I been ready to be a father? No. But that wasn’t the point. It was just something else that my father had stolen from me by killing Mya and my unborn child. My hand clenched into a fist as the anger that never went away stirred to life.

I still had no idea who I was meeting in Italy, but I was going no matter what. I’d figure it out when I got there. I had to. Ren looked at me, and the corner of her mouth curled up. Even if it meant sacrificing any happiness, I needed to stop my father forever. I’d do whatever it took to crush him.

JULY 17 – MONDAY 7:23 AM

Ren

“Dammit.” The mat felt paper thin on the hard ground when my back hit. I hated Mondays, but now I had a whole new reason to detest them. I glared up at Nash as he arrogantly stared down at me. “I swear, I will wipe that look off your face one of these days.”

“Big talk from a little girl like you,” he said, smiling. Smacking my hand off the mat, I pushed myself up and hated that it felt like every one of my bones was bruised. He backed up but bent over at the waist as he mocked me. “Come on, Princess.” He pushed out his jaw and put his hands behind his back. “I’ll give you a free one. Make sure that I know you hit me, though.”

Rolling my shoulders, I pushed out my chest and fixed him with a glare. “No. I will earn my punches. I don’t want or need your pity freebie hit.”

He shrugged. “Have it your way.” Nash walked over to the picnic table and grabbed a bottle of water. He threw it at me like a football. I jumped back and snatched it out of the air before it hit me square in the face.

“Really? Do you always have to be such a jerk? Every day, you get worse.”

“I’m not being a jerk. I’m fine-tuning your reflexes. Until I say we’re done, be prepared for anything.” He sipped his water, and I found myself staring at the droplets escaping the corner of his mouth. “And I get worse every day to push you to be better?”

“Give me a break. You’d hit me in the back of the head if you thought it was funny.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” He crossed his arms, and I copied his pose. “I wouldn’t. I’m an asshole, not a dishonorable prick. Well…I am with the girls I date and anyone who crosses me, but those are the only times. Besides, I thought you wanted me to train you to protect yourself. Do you think that all the bad guys are going to play fair with you? Walk up to you on the street and warn you that they’re going to try and kill you. Maybe you think they’ll give you a few minutes to put your hair in a ponytail or get into your workout gear?” The mocking tone in his voice had my feet moving before I could think about what I was doing.

“I’m not like that, and you know it,” I growled at him.

“That’s it, Princess, get mad. Show me who’s boss.” He smiled and took a swig of his water like I wasn’t worth his time. With a yell, I smacked it out of his hand.

“Stop making fun of me.” I punched at his face, but he moved out of the way and then laughed as I kicked at him. I missed my mark and took a fighting stance, but he swatted every single strike like I was an insect.

“Why would I do that when it’s so much fun to piss you off?”