Bitter Truths (The Denton Family Legacy 3)

“Bad joke? ‘Being stalked toward the alleyway, come and see’.”

“Yeah, I mean, who’d be crazy enough to stalk a Denton?” Jacob asked.

“We were considering just leaving you,” Abel said. “It sounded like a hoax to me.”

“A hoax? A fucking hoax? I’m your damn brother, and you were just going to leave me.” Oliver couldn’t even believe that he was shocked. They were always used to working alone. It’s what their father had made them grow accustomed to. “Today I was dealing with fucking Randal. For all you know I could have been fucking killed.”

“You wouldn’t have been,” Jacob said. “A woman? That doesn’t seem to be the Coltons’ style. They’re after our loyal soldiers, trying to bring us down with no protection.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t have a clue who she is,” Oliver said. He didn’t recognize her, and seeing as he’d just experienced the moment with her, he’d never met her before. “Erm, I just want to say that this hot little piece that has just tried to kill me. She’s mine.”

Jacob and Abel’s eyes went wide.

“Yours? What do you mean yours?” Gideon asked.

“The Denton curse has fucking struck. It was like the world faded, and I could do nothing more than simply stare at her.”

“She’s your woman?” Gideon asked.

“Yes, no doubt about it.” He’d heard Jacob, Abel, and his own father talk about that moment when they found their woman, and it was exactly the same.

Gideon bent over and burst out laughing.

“What the fuck is this?” Oliver asked.

The woman in his arms felt so damn right, and focusing on his brothers was starting to piss him off.

“The woman you want has just gone fucking mental on your ass.” Gideon was finding his predicament hilarious, but Oliver didn’t see the humor.

Seconds passed, and Jacob and Abel joined in on the humor.

“I don’t have time for this shit. This woman wanted to kill me. She was fucking strong as well. If you’re not going to help me then move out of my way.” Oliver picked her up in his arms, knowing without a doubt the mystery woman was going to be pissed. She’d be out cold for a good hour, maybe a little longer.

Heading toward the back entrance, Jacob knocked on the door, surprising Oliver with his help.

“I thought you were too busy cracking up about how fucking funny this is?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah, well it’s funny that you’ve fallen for a woman who hates you, but at the end of the day, we need to know who she works for, and why she was sent to hurt you.”

They entered the casino, taking the private elevator toward his father’s floor. She felt so good in his arms. He didn’t want to let her go. Leaning down, he breathed in her scent and closed his eyes. She was sheer perfection. What he didn’t like was how thin she felt. She was all skin and bones. Clearly, she spent a lot of time working out and fighting rather than a lot of time enjoying life. From the way she’d been attacking him, he knew she’d been properly trained, and he didn’t like it. This woman shouldn’t have to worry about attacking men, especially men like him. He was fucking dangerous, and if it hadn’t been for her belonging to him, he’d have killed her.

“What’s in her bag?” he asked.

Abel held her purse. “You never go in a woman’s purse.”

“She has just tried to kill me. Open her purse.”

He rolled his eyes, and opened it up, whistling. “Girl was packing.” He pulled out a pistol, followed by a small purse. “She has two IDs here.”

Oliver waited as he saw Abel frown. “What is it?”

“One here says Ruby Santos, and another says Jewel Nile. Both of them have her face.”

“One’s fake then,” Oliver said.

Abel turned toward Jacob. “Santos. I know that name.”

“You should. Ten years ago the whole family was taken out, killed.”