Page 13 of Riordan's Revenge

There was only one conclusion I could reach. “Being alone.”

He tipped his head in what looked like satisfaction at my thought process matching his. I got a small burst of pride.

It was short-lived. The hulking man pinned me with a dark stare.

“Are ye the killer?”

My jaw dropped. “Of course I’m fucking not.”

His savage regard continued. “I’d do anything for my family. Take, maim, kill. I wouldn’t hesitate. Arran tells me ye fronted up to him to protect your sister. That true?”

Annoyed, I inclined my head in agreement.

“Then understand that whatever lengths you’d be prepared to go to, I would go tenfold. Any of Cassie’s family would. She’s been through a lot in her life and deserves only good things. Lock that warning into your head as ye keep her safe. Tell me again how you’ll manage it.”

He tapped the table to mark his point.

Two competing emotions battled inside me. I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself for his attitude. I also respected him for doing all the things I would for Gen or Everly, though on steroids.

I worked my jaw. “I’d feel a whole lot more comfortable if we had someone watching the outside. Two or three people who could take on an intruder while I play bodyguard. You’re asking for vulnerabilities, that’s the greatest one. I’d stand between her and a blade, same as I would for any woman whether she deserves it or not, but if I’m taken down, she’s on her own.”

“Good thing Arran’s sending crew members and I’ve got friends flying over to help. Like I said, you’re an unknown quantity. I wouldn’t trust ye as far as I could throw ye.”

He gave me a smirk then strode away.

A few hours later, Cassie was sequestered away in Sinclair and Lottie’s apartment, putting their kids to bed while I remained in the hallway, waiting her out.

Pissed off, I glowered at the house. My first impressions of it being a stately home were accurate. It was a goddamn mansion, with a dramatic staircase that swept up from the wide entrance hall to the floor where the family each seemed to have their own apartment. The kitchens downstairs were big enough for a team of people to work in, which they probably did hundreds of years ago, and every inch of my surroundings was marble, stone, or carved wood, and littered with antiques.

I hadn’t paid enough attention to Cassie’s rooms when I’d been in there, only looking for an opportunity to leave. Now I was staying, I’d get a second chance.

Adjusting my position from my lean on the wall, I admitted a fact to myself.

It wasn’t just safety features I wanted to see. Her home would give me clues to the woman herself. The pictures on her walls. The items she surrounded herself with. I’d done the same in her room at Arran’s warehouse, taking in a rack of short and sparkly dresses and the plentiful stash of makeup—at odds with the killer edge I knew her to have.

I didn’t understand her.

No, that wasn’t exactly right.

I couldn’t trust my gut, which told me she wasn’t dangerous to me. I couldn’t believe my instincts which sat up and begged for more when she called me hers.

I needed Cassie to prove me wrong so when this was over, I could walk away from her without regret.

Chapter 6

Riordan

In Cassie’s apartment, she closed and locked the door with a side-eye peek at me. Silence fell around us.

“Well, this is more awkward than I was anticipating.”

I moved to the window. Peered out into the dusk. “What exactly were you expecting?”

“Oh no, I’m not sharing that.”

Her cheeks pinkened, but she gestured around the big room. “This is my living space, obviously. Those doors at the end are to a hall. First on the right is a kitchen. There’s a huge fridge which is mostly just filled with drinks, though I had a thing for fancy ice cubes for a while so the freezer’s stocked, and then on the other side, there’s double doors to my bedroom. The bathroom’s down there as well. Make yourself at home. Take a nap, if ye want.”

I propped up the wall, folding my arms. “I work nights and have had more than enough rest.”

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