“Yeah.” I shove a hand into my pocket and move toward the window, staring out at the skyline, my reflection fractured against the glass. “My gut says she didn’t do it. But gut isn’t proof.”
Adrian and Kaz exchange a look, then Kaz nods once. “Then do what feels right. If your gut says she’s not guilty, trust it.”
I turn back to them. “Even if she’s clean, we can’t let her go. She needs to stay tied to the Rusnak name, under constant watch. She’s the only link we have to Anton, and until this is over, I can’t risk losing track of her.”
Adrian leans back in his chair, casual as ever. “She’s already one of ours, right? Medical clearance, registered employee. That keeps her inside the system.”
“Not enough,” Kaz cuts in, sharp. “Employees walk. They run. They vanish. And if she disappears, Anton disappears with her trail. The Bratva can’t afford that. Not now.”
“Fine.” I turn from the window, voice steady. “I’ll marry her.”
Silence crashes over the room. Adrian and Kaz both look at me like I’ve grown a second head. Adrian’s smirk falters, but Kaz’s lips curl slowly, like the idea doesn’t scare him—it excites him.
“You’re serious?” he asks.
I don’t blink. “That way, she can’t slip through our hands. She won’t run, she won’t hide, and if Anton tries to reach her….” A ghost of a smile cuts across my face. “…he’ll be walking straight into my trap.”
Adrian whistles under his breath. “You’re right, but shit, that’s insane.”
“You’re one to talk.” I roll my eyes, but he ignores me.
“If she’s tied to you, it’ll be impossible to run,” Adrian says, more thoughtful now. “Even if she tries, she won’t get far.The system will mark her. The bounty will follow. Without you, she wouldn’t last a week. That locks it down.”
“Exactly.”
Kaz doesn’t look convinced. He leans back, eyes narrowing, studying me like he’s peeling skin away to see what’s underneath. He knows me too well. Knows this isn’t just strategy. Knows there’s something else bleeding through the cracks of my restraint.
I drop my gaze first, shoving my hands into my pockets. My jaw is steel, my body wound tight like a bowstring ready to snap.
Because the truth is—this isn’t just about keeping her from Anton.
It’s about keeping her from everyone.
I don’t just want to trap her. I want her. Plain and simple.
“Well, that settles it,” Kaz says with a dark chuckle. “I’ll keep working on getting something out of Anton. While you get into it with your new bride.” He winks at me, the bastard, silently telling me he sees exactly what I want out of this..
By the time I return to the interrogation room, the storm in me hasn’t eased—it’s worse.
Noelle is exactly where I left her. Head bowed, wrists bound, chest rising and falling in a shaky rhythm, teasing a pair of voluptuous breasts underneath her shirt.
Something in me tightens.
I close the door behind me, slow, the lock clicking into place like a verdict.
Her head lifts at the sound. Eyes wild with irritation, not fear. Fire and defiance tangled together. I step closer, each move deliberate, until her pupils dilate.
“There’s only one way to ensure your silence forever,” I say, my voice low.
Her chin tilts, sharp and unyielding. “You going to kill me?”
The words are a dare. She doesn’t even flinch. Doesn’t even blink.
Fuck. The lack of fear in her—sharp, reckless—burns straight through me. Most people cower. She challenges. And it makes me want her even more.
I shake my head slowly, savoring the flicker of surprise that crosses her face. I lean in, so close my breath brushes her ear.
“No,ogonek. You’re going to marry me instead.”
