"Motherfucker," I growl, pushing back from the table.
"Easy, brother," Ghost warns, but I'm already moving toward the door.
In the main room, Ethan stands near the entrance like he owns the place.His expensive suit looks out of place among the leather and chrome, and his eyes are scanning the room with obvious distaste.When he sees the children, his face hardens.
"You can't just take them," he's saying to Evangeline, who's positioned herself between him and the kids."They need proper care, proper supervision."
I hear Willow and Natalia behind me, reaching for the children and taking them away from the scene that’s playing out in front of us.They don’t need to listen to the bullshit that Ethan spews.
"They have it," Evangeline replies, but I can hear the strain in her voice."They have both of us."
"Both of you?"Ethan's laugh is cold."You mean you and the criminal?"That's when I step into view, and Ethan's gaze snaps to me.I can see him trying to calculate, trying to figure out if I'm someone he needs to worry about or just another thug he can intimidate.
He chooses wrong.
"Problem here?"I ask, my voice deadly quiet.
"Yes, actually.There's a very big problem."Ethan straightens his tie, the gesture meant to show he's not intimidated."You've filled my fiancée's head with some fantasy about playing house with a bunch of traumatized children.It's not happening."
"It's not your decision to make," Evangeline says, but Ethan ignores her.
"Evangeline is my responsibility," he continues, talking to me like she's not even in the room."I won't have her dragged into whatever illegal activities you people are involved in."
The possessive way he says 'my responsibility' makes my hands clench into fists.Like she's property instead of a person.Like she doesn't have a say in her own life.
"Funny," I say, taking a step closer."Last I checked, she was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions."
Ethan's eyes narrow."You don't understand the situation.Evangeline is from a good family.She has obligations, a reputation to maintain.She can't just throw her life away on some misguided sense of duty."
He turns to Ghost with a smile so slick it could grease a frying pan."You seem like a reasonable man.Surely you understand the burden five children would place on a woman like Evangeline.She’s been through so much already…" His voice is smooth, laced with faux-concern.
"Ethan, stop."Evangeline's voice cracks like a whip, but he's not listening to her.
"I'm trying to protect you," he says, finally looking at her."From him, from this situation, from making a mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life."
"The only mistake I'm starting to regret is saying yes when you proposed."
The words hang in the air like a challenge, and I watch Ethan's face go through a series of emotions.Shock, anger, and finally calculation.
"You're upset," he says, his tone shifting to something softer, more manipulative."You're grieving.You're not thinking clearly."
"I'm thinking perfectly clearly."
"No, you're not."He reaches for her arm, the same possessive grip I watched him use yesterday."But that's okay.I'm here now.I'll handle this."
The moment his fingers close around her wrist, something primal and dangerous erupts in my chest.The rational part of my brain knows she's not mine, knows she chose him, and knows I have no right to the territorial rage that's flooding my system.
But the rest of me doesn't give a shit about rationality.
"Take your hands off her."My voice comes out rougher than I intended, carrying the edge of violence that most smart people recognize and heed.
Ethan's not that smart.
"This is between me and my fiancée," he says, tightening his grip on Evangeline's wrist."It's none of your business."
"Everything that happens under my roof is my business."
"Your roof?"Ethan laughs, the sound sharp and mocking."This isn't a home.It's a criminal headquarters filled with violent men and illegal activities.It’s no place for children or decent women."
