Ashlyn steps in front of him, blanket around her and arms crossed. “I heard you were in hiding,” she says. “That you don’t even want to be boss of the Demonio family.”
“The Demonio Brotherhood. And I am the boss.” I let that sit for a second. “There’s no question of that. The only question was which woman would stand beside me.” I hold her gaze. “And it’s not going to be you. We’re done with this charade.”
I turn for the door.
“Wha—Vin!” She runs around me to block my way, her blanket slipping around her shoulders. “Wait—”
I stop.
“If you do this, they’ll kill me.” Panic threads through her voice. “Bringing this alliance together has been my one task. If you don’t marry me now, they’ll think I failed. And if they think you took my virginity and still walked away, they’ll kill you too.”
I believe her. I know her Ronan and her cousins.
“They wouldn’t be the first to want me dead.” I shrug. “I’m still here.”
Her man makes a move from across the room and she puts her hand up without turning around. He goes still. Interesting.
Less interesting is what she does next.
She steps in close to me, her expression softening. She makes a soft mewling noise in her throat as she trails her fingertips over my chest and down my arms. Gripping my wrist, she moves my hands to her hips and sways gently, brushing against my cock.
My cock that is not remotely interested in her games.
“You could have me for real. You two could take me together. Maybe this could even become a regular thing when we’re married. What do you think, babe?”
Her man grunts from behind her, his gaze burrowing into my skull. He doesn’t look like he’s on board until he shifts his sights to her ass.
Her ass which is nothing compared to Sophie’s. I almost smirk at the thought. No woman even comes close to Sophie.
When Ashlyn reaches for my belt, I catch her hand.
She closes her fingers around mine, but when she looks at my face, she must read everything I’m thinking because she steps back.
“Ashlyn.” I keep my voice level. “You know I’m not going to do this.”
Big round tears well up in her green eyes, hovering on the edge of her lashes before splashing down her cheeks. I don’t think she’s faking, but I also don’t care. She wipes drips of mascara off her face with the back of her hand. When she sees it’s not working, she sniffles and cocks her hip. I guess she was faking.
“I heard your girlfriend’s restaurant got bombed,” she says, her sassy spark back.
I stiffen. “Are you threatening me, Ashlyn?”
“No, but my brother will. I heard he was the one that did it when they thought youmightbreak the contract for her. What do you think they’ll do when theyknowyou did?”
I go very still. She has an agenda, and I got burned before with rumors and misinformation. I almost killed Sophie’s father. I’m not letting her set me up to kill her brother, one of my good friends, to free her from her family responsibility.
She shakes her head. “They’re not exactly rational men.”
But the memory of the Arsenal’s old location burning, of the shock on Sophie’s face…. Is it possible that the Irish were behind it? Ronan and his people? Ashlyn’s people?
My hand is around Ashlyn’s throat before I’ve decided to move, not squeezing just letting her feel the weight of my hand. Her boyfriend racks the slide on his gun.
“If that’s true, maybe I make an example out of you,” I say. “Send you back to them with your heart cut out. Make it clear that I’m done with them trying to run my life.”
She doesn’t flinch. I’ll give her that.
“You could do that,” she says, carefully, around my grip. “But they wouldn’t care. They’d come for you anyway, and they’d have an even better reason. I’m the only one who would suffer.”
I let her go and head to the door.
