Page 54 of Devil’s Promise

“I don’t want to fuck your woman, dipshit. But I’ve been to hell and back to protect my sister, and I won’t be in the business of using an innocent woman to get ahead.” He stops fighting Knox to glare at me. “And I thought you were a better man than that.”

Those words hit me like an anvil. “We’re fucking drug dealers. We own a chain of whorehouses. We use women all the time.”

“Fuck that,” Gunner spits. “We protect those women. They’d be on the streets or with dirty pimps without us. We keep it fair and we keep them safe.”

I had no idea Gunner felt this way, I thought he beat up shitty Johns because he liked violence.

And I thought I had no emotion left at all. I was wrong on both counts.

I scrub a hand down my face. “The contract come through?”

“Yeah,” Rock answers. “It came.”

“Can I read it?” I ask, irritation lacing my voice again. Because I’m tired of this conversation.

“You’ll bleed all over it. Go upstairs and have your woman clean up your hand,” Gunner answers, spitting blood on the floor.

Are they not planning on sharing it with me? “You know I can just have Don fax another.”

Rock punches my shoulder. Hard. “I could break your hand so you can’t sign.”

“You in the business of protecting women too?”

“I’m in the business of protecting myself. And my brothers, asshole.” He hits me again.

This time I hit back, using his shirt to wipe off some of the blood on my knuckles while I do it. Hurts like hell.

“Shit.” He looks down at the sleeve of his white T-shirt. “I just bought this.”

That’s brothers for you.

I turn away, stomping to my office, and find the stack of papers, stuff them in a case before I take it outside and toss the case in the trunk of my car.

Then I’m back inside and stomping my way, once again, up to the apartment. Barging in, I find Promise where I left her, lying in the bed in the little white tube dress, her bare legs stretched out, as she lifts up on her elbows. She eyes me, looking uncertain and irritated.

Which is fine. I’ll still like this better than the way she shut me out before. “I could use some first aid?” I grunt, holding up my hand.

She gasps, scrambling up on her knees.

“It’s fine. Gunner and I got into it.”

She cocks her head in question.

“Turns out you remind him of his sister or some shit.” I probably shouldn’t have told her that Gunner holds some allegiance to her. But I’m tired of this day and deep down, I think Promise is right. I think I’m going to have to choose between her and her father.

And while her father holds the key to what I want out in the world, Promise is what I want most in my bed.

It’s a battle between my dick and my brain.

She pushes up, kneeling on the bed as she reaches for my hand, softly pulling my bleeding knuckles toward her to examine my wounds.

As her head bends, her soft blown-out curls brush my arm, her hand looking so pale next to the much darker tone of my skin.

Her touch is soft and gentle, it makes me fucking ache as she brushes her fingers over the back of my hand. I already know what I want to do.

My brothers are going to kill me.

And what it’s going to mean for me and Promise…