“You wanna pick some stuff out or something?” I push the laptop to Elle across the table. Pops left after having a private conversation with me about the shipments. I have a small list of names I need to handle to get shit back on the up and up on that front. They’ve got to know it’s coming though, since Javier made sure to take care of his end as soon as he found out who was stealing from him. Their partners getting murdered is a good sign that we’re coming for them. The Locos Diablos MC is gonna be short a few members real fucking soon. They're an offshoot of Shadows MC, essentially their rejects. They’re fucking stupid to think they’d start a war between the familia and the cartel by stealing from us.

And then there’s the issue of Elle’s mother, Sandra Hawthorne. She’s got to be dealt with, but I don’t feel like handling that issue right now.

“You’re letting me go online? What if I emailed someone?” she asks with disbelief. Leave it to her to give me a reason that I shouldn’t let her go online. She’s questioning everything she’s doing, which is good, but I want her to get comfortable. I want her to just act natural, like how she was when I took her for the first time. That moment in time is what I want every day.

“Don’t. I’m going to be right here. Just pick out what you need.” She reaches for the laptop and slowly opens it.

“I could just get some things from my house,” she offers.

“Your mother already tried reporting you missing. You can’t leave.” I’m short with her, but it's for a good reason. All she has to do is listen to what I tell her and everything will be fine.

“What?” she asks, looking at me with her eyes opened wide.

“Rule one, sweetheart.” She opens and then closes her mouth. I can tell she’s going to have a hard time with that one. It can’t hurt to let her know what’s going on with her mother though. I’m gonna have her give her mother a call sometime soon, but right now it’s too soon. “We have a guy on the inside, a police officer. Luckily he’s the one that got the call.”

“I’m surprised my mom gave a shit.” Her voice turns sad and her eyes focus back on the laptop. I don’t like it.

Apparently someone saw Elle with me and went to her mom's place to try and question her about me. Sandra didn’t say shit to the police, which is good. It means my sweetheart really didn’t remember anything that happened at the bistro until she came to my parents' house yesterday. It didn’t piss me off that Sandra tried to file a missing person’s report. But the fact that she attempted to make a will for my sweetheart today really fucking pisses me off.

“I don’t understand why you put up with that shit.” I’m not going to keep my mouth shut anymore. If she’s going to be mine, her mother’s going to have to back off and get her shit straightened out. I can tell this is going to be a fight, but I don’t want it to be one.

“And what’d she do that got you so pissed off, huh? I mean on the night I met you. You were all bent out of shape.” Elle doesn't have to tell me though, because I already know what she did. I got the report from Tony. It has everything on my girl. And there’s a ton of shit there. A ton of debt, to be specific. I know her mother took it out, too. She tried to file for loans a few times with just Elle’s name on the paperwork. Fucking bitch. I had to call Dom to have his guys transfer money from my account to Elle’s and wipe her debt. I know Sandra’s gonna do it again soon. As soon as she realizes she can. And I’m not looking forward to having to shut that shit down. I’ll throw her thieving ass in jail. That’s what she fucking deserves.

“She’s my mother.” I shake my head and bite my tongue. I know all about family. For fuck’s sake, I have the entire familia to worry about.

“You’re a strong woman. I hate to see you being taken advantage of.” It’s true, but she gives me a disbelieving look and I swear she almost rolls her eyes. I’m glad she’s finally getting over that shit from earlier today, but my little sweetheart isn’t gonna walk all over me.

“Don’t look at me like that.” I lower my voice to a threatening level, but she ignores it.

“You don’t want to see me taken advantage of?” she asks without any sarcasm in her tone, but I know it’s there.

“What the hell am I supposed to do, Elle?” I ask her, but I don’t know why. I should really end this conversation. We shouldn’t be talking about this shit.

“Just let me go.” It fucking hurts that she’s asking that. Even if I could, I wouldn’t.

“They’ll know. Then we’re both dead.” My blood freezes. If I fuck this up and she talks, I probably am dead. The family can’t risk weakness like that.

“We can run,” she whispers.

“We?” She wants to run away with me? It fills my chest with hope for us. But I’m not fucking running. I love this life. She’ll learn to love it, too.

Her eyes fall and she focuses them on the screen.

“Answer me. You wanna go away with me?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I don’t have anyone else.” I want her to want me, plain and simple. But not because she has no one else. That means someone could get between us and I don’t like that.

“Get over here, sweetheart.” I push my chair out and pat my thigh. She obeys immediately, walking quickly to me and sitting down on my lap.

“You would run away with me?” I wrap my arms around her waist.

“Yeah, I would. Does that make me stupid?” she asks.

“I care about you, Elle. Do you believe that?” My heart sputters in my chest. She better believe it. Because it’s true. I don’t know how or why, but I do care about her. I want her to be happy with me.

“I do.” I love those words on her lips. I groan as my dick hardens and I rock it into her ass. I’m gonna hear those words again. Real fucking soon.