I was fucking nervous.

There. I admitted it. I was fucking nervous as I stood there in the empty parking lot, a briefcase full of cash at my feet, a gun tucked into the waistband of my jeans.

I didn’t know how this would go down. I had spoken to Rafa on the phone, and he had agreed to meet me, but I didn’t tell him exactly what we were meeting about. Maybe he expected me to grovel at his feet and beg forgiveness, or maybe he knew better than to expect that from Bull Dixon.

But either way, I was making a serious move here. I’d been dealing with Rafa and men like Rafa for most of my life, and I understood how they operated. They didn’t take this sort of thing lightly, and if Rafa was in the mood, there might be some violence.

I was prepared for violence. Hell, I lived in violence. Hurting men and destroying bodies was how I made my living. Except in this case, the stakes were even higher and we’d both be armed with guns.

It didn’t matter. I wasn’t backing down.

I took a deep breath and pictured Charley’s face back in the elevator two weeks ago. We had just negotiated payment with her boss, and she was fucking glowing with pride and excitement. She was perfect in that moment, and it was right then that I realized I really was in love with her.

It felt weird to know it so suddenly like that. I’d never been in love before, but it hit me, then and there, that what I was feeling had to be love.

I’d do anything for her. When she smiled, I wanted to smile. Bringing her joy and happiness was suddenly a priority for me above almost anything else.

I didn’t read love poems or listen to sappy fucking songs or some shit like that, so maybe I didn’t really know what love was, but in that moment, I was sure.

Just a few hours later, her boss called and confirmed the deal. We’d get fifty grand, and they’d get the best fucking article on the planet.

It was terrifying. I was going to air all of my dirty fucking laundry. All of my secrets were going to be out there. My PR girl assured me that I’d survive it that they’d be running damage control, but it was still nerve wracking.

It didn’t matter, though. In the end, I had money and I had Charley. I could live without money. I couldn’t live without Charley.

I saw the headlights slowly turn into the lot. We were on the south side of Chicago in an abandoned parking lot. There wasn’t another soul for miles, probably, and this was the perfect spot for ending this shit.

The car parked. It was a big black SUV, the sort of shit you saw in gangster movies. The engine cut and Rafa stepped out.

He was alone. Good.

“Bull,” he said, walking over. “What’s with the fucking theatrics?”

“We need to talk.”

“You have my number, you know.”

“This needed to be done in person.”

“What do you need, Bull?”

I nodded at the briefcase at my feet. “That contains fifty thousand dollars.”

Rafa looked surprised. “And I’m guessing that’s for me?”

“It is for you,” I confirmed. “It’s to buy Charley out of debt, and to get you off my ass.”

“Good,” Rafa said. “Very good. But why do you think we’d leave you alone? You’re such a good fucking earner for us.”

“Because you can’t hurt me anymore. I’m above you now.”

He looked at me for a second before bursting out into laughter. “What the fuck are you talking about, Bull? We’re the mob. We can always hurt you.”

I sighed and shook my head, waiting for him to calm down. When he finished, I spoke.

“Charley wrote that article, just like you wanted. But as soon as it’s published, all of your power goes away. You can’t blackmail me anymore, Rafa. I won’t have anymore secrets.”

He grinned at me. “There are always more secrets. I’m sure you didn’t reveal all of them.”

“I didn’t,” I confirmed. “But after this article, I have my PR team ready to release a bunch of other outlandish rumors. So if you do decide to release something, nobody will believe you.”

I could see the doubt creeping into his expression. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not. We’re fucking done, Rafa. Tell your boss that I’m through with him.”

“Blackmail isn’t the only way we operate,” he said, and I could hear the menace in his tone. “We can hurt you, Bull. I mean really hurt you. Or maybe we can hurt that girl of yours.”

“Threaten all you want. I’m too high profile for you to mess with. Plus, I can hire as much muscle as I need to keep you guys away.” I kicked the briefcase over to him, and it slid across the gravelly ground. “It’s over, Rafa.”

