He set his own mug down and leaned against the counter.
“We present a united front just like I told you last night.”
I laughed, sharp and incredulous.
“To whom?”
“To everyone.”
“My family will never accept this.”
“They don’t have to accept it.”
“They will retaliate.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re prepared for that?”
“Yes.”
The certainty in his voice infuriated me.
“You think this protects me?” I demanded.
“It does.”
“No, it doesn’t. It paints a target on both of us.”
“It consolidates power.”
“You’re unbelievable. You don’t get to decide that this is protection, and you don’t get to decide that my life is better tied to yours than free.”
“You weren’t free,” he said quietly.
The words hit harder than I expected.
“I was not a pawn.”
“You were about to be.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“You don’t.”
Silence crackled between us.
“My brothers will not tolerate this,” I continued. “They will see this as aggression, and they will come after you the moment they find out I am gone.”
“It is aggression, and they will be right in coming after me.”
I stared at him.
“You’re admitting that?”
“Yes.”
