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I frowned. “Fuck you mean?”
“Then give it to her. Paz works like she a single mother dodging eviction and repossession. Half that shit is for you,” he accused.
Selfish as it was, his tone made me defensive. “She gets paid extremely well.”
“I’m not saying you exploiting her. I’m saying she works too fucking much.”
I couldn’t argue with that, so I didn’t. “She can have all the time she needs. Getting her to take it is the problem.”
“Then stop being an asshole and make her. Change the locks. Threaten to fire her. Do whatever it takes to keep her out of the building,” he said.
I exhaled heavily. He was right. I’d miss her, but damn, he was right. “You got that.”
“Then do what you need to do to claim your girl, Masters. You might not get another chance like this. You been waiting for her to realize the niggas she dates are the wrong ones. How about you make sure she knows you the right one? I mean… if you are,” he taunted.
“Don’t fucking play with me, Montana,” I gritted out.
He sighed and I envisioned him frowning. A few seconds later, he spoke again. “We invited her to Port Isle with us.”
My eyebrows lifted. “She going?”
“Not yet.”
“Why you telling me, then?”
He chuckled. “Because I know what excuse she gon’ use.”
I did, too. Work. I sat back. “She’ll say I need her.”
“Do you?”
Everything in me said yes. Topaz was absolutely crucial to the smooth running of my business.
“Masters, do you need her or do you want her? You know there’s a difference,” he said, voice quiet.
I turned in the chair, looking out one of the windows. The sun warmed me despite the frigid AC temperature. Masters Capital could absolutely survive a little while. But damn, Topaz would be missed. This wasn’t about me though. For as greedy as I was with her and her time, I wanted my Apple happy, rested, whole. I wanted her usual competent, polished, punctual, organized self. I didn’t want my baby tired and hurting. If time off would help, she could have it in unlimited quantities and paid.
“No, I don’t need her.”
“Good answer.”
“Shut up, nigga,” I mumbled.
“Y’all getting real comfortable with my line up here.”
I could hear his frown through the phone.
“I’ll take care of it, of her.”
It was a vow, one I meant with everything inside me. She’d been mine to protect even before I knew that Damien Montana was her family. He was quiet for a minute, then his evil ass sent a kill shot.
“That’s what you told me four years ago.”
My eyes narrowed as I tried to hold back the rage—and the guilt—his words sparked. When he’d asked me before, what they had needed was security. I’d provided bulletproof cars, loyal soldiers, watchful eyes, and a willingness to handle anyone who trespassed. This wasn’t that. Still, I was up to the challenge.
“You trusted me then,” I reminded him.
“I did.”
