Page 66 of Billionaire Dragon King’s Rejected Mate

For a moment, there was silence. Then Bryn let out a shaky breath.

Randi turned to her immediately and closed the small distance between them. “Hey,” she murmured and took Bryn’s hands. “Look at me.”

Bryn’s eyes were bright with fear.

“I need you to promise me something.”

Bryn frowned faintly. “What?”

“If this turns into something worse,” Randi said and held her gaze, “you let me take it.”

Bryn’s expression tightened immediately. “No.”

“Yes,” Randi insisted. She tightened her grip. “This is about me, Bryn. Whatever Gunner thinks he’s doing, whatever point he’s trying to make, it’s aimed at me, not you. I don’t think he’s stupid enough to provoke Sven directly unless he absolutely has to, which means you’re his line he won’t cross.”

“And you think I’m just going to stand by while he—”

“I think you have to,” Randi cut in, her voice sharper now. “You have to think about the baby.”

The words hung between them. Bryn swallowed, her hand instinctively moving to her stomach.

Randi gentled her tone. “I can handle him. I’ve handled worse. I work in corporate America, remember?”

It wasn’t entirely true, but it was enough.

After a long moment, Bryn nodded, though reluctance lingered in every line of her expression. “Fine,” she agreed softly. “But I’m not going to make it easy for him.”

Randi snorted. “Wouldn’t expect you to.”

They made themselves as comfortable as they could in the dank environment. The cell door opened again sooner than Randi expected. The harsh scrape of metal against stone before guards stepped inside.

“On your feet,” one of them ordered.

Randi rose slowly. Her posture stiffened as she moved in front of Bryn when King Gunner entered the cell. His presence commanded in a way that had nothing to do with kindness and everything to do with control. His gaze locked on her with an intensity that felt like she was being pinned in place. She refused to break the stare.

“So,” he said, his voice low and edged with something sharp, “we meet again.”

Randi lifted her chin slightly. She refused to flinch. “I don’t think we really met the first time.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re the reason my son has declared war on his own home.”

Randi blinked once before she let out a short, incredulous laugh. “That might be the dumbest thing I’ve heard all day. He’s been gone for years, and I’ve only known him for a fraction of that, but I’m pretty sure he hasn’t counted this place as home for over half his life. So unless you think I’ve mastered time travel, you might want to rethink that accusation.”

A flicker of annoyance crossed Gunner’s face. “Love makes people stupid,” he said coldly.

Randi’s jaw tightened. “Is that what you’re calling it?” she shot back, before the words could stop themselves. “Is that why you killed your wife and your son, because you loved them?”

The impact came fast. Her head snapped to the side as his hand struck her cheek. The force of it rang through her skull as a burst of pain followed.

Behind her, Bryn gasped and tried to step forward. “Don’t you dare hit her.”

Randi moved to block her. “Don’t.” She straightened and turned her head back to face Gunner while fury burned in her veins.

“That all you’ve got?”

The second slap came harder. Pain flared again, sharper this time, but Randi didn’t let herself fall or look away. If he wanted a reaction, she wasn’t going to give him the one he expected.

“You’re a genius at making mistakes,” she hissed, her voice edged with something dangerous. “And other than the fact that you kidnapped us in the first place, you just made a really big one.”