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My heart lurched. “Men?”
I absolutely did not want Cash’s attention on Grey, Dominic, or Nate. Especially not Nate. He was the most innocent of all of us.
Blue eyes narrowed on mine. “Don’t play dumb, Marianna. It doesn’t suit you. You’ve got your right hands panting at your heels like love-sick dogs, ready to do whatever you ask. It’s pathetic.”
“That I’ve got people who would protect me?”
“That they’ve lost their backbones to serve you, and you’ve let them.” He stepped closer, his hand ghosting over my cheekbone. “If you were mine, I’d never let anyone close enough to take my place.”
My stomach quivered and not in a good way. The last thing I wanted was to be the spoils of war. “Is that what this is all about? You want a place at my side?”
“No.” Cash grinned and tucked a curl behind my ear without ever touching my skin. “Don’t pout, though. You’ll figure it out soon enough, and if you don’t, at least I’ll enjoy watching you try. It’s been such fun to see the great Marcosa legacy scrambling after breadcrumbs.”
He said my name with bitterness, and even that gave me something to go off of. Somehow, sometime, long enough ago that the memories weren’t crisp in my mind, Cash had been at odds with my family. Likely my father. The man had never been good at making friends, but this was a little extreme, even for one of his enemies.
“I can see your mind whirling, little queen. You’re trying to put all the puzzle pieces together when I haven’t even laid them on the table yet.”
“Then do it. Give me the whole picture so I can see what I’m working with.”
His lips tipped into a cocky smirk. “Not yet. I want you to work for it. You Marcosas need a reminder of how to do your own dirty work.”
“You have no idea how much dirty work I’ve done.”
“Hmm. I think I’d like to, though. Should we sit down and compare notes sometime?” Before I could answer, he tilted his head, and his grin flattened in frustration. “Damn, I was hoping for more time. Looks like we’ll have to continue this later, little queen.”
I was going to ask what he heard, but the sound of footsteps coming closer echoed through the air, followed by low whispers. Grey and Dominic were trying to keep things quiet for our guests’ sakes, but I could practically feel the malevolence wafting off them from afar. They were out for blood, and Cash was on the menu.
Too bad he’s mine.
“Until next time.” He pressed another kiss to my hand, and then he was gone. He hadn’t even rounded the corner when I kicked off my heels, hiked up my dress, and sprinted after him.
“Mari!” Dominic shouted, his footsteps echoing after me. I heard Grey behind him, barking out orders for the men to spread out and search for the bastard, but I didn’t slow. I wasn’t going to let the opportunity to end this bullshit war before it started get away.
Cash ran down the service halls like he knew where he was going, and I was even more sure that one of the staff had let him in. He dodged through the kitchen doors and out the back, with me close at his heels. I ran religiously most days, so I knew I could keep up with him unless he had a…
Car.
The squeal of tires had me packing on an extra burst of speed, only to dive to the side when a spray of bullets hit the ground at my feet. Asphalt shredded my palms and forearm, my legs barely escaping, thanks to the velvet fabric.
Son of a bitch, that hurt.
A single shot ended the others, followed by a thump and Cash’s voice echoing in the silence. “No one hit her! Rules of engagement say we can’t hurt her on club grounds. Besides, I want to play more.”
“Fuck you and your games!” I yelled.
“Still alive, Marianna? I’m so glad. Good night, little queen,” he called. “We’ll see each other soon.”
Then he was gone, the tires squealing again as I lay panting on the ground, knowing whatever the Aces were up to, it’d only just begun. I didn’t care, though. For now, I was glad to be alive.
“Mari!” Dominic’s voice was so loud that I twisted in shock and nearly groaned. Seemed it wasn’t just my hands that were fucked up from my less-than-stellar landing.
He came to a stop next to me, his eyes running over my face, my body, before settling on my palms with a wince. I loved and loathed the way he looked at me, like I was fragile and delicate. On the one hand, it made me feel cared for and safe when he coddled me. On the other, I was a thirty-two-year-old woman who ran a crime syndicate. I didn’t need coddling.
Ah, the joys of being a woman and not knowing what the fuck I want.
“Are you okay, mariposa?”
“I’m fine. A little scraped up.”
