Page 45 of The Eraser

"It's not fucking happening," Stephen growls.

"Why does he want to do this?" I ask, ignoring Stephen. He can't be sure of that. I know my dad. When he sets his mind to something he's not going to leave it alone. He'll do whatever it takes to make that plan happen.

"He's broke," Freddie tells me. "Your father has no money."

"Your ma, Jessie," Jer begins, "left everything in a trust to you. That trust comes into action when you turn nineteen. Your ma was far from stupid. She knew what your da was like. She was leaving him."

I pull in a breath. "What?" I ask. "She was?"

He nods. "She confided in me that she was done. I'm not sure what the catalyst was, but she had made her mind up. She was divorcing him. She was leaving." He runs a hand through his hair. "Everyone hated Thomas. I will admit that making him my second in command was a mistake. Thankfully, Maverick joined the organization and I was able to give him the position."

"But how is he broke?" I ask. "He always has money." The man was always flashing it around, making sure everyone knew he had it. So where the hell has it gone?

"With Maverick becoming second in command, Thomas hasn't been given many jobs to do. I don't trust him with the drugs, women, or guns," Jerry explains.

"So he's resorting to selling his fucking daughter?" Stephen fumes. "Over my fucking dead body."

Jerry nods. "He's a dead man. The moment that bastard surfaces, he's dead. But how the fuck are we going to keep the O'Learys away from her?"

"Stephen marries her," Maverick says simply. "If she has the name Maguire, there's no way they'd take her."

I shake my head. "Not happening," I snap. "A marriage should be based on love, not being forced into it. Why would you even suggest that?"

Stephen gets to his feet, pulling me up with him. "We'll be back in a minute," he tells them as he drags me toward the bedroom.

My heart is pounding a mile a minute.

"You're marrying me," he states, slamming the bedroom door behind us and placing his hands either side of my head, his eyes dark and filled with so much anger.

"Stephen," I whisper. "There must be another way. I don't want you to be forced into doing this."

He stares at me, and my heart stammers at the look of adoration he has for me. "I don't do anything I don't want to do. This is a fucking lot sooner than you're ready for, but it's always been the plan."

I blink. "What?" I ask, wondering if I heard him right.

"Have you been paying attention?" he asks, his voice hard. "What did you think I was doing? You're mine, Little Dancer, and that's not going to change. Not fucking ever. My end goal was to always have you as my bride."

I stare at the man I'm falling so very hard for and wonder... is it too soon for this?

ChapterNineteen

STEPHEN

She's watchingme with so much confusion. This is why I haven't pushed her, why I haven't demanded anything from her. I knew she'd be scared. She's had a fucking lot to deal with over the past four years, and I was determined to go slow, to go under the radar and make her fall for me. With the shit her da's doing, it's only speeding up the process.

"You're going to marry me, Jess. I can't fucking lose you."

The thought alone makes me want to burn the fucking city down. Jess means the fucking world to me. It's been two weeks for her but a fucking lifetime for me. I've known that she's been mine for years. It's time for her to catch up.

"You won't," she vows. "You won't lose me, Stephen."

I frame her face, my gaze softening as I watch her. Christ, she's fucking everything to me. "I can't. I'd fucking lose it."

She grips my arms. "We'll be fine," she says.

I know men like Thomas and Fintan. I know what they're capable of. I know what the fuck they will do if they get what they want. I'll kill them before they could ever get close. But fear is clawing at me. They're sneaky fucks. They're both fucking sly as could be, and I know they'll do whatever the hell it takes to get what they want.

"We're getting married," I state again. "I'm not arguing about it."

---