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“I didn’t want you to find out like this,” I mumble. “I wanted to protect you.”
She scoffs. “Protecting me would have been staying away.”
Ouch. Her words sting, but they’re true. The truth is, I’ve been selfish. I pushed aside the violence surrounding us because I wanted to spend time with her. Maybe I was naïve to think my two lives could have stayed separate, but I never expected them to collide like this.
“It’s not Seb’s fault,” Freddie says. “It’s mine.”
Her eyes narrow. “Keep talking.”
“I shouldn’t have approached you at the bar.” Freddie hangs his head, unable to meet her gaze. “I pulled you into the middle of something bad. In our world, people hold grudges. Bad people.”
“And who are they? These people?” she asks sharply. “Are they like you?”
I shake my head at Freddie. The less she knows, the better. For her own safety.
“A group of assassins based in London,” he says, ignoring me. Fucking great. If she wasn’t freaking out before, she will be now. Maybe a part of him wants to keep her here, tethered to us, right by his side where he can’t let her out of his sight. He’s already lost her once. “We don’t have a lot of information on them yet, so we don’t know how big their organisation is.”
“Brilliant,” Rose mutters sarcastically, managing to keep her cool. “This keeps getting better and better. And they have your friend?”
“We’ll find him,” I say with more confidence than I feel.
After Callen’s actions, Bram is likely already dead. We all know that. I swallow the lump in my throat. I can’t think like that, not until we’re certain. We need to bring him home, even if it’s in a body bag.
“We’re not the only ones keeping secrets, princess,” Callen points out.
She shifts on the spot. “That’s not fair.”
“What happened to you?” Callen presses. He’s like a dog with a bone when he wants something. He won’t stop until he gets it. “Why did you change your name?”
“How can I trust you?” she hisses.
“We need to know,” Freddie says gently. “You’re a target now. After someone—” he glares at Callen “—shot one of their people, they won’t let it go lightly. If you have any other enemies, we have to know.”
“We need to keep you safe,” I say.
I cross the invisible border and join them on the sofa, sitting on Rose’s other side, unable to keep my distance from her any longer. I’m close enough that our knees touch. Freddie’s jaw clenches. He better get used to it.
Rose will be first in line to tell him she’s not his property. They met first, but he doesn’t know her yet, not like I do. When he finds out what happened when Callen and I went to her house, he’s going to lose his shit. If the Killers Club doesn't kill Callen first, maybe he will.
“I’ve stayed dead for a reason,” Rose says. She sniffs, swallowing hard like she’s fending off tears. She doesn’t want to show weakness. “I had no other choice. If I tell you…”
“We’ll keep your secret, Rose,” I say fiercely, overcome by my protective instincts. “We won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Callen mutters. He raises his arms in defeat when he sees the look on my and Freddie’s faces. “Fine! I’ll hear what the princess has to say.”
I gently take the glass from her shaking fingers. Her hands fall to her lap, and she clasps them tightly. What happened to her, and who needs to die for it?
A long silence stretches out until she says, “Okay, I’ll tell you…”
CHAPTER3
IVY
Itake a deep breath to compose myself while they wait to hear my story.
From my first impressions, the Dukes are running a more extensive operation than the Killers Club initially suspected. They must be good at what they do, not just anyone can slip under our radar for so long. I paid attention to the floor plan as we moved through the building. They have a selection of vehicles in the basement, everything from vans to sports cars. Typical boys and their toys. The interior of the Dukes’ house is more like a New York loft than somewhere in the middle of London. It’s minimal with few personal items, which is probably no accident. They have to be hiding weapons and files somewhere. When I get a chance, I’ll go snooping.
Alaric gave me explicit orders. I have three days to find out everything I can about the Dukes. After that, they’re dead. It doesn’t matter what I think I know about them or that they have an impeccable history of delivering mind-blowing orgasms…No, stop those delicious thoughts right fucking now!
