Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
“Holy shitballs, Gareth! What the fuck, man?”
“You motherfucker. I sent her here to you as a favor, pulled her from other jobs, and that’s how you repay her?” Two quick punches to his face until Livingston pulled himself from his shock and was able to fight back.
“Get off me, man!” He shoved him away and tugged on his shirtsleeves. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do a damn thing to her. She finished up, gave me the report and fucking walked out on me again!”
Yeah, he had some anger about that.
Gareth didn’t seem swayed in the least bit. “And the bit about your father buying the company that held her lease and evicting her a few days before Christmas? That was nothing to do with you or your fight with him?”
“Holy fuck.” Hastings had come in the room and leaned against the door. Not wearing a suit, he looked like a bouncer at a club as he stood there. “You went at the old fuck?”
“Evicted?” Livingston felt sick and ignored his brother. “I didn’t have anything to do with that. I would never.”
“Your father did because of something you did that pissed him off.”
“That’s my sister-in-law that you rich fucks are messing with.” A new voice, low and syrupy thick with a Southern drawl. Not a New Orleans drawl, but Southern nonetheless.
The newcomer walked in, going right by Hastings as if he weren’t standing there. Then he had his brown gaze lasered on Livingston.
“Whose face do I get to pummel?” The man adjusted his black baseball cap before crossing massive arms and glaring at him.
Livingston shared a look with Hastings. He didn’t like what he saw in his brother’s gaze. The man was just as disgusted as he was but in this case, may not be willing to fight on his side if that’s what came of this meeting.
A third man walked in and Livingston knew this wouldn’t go his way if it was back to physical confrontation. Yes, he could hold his own, but the last two men who’d walked in were fucking built.
“My woman’s not happy about this. You’re lucky I came instead of her. Who demanded the eviction so we can kick his ass and make him pay, then get back home.”
Livingston swallowed and looked at Gareth, who suddenly looked like he fit in with the rougher-appearing men, not so much a suit-wearing boardroom man.
“My brothers-in-law,” he said by way of greeting. “And Daisy’s.” He pointed at one then the other. “Colum. Jager. Cody is at a race or he’d be here too.”
“I didn’t know about any eviction, Gareth, I swear. She gave me her results, I took it from there and fired Monica then had her arrested. After which I—oh shit.”
“What?” Hastings moved through the room to his side.
Thank fuck for that, at least.
“What happened, Livingston?” His brother arched a dark-brown eyebrow at him.
“I confronted the old bastard. In the middle of his party.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I didn’t think the asshole would do anything to her.”
“Well, he did,” Colum rumbled.
“I’ll take care of it. Where is she?”
The three facing him grew ice cold, expressions not giving a damn thing away.
“Where is she?”
“We’re not telling you,” Jager said.
A clink of crystal had him looking over to where Colum had gone to his bar and was pouring himself a healthy tumbler of Glenlivet 18 and downing it like it was water. Jesus, who was this guy?
The man poured another and this time turned to look at him. “Not bad, but it’s like a wine cooler compared to the ’shine I grew up with. Tell me why I should let you know where she is? You weren’t there when your father gave her twenty-four hours to leave the house she’d been in for years.”
“That woman,” he snapped at the group of men looking at him like he wasn’t worth more than shit on the bottom of their shoe, including his own brother, “is my future wife, the mother of the children I’ve yet to have. You can tell me where she is or I’ll find her. But you won’t keep me from her.”
“I could kill you and drop you out of a plane over the ocean.” Jager accepted a drink from Colum and he, too, tipped it up like it was fucking water.
Hastings laughed and Livingston snarled at his brother, who simply shrugged. “I like them. I’ve not met this woman who’s tied you in knots, brother, but these men came to face you, who have been known to make grown men piss themselves in the boardroom, to find out if you were good enough for their sister.”
“You’re not,” all three of them said as one.
He flipped them off. “Point, Hastings?”
“They’re protective of her like you were us when we were little and you took all the beatings so we didn’t.” He sat on the desk and crossed his ankles and arms. “You go deal with Father then head to get your woman back.”