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"But I already told you I didn't do anything," she protests.
"I know that," I say. "And the fact that you walked away helps. But if they decide they want to know what you know, they're going to back you into a corner and try to exchange your freedom for knowledge. They'll try to get you to testify against your brother and the Vipers by any means necessary."
"I…" She gapes at me. "Andreas," she whispers, her voice stricken. Tears well in her eyes. "Even if I told them everything I know, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy them. Connor kept me in the dark about all of it. I picked up bits and pieces here and there, but not about anything major. You know more about them than I do!"
"Hey," I murmur, pulling her out of her chair and into my lap. "Hey, it's all right." I wrap my arms around her, holding her tightly to my chest. "We don't even know yet if you're on their radar. That's why Fifth is here now. We're trying to come up with a game plan so we can do everything in our power to keep you out of it, okay?"
"I don't want to go to jail," she mumbles.
"Good, because I'm not going to let you go to jail."
I might, though, because I'm ready to break Fifth's fucking jaw.
"You ready to talk about it?" Fifth asks when Catriona slips into the bathroom fifteen minutes later. He knows exactly what's coming. I think he knew before he even pulled that bullshit.
"You're an asshole," I snap, glaring at him across the table. He intentionally backed her into a corner to see how she'd react to save herself. To see if she'd give up her brother if it meant keeping herself out of jail.
"I know," he says quietly, not denying it. "She doesn't know anything."
"I could have fucking told you that," I growl. "She isn't a criminal. She isn't a Viper."
"I won't apologize for caring about you, brother." He holds my gaze, his unyielding. "Two months ago, they attacked Kyra trying to get at Cash. They're shady, unscrupulous motherfuckers. They've got that girl tangled up in shit she has no business being tangled in. And she's their VP's baby sister. I wouldn't put it past them for a minute to send her after you to bring you down. I may be a bastard for making her cry, but I'd rather push now and know she's innocent than trust blindly and lose a brother," he says.
"She's scared out of her mind. You didn't fucking help."
Guilt crosses his face. "I know," he admits, blowing out a breath. "And I won't blame her if she hates me for pushing her. But you've been through the wringer already. We're not losing you to the fucking Vipers now."
"You aren't," I mutter. "She isn't one of them."
"I know."
"She's young," he observes.
I clench my jaw, refusing to acknowledge his point. She is young, goddammit. Far too young to be tangled up in this. Far too young to be mine. But I'm claiming her anyway. If that makes me an asshole, so be it.
I've worked my ass off to prove that I'm not my father. I've done more good in the year I've been in charge than he did in his lifetime. I'll keep doing good because it's the right thing to do. But if loving her is the thing that makes me irredeemable in the eyes of society, then fuck it. Love—real love, not the bullshit my father called love—isn't wrong. I refuse to believe it is.
"You're protective of her."
"Do you have a point?" I growl.
"Just an observation. Out of all of our brothers, there isn't one better suited to a girl like her," Fifth says quietly. "And there isn't another girl more suited to you. She's had it rough, but so have you. She's exactly who you need, brother."
"I plan on marrying her," I warn him.
He grins, shaking his head. "Figured as much."
"I'm not signing a fucking prenup either so don't even ask."
"What the fuck do all of you have against prenups?" he demands. "Goddamn. Cash and Hands both acted like I asked for their left fucking nut when I suggested it."
"You'll see," I mutter. When he falls—and fuck, I hope he falls flat on his face—he won't be interested in a damn prenup either. He's just like the rest of us, once he's in, he's all in. He's just too goddamn stubborn to admit it.
"The hell I will," he growls right on cue. "I'm not fucking getting married."
"Yeah, that's probably true." I smirk at him. "You'd have to find a woman willing to put up with your grumpy ass first. And we both know that's never going to happen."
He flips me off across the table, laughing. "I hate you."
