Ronan’sjaw tightened. He’d been by my sideonevery mission since Iwaseight. SoI could read all of his reactions better than my own: he’dknownabout the beatings from the beginning. Pain twisted through my stomach, but I fought through it. There was another answer I needed to know.
“My father knew, too. Didn’t he?” I asked.
He remained silent, and I had all theanswersI needed. My father hadn’tattempted to save mewhen Sebastian took me. But I hadn’t expected him to do anythingabout it. By taking Sebastian hostage I’d dug my own grave. To assist me would’ve started a gang war.
But the debt collectors? My father could’ve given me a little protection. Encouraged them not to beat me all the times they did, and to threaten to sell me. Since I was eight, I had always done all the missions he’d asked. I’d sacrificed for him. And he couldn’t even help me a little?
What an asshole.
I sucked in a breath andforcedmy expression back to neutral.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice not betraying a hint of the anger I felt.
“Where is the device?” Ronan asked, his attention on Luca, a threat in his eyes.
“On her ankle. But if you try to take it off, she’ll die,” Luca said.
Without a word Ronanreacheddown and pulled up my yoga pants. His eyes narrowed when the yellowing bruises were revealed, but he moved his attention to the death bracelet. Unlike me when I’d first discovered it, he didn’t try to yank it off. Instead, he ran a long finger around the silver bracelet.
“Do we have a deal?” Luca asked, and for the first time since Ronan walked in the door I turned my attention back toLuca.
A smirk spread acrossLuca’sface.
“Whatare you agreeing to?” I demanded, my attention snapping back to Ronan. It hurt that Ronan hadn’t lifted a finger to help me, but making any type of deal with Luca was dangerous. Even if hehadn’t protected me before,I didn’t want him to get hurt.
“If I do, Selene better not get hurt,” Ronan said, steel moving into his eyes as he glared at Luca.
Luca shook his head “I won’t make any promises about that. But if you cooperate,Iwon’tkillher,” he said.
Cooperate with what? What had Ronan promised?
“What deal did you make?” I growled, jumping up from the chair.
Ronan glared back at Luca, completely ignoring my words.
Ronan’seyes shifted back towards me, and his eyes softened.“Fine, I’ll do it.But if she dies the deal is off,” he said.
“No!” I yanked at his arm.“You are not agreeing to anything with that little shit!”
Ronan shook his pale head.“I always promised to protect you.”
Protect me? Where had he been when Ray’s men were breaking my ribs? I pushed that thought away. Even though he hadn’t done the same for me previously, I would protect him by forcing him not to take this deal.
“No,” I growled, and reached for his waistband where I knew he was hiding a gun. His calloused hand grabbed my wrist immediately. He knew me too well, he could predict my actions.
“I already made my decision,” he said, keeping his hand firmly on my wrist.
“My father will kill you if he finds out you betrayed him,” I said, while attempting to yank my wrist free. His grip tightened.
“And this asshole will kill you if I don’t feed him information,” Ronansaid.
The old wood floorboards creaked, and I spun around. Ronan kept his hand on my wrist:he knew me too damn well. Luca was standing,ahand on his phone.
“So,you think I’m an asshole,” Luca said.Acruel look cameinto his eyes as he glared at Ronan.“Would you like to see a demonstration?”
Sebastian sprang from his chair and started towards Luca. All of the muscles in Sebastian’s body were tensed beneath his suit.
Luca stepped backwards, the look fading from his eyes. He put his phone back in his pocket.
