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The way he casually talked about ruining Genna and all the men that work for Finn.
The idea that I’d be the reason for so many people getting hurt, maybe killed—it lingers like bile in my throat.
Finn sits next to me, our knees touching. “That went about as well as it could have,” he says.
“Really?” I stare at him like he’s gone insane, because I’m pretty sure he has. “Your parents tried to ruin you.”
“Threatened to,” he corrects, sipping his drink. “Robin saved our asses, as it turns out.”
“Oh, yeah, right, that’s better.” I groan, tilting my head back. “What did I marry into?”
“I warned you.” He nudges against me. “Come on. We’re okay.”
“How? You heard your dad in there. He hates me.”
“His opinion doesn’t matter. Only mine does.”
“His opinion can literally end lives.” I give him a look. “And your mother matters.”
“Well. Her too.” He sips his drink again. “She offered us a way to save face. If I can smooth this over with McLaren and make sure Dad still gets his vote, everything will be okay.”
“Short of sacrificing one of your brothers, how’s that going to happen?”
“No clue,” he admits. “But that’s a problem for another day.” He finishes his drink and puts it down on the coffee table before shifting to look at me. “Now, you went shopping earlier. How did that go?”
I laugh, unable to help myself. The absurdity of the transition is too much. “I don’t want to talk about clothes, Finn.”
“I do. Tell me what you bought. Anything worth putting on you then peeling off again?”
“Quit it. Your parents want to murder us.” I stand, pacing away, heart beating fast.
I keep thinking about what Kathryn said to me earlier, about how I’ve barely thought about myself in all this.
How she’s completely right.
“Not murder. Just ruin financially. Listen, if it comes to that, I have plenty saved up in accounts they can’t touch. We’ll have to move somewhere else, start over, but we’ll be okay. I’ll take care of you, I swear it.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask, throwing my hands in the air. “You’re risking everything you have for me and I don’t know why. You could just write me a check every year, make sure I’m comfortable, make sure our child’s taken care of. You don’t need to end your life for this.” I gesture between us.
He’s quiet for a moment before he leans forward, elbows on his knees, looking more tired than I’ve ever seen. His gaze is hard when he looks up. “All my life, I’ve done what they asked. I’ve given them everything. I’ve been loyal, never complained, killed myself to bring power to the family. They rewarded that by forcing me into a match I didn’t want, all for some miniscule benefit. All for the damn bottom line. You are worth the risk to me because you’re a choice I’m making for myself.” He stands, slowly gathering himself.
“What about me?” I ask in a quiet voice. “How do I fit into all this?”
He tilts his head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, whatamI to you? What are we even doing here, me and you? Aside from blowing everything up and getting ourselves murdered.”
“You’re my wife. You’re the mother of my kid.”
My hands ball into fists in frustration. “I mean, what will it be like, living with you and your family? They hate me, Finn, and that’s never going to change.” I feel so stupid. I should’ve seen this coming sooner, when he tried to warn me, but getting a vision of it like that, really seeing the looks on their faces—it hammered home that I’d always be theother woman, the club rat, even if that’s not how it happened and not what I am.
“They won’t matter.” He comes toward me. “You and I matter. We’ll make our own family. You’ll rarely see them if that’s what it comes to.”
I smile tightly at him. “Now you’re just flirting with me again.”
“A little bit.”
“I’m scared, okay? I’m just scared. I tried to prepare myself, but that was too much.”
