He didn’t seem to believe me when I told him I wanted him to go, but he left without a fuss—bad sign. Something told me he would give me the win for now but that he’d be back and with a vengeance. Nothing would reaaallly keep him away for long. He would be back.

The door shut behind him and tears freely flowed. The distraction wasn’t enough to keep my spiraling mental state away.

Or my bout of nausea.

My phone buzzed and I was too sick to look at who it was. It was probably Brent, and I had no energy to deal with that.

So, I threw up until I fell asleep on the bathroom floor.

​Chapter 35

Brent

“What’s got you looking uglier than usual, boss?” Reaper was munching on trail mix while we waited yet again to see what the hell was going on with Jason Haines and his associates.

The last we heard there was trouble in paradise and his company was flailing and at risk. Nothing lasted long when you start trying to fuck over the one who gave you your leg up in the world. Never look a gift horse in the mouth—especially if that person was Augustus Vaughn and you wanted to steal business away from him. He would gut you or ensure that someone else did.

I gritted my teeth and accepted the packet of trail mix from him while there was no activity, and we were out here with our thumbs up our asses. “Nothing.”

He chuckled. “Woman problems, I get it. Don’t need to tell me twice.”

“Just shut up and tell me what you heard last from the higher ups.”

“Last I heard, you were a higher up now after that little meeting with your girlfriend.”

If she was my girlfriend, she wouldn’t have kicked me out so easily. That would change sooner rather than later, but I decided it was best not to push my luck. Her mental state was in no working order and watching her break and shatter within a couple of days was the worst thing I’d ever seen. It was like telling a little kid Santa didn’t exist anymore. All the life and brightness I saw in her that first night was dimmed and darkened by the people I knew would do that to her.

“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s my business partner and nothing else. And yes. You’re right. The Dictator wants me to start taking on some leadership shit for only God knows why. Something tells me he needs the extra cover for something OR that something so big is coming that it could implode the world. Whatever it is, he has his plans about it.” I shoved trail mix into my mouth and looked back through my rangefinder