Page 39 of Brazen King

The hulking brown-haired, blue-eye behemoth who is his silent right-hand man looks uncharacteristically exasperated with Killian as his boss approaches. And he mutters something about how the cocky Irishman shouldn’t be disappearing on them like that in public.

The young woman with them—a pretty girl I would describe as attractive in a cute kind of way rather than strikingly beautiful, like Tatiana—can only be Killian’s sister. They have the same green eyes and pale Irish complexion, though Killian lacks the smattering of freckles that make his sister look well over a decade younger than him.

“What are you doing skulking around alleys at this time of night?” his sister scolds, gesturing in my direction.

I shrink back to ensure neither she nor the hulking bodyguard beside her spot me. And I just catch Killian’s deep, rolling laughter.

“Is there ever a good time to go ‘skulking around alleys’?” he counters. “I thought I saw something, but it was just a stray cat.”

I bristle, recognizing his euphemism for me since he’s called me a little tigress on multiple occasions. And he casts a glance over his shoulder, flashing me a wicked grin.

“You’re ridiculous,” his sister insists, rolling her eyes. “Can we go home now? I could seriously use a bath and bed.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Killian teases, opening the back door of the black Escalade they stand beside. It’s not the sleek blue Bugatti I’ve seen him drive before, but then, I doubt the flashy sports car would fit all three of them.

His hulking right-hand man rounds the front of the car to get in the driver’s seat. And Killian slides into the passenger seat as soon as he closes the door behind his sister. As they pull out into the slow-moving traffic, I follow them with my eyes. When they reach the end of the block, they take a right.

What is it about Killian that’s so maddeningly appealing?

I can’t put my finger on it.

But as I watch him drive away, an odd realization hits me. I think I actuallywantto uphold my end of our bargain tonight—even though I could walk away this time and Killian wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it.

More and more, I find it hard to deny that I have feelings for Killian. Sure, he’s wild and brazen and reckless. Uncouth even. But something about his confidence is so alluring. His silent strength that he only uses against me when I’m coming at him with all I’ve got.

His playful mischief drives me crazy, but it also draws me in. Tempting me to smile. He’s playing with me. Constantly. And for some strange reason, I think I’m starting to like it.

I like him.

Strange as it might seem, I like whoIcan be around him. For so much of my life, I’ve had to adopt a submissive, demurepersona in public. It’s what’s expected of me as the daughter of apakhan. And my father has always encouraged me to lean into the stereotype because it provides an effective cover for what I really do for our family.

But it means that outside of my parents and Tatiana, no one really knows me. Not the real me. They appreciate me as the soft-spoken young lady who hesitates to give eye contact and never speaks unless spoken to.

With Killian, that’s not true. He understands who I really am. In fact, he might actually know me more completely than anyone in the world. He’s seen my fiery personality. He’s tested my strength to its limits. He’s experienced firsthand how cutthroat I can be, and he still wants me.

Enough to marry me?

He sure made it seem that way when I brought up his proposal to my father.

In fact, he sounded like he wasn’t thinking about Tatiana at all when he mentioned it tonight.But is that just a part of his game?

I don’t know. And I shouldn’t care. Because he’s my family’s enemy.

Guilt twists my gut to think that I might have feelings for our adversary. My loyalty should be with my father, who’s supported my strength and independence from the very beginning. He raised me to be the woman I am today. And I owe him everything for loving all that I could be.

I can’t betray him over whatever it is I might feel for Killian King.

Deal or no deal, I need to dispose of the Irish mafia head.

Because our family’s reputation—and welfare—depends on it.

That’s when the thought hits me. Technically, after my night with Killian, it’s a new day. I could have sex with him, wait until he’s asleep, and kill him before he wakes.

The realization eases my warring conscience about my loyalty to my family. And at the same time, it raises a new kind of conflict that tightens my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I don’t like the idea of murdering Killian in his sleep.

Not that I haven’t done it before—killed men while they were unconscious. And I didn’t give a second thought to snuffing out their light. But those men were strangers, obstacles in the path to my family’s success.

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