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Liam shakes his head like he’s speaking to a schoolchild. It pisses me off beyond reason. “Rustik controls the farms. He controls the dispensaries, or at least he would have if he’d gotten his claws into you. Now, his relationship with your father will be rocky and fraught, and meanwhile, you can teach me everything you know about the business. If I’m going to have a real shot at dominating the marijuana trade, I need to find a way to push Rustik aside, or at least to rival him. I need a way into the inner circle, and a lever to pry Rustik out from his entrenched position. You’re both.”
I turn and pace away, limping slightly on my injured foot. I can see what Liam’s saying—even if he did try to go the legitimate route, Rustik would simply crush him before he had a chance to put in a solid effort. The marijuana farmers on the West Coast all owe him allegiances, and this is the best region for growing with the best connections to the most popular retail locations. Liam could try opening farms in other legal states, but that’s like starting a race a hundred yards behind everyone else.
And he also happens to be right that I know something about the industry. Before I got into this mess, I worked for my father for years. I got my MBA and even planned on moving up in the ranks, at least until Liliya died and I got shoved into her place. I had dreams of one day taking over from my father when he retired, but now those dreams are all shattered.
“I still don’t see why you have to marry me,” I say, arms crossed over my chest. “We could, I don’t know, sit down and talk like normal humans. It’s not like the second we get hitched, you can somehow download my knowledge into your brain.”
He raises his glass in a small salute. “That’s a good point. Lucky for you we can’t link skulls, otherwise I suspect you wouldn’t like the thoughts I’m having right about now.”
“Is that a sexual comment?”
He’s staring at my bare legs. “Yes.”
“Stop it then.”
He swirls his glass, smiling to himself. “Unfortunately, I’m leaving out one small but very important piece of information.”
“Which is?”
“My family doesn’t know I’m doing any of this.”
I let out a sharp laugh. “Are you kidding me?”
“They’re too busy doing the same old nothing in their ivory tower. My older brother isn’t thinking long-term, he’s not thinking expansion. That’s been left to me.”
“Again, still not seeing how this connects to marriage.”
He takes a step closer. I take a step back. A little dance.
“Once you’re my wife, they won’t be able to deny me. Rustik will go berserk. He’ll come for you and for me, and my brother will be forced to send support. Even if it pisses Carson off to no end, he’d never let a member of our family get hurt, even a new member. As my wife, you’d be entitled to all the perks of the Crowley organization. Money, soldiers, whatever we need. Marrying you will drag my family into this situation, whether they like it or not.”
I whistle, unable to believe the balls on this guy. It’s actually impressive. “I think calling you insane was understating things a bit. You’re a total maniac. I kind of like it, honestly.”
“There’s only one way to win big, my little Bratva princess, and that’s to take big risks. So what do you say? Marry me, krasotka. We’ll dominate your enemies together.”
I wave him off. “Don’t use Russian pet names, you prick. Sounds terrible coming from you.” I rub my temples, trying to keep my throbbing brain in place. I feel like it’s going to leak from my skull. This guy’s got massive plans and far-reaching ideas, and there’s no way he’s telling me everything. As impressive as I find him, I don’t trust him at all, and I don’t particularly like him. “You realize what you’re asking me to do, right?”
“I understand the magnitude of my request.”
“I’ll be starting a war with my own family on the other side.”
“You mean the people working with the man that murdered your sister.”
I glare at him. “Don’t use Liliya against me. Don’t you ever do that.”
He softens slightly and nods his acknowledgment. “That’s fair. But I’m also not wrong.”
I start pacing again. His proposal does make a kind of sense. We need each other, or at least we can work together for a common goal. He wants to take Rustik down, and I want to rip out Rustik’s balls and cook them for dinner. Then I also want to take him down. Liam’s my only realistic chance at making that happen.
But marriage is enormous. This isn’t some small deal—we’re not agreeing to work together for a few weeks.
