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CHAPTER 1
OLIVER
I am in love with a woman that I will do anything to protect. Even if it means destroying her love for me. Amethyst Stone is my sanctuary. Her love, her scent, her laugh and kindness ease the darkness living in my soul.
For those reasons I am about to kill everything good we share in the name of protecting the sweet soul who trusted me with her life.
I knew better than to think she could have a full life at my side. If that makes me a bastard, then so be it. Another day with her life in jeopardy can’t happen. By this time tomorrow I will be a ghost and she will be safe.
But not yet.
Tonight, I get to watch her sleep one last time. Every muscle in my body aches to go to her, but I stay cemented in place. I don’t dare touch her. If I do, I won’t be able to let her go. I understand myself well enough to know the young beauty lying between my sheets is my ultimate weakness.
Your brother crossed us, Stone. We will ruin everything you treasure and love. Steal from us and we return the favor threefold.
I run the words of my enemy through my mind as I sip on a bourbon. The dark amber liquid washes down the acid eating at the back of my throat, but the taste of betrayal lingers on my tongue all the same.
Cold, calculated and to the point. The fucking Callahan’s never had an understanding bone in their bodies. They rather take blood than talk things out.
Fallon stole from anyone stupid enough to trust him and in the end skimming from our enemy cost my younger brother more than he bargained for—his life. We often took high risks with large payouts if everything went well. It is part of our life. Crime pays and I make damn sure the scales are tipped in our favor. But steal what belongs to someone else? No. I’m no fucking thief.
Fallon on the other hand…
I rub a hand over my chest to ease the pain that is weeks old but feels fresh. I should have kept a tighter rein on him. I became too lax and lowered my guard. Now I am on the hook for a debt with a high price tag—blood. Not mine, though.
Hers.
Amethyst Stone. A woman too innocent for a life at the side of a criminal. Yet there she is. In my bed, wearing my ring, carrying my name.
“Oliver.”
A breathy sigh. Sleepy voice. My balls clench, and the air in my lungs turns solid for a fraction of a second.
I move to cross the room, but pause, exhaling slowly. Amethyst sighs heavily and rolls to the edge of the bed, asleep once again, her hand coming to rest on my second treasure.
Our unborn baby.
My plan solidifies. No matter how hard it is, I have to walk away.
Another mouthful of bourbon does nothing to wash down the regret knotting around my windpipes. I would down the entire bottle if it helped ease the pain burrowing deep in my chest. But I can’t afford to dull my senses. Not when her life is on the line.
I use the shadows of our bedroom to watch my jewel sleep for the last time. Another throaty moan slips from her lips, pushing aside my warring thoughts. I silently ease forward in my chair, resting my elbows over my knees. She’s restless tonight, tossing and moaning in her sleep. Something in her dreams torments her. Maybe she senses the change coming. I swallow back the rest of my bourbon and set the empty glass aside. The night has grown late; the sun isn’t far off and yet I can’t pull myself away from her bedside. Our bed. We spent our wedding night here only four months ago.
Four months. It feels like a lifetime, but that is just the night talking. A lot has happened since we took our vows. And now I have to give her up.
You shouldn’t have crossed us, Stone. We will ruin everything you treasure and love. Steal from us and we return the favor threefold.
The poison of those words forges my plan. Until the man who wrote them is dead and gone, I can’t have her close to me. It’s too dangerous. If anyone were to find out how much I care for this woman, they would use her against me. As long as they believe she means nothing to me, she is safe.
Raven hair spills across peach-colored silk sheets. She’s kicked aside the large comforter, leaving nothing more than a thin swath of fabric to cover her delicate body. The edge has drawn down to barely cover the tip of a rosy nipple I’ve tasted too many times to count. Yet, I know if I had my lips on her skin one more time, it would feel like the first time.
My fingers tighten into the arms of my chair as I watch her roll to her back, drawing the sheet over the swell of her rounding belly. Leather creaks under my punishing grip.
Some deep, primal part of me swells with pride.
I own her now. She’s mine and no one else’s.
The truth is, I own her for a few more minutes and then I have to let her go. Blood runs like fire through my veins. My chest tightens. Suddenly feeling deprived of oxygen, I loosen my tie and pop the top button on my shirt.
