The Billion Dollar Baby_A Billionaire Romance
Page 18
I nod towards Snake.
“Take him to the girl. When they’re done come and find me.”
As I watch them leave the room, I feel pleased with how the day is unfolding. Cassie will have her dream come true with this one. As I think of my little princess my heart fills with love. My angel and the only one I love. A little five-year-old bundle of innocence and beauty that is my world. Nothing is too good for her and I will pluck the stars from the sky just to see a smile on her lips. She needs the best, and that’s Mary fucking Poppins as far as I’m concerned. I want her to have the best start in life and tread a very different path to the one she is on. She will have everything I can get for her and now is the time. She’s about to start school and I want her to fit in. She needs an apple pie mom and to be accepted by her peers. The child of a hard biker living in an MC club is not what she needs.
No, when my little darlin’ starts school, she will have it all. Ashton is about to make my little princess’s dreams come true.
Brewer comes and sits next to me and laughs softly.
“You’re one evil fucker, Ryder.”
I smile with satisfaction.
“Maybe I am. You’ve seen her though. How long would she last if she wasn’t my old lady? You know the guys, she wouldn’t last the day. Cassie gets her mom, and the girl stays safe. She will thank me for it.”
He grins. “And what do you get out of it?”
I laugh softly. “The hottest wife this side of Hell. Life is just about to get interesting.”
Ashton
I like Bonnie. She is open and friendly and I warm to her immediately. I follow her through a hallway and up some stairs at the end. She looks at me with interest. “You know, you sure are different from what I thought you’d be. When Ryder said he was getting a nanny for Cassie, I thought you’d be some old dear wearing a uniform or something. Cassie’s gonna be stoked when she sees you.”
I look at her with interest. “Tell me about Cassie.”
Bonnie’s eyes light up, and she smiles sweetly.
“She’s adorable. I love the little angel like my own - we all do. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a wild little five-year-old bundle of naughtiness. But she has this way about her that you forgive everything.”
I smile. “What happened to her mom?”
Bonnie looks down and I watch the shutters closing in. “She was a whore. We all liked her, she was pretty and sweet but had a hard edge. From the moment she met Ryder she wanted him for herself. Gradually she wormed her way into being his number one and trapped him by becoming pregnant.”
My heart tightens at the mention of Ryder. For some reason, I don’t like thinking of him with these women. Why?
She carries on. “When she fell pregnant, Ryder was angry. I’ve never seen him so angry and it was a dark time. Sara didn’t get her man she just got a kid. She wasn’t allowed to leave because as soon as that little baby was born Ryder was smitten forever. Cassie is his world and the only light in it. He will kill for her and let nothing harm her in any way.”
My heart thumps as I ask the question that I dread the answer to.
“What happened to Sara?”
Bonnie shrugs.
“She started drinking heavily. If Ryder didn’t want her, then there were plenty of others who did. She was a beautiful woman and had her pick. Her life was spent caring for her baby and screwing every club member she could. She wanted to make Ryder jealous, but he didn’t care. One night she went out and never came back.”
I hold my breath as she looks at me with a sad expression.
“She was found dead in a ditch off the Highway. It turned out she went to a bar in town and hit on a couple of guys there. She left with them and they turned out to be murdering bastards. The police came and Ryder had to identify the body. It broke him, Ashton. He felt responsible for driving her away and not looking after her. He didn’t want her but felt responsible for her as Cassie’s mom. Now he had to explain to his baby why her mommy wasn’t coming home. He blamed himself and has never gotten over it. Cassie gets the best he can get for her as he tries to make up for the lack of a mom in her life. I’m not surprised he wanted a nanny for her. This life is not what he wants for his princess. He fears she’ll turn out like her mother and will do everything he can to stop that happening.”
She looks at me with a worried expression.
“Just a word of advice, honey. Treat Cassie right and you won’t go far wrong. She wins every time and there’s more than just her father looking out for her. That little girl has the family from Hell and I pity anyone who casts a shadow in her eyes.”
We arrive at a room at the end of the hall and she smiles.
“Anyway, pep talk over. You’ll be fine. This is your room where you can get away from it all. I expect it won’t be for long though.”
I look surprised.
“Why not?”
She laughs softly. “Ryder and Cassie have a house out the back. I expect you’ll move in with them. After all, Ryder wants the American dream for his little girl and I imagine that involves you. For now, though, this is your space and nobody will bother you here.”
She throws open the door and I take in the sight of a fairly large room, tastefully furnished and looking surprisingly pretty and modern. She laughs.
“Not what you expected?”
Shaking my head, I wander in and look around me.
“No, not at all. This room has a woman’s touch that’s for sure.”
Bonnie giggles. “You’re welcome.”
I turn to her and smile happily.
“You did this?”
She nods excitedly. “I’m quite into interior design. I go to college to study it and the guys let me practice here.”
I look at her with interest. “What brings you here, Bonnie? What’s your story?”
