House of Paine - (A Romantic Suspense - Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

tell me.” Kevin and Damien shared a look. Finally Damien said,
    “Who knows? Probably for clients who get to drunk or want a private spot to fuck.”
    Paige had the feeling Damien wasn’t being totally honest with her...but she let it go, for now. “So what now?” she asked.
    “Roxi says you can stay here as long as you need to,” Kevin said. “So we wait and see what Jake comes up with and go from there. I’ll do my best to help you up until the evidence is released. At that point, I may have my own time to do...”
    “No,” Damien said. “I’m not turning over anything that implicates you in any way.”
    Kevin smiled at him. It was easy to see the warmth there. Kevin treated Damien better than his own father did. “As much as I appreciate that, I don’t see how that’s possible. If your father goes down, the only way I don’t go with him is to testify against him. As much as my brother and I don’t get along...I still can’t do that.”
    “I know,” Damien said. “I knew that would be your stance. Believe it or not, I understand loyalty to family. I’m not looking to destroy lives here. I want Paige safe and I want out. As long as Lucas Kramer, his brothers, and Kelsey for that matter are out there, Paige isn’t safe. So the Kramer’s need to fall. Hard and fast. But I only want one thing from my father and that’s my freedom to live my life the way I want to live it. I want a normal life and if he’s willing to give me that, then I’m willing to leave his operation alone.”
    Kevin looked touched. “Do you want me to talk to him about that?”
    “No,” Damien said. Kevin looked surprised. “I want to tell him myself. I have to look into his eyes and know that when he gives me his word on this, he intends to keep it.”
    “Okay, I’ll arrange a meeting. I don’t think it’s a good idea for either of you to go back to the city right now. We’ll arrange it here in Rhode Island.”
    “You can have him come to the club. I’ll provide a meeting room for them,” Roxi said.
    “Okay good,” Kevin said. He looked back at Damien and said, “Once he knows where you are, protecting you is going to be more difficult.”
    “I can protect us,” Damien said. He looked at Paige and she nodded. She trusted him.
    Kevin stood up and looked at Roxi. “You’ll let your security both here and at the club know to be extra alert.”
    “Will do,” she said. “Let me know when “Uncle” Jackson is going to show up. I’m sure he’ll bring his entourage. I want to make sure I have plenty of staff on hand.”
    Kevin smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Play nice,” he told her. He hugged Damien and Paige was surprised when he hugged her too and kissed her on the cheek. Damien walked him out. Roxi turned to Paige and said,
    “You look nervous. Are you okay with all of this?”
    Paige nodded. “I can’t really object to any of it, since this all came about because of me in the first place.”
    “Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Roxi said. “This family has been fucked up since the beginning of time. It’s going to implode on itself sooner or later and it would have with or without you.”
    Paige smiled at her. Roxi was like Damien, she was rough enough around the edges to cut you like a knife if you got too close without her permission...but underneath it all there was a good person.
    *****
    “D amien wants to meet with you.” Kevin and Jackson were sitting at the bar in Jackson’s restaurant having a drink. Jackson chuckled. “That’s funny?”
    “It’s just awfully cloak and dagger. If my son wants to see me, he should be sitting here next to me on the barstool.”
    “You don’t think you’ve given him cause to be a little cautious?”
    Jackson’s eyes narrowed and Kevin recognized the look. It was the one that Jackson got when someone tried to deny him his way. It bordered on murderous. “If he didn’t want to have to be cautious, he shouldn’t have gotten himself involved