Part 11 (1/2)

I held his gaze, not believing what I saw, not wis.h.i.+ng to experience the wash of raw putrescence it sent flooding through me, then fighting back the rage that rushed through in its wake.

With everything else-shockingly not the least of which being my brief but affecting encounter with Nick Sebring-all of it piling on and being too much, for once I did not control my reaction, consider every move available and then move forward cautiously (or, as was often the case, not at all).

I surged out of my seat and quickly made my way to the door.

”Liv-” Tommy began.

He shut his mouth when I sliced my eyes to him.

”You should've called me.”

I made it to the door and hauled it open.

”It was a direct order,” he said.

I stopped and asked, ”Dad? Or Georgia?”

He didn't answer even as he did.

His eyes moved across the hall.

Without hesitation, my feet moved across the hall.

”Liv!” he clipped.

I ignored him and knocked loudly at her door, didn't wait and pushed through.

”f.u.c.k! Get the f.u.c.k out!” Georgia, back to her desk, knees up, bent and spread wide, taking Gill's c.o.c.k, twisted her head to glare at me.

I looked from my sister to Gill.

It was not the first time I'd noted my sister's favorite soldier was large, built and exceptionally handsome in a pug-like, blunt, brutal way.

It was just that I was so angry, I might like watching but that absolutely didn't include my sister, so I noticed it with far more abstraction than usual while catching him f.u.c.king her.

”Go,” I ordered, looking in his eyes, not anywhere else.

”Are you insane?” Georgia demanded to know.

I kept my eyes on Gill who was bent over my sister but he had his head tipped back to look at me.

”Go,” I repeated.

He held my gaze then looked down at Georgia.

After a moment, he slid out and straightened, tucking himself back in his pants.

I stepped to the side of the door in Georgia's office, attention to the floor, giving them both privacy to get themselves sorted.

I saw Gill's legs walk by me as he left.

He closed the door.

The instant I heard it click, I looked to Georgia's desk. She was now standing behind it, leaning into her fists spread wide on the top, her expression enraged.

”Do not ever do that again,” she whispered.

”Was he going to Sloan?” I asked.

”Confirm that you will not ever do that again,” she replied.

That meant Green was not going to Sloan.

”Was he going to Valenzuela?” I pushed.

”Liv, confirm that you will not ever do that again,” she repeated.

”So neither,” I surmised and finished, ”And you had Tommy kill him anyway. Tommy. Tommy.”

”You are not hearing me-”

Suddenly, I bent toward her, hissing, ”No. I'm not hearing you. I do not give that first f.u.c.k you're p.i.s.sed.” Her brows shot up at this rarity and I leaned back, asking, ”Tommy?”

”f.u.c.k, Liv-”

”Tommy!” I snapped his name like a whip, aiming my lash her way.

She pushed away from her desk. ”He gets orders just like Gill.”

I shook my head. ”No he doesn't. Tommy doesn't. Not from you. Tommy's mine.”

Her face lost some of its anger and her tone was softer when she said, ”He isn't yours. He hasn't been yours for a long time. And you know it, babe.”

”He's mine, Georgie,” I reiterated.

”He isn't, Liv.”

I leaned forward and was again hissing. ”He's mine.”

My sister's voice was actually gentle, as was her gaze on me, when she returned, ”He wasn't even yours back then.”

My torso shot back like she'd struck me.

”He does what he's told,” she continued. ”He doesn't get special treatment. He doesn't get the clean jobs because the boss's daughter gave him her c.u.n.t and her heart. It should have been a long time ago I stopped letting you protect him. Keep him for yourself. Try to keep him clean. The time for that to stop is now. A job needs to get done, no matter how dirty, he proves allegiance by doing it quickly and doing it well just like anyone else.”

”So,” I began, ”Green isn't stupid enough to turn on us, he just lost his patience because he needs money to actually feed himself, he takes off and you send my ex-boyfriend to whack him to make a point?”

”A point that needed to be made. Not only to Tommy but out there.” She threw an arm wide before she pointed at her desk. ”And in here, to all our boys.”

That speared through my heart.