Page 82 of Crave Me

“Either way, I won’t allow it. He’s already pushed things too far as it is. But I will get him this intel so we can finally bring his love back to him as he so desperately needs.”

“That’s my overarching mission and reason for coming here, but torturing his other love’s father to get said intel is extremely ill-advised.”

“So you’re out then?”

“You need to be as well. You’d have all of them coming at you. Not to mention, this intriguing new player, Riley Hutchins. She’s dangerous.”

“And so are we.”

“Division in the midst of war is a bad strategy. Give Bennett time to come around and offer the information at his behest. If undue time passes, then we’ll revisit this.”

“Asher—”

“You need to tread carefully. You’re showing desperation in the moves you’re considering making. It’s not like you, the Don whose reputation I’m well aware of. And it’s because of Caspian, because the truth is out in the open. You didn’t get the reaction you’d hoped for. It’s because he’s compartmentalizing that revelation until things have calmed down.”

“Compartmentalizing for somebody like him, so full of love and life, is a dangerous tactic.”

“I’ve already discussed it with him.”

“And?”

“And he’ll take my advice. He already has, in part.”

I watched utter relief fill Dante as he realized what Asher was getting at.

“What I walked in on was just a means for him to unleash?”

“Of course.”

“Good. It needs to be kept that way.”

“No arguments here. I have my own commitments back home.”

“Yet you slept with another in Caspian?”

“Let’s just say that it was pre-approved. It will also help alleviate the sticking point that mine and Caleb’s interactions not long ago were for Caspian.”

Dante shook his head. “Calculating and manipulative even when it comes to your sexual exploits. At least your heart was in the right place. You do possess a heart, yes?”

“Why? Does that do too much harm to your “psychopathic puppet master” opinion of me?”

“You’re more than your reputation would suggest.”

Asher grinned. “Just don’t spread it around.”

“I need a smoke. Join me?”

Asher gave a nod, then the two of them headed out to the courtyard to do just that.

I slipped from the shadows and hurried to the kitchen, grimacing that I’d lost time through listening to that.

I’d had to, though. There were so many others—outsiders—around the manor, around Cas, and I’d been away—well kidnapped—from most of it, so I hadn’t been able to get a proper read on the situation. Being forced into bed rest since I’d been back hadn’t helped with that either. But through that conversation and reading their reactions, I’d now managed to determine a great deal when it came to the both of them. Most importantly, that they were with us, here to help without any detrimental ulterior motives.

Although, Dante considering taking things to an extreme place with Frank Bennett was concerning. Fortunately, Asher had managed to talk him down in an impressively effective way, through using Dante’s affinity for Caspian to push him away from that course of action.

Good thing, because there was no way I was going to let anything happen to our woman’s father. As far as I was concerned, he was under our protection by association.

As soon as I stepped across the threshold of the kitchen, I pulled up short, more than a little surprised by what I was seeing.

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