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Nico set his fork down and sat tapping a thumb rhythmically on the table. His eyes were trained on me, but I couldn’t read his expression now. He just looked fierce. The only indication I had of his mood was the tapping and I didn’t know if it meant he was agitated or just thinking.
“I have something you want-”
“I don’t want anything from you,” I cut him off. It was important to be straightforward with men like this.
He sat quietly studying me, and I had to fight not to fidget. Okay, maybe a little less straightforward would keep me out of whatever torture chamber he had in this place. I didn’t doubt that he had one.
“You want the freedom to go and exact revenge for your family, correct?”
Ugh. “I wouldn’t need freedom if you didn’t have this idea that you can steal people,” I reminded him.
“Be that as it may, you’re here and you’re staying.” The waiter guy was back and he swept our platters away. A woman hurried in after him and set fresh dishes down. What I found underneath the topper made my stomach sing and my mouth water. A huge New York strip steak sat marinating in its own juices sided by potatoes and broccoli. Staring at the greens mistrustfully, I pushed them around a little before I focused on the rest of the contents of the plate. Rude or not, I dug in after waving at him with my fork to continue. I wasn’t going to waste time arguing when I could be eating.
“We’ll work together to bring down the Guzman Cartel.”
Chapter 24
Nico
Her head snapped up and she paused in her chewing. Pietro told me earlier that she’d refused to eat all day. I’d been hoping she wouldn’t refuse tonight, or I’d have to force her to eat. I’d requested my chef make some of her favorites. Sal’s future son-in-law, Viktor, had been very thorough in his research of her.
Havoc finished chewing and swallowed. I watched the emotion flit over her face. “And if I don’t want to share?”
I didn’t fucking care. It amused me that she thought she had a choice. Those men’s deaths were earmarked for me. The fact that she managed to get to three of them before me was impressive, I’d give her that, but it didn’t change the fact that their lives and subsequent deaths belonged solely to me. “Then you’ll sit in my bedroom and I won’t allow you to help.”
I realized I needed her to be a part of it. I had been disappointed this afternoon when she hadn't tried to escape again. I wanted, I needed, the struggle within her. If I didn't feed her inner Beast, it might fizzle out and the monster in me didn’t want that. I couldn’t spend the rest of our lives simply chasing her in the bedroom. No, I was going to feed it, fight with it, claim it—claim her.
Sure, I was presenting it to her as though I only wanted her to stay with me. While that was true, it also gave me the opportunity to nurture that darkness within her.
Her lips pursed together as she glowered at me. It didn’t surprise me she was having a hard time accepting that this was her home now. She wasn’t a submissive woman. I could see that she was used to being in control. I wondered if that extended to sex. One thing I’d found in the last few months was that strong, independent women often liked to give up that control in the bedroom. I shifted as my cock hardened at the image of her giving in to her desires and mine.
I continued on while she sat there and stewed. I knew eventually she’d tell me what she was thinking. Her deep blue eyes and expressive face didn’t hide much, so I had an idea of what was bouncing around in her head. “You and I will kill the men on your list, then take out those on mine.”
Her brows drew together. “Who else is on your list? Everyone involved in the bombing is on mine.”
“Mine includes those at the top. Each of the Guzman brothers will pay for what their organization did.” Since I didn’t know who was specifically responsible, I was holding them all accountable.
“What if they didn’t have anything to do with it?” she asked.
“They did. However indirectly, they’re a part of it,” I told her. She didn’t know the reputation of the brothers like I did. Not one of them was redeemable. If she didn’t want to go after them I’d finish that on my own, but this was the only deal I was willing to give her. She could try and negotiate, though it would only get her so far.
“How many brothers are there?”
“Six.” I picked up my own utensils and started eating now that she was a quarter of the way through her meal. “And a sister.”
Her eyes darted to me. “Are you going to kill her, too?”
“No. Rosario doesn’t involve herself in her brother’s affairs. She’s safe from me as long as she stays out of my way.” I wasn’t above killing women if they were actively trying to take me down. Otherwise, I left them alone. Even I had a moral code. It was much more gray than someone like Dante, but it existed.
Havoc fiddled with her fork as she asked her next question. “If I take your deal and agree to work with you, then what are you expecting in return?”
I found the way she worded it cute. She still thought she had choices in this situation. She did, in a way. She could choose to sit it out and remain here, which I knew she wouldn’t do, or she could go along with my plans. However, she was still under the impression that if she refused she’d be able to go out on her own and complete her mission. I’d let her hold onto her fantasy a while longer. It would give her the illusion of choice.
“You.”
She searched my face and though my meaning was clear, I elaborated. “You’ll agree to live here with me. You won’t try and escape. You’ll be mine.”
“For how long?” she asked. Her voice was soft. She was considering it.
