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Maybe she didn’t understand that I wasn’t joking when I said I planned on keeping her. “Forever.”
She stared quietly down at her plate as my words sunk in. Her sardonic laugh broke the silence. “You want me to whore myself out, for the chance to kill the men who murdered my family.” Emotion swamped her eyes as she met mine again.
I wondered if it were possible to drown in them. I didn’t bother to reply. She didn’t realize that I had no intention of making her my whore. She would be my wife. However, I knew if I told her that now she’d refuse. She wasn’t ready to give up her grief. Perhaps after her late husband’s killers were dead she’d be ready, but it was too soon now. I stayed silent.
“And if I don’t agree to this deal, you plan on making me stay here while you go kill everyone on my list?
I gave a sharp nod. “It’s my list too.”
She shook her head. “That’s fucked up, Nico. You’re not really giving me a choice here.”
I wasn’t and most people wouldn’t see that as fair. I knew better than most that life wasn’t fair. It didn’t bother me that I ruthlessly pursued what I wanted and would do whatever benefitted me the most. It’s what got me ahead and to where I was now.
“If I agree, you’ll expect me to…” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth before continuing, “sleep with you?”
“Sleep with me, yes. Fuck me, absolutely,” I acknowledged. My voice had dropped to a low rumble and it didn’t escape my notice that she shivered in response to my statement.
Havoc sighed. “How long before you need my answer?”
I already knew it, just as she did, but it made her feel better to hold out. It was as though she felt that was giving her more power. I’d let her hang onto her delusions. “Twenty-four hours. Tomorrow evening I’ll expect your response.”
She nodded and went back to eating. She ignored my attempts to draw her into other avenues of conversation and finally I let her sit in silence. We finished dinner and Pietro brought her back to my bedroom while I went back to work.
I wasn’t going to touch her again until she agreed to my bargain. I knew the only way to keep my hands off her was to throw myself into work and stay away from her for the night.
* * *
A rumblingchuckle woke me the next morning. Opening my eyes, I watched as Luca strolled across my office toward my desk. I’d fallen asleep here.
“What? Get kicked out?”
I narrowed my eyes at him as he sat across from me. “What do you want?”
“Jesus, you need to lighten up, Nico.” He laughed again and stretched.
I was in a shitty mood this morning and didn’t feel like dealing with his banter. “What. Do. You. Want?” I growled at him.
Luca took the hint and straightened up. “Paolo is here. What do you want me to do with him?”
“Send him in to watch Havoc.”
His brows shot up. “You’re going to trust him to watch her?”
“Yes.”
“What’s he going to do if she decides to fight him in order to get out of here?” he asked, watching me speculatively.
“She won’t.” He had an expectant look on his face. “She gave up a chance to run in order to help him. She’s not going to hurt him.”
“She might give him the slip,” he pointed out.
“Which is why you’ll put more guards around the house today, and will personally stick around, as well.”
He groaned and I had to fight back a grin. “Sure thing, Boss.” He paused, thinking before he asked his next question. “And you trust him? With her, I mean?”
I knew what he was asking. I was a possessive man. I didn’t share. “You think I have something to worry about with Paolo?” The man was old enough to be her father. I didn’t expect that she’d be attracted to him. That was the last thing I was worried about from either of them, but I let Luca come to that conclusion on his own.
“No, I guess not.”
