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“I-I, you don’t understand how much patience and work it took to get here. He upped my guards, Digger.Overnight.I had two; now I have four. I had to evadefourmen’s notice as I escaped my college campus. All while trying to behave like nothing was happening when my world was collapsing.
“Father even expected me to be excited.” She shuddered. “Can you imagine? Even worse, he was going to arrange our first meeting and I know exactly what that means—”
I was okay with letting her ramble, but the way she paled had me growing tense. “What does it mean?”
A shiver whispered along her spine, breaking that straight-as-a-ruler stance of hers. “The m-meeting should be when Bill proposes…” Her mouth trembled. “It’s not as simple as that.”
Crouching down in front of her, I asked, “What happens at the meeting, Mary Catherine?”
“My friend got married last year. When her now-husband proposed…” She swallowed. “He didn’t listen when she said no. H-He made it so that she had to say yes.”
My brows lowered. “He raped her?”
“He did. Used it as leverage against her so she couldn’t run away from him.” Her mouth wobbled. “She was a virgin.”
Temper stirred, I demanded, “Because without her hymen, she had no value?”
Mary Catherine nodded, but her eyes—Jesus fuck, they were loaded with terror and horror. Who could blame her?
I knew the Five Points had their ways of doing business, but this was on a whole other level.
“You know it’s only a piece of skin, don’t you?” I asked her gently.
“Of course I do,” she snapped heatedly, “but it isn’t to those men.”
“Those men?”
“The pretenders.”
I arched a brow. “What does that mean?”
“It means the men whowishthey were in higher positions of power. Whopretendto be something they’re not because they’ll never be more than where they are.
“It turbocharges things. Makes them demand perfection because, to the outside world, they have to be perfect or the house of cards will tumble down.” Her nostrils flared. “I’m related to the O’Donnellys, so I should be treated better, but that connection might just—”
She was related to the O’Donnellys?
The Five Points’ ruling family?
Fucking hell.
Then war really was barreling toward us if her father figured out where she was.
“Might just what?” I asked her when her words faltered.
She was staring down at her lap.
Her lap where my hand was.
Not creepily, but my fingers were clasped around hers in reassurance.
I blinked.
When the fuck did that happen?
I made to pull back, but she tightened hers around mine, saying, “My value is higher because of that connection. All the more reason for Bill to want to seal the deal.”
Hearing her talk about herself as if she were a baggy of coke had rage hitting me. “You’re not a business deal.”
