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Even though I was ashamed of my own stupidity, there were several times I almost came clean about it. That’s how angry I was when it first happened. Unlike my mother’s mild nature, mine has always been hot and hard to manage. So I was not only cursed with her romantic sensibilities, but I was also gifted with Papa’s passionate temper. We love hard. But we also hate with the same abandon.
And I hated Rowan so much for what he did that I wanted him erased from my life in every way. Papá would have made it happen, I knew he would. But every time I attempted to tell him, the words lodged in my throat as if held there by some unseen force.
So now this is what we get for keeping quiet, I think to myself as I attempt to open every window to no avail. Grabbing a small marble decoration from the nightstand, I toss it against the glass. It bounces back and I have to duck to avoid being hit by it.
“Fucker has impact glass,” I whisper to myself in disbelief.
It’s probably for the best. Even if I could break the thing, it’s a three-story drop. With my luck, I’d probably land on my head.
Sighing in defeat, I slump against the wall and slide to the floor.
They say patience is a virtue. Unfortunately for me, it’s not something I possess. Sitting here and waiting until the master of the house decides to grace me with his presence is going to be unbearable.
I glance at the marble piece and my sly smile returns. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop, and mine itch with the need to do something evil. And with time to plan, I can make sure Rowan’s day is as miserable as mine.
3
ROWAN
Iwait at the bottom of the stairs for Declan to reappear after escorting Lou to the holding suite. Even from two stories below, I can hear the sounds of her raging against the door.
She’s changed much in the last five years. Of course, I expected the sweet doe-eyed girl who gave me her heart so willingly to be different this time around. Not quite so easy to seduce. Maybe even a little pissed at me. That’s why I had her placed in the room we reserve for special guests. The ones we don’t want dead but need to keep under control.
However, I have to admit she’s more aggressive than I thought she’d be.
Somewhere on the third floor, a door slams shut, and her screams of sheer rage echo throughout the house. “Let me out of here!”
“I’m sorry, Miss Duran,” Declan says. “You are to stay there until the boss is ready to see you.”
“Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?” The door rattles so hard, I fear she may break through it.
“Yes ma’am. You’re Louisa Duran. Daughter of Don Fernando Duran, head of the Boston Mex.”
“Then you know what he’s capable of. When he finds out the McKenzies have us, there will be war.”
He doesn’t reply to that because he’s already walked away. My right-hand man peers over the railing at me as he says something to Phil, one of the guards posted upstairs. Phil nods and moves to stand closer to Lou’s suite.
Declan descends the stairs, unbuttoning the stuffy coat he insists on wearing. Stopping in front of me, he says, “I’d give her a few hours to cool down.”
Glancing upward once more, I blow out a breath, my hands fisted at my sides. I’ve waited this long, but now that I have her this close, a few more hours seem like an eternity. But I agree with him.
“You and I need to talk. Now,” I say.
“Yes sir.”
We go into the study located at the back of the house. Declan shuts the door behind us as I round my desk and drop into my chair. “What the fuck happened out there? Those guys show up out of nowhere and execute the same plan we had. That’s not a coincidence.”
“It was a woman,” Declan says. “The one leading them was female.”
“Female?” Thinking about that carefully, I stroke my chin, narrowing my eyes at him. “Are you sure?”
He removes his coat and sets it on the back of the chair across the desk from me before sitting in it. “There was no mistaking that body as anything but feminine. A female assassin.”
A chill crawls up my spine.
While there are women in our profession, and some notorious ones at that, I’ve encountered few. And never in a fight. Yet the very fact that one of the attackers who thwarted my plans could be a woman makes me wonder who the real target was.
“Say what you’re thinking,” I tell him.