She winks. “Fell in love with that beast Snake. He made me his old lady, and I never left. He may seem rough and scary but he’s a teddy bear under it all. We live here and I love it. The guys are great and when you’re someone’s old lady, they leave you alone. If not, then you have your work cut out for you. You may want to spend a lot of time in this room, Ashton because there’s probably not a biker down there that doesn’t have their eye on you.”
I look at her nervously.
“I’ll be safe though, right?”
She winks. “Can’t promise you that but you’ll have fun.”
I sink onto the comfortable bed feeling very worried. Oh no, not again. I can’t allow myself to be used again, I can’t deal with that.
Bonnie looks worried and comes to sit beside me. “What’s the matter, honey?”
I shake my head and whisper. “I can’t tell you, Bonnie. I’m not sure I can stay here either. If any of those men touch me, I can’t allow it. Please tell me they won’t.”
She looks concerned and puts her arm around me.
“Hey, you’re shaking. What’s the matter? Did something happen to you?”
Before I can answer there’s a sharp knock on the door.
As Bonnie opens it my heart lurches as I see Snake and Tyler enter the room. From the look on Tyler’s face, I am not going to like what I’m about to hear.
5
Ashton
Snake calls Bonnie away and leaves me with Tyler. His look sends panic shooting through me and I lick my dry lips nervously.
“What’s happened, Ty?”
He moves across and sits next to me on the bed and takes my hand in his, squeezing it gently.
“Things have changed. Ryder wants to renegotiate the contract.”
I swallow—hard.
He speaks in a low, solemn voice.
“He can’t guarantee your safety under the current terms. He feels that looking like you do it will be too much of a temptation to his men. The only way he can keep you safe is if you agree to be his wife.”
To say I’m shocked is putting it mildly. His wife!
I start to shake.
�
��No, please don’t make me, Ty. I can’t marry him, why would he even want me to?”
He looks at me with devastation in his eyes.
“He’s right, Ash. These guys are used to taking what they want, when they want. They hit on girls and wear them down. You saw the women out there. They are here to serve a purpose and any female within these walls that isn’t tied to one man is fair game. Ryder knows this and wants to protect his investment as he put it.”
I shake my head, trying to take it in. His investment!
Tyler smiles ruefully.
“You know, this could work out well for everyone.”
I look at him in horror.
“You’re not seriously thinking this is a good idea.”
He nods.
“My first thought was to grab you and run. Now, however, I think he has a point. As his old lady, as they call them, you will be respected. Nobody will approach you and you’ll be safe. Ryder just wants a mom for his daughter and wants her to have the family life she deserves. If you are married already, then you can’t marry another. Do you get what I’m saying?”
I fall silent. I shiver inside as I think about the man I am to marry. Not Ryder, the other one.
I shake my head. “You’re wrong if you think that will count, Ty. You know as well as I do that if they want me to marry Marshall, I will and nothing will get in the way. Even if I’m already married, they will make it go away. They won’t care about the Twisted Reapers. It’s why I ran in the first place. There’s no getting away from what they have in store for me, daddy wouldn’t allow it. Marshall Emmerson is my future according to him and I don’t get a say in it.”
Tyler is silent and I know he understands. Our father made a deal with his business associate and friend Marshall Emmerson to make me his bride. As soon as I graduated, I was to be shipped off to him. The fact he’s my father’s age doesn’t count. Daddy made a business agreement with him years ago. His virgin daughter for a lucrative contract. That contract brought in billions of dollars and my feelings no longer counted. The two families were to merge, and I didn’t get a choice. The fact that Marshall is the obscenest man I have ever met makes it all the harder. Just thinking of him sends me into a panic attack. I had to run, the thought of a future with him was too much to bear.
Tyler looks at me sympathetically.
“You’re wrong about the Reapers.”
I look confused. “In what way?”
He shakes his head.
“I told you, they are the untouchables. If anyone comes calling, they regret it. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. What you have to decide is which of the two is the lesser evil. Not much of a choice but a choice none the less. It’s up to you, Ashton. Your future is in your hands.”
Ryder
Snake and Bonnie head back to the bar and immediately I see that Bonnie is troubled. I raise my eyes as she approaches, and she shakes her head.
“Something’s wrong there, Ryder. The girl is scared shitless about something.”
I fix her with a hard look.
“Tell me.”
She shrugs. “I told her to expect to get hit on by the guys and she started trembling. The panic in her eyes said it all. That girl has been hurt and not in a good way. She’s vulnerable and frightened, this may not be the place for her to heal.”
I look at Snake who shrugs. “What are you gonna do?”
I shake my head. “What I said, I’m gonna make her my old lady and Cassie’s mom.”
Bonnie shakes her head. “She won’t agree to it, I saw it in her eyes. That girl has issues and I’m not sure this is where she should be. Let her go, get someone without any baggage, for Cassie’s sake.”
I look at her angrily. She’s wrong. This is the best place for that girl but she doesn’t know it yet. I growl.
“Send her to my office—alone.”
Snake shoots a warning look to Bonnie who just turns on her heel without a word. As she goes to get Ashton, Snake whispers.
