Page 18 of Blood Money

“No.”

Did he have to be so fucking infuriating? “Why?”

“No one touches you except me.”

“But you didn’t want?—”

He stepped closer until he was almost touching me. “You think I didn’t want to accept your offer? I’d love to be the one who extracted every cent from your body, used you every way I could think of. But that would be a conflict of interest.”

His words sent heat racing through me. “I thought men like you got whatever they wanted.”

“I wish.” Val sighed. “But even I have rules to follow. In my family, you don’t defy your elders or you might disappear.”

“Really? You’d…they’d….”

“Softness and coddling don’t get you anywhere in this business.”

I was absolutely not going to feel sorry for him, no matter how much pain I saw in his eyes.

“Do you understand what I expect from you?”

When I nodded, he raised his brows.

“Yes, sir.”

“If you defy me, I’ll know.”

Would he? And did that mean he wouldn’t be shadowing me every time I came to work? No matter how much he turned me on, I knew I would be better off if I never saw him again.

Ava had messaged me several times demanding to know where I got the money to pay her fall tuition. She’d been negotiating a payment plan with the university, planning to attempt to work two jobs and still get her degree on time. Now her bill was paid in full.

She’d been skeptical enough when I paid for school last spring. I’d told her I’d gotten a loan and refused to say more. She had to suspect it wasn’t from a bank, but she’d finally let it go. Now that I’d used the rest of the money, there was no way she was going to accept vague answers. I was going to have to call her, but I still didn’t know what to say.

I sat down on the futon that served as my bed and tapped in her number, hoping something would come to me as we talked.

When she answered, I immediately asked how she was, hoping to delay her questions. “Stressed and worried about my brother.”

I wished she would stop worrying about me and enjoy her life. “I’m doing fine.”

“Where did you get the money? And this time I don’t want any bullshit. I want the truth.”

“I told you I got a loan.”

“From who?”

Was there any hope of avoiding this? “You really don’t want to know.”

“Yes, I do.”

I lay back and put my arm over my eyes as if I could block out her reaction that way. “The Marchesis.”

“Liam Niall O’Shaughnessy, what the fuck were you thinking?”

That I needed money, and I was going to get it anyway I could.

“What’s next? Are you going to rob a bank?”

“Fuck, I don’t know.”

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