Page 38 of Temptation and Tyranny

He smiled, a gentle, encouraging expression. “I think you’re stronger than you realize. Just...give him a chance. To show you who he really is, not just who he thinks he needs to be.”

As we parted ways outside the café, I found myself mulling over Colton’s words. The anger I’d felt earlier had faded, replaced by a complicated mix of emotions. Confusion, apprehension, but also a glimmer of hope.

I started walking home, my mind racing. The bustling streets of Paris passed by in a blur as I replayed the conversation with Colton. Cooper cared about me. He managed to do some good for the world even though he was a criminal. But was that enough? Could I reconcile the Cooper I’d come to care for with the dangerous world he inhabited?

I entered my apartment, dropping my keys on the side table and sinking onto the couch. Part of me wanted to track down Cooper’s number and call him immediately, to demand answers and explanations. But Colton’s words urged caution, and I knew I needed timeto process everything I’d learned today—about Tomas, about Cooper, about myself.

Standing by my window, I looked out onto the streets of Paris. The city that had once felt so familiar now seemed full of hidden depths and secret worlds. And somewhere out there was Cooper, a man as complex and mysterious as Paris itself.

Chapter Thirteen

Cooper

The bar was dimly lit, the air thick with the smell of whiskey and stale cigarette smoke. I nursed my drink, the amber liquid swirling in the glass as I waited for Colton. The ice clinked softly against the sides, a quiet counterpoint to the low murmur of conversations around me. It had taken some convincing to get him to meet me here. My brother wasn’t one for late nights out, especially not on a weekday. But I needed to talk to him, needed his steady presence to anchor me in the storm that my life had become.

I glanced at my watch, the expensive timepiece a reminder of the life I’d built for myself. A life that was now teetering on the edge of disaster. The weight of my choices pressed down on me, making the bourbon in my hand seem like a paltry and pathetic defense against the encroaching darkness.

The door swung open, letting in a brief gust of cool night air. There he was. Colton, looking out of place in his shirt and tie, a stark contrast to the rough-looking regulars that populated this particular establishment. I could tell his ill-fitting suit was made from cheap material, and I once again suppressed the urge to give him money. It would just start a fight, and I didn’t havethe energy for that.

His eyes, identical to my own, scanned the room, narrowing slightly when they landed on me. I could see the concern etched in the lines of his face, the worry that seemed to have become a permanent fixture since I’d gotten him involved in this mess.

“Cooper,” he said, sliding onto the barstool next to me. The crackled leather creaked under his weight, the sound oddly loud in the atmosphere of the bar. “This better be important. I’ve had quite a day, thanks to you.”

I raised an eyebrow, signaling the bartender to bring another drink. The man nodded, his movements practiced and efficient as he reached for a clean glass. “Thanks to me? What are you talking about?”

Colton rubbed his cheek, an odd expression on his face. The skin there looked slightly red, as if...

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that I got slapped by your girlfriend today at the courthouse because she thought I was you?”

I nearly choked on my drink, the bourbon burning its way down my throat in a way that had nothing to do with its alcohol content. “Allegra? She slapped you? And she’s not my girlfriend.” The denial came automatically, even as something inside me twisted at the words.

“Yeah, she did,” Colton said, accepting the whiskey the bartender placed in front of him. He took a sip, wincing slightly at the burn. “And let me tell you, she’s got quite an arm on her. Remind me never to get on her bad side. Girlfriend or not, you’ve definitely stirred up some strong feelings in her.”

I felt a mix of guilt and something else I couldn’tquite name. The image of Allegra, her face flushed with anger, her hand raised in righteous indignation, flashed through my mind. I pushed it away, focusing instead on the amber liquid in my glass. “I’m sorry, Colton. I had no idea she’d be there today. She wasn’t scheduled to give evidence.”

“Well, she was,” Colton said, taking a long swig of his drink. I watched as he swallowed, trying not to grimace at the strong taste of the alcohol. “And she had quite a lot to say about you and your work. I thought silence was the key to our success, yet this girl seems to know about our exploits? Care to explain?”

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building up inside me. The strands felt messy, a testament to the long hours I’d been putting in trying to untangle this mess. “It’s complicated, Colton. But that’s not why I asked you here. It’s about Viktor. And the deal.”

Colton’s posture stiffened, his voice dropping to a whisper. He leaned in closer, the smell of his cheap aftershave mingling with the bar’s more pungent odors. “Cooper, I told you getting involved with Viktor was a bad idea. The man’s dangerous.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I said, taking a long swig of my drink. The bourbon burned its way down my throat, a welcome distraction from the knot of anxiety in my stomach. I savored the warmth for a moment before continuing. “I’ve been doing some digging. Turns out our friend Viktor has a habit of double-crossing his business partners.”

Colton leaned closer, his brow wrinkled. The overhead light caught the faint lines around his eyes, making him look older, more worn. “What are youtalking about?”

I glanced around the bar, making sure no one was within earshot. The closest patrons were a group of men at a corner table, too engrossed in their poker game to pay us any attention. Still, I lowered my voice. “Remember that arms dealer in Belgrade? The one who disappeared last year?”

“Yeah, it was all over the underground. They never found him.” Colton’s voice was tight, his lawyer’s mind already connecting the dots.

“That’s because there was nothing left to find,” I said grimly. The words tasted bitter in my mouth, a reminder of the world I’d chosen to inhabit. “Word on the street is Viktor had him dissolved in acid. All because the guy tried to negotiate a better deal.”

Colton’s face paled, his hand tightening around his glass. His knuckles went white with the force of his grip. “Jesus, Cooper. And you’re still planning on going through with this?”

I ran a hand through my hair again, frustration bubbling up inside me. The strands stuck up at odd angles, another physical manifestation of my inner turmoil. “What choice do I have? I’m in too deep now. If I back out, I might as well paint a target on my back. I’ll have Viktor as well as Rousseau on my tail.”

“There’s always a choice,” Colton said, his lawyer’s instincts kicking in. His voice took on that tone I knew so well, the one he used in negotiations. “We can talk to Steele, see if he has any—”

I cut him off with a harsh laugh. The sound was jarring, even to my own ears. “And tell him what? That he was right and I’m the prick who’s asking him to risk his life—and possibly his baby’s—to save my ass? Comeon, Colton. You know that’s not an option. I don’t know why you even mentioned it.”

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