Just then, I saw it: the true anger, the blinding rage I was afraid of. It took hold of his face so quickly that I nearly missed it.

My gun was out and in my hand faster than I thought possible. I aimed it at him and he froze, his hand behind his back, in the process of drawing his own weapon.

“Stop,” I said to him.

He laughed. “You’re not a killer, Bull. You fucking run a charity.”

“I’m not a killer,” I agreed. “Not yet at least. I’m going to back off and leave. You’re going to stay still until I’m gone. Then you have your money, and I have my freedom. Deal?”

“We won’t stop,” Rafa said. “We’ll never stop.”

“Yes, you will. You’re mad now. But your bosses aren’t stupid.” I began to back off, staring at him with my gun leveled. “Don’t call me again.”

“It’s not over,” Rafa called as I continued to back away. “It’s not over by a long shot.”

I made my way to the edge of the lot and then found the corner of the building. I ducked around to the other side and walked fast.

It was over, no matter what he said. He thought they owned me, but nobody fucking owned Bull Dixon.

I was my own man, and all I wanted was my woman and my child.

I hurried to my car, got in, and started the engine. It roared to life, and I smiled to myself.

* * *

I rode the elevator up to my penthouse apartment for what was probably the millionth time, but for some reason it felt fresh.

I was running on adrenaline. It was late, around one in the morning, and I should have been exhausted. It had been a long day of gathering funds and preparing for this little meeting, but now that it was over, all that stress that had been building was suddenly completely gone.

I felt new. I couldn’t really understand it or explain it, but I felt like I was a brand new man. It was like something had been washed clean, and now I was starting over.

All of my secrets were about to be made public. The article was going to be published tomorrow, and then I’d be completely exposed to the world. I wasn’t going to be able to do anything about it, and frankly, I didn’t want to.

I should have felt stressed. I should have felt something, but suddenly, now all of that didn’t matter. Now that Rafa had his money, and he knew it was over, I didn’t care about anything else.

Only two things were important to me anymore.

The elevator doors slid open. Across the room, Charley stood up.

I smiled. There they were, the two most important people in my life.

“I was worried,” she said, coming toward me. “How did it go?”

I didn’t respond. I just walked across the room, took her into my arms, and kissed her hard. She seemed surprised but kissed me back. I held her like that for a few minutes, kissing her and feeling her body pressed against mine.

Finally, I broke off. She smiled at me. “Went that well?” she asked.

“I love you,” I said. “I’ve been thinking about that for days now. I just needed you to know.”

She blinked, and her smile got bigger. “I love you too, you big idiot. Why else would I be here?”

I smirked at her. “Because of all the hot sex, obviously.”

“Well,” she said, “that doesn’t hurt.”

I laughed and pulled her back over to the couch, gently pushing her down. She sat and laughed along with me as I knelt down in front of her.

“The article comes out tomorrow,” she said as I kissed her stomach. “Are you nervous?”

“Not at all,” I said.

“Good. I don’t think you need to be. Lacy said she’d handle it all.”

“That’s not it. I just don’t care about any of that anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

I kissed her stomach again. “All that matters is here.” I pulled her shirt up and kissed her belly button. She giggled softly.

“Do you mean that?”

“I mean it.” I kissed her again. “I couldn’t mean it more.”

“What if things go bad? What if you lose your job?”

I kissed her lower. “I have savings.”

“I’m nervous.”

I looked at her. “You don’t have to ever worry, Charley. You’re with me now, and I’m never going to leave.”

She nodded and smiled. “Okay, Bull, prove it.”

“Prove what?”

“Prove how you’re going to take care of me.”

I grinned and laughed at her and then kissed her a little bit lower, and a little bit lower, and lower still.

I was going to take care of her however she wanted. I’d play ball if I could, or I’d do something else if I couldn’t. But all through that, through the ups and the downs that were coming, I’d be with her.

She made it all seem worth it, Charley and my little baby growing inside her.

They gave me a reason to keep fucking fighting.