I snort. “It doesn’t hurt that I’m intrigued by him, no. I’m still not sure he’s the best choice though.”
“Why is that?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure he can be trusted.”
Callum nods. “Smart to keep your wits about you.”
“When is the date with the Russian?” I ask after a moment.
“When do you want to have it?”
Callum won’t let me see you until you have your other dates.
“Soon. I’d like to meet him and take stock of the options.”
“Alright then. I’ll see if I can arrange something for tomorrow.”
“Hey, Callum.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For keeping my father away. For protecting me.”
“Anytime. I’ll protect you until the end.”
“She didn’t allow him to touch her again. She actually backed away when he tried to kiss her cheek goodbye,” Kenji chuckles. “The guy forced a smile but looked like she kicked his puppy.”
I grunt, “He better be lucky she backed away. I doubt he’d enjoy life much without lips. He’s lucky I’m letting him keep his hands.”
Kenji’s humor flows through the phone. “She really got to you, huh, boss?”
“No one gets to me, Kenji. I have reasons for wanting to keep her safe and away from the others.”
“Oh yeah? Threatening bodily harm is part of that?”
“The girl is going to be mine when all is said and done. I don’t share well,” I remind him.
“Your father is going to have a field day with this,” he teases.
I bark out a laugh. “He’s part of the reason I’m pursuing this. Whatever pisses him off is a win in my book. He’s getting more dangerous. We need to consider handling shit soon.”
“I hear you. I’m going to check with my man when Kado relieves me.”
“Good. Meet back at my place after. We can discuss shit further.”
“Heard.” Then the line goes dead.
Knowing she was in the same café I took her to pissed me off. Like her family was making a point by shitting on our date and replacing it with a new one.
I couldn’t let that stand. Besides, Callum has been screening my calls, advising me that while they appreciate my enthusiasm, she has yet to go on all of her dates.
Callum makes it seem like they are giving her an option, but that’s not true. They will make whatever deal is best for them, which will be mine. I just need to lay out the terms I didn’t put in writing.
Sure, on paper it looks like I’m willing to offer a one-million-dollar donation to the Irish along with a decree that our sides will be allies in the future. Add in the five percent cut from my own businesses for the next five years, and you have a lucrative deal.
