Page 87 of Savage King
I’m quiet as our plates are delivered, and after I’ve eaten half my enchilada, I look at Natasha and see a strong, happy woman who is clearly head over heels in love with her husband and isn’t afraid of him at all. She’s not bullied. She’s not hesitant or unsure.
And that’s reassuring.
“So I shouldn’t get my back up when Mateo gets bossy about where and when I can go places.”
“I mean, if it’s important to you, tell him so. But if it’s too dangerous, he’ll say no. He cares about you. I’ve never seen him be sosweetbefore you came along. Mateo’s always had a sense of humor, and he’s nothing but gentle to us girls, but I would never describe him or any of the brothers asgood guys. And now he has a soft spot. You. I bet that scares him.”
I tilt my head to the side, intrigued.
“Scares him?”
“Our men aren’t afraid of anything. You’ve seen them in action.” She looks around and then leans in so no one can hearus. “They kill at the drop of a hat, and they rule this city with an iron fist. They’re hard men.Mademen.”
I nod slowly, taking all of this in.
“You’re his underbelly, Violet. His one weakness.”
He’s always telling me that he can’t stand the thought of something happening to me.
“Just like I’m Julian’s weakness. Soon, Rome will have to worry about not just his wife but also their baby. Having a family is a liability for people like our men. And even though they look so tough and like nothing bothers them, I know that Julian worries. So, I don’t push back when it comes to the guards and stuff like that. If it helps him breathe easier, and it brings him home alive because he was able to focus on his job and not worry about me, well.” She shrugs and loads another chip up with salsa. “I’ll do whatever he needs to me to.”
“I guess this is just still such a new world to me,” I admit, seeing things in a new way. Having another woman in the same position explain it all to me helps more than I can say. “But you’re right, I don’t want Mateo to spend every minute away from me worried that I might do something stupid.”
“None of us wants that,” she agrees. “And if you ever have questions, just shoot us a message in the group text. We can tell you if something’s normal or not.”
“Thank God, because so much of this isn’t normal to me.”
Natasha laughs and finishes her margarita. I take a sip of my water and glance around the restaurant. Our guys are still there, looking serious and intimidating. And honestly, if Mateo needs me to have his men with me so he can breathe easier, I won’t fight him on it.
“I’m going to use the restroom,” I tell Natasha, and then stand and walk away from the table. I gesture to the hallway markedrestroomsto Lucky, and he nods once.
I’ve just walked around the corner when I’m grabbed from behind by strong arms, and a hand clamps over my mouth.
Shit.
“You’re going to keep quiet.” The words are growled into my ear, and I realize that I’m not scared.
I’m pissed the fuck off.
Before he can drag meanywhere, I bite his hand, and he yanks it away, and I scream, “FIRE! FIRE!”
“You fucking bitch.”
“Yep.” I stomp his instep and toss my head back to break his nose, but he manages to spin me around and backhand me across the face. Stars burst in my vision, and then I come in swinging. “Asshole.”
I hit him in the eye, and he stumbles back, and Bobby comes running around the corner, pulls his gun and has it pressed against this jerk’s temple as Lucky takes him down to the ground.
I’m shaking with rage as I step back and watch while Lucky secures the man’s hands behind his back. Bobby’s talking into his phone, and then he’s passing it to me.
“Huh?”
“The boss for you,” he repeats.
Twenty-Eight
MATEO
“It’s better if it’s held at the Four Leaf,” Cillian says. He’s on video call with all four of us in Rome’s office at Rapture. We’re working together to get this gala underway so we can get Lincoln and, more importantly, Rose exactly where we need them. “I’ve met him, so the invitation coming from me makes sense.”
