Page 21 of Eternally Bound

“Why?”

“You should ask your boyfriend that question,” I told her. “He’s the one that put you on the table.”

“No, I mean why did you have to kidnap me to tell that you are his debtor?” she asked. “You could have just approached me and told me. You know, the normal way. And why would you let him do that in the first place?” she ground out.

“I was late to the game. You’d already been put on the table, so to speak. And I didn’t have time to approach you any other way,” I told her with a shrug and confused her even more. I knew if I approached her, the conversation wouldn’t go smoothly. She’d fight me, might have even gone to the police, and I wasn’t willing to risk a delay in getting her under my protection.

The mole I had planted within my uncle’s close circle informed he was planning on kidnapping Ainslee. My uncle was always a sore loser, but in a psychotic kind of way. There was no time to waste. I had men watching her mother and her son too.

“What do you mean you didn’t have time?” she questioned. If I told her I got to her before my uncle could, I’d alarm her. My uncle’s name was well known, often circling the papers in the past ten years for the murders he was suspected of. Unfortunately, the legal system couldn’t pin any of them on him. It would do us all a solid if they could convict him and throw him in prison. You’d think it would be easy to offer evidence to the legal system, considering how much I’ve seen him do, but there was no way to do it without implicating myself. Besides, nobody likes a snitch.

“Now is not the time to discuss that,” I answered and managed to agitate her even more.

“Well, it seems both you and Callen forgot one thing.” Her voice shook with anger.

“What’s that, Nightingale?”

Her eyes flashed with annoyance at her nickname, and it surprised me. This woman in front of me was my equal and that made me want to tame her. Make her submit to me.

“I wasn’t his to gamble,” she gritted out her accusation. And she was right about that, but it was either my uncle or me. I might have been biased, but I was the better option for her. Safer option. “So, please be my guest and go settle your debt with Callen. This has nothing to do with me.”

“But it does,” I drawled on, my gaze steady. “I won’t force you to settle the debt. I’m not that kind of monster.” A visible relief washed over her features, and I knew my next words would wipe that relief. “If you find this arrangement distasteful, I will get rid of the debt.”

“Thank you,” she breathed and those two words made me feel like a worthless bastard because the gratitude was misplaced. Ainslee could never even suspect all the wrongs I’ve done.

“Don’t forget that you and your son are a package deal. If I sell the debt, the next criminal might not be as generous as I am.”

She raised her eyes slowly, her blue gaze clashing with mine.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I walked across the bedroom to the French doors and gazed out, the long stretch of green Scotland hills surrounding the remote area. Her eyes were guarded as she watched me, tracking my movements. I didn’t want to tell her that Callen was about to gamble her away to my uncle. It would hurt her, but maybe I wasn’t really protecting her by not telling her.

I turned around to face her, the depths of her blue eyes pulling me in. No more fucking games. Not with this woman. I hated games anyhow.

“Callen almost gambled you away to my uncle. I don’t know how I missed it, but you are on his radar. And trust me when I say this, Ainslee. My uncle is a sick, twisted bastard. You’d pray for death if he ever gets ahold of you, and he’s twisted enough not to give that out. I won’t ever let that happen to you,” I vowed.

It was hard to keep my voice cool. It pissed me off that my uncle knew about Ainslee, that he threatened her life and her light. I walked away from her to protect her, not to get her onto his fucking radar.

“Your uncle, Hector Carrington?” Her voice quivered a bit. “The notorious head of the Carrington mafia?”

I nodded. You’d have to live under the rock not to hear about the crimes committed by the Carrington mafia.

“I want to protect you,” I told her, hoping she could hear it in my voice that I meant it. “You, your son, and your mother. I have men watching them too. I just want you safe.”

Her expressive eyes flashed with relief and a small sigh left her lips. She cared a great deal about her family. As such, they meant a great deal to me too. I didn’t care who I had to kill; for her I’d level cities to keep her safe.

“Why didn’t you come back to me?” she rasped. I felt everything, our entire future, hung in the balance over that question. It was a simple and complicated answer. “I waited for you.”

The pain in those quiet words hit me straight into my chest.

“I didn’t want to see you hurt,” I confessed. “You deserved better, and I thought it was the best way to protect you from my family.” She took a small step forward, her eyes searching out mine. “Though now I feel like I wasted those years because you got on their radar anyhow.”

“Oh, Daniel,” she murmured and her hand came to my chest. She might as well claw out my heart because it was hers. “I wish you would have told me.” She exhaled heavily. “So many wasted years.”

“I’ll fix this,” I told her. “I’ll take care of my uncle, and when you are safe, you can have your life back.”

The next five seconds of silence were deafening until she spoke again.

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