Page 34 of Temptation and Tyranny

I leaned in and kissed her again, softer this time but no less passionate. When we parted, I rested my forehead against hers once more.

We stood there for a moment, arms around each other, the weight of the moment hanging in the air between us. Then, reluctantly, I pulled away, reality intruding once more.

“I need to make a call,” I said, reaching for my phone. “I can’t stay here much longer. It’s not safe for either of us.”

Allegra nodded, understanding but disappointment clear in her eyes. I dialed Colton’s number, turning slightly away as I waited for him to pick up.

“Cooper?” Colton’s voice was tense with worry. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you all night! I even went to your house. You scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m fine,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Things got...complicated last night. Can you pick me up? I’m at theRésidence Saint-MichelalongRue de Rouge.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need me to bring anything?”

I glanced at Allegra, who was busying herself cleaning up the breakfast dishes, clearly trying to give me some privacy. “Just a change of clothes. And maybe some painkillers and general antibiotics from the medical supply closet in the office. The good stuff. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”

“Alright,” Colton said, his tone still conveying worry. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

I hung up and turned back to Allegra. She wasleaning against the counter, arms crossed, a mix of emotions playing across her face.

“Your ride?” she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

I nodded. “My brother, Colton. He’ll be here soon to pick me up.”

Allegra’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” I said, echoing my words from earlier.

We spent the next few minutes in comfortable silence, stealing glances at each other as I gathered my things and Allegra finished cleaning up. As the minutes ticked by, I felt a growing reluctance to leave.

But I knew I couldn’t stay. My world was waiting for me outside these walls, with all its dangers and complications. And as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t hide from it forever.

When my phone buzzed with a text from Colton saying he was outside, I turned to Allegra one last time. She was watching me, her look full of emotions I was only beginning to understand.

“I have to go,” I said softly.

Allegra nodded, stepping closer. “I know.”

I reached out, cupping her face in my hands. “I—I enjoyed being with you.”

She gulped. “I did too. But Cooper—whatever you’re involved in, I can’t be a part of it.”

Her words hurt me more than I thought they would. But I shrugged, trying to keep it casual. “Don’t worry. I’m not that kind of man, baby. Let’s keep it simple—it was nice, but it’s over.”

This time, it was her face that contorted into alook of pain. But she disguised it, just as I had.

I leaned in, kissing her one last time. It was a kiss full of regret, of things unsaid but deeply felt. When we parted, I rested my forehead against hers for a moment, committing this feeling to memory. I knew in my heart that I could never offer her what she wanted, what she deserved. And I wasn’t willing to change.

With a final squeeze of her hand, I turned and walked out of her apartment. As I made my way down to where Colton was waiting, I knew that I had perhaps just walked out on the best thing that could have ever happened to me. But I couldn’t look back now—not when I was making a name for myself.

The throbbing in my shoulder was getting worse as the evening progressed. I sat in the passenger side of Colton’s truck as he drove us to the warehouse district. I hadn’t told him yet what I planned to do with Henri Navarre and his crew after their betrayal over the shipment, but my brother knew me well enough to guess.

“Are you sure about this?” Colton asked, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “We could handle it...differently.”

I adjusted my position, trying to find a way to sit that didn’t send shooting pains through my chest. Colton’s truck didn’t exactly run smoothly. “They need to understand there are consequences. You short me on product? That’s not how business works.”

The warehouse was dead ahead, the building leaving shadows in its wake. Mario had tracked themhere—Navarre wasn’t as clever as he thought he was.

Inside, we found Navarre and his two associates zip-tied to chairs. Mario stood behind them, obviously proud that he had managed to handle all three men by himself. Their faces showed varying degrees of fear when they saw me walk in.

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