For the first time, Goldie’s smile faltered. “What, exactly, do you think is bullshit?”
“All of it, pretty much. That’s not how any of it works in the real world.”
Goldie raised a haughty brow, and amusement bloomed in Aria’s chest as the two squared off. “I’m sorry, perhaps someone incorrectly shelved my book in the nonfiction section. But I assure you, Mr. No Name, it is indeed fiction.”
“Well, yeah, but the best fiction at least has some truth to it.”
Temper sparked in Goldie’s eyes. “And who exactly made you the arbiter of what’s true and what isn’t? Are you some kind of mafia expert? Do you have your PhD in Mob Affairs?”
Aria had to swallow a laugh when Brody simply smirked. “Just a guy who knows a thing or two about life.”
Before Goldie could respond, everything about Brody changed. His spine straightened, his head snapping up like an animal scenting prey. “Get down. Now!”
Her knees hit the ground before she even realized he’d touched her, and then they were under the table, chaos erupting around them. Grabbing hold of Goldie’s bright pink jacket, Brody yanked her under the table with them.
“Stay here and don’t fucking move. Either of you.”
Panic wrapped like a vice around Aria’s chest. “Wait! Where are you going?”
“Not far, I promise. Just stay put and I promise I’ll keep you safe.”
With that, he disappeared, leaving Aria cowering beneath a flimsy wooden table with one of the world’s best-selling romance authors. Goldie’s wide-eyed gaze clashed with Aria’s, and she couldn’t tell if the other woman was terrified, excited, or some odd combination of the two.
“Just a guy who knows a thing or two about life, huh?”
Chapter Thirty
Killian
“So you let our little birdie fly free today, huh?”
Glancing over at his sister, who was rather openly enjoying herself, Killian rolled his eyes. “She isn’t my prisoner.”
“Oh? So she’s completely free to simply walk out of our house whenever she pleases and you absolutely did not threaten to have her father killed if he tried to take her home with him?”
“Shut up, Reagan.”
Her laughter filled the car, and in the rearview mirror, Killian caught sight of Sean’s grin. Great. Just what he needed, his young cousin following in his sister’s bratty footsteps.
“Seriously, though, it’s good for her to get out of the house. If you want her to fall in love with you, then you need to show her that you trust her. And that you can be reasonable.”
“I don’t need her to fall in love with me. I just need her to do as she’s told.”
“Right. And how do you plan to convince her to marry you if she doesn’t fall in love with you?”
“She’ll eventually realize that marrying me is the right thing to do.”
Reagan snorted out a laugh. “I’m sorry, have you met her? She’s not going to marry you because it’s the ‘right thing to do’.”
Frowning, he looked over at her. “Why not? She’s so full of righteousness I’m surprised it doesn’t come leaking out of her eyes.”
“Yes, but her version of righteousness includes things like, you know, not marrying into the mob.”
“She’ll get over that.” Eventually.
Maybe.
“Jesus, you’re even more stubborn than I am, and that’s saying something.”
