Phew. Although, it had to be said—I wasn’t thrilled that a cup of coffee could throw our entire relationship into a crisis. Especially a hypothetical one. I mean, goddamn.
Tierney: Do I want to know why the crown molding in your office has bloodstains all over it?
Achilles: No…?
Tierney: I cleaned them up.
Achilles: I love you.
Tierney: We should probably power wash the entire apartment.
Achilles: I said I love you.
Tierney: Shut up and take me to dinner when you’re back.
I grinned like a lunatic.
Achilles: You got it, baby. Put something slutty on. I’m in the mood to get in a fight.
After calling Alex and working over the fine print of the very generous deal the Bratva offered us—with me wondering just how much credit Jeremie had to use to wrestle his brother into this deal—we killed the call.
“Luca…” Enzo trailed off.
“Yeah?”
“Jeremie…”
“They’re not fucking,” he said dryly, but for the first time, there was some tightness in his voice. “He’s a stammering fool in front of her. And she’s frightened of his size, his presence. She doesn’t trust humans, you know. Only horses. Nothing’s going on between them.”
“If you know she is scared of him, why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Because I don’t give a shit how she feels,” he said simply. “And hewillkeep her safe.”
“What about pride?”
Luca ran a hand over his jawline, his wedding band catching the sunlight pouring in the window. “Pride is a sin.”
Enzo choked on his vodka soda. “Bitch, so is murder, and I don’t see you stopping your violent killing sprees anytime soon.”
“Stay in your lane, Enzo,” Luca said quietly. “Jeremie’s the best the Bratva has to offer. He’ll keep her safe. And me? I’ll finally have my kingdom.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Tierney
“Do you like it?”
Achilles’s gaze clung to my face expectantly, like an eager child showing his parent his first work of art.
“It’s…” My throat worked around my gag reflex. “Definitely interesting. What am I looking at, again?”
“The heads of all of your abusers.” A blush crept up his sharp cheekbones. “Dmitri, Vitali, Vlad, Bogdan, and Pavel. I picked them up personally last week.”
“From…Russia?”
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were all eager puppy, begging for scraps of love. I couldn’t bear it.
“How did you find them?”
