Between Desire and Denial: A Fake Dating Romance (Hardy Billionaires)
Between Desire and Denial: Chapter 34

“What are you looking at over there?” my brother Dom asked as we sat in his office. I’d flown out to see him as my last stop.

“None of your business.” I squinted at the camera footage. What the hell was that woman doing over there?

When Dom leaned over to see what was on my phone, though, I clicked it off. “Don’t tell me you’re doing dumb shit like Dex was.”

“Was or is?” I threw back. We all knew his ass still watched his wife’s every move. I didn’t actually knock him for it now.

“I saw a damn surveillance video on your phone.” Dom combed a hand through his dark hair and then crossed his arms. “Your security system is up and running in Paradise Grove and we all know it.”

“Are you guys watching what I’m doing with my own investments?” I tried to sound offended, but it was really no use.

“Of course we are. Kee’s your best friend, and Dex watches her mental health like a hawk on steroids. You’re causing her stress.”

“Why? I’m just checking on Olive,” I tried to reason.

“You sure about that?” He lifted an eyebrow. “The investment in a dating app last week an indicator of you just checking on her?”

“I’m not discussing that with you,” I growled out. “What I do with my money is—”

“Your business. It’s only my business when it affects the family.”

I leaned on the desk to look him in the eye. “Stay out of my shit.”

“Stop watching her on the cameras and—”

“I’m not going to stop.” I slammed my hand down on the desk and tried to take a deep breath so my heart would stop beating wildly against my chest. It was a futile attempt. It was never going to stop beating just for her now. “She’s my girl and—”

“Ah.” Dominic smiled then. My eldest brother was always pushing us. “That’s all I needed to know. I think you need to take this call I have with Bane Black then.”

Bane was a partner in our newest resort endeavor. We’d begrudgingly given into a deal with him after we found it was the only way to get the resort and casino up and running. His rap sheet was questionable, his ties to different groups loose and murky, and his demeanor sinister most days. I didn’t need the guy dabbling in more of my investments.

“For what?”

Dominic sighed, “That Paradise of yours seems to have bigger connections that we’d originally thought, and they span the United States in a way we need to be careful about.”

Normally, I would have been excited about this news. Throw a curveball my way and let me swing at it. But I felt the fear rush through me, and all the blood drained from my face, from my heart, and sped through my veins. “What exactly are you talking about?”

Dominic pulled up a video chat with Bane. He sat there looking at another screen, his angular face barely in view as he greeted us. Then, Dominic announced, “My brother doesn’t know about your Diamond Syndicate, Bane. Not sure Olive does either.”

Bane turned toward the screen and I sat back as his piercing blue gaze bored into me. His look was always formidable with how the tattoos snaked up his neck, how he didn’t look away once he caught your eye, and how he always felt coiled, ready to strike. “Diamond Syndicate is a very secret society. One I’ve been a part of since I was born. It has afforded me opportunities I otherwise wouldn’t have. But we don’t flaunt our status like you Hardys or the men your sisters married. Those Armanellis have made quite a name for themselves.” He chuckled.

“What’s your point?” I murmured.

He explained how Paradise Grove was just like the exclusive community he’d grown up in, a Diamond Syndicate pod. All of these communities worked together to quietly influence the world, and to make sure certain groups weren’t allowed to overrun the United States.

“So, you’re practically your own mob, keeping down the actual mob?” I threw back after listening to what essentially was an elevator pitch.

He chuckled. “Say what you will about us, Dimitri. I’m not here to win you over. I’m here to let you know you invested in Paradise Grove and their players have misstepped. They’ve aligned with partners we don’t approve of. We’re handling it discreetly.” He cracked his knuckles in irritation on the screen and then started typing away on his other laptop. “I’m dropping files to you that you can go through.”

My phone pinged with notifications from him. I pulled up the first file and saw the history of the Diamond Syndicate right away.

“I’ve got to give your sister Izzy credit. She’s been digging into this information with her husband, that Armanelli of hers, for a little while. She seems to think this can be smoothed over.”

There were ties to the Irish mob, to selling drugs, to trafficking within the last year. “Smoothed over? The Armanellis have reorganized to not have any of this within their family. I’m not going to have it in mine,” I whispered in disbelief. There was absolutely no way. I stood abruptly. “I need to leave.”

My brother grabbed my shoulder and yanked me down. “Calm down.” When I tried to pull my elbow away, he held on. “Man, I said chill. I agree with you. You know we all do. Everyone is safe right now. Olive’s fine. But we’d like her to stay that way. We’re still confirming who’s working outside of the syndicate and partnering with the Irish.”

I pushed away from the desk and paced up and down the room. “Please don’t tell me you think it’s her—”

“No. But her dad? We are working on confirming who’s involved.”

“Well, fucking make sure and call me,” I growled before I stood up. “And, Bane, funny that you’re investing with us when you’re part of a damn secret society that essentially wants to bring down our family.”

“The Diamond Syndicate’s always had a moral compass. I may have been born into it”—he smiled, but it was sinister—“but that doesn’t mean I was born with the same compass.”

“If I wasn’t partnering with you, I’d beat your ass.”

“Yeah, yeah. Your Armanelli brothers said the same a few days ago. And honestly, the Diamond Syndicate approved of the reform they’ve brought within their Italian family. We aren’t working on bringing the Italians down.”

“You wouldn’t be able to.” I crossed my arms.

His laugh was low before he rubbed at his jaw. “Don’t be so sure. Look how fast we can make a community prosper, Dimitri. There’s a reason you invested. Anyway, our battle isn’t with you. You’re not a problem at all. It is with whomever is betraying us.” He sighed. “Just keep an eye on Olive and be cautious for the next few weeks.”

“Cautious of what exactly?”

“Well, there’s a reason you’ve gotten so much pushback on your condos and offices. If the Irish Mob is influencing a few to push all the others to vote against you … they want you gone, and if they look at Olive wrong because she’s with you—”

“I’ll kill them,” I responded without a second thought.

Bane laughed and Dom leaned back and held his hands up like he’d finally proven his point. “Well then … Just like Dex.”

“First of all, we’re in agreement what Dex did was warranted.” My brother had gotten rid of someone who had hurt his wife.

“Of course.” Dom didn’t even hesitate.

“If these fuckers threaten any part of my family, they deserve just as bad as what Dex has done or worse. They’re not going to look twice at my girl without me coming for them.”

Dom said quietly, “Not just a little business transaction between you two anymore?”

“Look”—I felt my jaw popping up and down—“don’t tell Kee and Dex. Not yet.”

“Jesus, I’m not your secret keeper, Dimitri. We aren’t twelve. Just tell them quick.”

“I will.” I nodded. “I already would have had it not been for Olive asking me to keep it to ourselves. Right now, I have to get back. Things are happening in Paradise Grove that I shouldn’t be missing. Tell Clara I said hi.”

Dom nodded. “Don’t fuck it up.”

I stared at her text the whole flight home.

There was no reason to respond to it.

She’d understand soon enough how serious I was.