Page 11 of Dangerous Proposal

“Get him ready,” I say to Jace, turning to leave the basement. “I’ll be back. Keep an eye on Evie. Don’t let her out of the room.”

The door clicks shut behind me, and for the first time all day, I feel a slight sense of relief. I know I’ll have to deal with the fallout from this. But for now, all I want is to get back to Evie.

As I make my way upstairs, I can feel the weight of everything pressing down on me. I can’t ignore the situation, even though I want nothing more than to go back to Evie and shut the rest of the world out. The business side of things will never stop demanding my attention, and right now, it’s a war brewing—one that could get personal quickly.

I step into the meeting room and sit at the large table, my mind already racing with possibilities. We’ve dealt with a lot of rival factions in the past, but this time it’s different. The son of the president of our rival gang is in our hands, and that’s not something we can easily walk away from. They’ll want him back. But we can’t afford to let that happen. Not without making sure we get something valuable in return.

I lean back in my chair, fingers tapping on the table as I wait for the others to file in. This is the part I hate—the waiting. But I need to gather my thoughts, get everything in order so I can steer this in the right direction.

Jace is right about one thing, though. We’ve got to prepare for the worst. I’ll need to move some pieces around, put extra security on our most vulnerable assets, and start looking at ways to disrupt their operations. If they want a fight, they’ll get one—but I’m not going to make the first move. I don’t need to look reckless. Not when I’ve got the upper hand for now.

When everyone finally shows up, I stand up and address them, taking control of the room immediately.

“Listen up,” I start, voice steady. “We’ve got a serious problem on our hands. The kid we took? That’s the president’s only son. If we let him go without any leverage, we’re inviting war. But if we keep him alive, we need to make sure we’re ready for whatever retaliation comes our way.”

I pace the room, feeling the tension rise. “We’ll keep him for now, but we need to have a plan in place. I’m not going to leave us exposed. Security’s getting a major overhaul tonight. Make sure Brandy’s got someone watching her at all times. And we’ll be moving some of our operations into the more secure locations we’ve got.”

I pause, looking around the room at the faces of my guys—loyal, tough, but not immune to the stress of what’s coming. “No one goes rogue. This isn’t a time for improvising. We stick to the plan, stay smart. We move when I say so, and not before.”

The guys nod, understanding. Jace gives me a quick look, his usual grin replaced with a rare seriousness.

“Got it, boss,” he says, the tone telling me he knows we’re in for a rough time ahead.

I give a curt nod, feeling the gravity of the moment sink in. We’re in this together, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do everything in my power to protect what’s mine. Evie is part of that now. No matter what it takes, I’m going to keep her safe.

As the meeting continues, my mind flickers back to her. I can’t wait to get back to her, make sure she’s settled. This world isn’t one I want her in, but she’s already a part of it, and I won’t let anyone hurt her. That’s a promise.

Chapter Eight

EVIE

When Red leaves, I’m still riding the high of being with him. For a while, I don’t register what his words really meant. It isn’t until he’s been gone for an hour that I start running over the conversation we had before he left.

He doesn’t want me to leave, which I guess is okay. I do like him, and I feel like he’s my forever. But I don’t want to be trapped here, and I’m pretty sure that’s what he was implying.

I groan, closing my laptop. I can’t focus on my accounting homework right now. What if Red kidnapped me? What if I willingly walked into my captor’s arms?

God, I thought I was smart. Maybe I am just a stupid, small-town girl who’s way out of her element. I must have just gotten lucky before I met Red. The only reason I haven’t ended up in a situation like this before is because I’ve only met guys who don’t pose a threat to me.

I stand up from the comfortable recliner in the corner and begin pacing the room. It’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t help but imagine this place as a prison. How long until Red comes, and what will he do to me when he gets back? Is he going to use whatever seductive magic he has to make me forget about the life I led before we met?

“Shit!” I exclaim, the curse word feeling foreign on my tongue. I cover my face with my hands and ask myself, “What am I going to do?”

At a loss, I go to the door. Maybe I can just turn the handle and get out. Memories of the closet door that locked from theoutside flash through my head, but I have to believe that I can leave. Unfortunately, those dreams are dashed when the handle doesn’t move at all.

I take a few steps back, staring at the offending door. As I’m trying to figure out my next steps, it creaks open, and I’m faced with a large, bald man. We stare at each other for a beat. Red has me on lockdown. I’m being monitored.

“Can we get you anything?” he asks, his voice gruff. He’s clearly not used to hospitality.

“Uh, no,” I say, giving him my most convincing smile. “Just… forgot where the bathroom was. I got a little turned around.”

I can tell that he doesn't believe me, but he’s kind enough not to call me out on it. With a curt nod, he pulls the door closed again. This time, I hear the lock engaging.

Blinking back tears, I turn around and survey the room. There has to be another way out, right? A lightbulb goes off in my head when my eyes land on the window. We’re only on the second floor. Even if I have to jump, I shouldn’t get hurt too badly.

I rush over, throwing the window open and pushing the screen out. I watch it drift down to the ground below. Then, I spot lattice work up the side of the building. I don’t even have to jump! I can climb down.

With my mind made up, I glance back at my pile of things. As much as it’ll pain me to replace everything, that’s what I’m going to have to do. My safety is more important than material things, and the longer I stay in this room, the more I’m convinced that I’m not safe here.

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