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Her eyes gleamed with irritation. “It’s a daily struggle…”
I glanced at the clock on the wall and knew I needed to get going. I took another bite of my breakfast and set my paper side even though I didn’t get the chance to read it. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
“No, I’m coming with you.” She stood up, like that would make a difference.
“No.” I grabbed my jacket off the hanger in the closet and threw it on, completing my three-piece suit.
“I don’t want to stay here with your men. I told you they make me uncomfortable.”
“Too bad.”
She walked up to me with her hands on her hips, making up for her lack of height with her attitude. “Are you planning on keeping me forever?”
I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with her. The impulse to keep her instead of handing her over to Bones was inexplicable. I didn’t know exactly what changed my mind. Now that I’d changed my plans, I didn’t know how to proceed with her. I could fuck her all I wanted, but eventually, I would grow tired of her and move on with my life. But I couldn’t just let her go. I couldn’t let the world know I turned soft. “Maybe.”
“Then you can’t treat me like a dog. Put me to good use. You know I’m smart. I can handle my own even when I’m outnumbered. I’ve got an ass that won’t quit. You can get more use out of me by including me than leaving me here alone.”
“I think most women would love to stay behind and drink wine and eat chocolate all day.” If she played her cards right, she could be well taken care of for the rest of her life. All she had to do was not piss me off.
“I don’t want to sit on my ass all day and get fat. I need more than that.”
“You aren’t of any use to me.”
“I like scotch. Maybe I can help you with your business.”
“This meeting has nothing to do with my distillery.” It was about the underworld. It was about revenge for all the people who had the audacity to fuck with me.
“Crewe, come on.”
I didn’t know what her angle was. “You think if you learn about all my criminal activities, you’ll be able to turn me in one day? I could tell you every little thing about me, let you go, and the police still wouldn’t do a damn thing about it.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because I own the police.” I owned most of the world. Now I just needed to own my enemies.
Her eyes shifted back and forth as she looked at me. “Turning you in isn’t on my itinerary anyway.”
“Really?” I asked sarcastically. “After everything I’ve done to you?”
“I’m not saying kidnapping me is okay. But I think you’ve got a soul underneath this façade. If you didn’t have a heart, you would have handed me over to Bones.”
I couldn’t let her think I ever gave a damn about her. I couldn’t let her believe I showed an ounce of compassion. If I did, all the rules would go out the window. She would try to backstab me in the middle of the night because she knew I would never retaliate. She could push me in directions I never wanted to go. “I didn’t give you away because I wanted to make Joseph suffer even more. I wanted him to know his little sister is being fucked every night—by his greatest enemy. My heart died a long time ago, Lovely. All you see now is flesh and bones.”
“Your car is ready, sir,” Dunbar said in the entryway.
I adjusted my cuff links. “Thank you.”
“How many men would you like to accompany you?”
I adjusted my sleeves then buttoned the front of my suit. “None.” London’s words didn’t get to me. The Barsetti brothers were harmless when unprovoked. They probably wouldn’t even be armed.
Dunbar raised an eyebrow but didn’t question me, knowing that was suicide. “You know where to reach me.”
I nodded then walked to the door.
“Hold up.” London’s voice sounded from behind me. “I’m coming too.”
I wanted to snap her neck. I turned around and gave her a merciless glare, annoyed she defied me right in front of my men.
She read my look without an ounce of fear. “I’m not staying cooped up like a chicken.”
“You think these guys are gonna save you or something?” I didn’t understand why she wanted to accompany me so much. When we were in Scotland, she didn’t try to follow me around everywhere. She stayed in her bedroom in the castle until I finished my day and returned to her.
“No.” She stepped closer to me and lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “I don’t want to be stuck with Dunbar and Ariel…who hate me with every fiber of their being. The only person I feel remotely safe around is you.”
