Page 107 of Vengeful Union

“I love you, too. Come and visit when all this is over, all right?”

“Just try to keep me away.”

I hang up the phone, taking a deep breath and trying to calm myself.

Lara’s right, I can’t just go off half-crazed and wild, because he’ll take me down. He’s proven time and time again that he doesn’t care about whether I live or die, and why would he?

He murdered the only woman he ever claimed to love.

I draw in a few breaths in the cool air, turning to walk back into the bedroom. I’ve already got my slacks on, but I’m still shirtless. I go to the closet and grab a button-up shirt, starting to button it and tuck it in while Lara watches from the bed.

“Rory,” she calls, an edge of a warning to her voice.

“I’m just going to talk to him. I just want to know why he did it.”

She makes a distressed sound. “You may never know why he did it.” She stands up, coming toward me and placing both palms on my chest. “There’s proof, now?—”

“The only proof is the word of mouth of men who have rap sheets a mile long.” I huff out a breath. “There’s nothing concrete we can take to the police, and those guys aren’t going to talk to the cops.”

Her eyes search my face. “That’s not true. You don’t know that.”

I place my hands over hers and push her gently away. “Maybe not. Maybe Gray and Patrick have something more up their sleeves, but right now, I just need to hear it from his mouth.”

Lara watches me as I turn back to the closet, reaching up to the shelf to get my gun and placing it in the back of my pants.

“If you’re just going to talk to him, why are you taking your gun?” Her voice comes out panicked and reedy.

“Just in case.”

“Just in casewhat?” Lara paces around me in a circle, and I can’t help but smile at how upset she seems to be.

“Worried about me, honey?”

She gapes at me, frowning. “Ofcourse,I’m worried about you. I’m in love with you.”

I lean down closer to her, brushing my nose against hers. “I like hearing you say that.”

“Don’t change the subject.” She clutches at my shirt, bunching the fabric in her small fists. “I don’t want you getting hurt, Rory.”

“I won’t. I just need to talk to him alone. He won’t confess in front of any of his men. He won’t want them to know. I’m sure he kept this all undercover when it happened. The clans don’t like to kill women or children, so whoever helped him are men without honor.”

“Men like Scott.”

I pause, surprised that she’d said his name, but I nod. “Exactly.”

She slowly lowers her hands to her sides, trembling only slightly.

“Becareful.”

I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me and kissing her passionately.

She moans into my mouth, but I pull away, walking backwards to the door and blowing her a kiss instead.

She rolls her eyes but smiles and blows one back.

My smile fades the instant the bedroom door closes.

I wasn’t able to tell Lara how I really felt, how I understood Bree when she said she wanted him gone. I want this over. I want all of this over, and I’m going to get the hell out of here as soon as I can. I’m going to talk to Declan and Gray and Patrick and figure out how to put him away, but first, I need to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

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