He really wasn’t helping.
“You already know I don’t know anything.” Her voice startled me. “You all know that.” She sounded strong. The fear was still there, but there was defiance as well.
Pride bubbled up in my chest.
“So that means you have already made a decision. So if you are going to shoot me, then do it already.”
Ok, that was a little too ballsy. I respected her for it but giving a man like Christian that kind of ultimatum could seriously backfire.
I didn’t fancy cleaning her brains up from my kitchen floor, or anywhere else for that matter. I kind of liked her brains in her pretty little head.
“I haven’t made a decision yet,” Christian said with a sigh. “I think you might be of use to me yet, Darcie Summers. Whether you know anything or not.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I think you could come in real handy. Now run upstairs and let the men talk. We have business to discuss.”
***
Fang pulled me out of the front door a little over an hour later. The door slamming behind me.
“You like her.” There was no judgement in his voice. If I didn’t know better, I would have said there was genuine understanding in his voice.
What was there not to like? Darcie was pretty, had an ass to die for, and she wasn’t afraid of speaking her mind. I would have to be blind and dumb to not like her.
“She’s a cool girl,” I said non-committedly.
I knew what he was asking me. He was asking me whether I liked her enough to do what Christian had asked me to do. And the truth was I hadn’t even hesitated about saying yes. It was only Fang’s warning look that had stopped me from saying the word out loud.
“Yeah, you like her, alright.” Fang’s eyes crinkled even more. “Not that I blame you; if I was ten years younger, I would have given you a run for your money with her.”
I grinned. I didn’t doubt that he would have tried.
“You know this is going to turn into a real nightmare real quick?”
“Yep.” I shoved my hands into my pockets. She had only been in my life a few days, and it was already one giant cluster fuck. Not that I regretted approaching her in that bar. “What the hell are we going to do?”
“We play the game Havoc, same as we always do. Just keep an eye on that snake around her. I’ll sort out the logistics on our end. Quickly and quietly.” He didn’t need to say any more. I knew what he meant. He might admire Darcie; he may even like her in his own way, but he wanted this business over and done with, and her on a plane back home as soon as possible.
I just didn’t know how I felt about her leaving so soon. Pausing for a second to gather my thoughts, I pushed open the front door.
Darcie was standing right there. Her face flushed guiltily.
“Were you listening?” I knew she was. She might be a good actress, but she couldn’t lie. Not to me. Even after just a few days, it felt like I knew her. “Darcie?” My hand closed around her wrist. My voice lowered to a hiss. “Were you listening to my private conversation?”
Her eyes blazed. “What is keeping me safe going to cost you, Havoc?”
Her voice was too loud. Angrily I dragged her out of the front door, pulling it shut behind me. There was no way we could have this conversation in the house with the Judge chilling in the kitchen.
Tugging her after me, I headed around the house towards my workshop. But I didn’t say a word until I had closed that door firmly behind me.
The sound of my breathing filled the gloomy darkness.
“You need to learn to stay out of my business Darcie.” It came out rougher than I meant it, but maybe that was a good thing. She needed to realise that this wasn’t a game. Her life was in danger, mine as well.
“It’s my business as well.” She tore her arm out of my grasp, turning her back on me. I watched as her shoulders straightened. She was gearing herself up for a fight. Whirling around, our eyes met. “What do you have to do to keep me safe? Don’t I have a right to know?”
It was clear she cared. Which said a lot about the kind of woman she was. A woman who was far too good for my brother.
Or me, for that matter.
“No, you don’t.” I softened my voice, smiling ruefully. “My choice, not yours.” My hand smoothed down her cheek. She really did have the softest skin.
