Page 45 of Forbidden Bond

“About what?”

If Hock had shut Daly up to protect the guy’s hide, she shouldn’t push.

“Want us to call Niall?” Hock asked.

“No, it’s nothing important.”

“Want to play GTA?” Daly asked, his smile growing.

She laughed. “Rain check, I have to call Strat before he goes off the deep end.”

Her brother, her friend, they’d spent days tracking her. Disappearing again so soon would be kind of rude.

As she backed away, the true scope of her focus widened. Most of the guys, all of the guys maybe, had curiosity embedded in their glances and stares. Their life was in the mix, things happening at the top that they didn’t understand. Could be they blamed her for the power shifts, or maybe they believed she was on the inside, aware of strategy and plans.

Power. Hatred. Pride. The dice had to be thrown before the pieces could move. What would that catalyst be? Strat would enlighten her. Or he’d tell her to keep her beak out. That was probably more likely. Didn’t mean she’d follow the advice though.

Hurrying up the stairs, she went to grab the phone from the desk. Scrolling to his name in her contacts, she pressed call and dropped into Conn’s seat. The smooth leather felt good beneath her. Or maybe it was the imprint of its last occupant—

“I knew you’d call eventually, Princess.”

All those loose knots coiled tight again. Every muscle in her body tensed.

“Evander,” she whispered to the voice at the other end of the line. “Where’s Strat?”

“Right here with me, Princess. For a guy his age, he’s got a lot of fight in him. Only took three bullets.”

“No, Evander, please, is he alive?”

“Alive? Oh, yeah, sure, Princess, just barely.”

“Scamp, you tell—”

“Shut the fuck up,” Vex snapped.

The thud in the background wasn’t encouraging. Nor was the silence after.

“Don’t hurt him,” she pleaded, “let him go.”

“That’s the plan, Princess. Soon as you get here.”

“Evander, you don’t have to do this. You don’t need to—”

“You owe me, Princess. This is just the tip of the iceberg, baby. Come here, give me what I want, and Daddy goes free. Fuck me around…”

“Please, Evander—”

“That’s it, baby. That’s what I want to hear. Beg, Princess.”

“Don’t hurt him.”

“Come to me, it’s a clean swap, him for you.”

Oh, yeah, and what did that look like? Even if Strat was given the go, even if they kicked him out of wherever they were, he’d never abandon her. No matter if she begged him to leave, he wouldn’t. They could put him in a car, drive him a hundred miles away, and his first act of freedom would be to return to her.

“You think I’m stupid?”

“I think you want your special friend alive and kicking. He has kids, right?”

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