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“She’ll marry me. Make no mistake.”
Parker let out a dry laugh. “You really don’t know her at all. She isn’t the woman you’ve dressed her up to be. How does she feel, knowing you used her in a bargain, trading her like tender to a merchant? She’s nothing more than an object to you, and I bet she’s finally realizing that.”
His jaw locked. “I didn’t set the bargain. That was you. You had the upper hand and you’re the one who set the stakes. I told you I’d leave it to you to tell her, because it’s you who she’ll see harboring an ulterior motive. Your arrogance only proves you’re the one who hasn’t got a clue as to who she really is. My only intention was to save her life, under any conditions. You’re the one who would have let her freeze to death unless you had something to gain. You saw her as an object to barter. I saw her as a person worth saving at any cost. I’d sacrifice my own happiness for hers any day. I’ll leave the pleasure of telling her to you. I think she’ll be a little less impressed with you once she learns what a shrewd, manipulative creep you really are.”
Lucian hit a nerve with that one, pricked a hole in the other man’s ego so full of hollow, triumphant arrogance. It showed in his voice, the way it shook with emotion.
“You would have killed her eventually,” Parker said vehemently. “I know what men like you are like. My father was like you. Otherwise you never would’ve let her go, just to be a prick. In my mind I was the one saving her. If you think I would’ve let her freeze to death you’re nuts.”
Lucian laughed. “And tell me, how does a man who can’t even afford a coat get a girl off the street? You couldn’t shelter yourself, let alone her. I found you in a fucking flowerbed, hiding from the wind while she was shivering and crying over her dying mother. Exactly when would the knight in shining armor mentality kick in, Hughes? Just admit it, you had nowhere to go and you were as helpless as you’ve always been when it came to her safety.”
“Were, that’s the key word, Patras. And I have lots of coats now. I don’t need all your money to impress her. I’m not a shmuck. All I need is a roof and some time.”
His jaw popped. “Well, you’ve got thirty days.”
Parker’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t contact her. That was the agreement.”
He almost sounded like he was questioning Lucian’s word, which only irritated him more. He never broke his word. “Unless she comes to me,” Lucian stipulated, per their original agreement.
“She won’t.”
“Don’t be so sure, kid. And be warned, she returns to me—which she will—hurt in any way, and I’ll be coming for you.”
“You don’t scare me, Patras.”
“That’s because you’re still a naïve kid. But I know you want to play with the big boys and wear the big-boy pants, so I’ll cut you no quarter. Thirty days, Hughes, not a second more.”
Chapter 16
Bind
A stronghold, usually created by an advanced pawn, which is difficult to break
Lucian’s knee-length trench whipped across his legs as he stood within the shadows, just outside of the golden halo set by the streetlamp. It was a good neighborhood with a Rittenhouse Square feel. There was hardly ever crime in this section of Folsom, and most residents were affluent to say the least. She would be safe here.
White light showed from behind her sheer drapes. He waited for even a silhouette to pass, something to let him know she was all right. There was nothing.
Of all the difficult decisions he ever had to make, this seemed to trump all. Would he lose her? She was confused, angry, but there was a reason. He just couldn’t tell her. Once she found out the truth, she’d see his reasoning.
He was a coward. How did one explain to the one they loved they’d been bartered like a valuable trading card, loaned out like a car? He had never been so disappointed in his choices, but every time he recalled that freezing afternoon he’d gone searching for her, he could think of no other option around the fucked-up position they were in now.
During his most intense moments of arbitrage, he never experienced fear like what was living inside of him now. The clock had started. Parker would go to her—once he found her—and wasn’t it sweet that Lucian had left her so vulnerable and in need of a friend? His stomach soured, bile swelling to a point of wooziness at the mental image of Parker laying his hands on her, hugging her, holding her, listening to her while she cried about what a prick Lucian was.
