Page 61 of Temptation and Tyranny

I rolled my eyes.

“Walk with me to the garden?” Ashlynn asked, though it wasn’t really a question. “I want your opinion on something for the wedding.”

I glanced at Steele, who just shrugged with a knowing look. “Best man duties,” he said, turning back to the mirror.

The late morning sun cast shadows across the estate’s immaculate garden. Ashlynn moved to a stone bench, gesturing for me to join her.

“There’s no wedding thing, is there?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“No,” she admitted with a small smile. “But we need to talk about Allegra.”

I sighed. “Ashlynn—”

“Just listen,” she cut me off gently. “You know how Steele and I met.”

“He kidnapped you,” I said bluntly. “Over a painting. And you stabbed me.”

“Ah, I forgot about that.” Her eyes twinkled momentarily. “But I was terrified. Angry. But even then, there was something about him that I couldn’t quite dismiss. A depth beneath the surface that intrigued me.”

“This is different,” I protested. “Allegra isn’t a captive. She’s free to walk away.”

“Is she?” Ashlynn’s gaze was piercing. “Or are you keeping her at arm’s length, making decisions about what’s best for her without giving her a choice? In some ways, that’s just another kind of captivity.”

The words hit me hard. “I’m trying to protect her.”

“Cooper, I knew what I was getting into with Steele. Just like Allegra knows what she’s getting into with you. We’re not naïve women who need to be sheltered.”

“But the risks—”

“Are ours to take,” she finished firmly. “When I chose to stay with Steele, to fight for what we could have together, it wasn’t because I was blind to the dangers. It was because what we had was worth fighting for.” She reached out, touching my arm. “The question is, what are you willing to fight for?”

I looked down at her hand, remembering how Allegra had touched me in the car yesterday. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“Sometimes the worst hurt comes from pushing away the people who could make us whole,” Ashlynn said softly. “Trust me, I know. If Steele hadn’t fought so hard for us...” She trailed off, her hand moving back to her stomach. “We wouldn’t be here now. There wouldn’t be a wedding, or a baby on the way. Sometimes the biggest risks bring the greatest rewards.”

We sat in silence for a moment, watching the sun rise higher into the sky. Finally, I asked, “How did you know? That Steele was worth the risk?”

Ashlynn smiled, her whole face softening. “The same way Allegra knows about you. I saw past the façade, past the power and control, to the manunderneath. The man who was capable of so much more than he believed.” She stood, brushing off her dress. “Don’t let fear rob you of something beautiful, Cooper. Life’s too short for that.”

I drove away from Steele’s estate, my mind spinning. My phone rang, and I welcomed the distraction as I answered.

“Mario, what have you found out?”

His voice crackled over the line. “Murphy said it’s definitely Rousseau behind these attacks, and he also thinks it was his team tailing Allegra.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

“This means we have to take him out, and soon.” I gripped the steering wheel tighter, the knot in my stomach growing. Taking out Rousseau was incredibly dangerous and would require weeks of planning, even with the extortion I had on him. And that was even if I could take him out. But it didn’t matter. I had to. I couldn’t risk Allegra.

Ashlynn’s and Steele’s words echoed in my mind.What was I willing to fight for? The answer came too quickly, too clearly: Allegra. Her smile, her stubborn determination, the way she saw through all my defenses. But wanting her and deserving her were two very different things.

“Okay. I’ll start prepping,” Mario responded, and I grunted, disconnecting the call. I turned my attention back to the road, but my phone buzzed again—it was a text from Allegra this time.

Lunch later? My treat.

I stared at the message, my thumb hovering over the keys. I remembered how she’d held my hand yesterday, how she hadn’t flinched away from the darkness in my past.

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