“I’m a very busy man, Olivia.”
He’d always hated calling her Liv or Livy—said it sounded low-class. Her father wasn’t a huge fan of the nicknames either. Now, after weeks of being around the Handlers who never used her full name, she hated the formal way it sounded coming from Lance’s mouth.
With a fierce scowl, Scott advanced on her. She held up a hand and shook her head, but, of course, it didn’t dissuade him.
“I don’t have time to keep playing games with you, Olivia.”
“Great,” she said, backing away from Scott. A little growl left her man. “Guess that means you’ll leave me the hell alone.” Her back hit the wall next to his dresser.
Scott raised an eyebrow in a silent where are you going to go now? Then he planted his hands on the wall, boxing her in as he stared down at her.
“Not exactly,” Lance said in her ear.
She had no doubt Scott could hear every word.
“That girl you saw in the garage?”
A wave of dread washed over her. “Yes? What about her?” God, if he’d done something to that poor girl, Olivia would never get over the guilt. Was this what Scott felt like when it came to Deke’s death? If so, he was stronger than even she’d given him credit for.
“Well, I know her name, where she lives, and where she works. I know everything about her.”
She glanced up at Scott in horror. Was Lance saying what it sounded like?
“If you’re not back home in two days, I’ll pay her a little visit. The tricky thing is you might not recognize her afterward, but I promise to send photos.”
Pain tore through her stomach. “You wouldn’t,” she whispered.
“Oh, I definitely will. You underestimate how far I’ll go to protect what I’ve built. What your father and I have built.”
A second threat. More subtle than the first but nearly as potent.
Some of her horror morphed into anger. It bled from Scott to her and bolstered her confidence. “I’ll send the video to every media outlet in the country. It’ll go viral on social media within hours.”
“Sure,” he said as though bored with the conversation. “You could do that. But it won’t help her. I have eyes on her and access to her at all times. You willing to take that risk?”
How had she not known she’d been living with the devil for so many years? It was one thing to have a business arrangement where they weren’t in love, but it was quite another to lay her head down next to a monster each night. She swallowed, unable to form words. Bile burned in her esophagus. Hadn’t he done enough to that poor, innocent woman? To threaten her further and put her fate in Olivia’s hands went beyond. Monster wasn’t an evil enough word for him.
She pressed a hand to her mouth as her stomach heaved.
“Fuck this.” Scott yanked the phone from her hand. “Listen up, motherfucker. I don’t know what the fuck you’re thinking, but Olivia’s not getting anywhere near you, and she’s not alone. You’re not the only one with eyes out there, and if you take one step in her direction, we’ll rain hell down on your ass.”
He ended the call before Lance had a chance to respond. Then without looking, he tossed the phone over his shoulder. Miraculously, it landed on the bed. “I know what you’re thinking, and you need to get that shit out of your head right now.”
“Scott—”
“No!” He slapped his hand against the wall, making her jump, but she wasn’t afraid. He’d cut out his own heart before hurting her. “It’s a trap, babe. A fucking trap because he knows damn well you’d rather give up your own safety than have something else happen to that girl.”
“But—”
“No! I won’t let you do it.” He gripped the back of her head in his large palm and brought her face close to his. “I just fucking got you, babe. Please trust me to handle this.”
Her hesitation had nothing to do with trust. Of course, she trusted him. But he was biased when it came to her. Maybe even blind. He’d choose her over someone else every time, and she loved him for it. But would it unwittingly put an innocent woman in jeopardy?
“I need to go talk to Curly. You’re safe here, but I need to know that you’re not gonna freak out and start getting insane ideas the minute I walk out that door. I need to know you’ll be here when I get back.”
As she gazed up into his stormy eyes, there wasn’t anything she’d deny him. “I’ll be here.”
He kissed her long and deep until her knees weakened along with her resolve. “Go back to bed, baby. I’m going to call Curly to meet me in the clubhouse.”
“Now? Will he be upset if you wake him?” She’d almost forgotten it was the middle of the night.