I keep my gun trained on him. “You won’t.”
“You sure about that?” He crouches beside Molly, gun steady on her. She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t make a sound. Just stares at me with those copper eyes, fierce and unafraid.
“I’m sure,” I say. “Because she’s your only leverage. Kill her and you’ve got nothing.”
Leon’s jaw tightens. He knows that I know everything and that I’m right.
“Then we make a trade.” He locks his free hand around her throat. “You for her. Simple.”
“That’s what you want? Me?”
“You’re worth more to Cinco than a dozen Briggses. A Murphy prince? That’s the kind of prize that clears debts. Makes a man valued.” His smile twists. “And after everything you’ve cost me, it feels right to sacrifice yourself.”
“Everything I’ve cost you.” I take a step closer to Molly. I can’t do anything without risking her life. Without one of us alive as a trophy, Leon’s gonna die.
Cal shifts behind me. Cold spreads through my chest because I’ve knowingly put people I care about at the mercy of this fucking guy.
“Tell me about that, Leon. Tell me what I did that was so terrible.”
His eyes spit fire. Rage bubbles up, ready to spew through the cracks in his composure, months of frustration and fear finally spilling over.
“You want to know?” He laughs, and it’s bordering on unhinged. “Fine. I’ll fucking tell you.”
With his hand still around her throat, he pulls Molly to her feet, keeping her close, using her as a shield, the coward.
“I had a plan. A good plan. Use Marlowe to find her father. Get the information the Cinco Cartel needed to find him. Clear my debts and prove to everyone—my father, the cartel, everyone—that I wasn’t the weak little shit they all thought I was.”
“And? How’d that work out for ye?”
“You fucking ruined it.” His face twists, the vein in his forehead throbbing, ready to burst. “That night in Queens. The truckyard. You remember that?”
I remember. How the fuck could I forget that shit show? The purple jacket. Marlowe’s face when she saw me. And Leon, shooting at us.
“I set that up,” Leon snarls. “I’m the one who gave Cinco her location. They were supposed to grab her,to use her to get her father out of hiding. It was going to be a simple fucking exchange. But then you showed up. Playing hero. Blowing my plan to shit.”
He kicks a wooden pallet, sends it crashing against the wall. “But you didn’t stop there. No. You killed my stalker. The guy I was using as a distraction. You fucking shot him.”
“You’re a sick motherfucker,” I say with a shake of my head.
“Then,” Leon says, ignoring me as he continues his tirade, “you fucking married her.” He shakes Molly. “You married a Murphy.” His eyes blaze. “You made her untouchable. Made it impossible for me to use her without starting a war with your whole fucking family.”
“Sounds like you created a hell of a lot of problems for yourself.”
“I didn’t create anything!” He’s screaming now, definitely on the edge. Close to making a very big error in judgment. “Her father ran. Disappeared. Left me holding nothing but my dick while my deadline got closer and closer. And there I was, watching you play house with the one piece of leverage I had left.”
“So you took her.”
“I had no choice.” His voice drops. “Cinco wants blood. Mine or someone else’s. And I decided it wasn’t going to be mine.”
I take another step.
“Stay back. I’ll shoot her. Her brains will be all over you and your fucking brother.”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “You already said you need her alive.”
“I just need her alive. I don’t need her comfortable.” With his other hand, he grabs her hair and yanks her head back. Then he pulls a knife from his waistband and holds it to herthroat. “One cut. Not deep enough to kill, but bad enough to make you think twice about coming any closer.”
“Declan.” Molly’s voice is steady. Calm. “I’m okay.”
