Page 35 of The Devil of Hollywood

Quinton threw me a look. “We can’t do it. Elec told us to keep in place. He said he’d call at five. That’s fifteen minutes from now.”

“He also said he’d call at noon. And at seven last night. He doesn’t know what’s going on, and I can’t wait around to find out. Do you have any idea what they could be doing to Marian right now?”

“Probably no more than you planned to do.”

My lids narrowed through the rage that lived inside.

“Which is my right. I own her. They don’t.”

“If you get her back⁠—”

“When I get her back.”

Quinton’s lips pursed. “When you get her back, will you continue with your plan? Will you make her suffer even more than she has?”

My jaw flexed through confliction. “She’ll pay until I’m satisfied.”

“But by you or…”

My glare only increased. “You’re trying to piss me off.”

“No, I’m trying to get you to see how ridiculous this payback even is. Why not let it go? Let her go. Let this play out and focus on finding a real wife. A new one. She’s obviously not marrying Bastian Allard now. There’s no reason to fear her line will overpower ours. I mean… shit… her family is dead, Drayton. They’re fucking dead. The LaRoes are no more. We won. End this by letting them end her. It’s truly the perfect revenge anyway. Can’t you be satisfied with that?”

I clenched my fists, heading to stare out of the floor-length windows that gave view of the city.

“It’s not that simple.”

“It’s very simple. Let’s go home. We’ll forget it ever happened. We can let the past die. Literally.”

My hand wiped down my face, and my head was already shaking.

“I can’t do that.”

“Can’t… or won’t?”

“Won’t,” I roared, turning with a look that left Quinton growing quiet and nodding. I was breathing hard. My entire body was shaking with a force that promised annihilation to anyone who crossed me. “You don’t understand. Marian is mine. I gave myself to her. All of myself. If I could move on, I would have done it by now. I must make this right. I have to... fix whatever is broken.” I turned back to the city, moving my stare to the ground everyone was walking on. “To do that, I need her back. Whatever happens from there, happens. At least it’ll be done by me. I can live with that. Even if she can’t.”

Knocking had me turning to look at the door. Quinn’s brow creased in confusion, and he reached to his back, pulling his gun free to rest down along his leg as he headed for the barrier. I didn’t have his paranoia, but maybe I should have. Was the man who took Marian close? Was he hurting what was mine? He had to know she belonged to me. That was… if she’d truly been taken by The Unavowed. She might not even be in the country. Elec saw them land in London, but what if the location was wrong? What if they wanted anyone tracking them to think they did?

“Well, this can’t be good.”

Quinton opened the door, and my lips parted as Elec headed in. The air around his determined stride left my pulse hitting hard. Dark hair was slightly disheveled as if he’d constantly been running his fingers through it, and his blue eyes were practically glowing. The look he wore was hard. Concern immediately took over.

“Fuck. What happened?”

Elec didn’t answer. He walked straight to the small bar off to the side, pouring himself a drink. Only after he turned to me and took a sip, did he speak.

“If you knew the lengths I have gone to keep Marian for you, you’d be indebted to me for life. No… you are. Life, Drayton. We have about half an hour.”

“For what?”

I walked closer as Elec threw back the liquor, finishing it in one drink.

“To be downstairs and waiting. We’re getting picked up.”

Faster, I headed towards him. “To go to The Order?”

“No. To a meeting.”