“You sure about this boss?”
I nod. “Never been surer of anything in my life. I’ll find out what’s bothering her and then we will deal with it as only we can. Nothing is gonna get in the way of Cassie’s future. You can count on that.”
Snake grins and I watch his eyes glitter dangerously. I laugh to myself. Snake loves what we do more than most. He’s my right-hand man and I trust him with my life. We were crewed together on many missions in the SEALS. We’ve done things that would make grown men cry and destroy them forever. The fact we continue to enjoy that little hobby is an added bonus for us both. Nothing gets past us and whatever problem that little darlin’ has is soon to be mine. They won’t like how I deal with my problems. I’m right, she’s come to the safest place for her – next to me.
I wait for her in my office. Now I just need to persuade her to stay.
6
Ashton
Bonnie escorts us to Ryder’s office and I feel nervous and apprehensive. Just the brief moment I met him messed with my mind. I have never met anyone like him in my life. He sets me on edge and I’m not sure why.
She leads us down a passage where we see Snake waiting outside a door at the end. He holds up his hand.
“Only the girl, you’ll have to wait in the bar.”
Tyler shakes his head.
“No, I’m going in with her.”
Snake looks at him with a menacing look.
“I said, just the girl.”
Tyler looks angry and I look at him with what I hope is a confident look.
“It’s ok, Ty. I’m fine. Wait for me in the bar as they said.”
I can’t bear the hurt in his eyes as he struggles to deal with the situation we now find ourselves in. This is all my fault, and it’s up to me to deal with the fallout. I smile shakily. “Honestly, it’s fine. I won’t be long.”
Bonnie smiles at him sympathetically and nods towards the bar.
“Come on, honey. I’ll fix you a large one.”
I watch them head off and try to stem the nerves that have taken hold. I can do this, it’s just one man. I’ll be fine.
Snake is looking at me with interest and I clear my throat.
“I’m ready.”
He flashes me a dark look and holds open the door. As soon as I step one foot in the room, it slams shut behind me.
For a moment I just stand and stare. There he is, every bit as dangerous as I first thought. Why does he affect me this way?
He watches me, silently staring and his face devoid of any emotion or expression. My heart hammers in my chest as I try to remain cold and aloof.
He nods towards a chair in front of a desk, filled with papers and files. I try to walk steadily but feel my legs wobbling beneath me. He watches me intently and I try to look composed when I feel anything but. This man has such a power that surrounds him. He is menacing, forbidding and hard and so damn sexy it makes my heart pant.
As I sit, I look anywhere but at him. I can’t because if I look into those eyes I would be undone.
The silence is choking me. The atmosphere is intense and suffocating. No words are spoken, they aren’t necessary. We both know he will get what he wants. It’s an understanding lying heavy on the air that separates us. There is something about him that draws me close and wraps me up in the ever after. Is he my destiny? I know he is.
Then he speaks softly.
“Tell me what’s bothering you.”
I swallow and my heart races.
“I can’t.”
Once again there is silence. He moves and comes around to my side of the desk, perching on the edge in front of me.
“I said, tell me what’s wrong.”
I shake my head and he leans down and takes my chin in his hand and lifts it to face him. His eyes bore deep into my soul and I see the gentleness mixed with curiosity. He considers me for a moment and I try to shake off the feeling of his hands on me. It’s like an electric current that starts my heart beating once more. He raises
his eyes.
“I know why you’re here, Ashton. I know about your marriage and what you did to escape it. I know that you must have been desperate to agree to what you did. I don’t judge and I don’t feel. You did something brave that most girls would lack the courage to see through. What I don’t know is why you find it so hard to move on.”
The tears fill my eyes as he speaks. He knows. He knows what sort of person I am. Weak, foolish and desperate. Not the person best placed to care for a child.
He continues to hold my face and I try to distance myself from his touch. I can’t think straight with his hands on me.
The tears escape and my lip trembles. I shake my head and pull away, saying softly.
“You’re wrong about me.”
He doesn’t speak and I turn away.
“I’m not brave. I’m weak, foolish and easily led. All of my life I have been told to be something I’m not. I have tried to live up to my father’s expectations and become the perfect daughter he demands. He rules my life and dictates my future. My childhood was full of luxury laced with oppression. What daddy wants daddy gets. I have lived in his shadow all my life. My friends were chosen for me and my interests dictated. Strictly no boys allowed and schooled with girls. My future was to be the same. I was to be passed from one domineering man to another. The Virgin sacrifice that sealed a lucrative deal. I had no say in what was to happen, it was expected. The only way out was to run. I needed enough money to start again. I wanted to run to a place he would never find me. I wanted to take control of my life starting with my virginity. It was mine to give away not his. For once I rebelled against him. I would give away the prize that wasn’t his to give. I didn’t know that it would prove so hard.”
I look to the floor and do everything in my power to drive the memory of last night from my mind. It’s too raw, an open wound with no time to heal. I’m not strong enough to deal with the consequences of my actions. I am broken.