Page 46 of Stealing Iris

“Did you see him open the safe?” Tino asks.

“No.” She turns to the keyboard, clicking away for a bit. “The guy was smart enough to clear the security footage, but he kept some files on you.” My face burns just thinking about what’s on those clips.

The scene comes up, and Conny’s whooping as he shows off the stacks of money. He brought two bundles out and kissed each one before putting them on the desk.

“Dude, you sure we got enough?” Iz leans forward and frowns.

“Don’t worry, man.” Conny waves a hand. “We’re close, then we hit easy street.” He gets a wild look in his eyes. “These people are talking millions. Millions.”

“Fuck, dude.” Iz throws his hands up in the air. “If you’d closed the deal for this chick…”

“I know, man.” Conrado stomps a boot down. “I was this close.Thisclose.” He holds up his thumb and index finger. Shaking his head, he tightens his lips, muttering something to himself.

“You know what?” He turns to Iz, who’s still drooling over the money. “Get Iris the fuck in here.”

Every muscle in Dante’s body goes rigid as Iz disappears off the screen and Conny puts the money back in the safe. He may not have seen the rest of the video, but he knows what’s going to happen.

Biting my lip, I turn to him.“Are you sure you want to see this?”

He looks over to where the bruise is forming next to my eye. “Yes.”

*****

DANTE

Seconds tick by as I wrestle with a wave of anger. I only saw a snippet of the video earlier, before I lost signal, but it was enough. There’s a hollow in my chest because I know what that asshole is going to do to her. And all I can do is sit here, in my own personal hell, and watch what happens.

Iris’s voice comes in from beyond the screen. She’s cautious, clearly wanting to keep her distance, so this isn’t the first time she’s dealt with him. What I wouldn’t give if I could reach in and pull her back.

The other guy, Conrado’s boy, is there, too. His hands are on her, and I want to tear his throat out for touching her.

My conscience is drawn in. Every time Conrado says my name, a rail spike goes through my gut. I did this. Why didn’t I cut him loose when I had the chance? Because I don’t let anything stop me from getting what I want—and I wanted Iris Gloria for myself.

The side of her beautiful face hits the desk, and I flinch. I’ve seen much worse, done much worse, and it’s never bothered me. But this is Iris, and that makes all the difference.

“I won’t help you screw Dante over.” The hammer comes down again. Even though she’s in obvious danger, she’s trying to protect me, while I immediately condemned her as a traitor and sent her away. I’m a fucking bastard, and I don’t deserve her.

Iris sets her hand on my chest. “I’m okay,” she whispers. I squeeze her tighter.

The clip ends, and I drag in a painful breath. “That piece of shit is never going to touch you again.” My voice is rough as I make the solemn promise. “I’ll make sure of it.”

She swallows hard, her eyes filling with a trust I plan to earn some day.

“Has the alarm at the store been deactivated?” Tino’s gruff voice breaks in, reminding me we’re not alone.

Kassy flips to another screen. “No.”

“I’ll cover the money.” Tino starts the car. “And I’ll send someone over to the house, in case anyone shows.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “Though I think it was them when we heard that car take off.”

“Which means we’re blown.” Kassy scrunches her face.

“Then I can go home?”

Kassy sits up so fast she sends a cat running. “Don’t you dare.”

I tighten my hold. “You want to leave?”

---