“Over my dead fuckin’ body.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “Your wife is gone, Marcus. What exactly do you think you have to stop me?”
“My wife is helping her sick mother. We are not divorced and she has not left me.”
He smirks at me. “She’s left you. It’s been months. My lawyer is looking into changing the title now.”
“You don’t get the fuckin’ business until I’ve spoken to my lawyer.”
“What is there to speak about?” He laughs.
My fists clench. “There are terms. Technically, I’m still married.”
“It also says she needs to live with you.”
“She’s caring for her sick mother.”
He shakes his head. “You think I’m that stupid? I know she got those papers. I sent them to her. She has left your sorry ass, and now you’ll lose everything.”
I launch at him, shoving him against the wall, my fingers wrapped firmly around his throat. “You won’t take my fuckin’ business,” I snarl.
“You put me down, Marcus,” he wheezes. “Or I’ll do you for assault!”
I put him down, sending his body soaring. He lands on the ground with a thud, his frail body seeming to take a long time to recover. He lifts his head, staring up at me with rage burning in his gaze.
“You’ll pay for this,” he growls. “You’ll lose everything.”
“Bring it on,” I grin.
~*~*~*~
KATIA
NOW
“This club is amazing!” Wyatt says, hooking his arm through mine and pulling me towards a large, pounding club.
“Don’t listen to him. It’s totally a stripper club,” Landon teases.
I shoot him a look and he flashes me a gorgeous grin. It’s only the three of us tonight, Ford opted to stay at home. I have a good idea why that was. Both of my brothers are decked out in black—black jeans, black shirts, and black boots—yet they make it look completely stylish. I went with the red dress, which has a low V-neck front and is über tight. I matched it with black heels, and left my hair down in curls.
It’s the nicest I’ve looked in a long time.
“How’s it going, Marky?” Wyatt grins, approaching the bouncer at the front door.
“Wyatt, Landon, good to see you.” The large man smiles. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is our sister, Katia.”
The man’s eyes widen. “Didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Neither did we until a few years ago.” Wyatt laughs. “You gonna let us in?”
“Yeah, go through.”
There’s a loud groan from the people waiting in the line, but the boys don’t seem to notice. They drag me through the open double doors into a packed club. It’s got an icy, blue theme going on. The bars are made of solid glass, the walls a light blue, the lights twinkling like snow flakes.
I like it.
“Wow,” I breathe. “This place is unreal.”
“It’s awesome, hey!” Wyatt grins. “What do you drink?”
“Give me a vodka and cranberry,” I say, still staring at the beautiful club.
“On it.”
Wyatt disappears and I turn to Landon. “Tell me you’re a dancer, because I most certainly am. I can bust an epic move on the dance floor.”
He snorts, then turns, putting his hands to his bum and flicking them out singing, “Shake your tail feather!”
I laugh loudly, shaking my head.
“Girl.” He smirks, turning back around. “I’m the king of the dance floor.”
“Dance off?”
He grins. “You got it.”
He takes my hand and leads me through the crowd until we find a dark blue corner booth. We sit down and Wyatt returns moments later with our drinks. Smiling, I take mine.
“So,” I ask, sipping. “Tell me something about you guys, anything.”
For the next hour, Wyatt and Landon tell me about their lives growing up, about their mom, about our dad, and how they became a part of his business. I smile through it all, occasionally feeling a pang of jealousy for the attention they had from our father.
“What about you?” Landon asks. “Your mom seems cool.”
I smile. “She is. She’s all I have.”
“Time to dance!” Wyatt shouts.
We’re four drinks in, and it’s definitely time to dance. I wiggle out onto the dance floor behind them. I’ve been desperate to let my hair down for a long time; this is exactly what I need to clear my head. We find a space and start wiggling about. Landon crooks his finger to me, and when “Sexy Back” comes on, he starts strutting his stuff.
He laughs loudly when he points at me, indicating it’s my turn, and I start strutting my stuff. Before we know it, we’re in a full-blown dance off. I’m wiggling, throwing my hands in the air, doing the sprinkler and totally nailing it. Landon is actually a super dancer, and he’s kind of putting me to shame, but we’re laughing and that feels good.
“I need another drink.” I giggle after half an hour.
“Admit it.” Landon laughs. “You lose!”
I bow in defeat. “I bow down to the king of the dance floor.”
Landon whoops loudly and I turn, still grinning, and shove my way through the people to the bar. I order another drink, and swallow it down quickly. I’m hot and sweaty; I need some cool. I’m also getting very, very drunk. I order one more drink, and carry it with me through the crowd until I find the back door.