Page 154 of Wilde and Deadly

Cade?

The demand didn’t make sense.

Davey’s gut twisted, his instincts screaming that there was a larger play in motion, one he couldn’t see yet.

He inhaled slowly. “No. My family is off the table.”

“You misunderstand, Mr. Wilde. This is not a negotiation. It’s a transaction. Cade for Ms. Bristow.”

“Then you’re leaving empty-handed,” Davey shot back.

Stirling’s expression remained calm, but there was something darker lurking beneath. He flicked his fingers, and Raines moved to stand behind Rowan with a gun in hand. He pressed the barrel against Rowan’s temple.

Davey’s heart slammed against his ribs.

“I wonder,” Raines mused, “just how stubborn you’ll be with her brains splattered on your shirt.”

Rowan went utterly still, her jaw tight, but her eyes locked on his. “Don’t, Davey. I’m not worth it.”

How could she think that? How could she not know by now that she was worth everything to him? He’d give up Cade for her in a heartbeat. He’d give up WSW. Hell, he’d burn down the world for her if she asked him, too.

He forced his attention back to Stirling. “Why do you want Cade?”

“That’s for me to know.” Stirling sipped his drink and smiled like this was amusing to him. “This is mercy, Mr. Wilde. Take it while it’s still on the table.”

Davey let out a slow breath. His grip on control was desperate and razor-thin, and he felt like he might snap at any second. His pulse was a hammer in his ears, and his muscles coiled so tight they ached. His gaze flicked from Stirling to Raines and back to Rowan, measuring every angle, every risk. He needed an opening, a weakness. But there was nothing.

He could take Raines, but not before the bastard pulled the trigger. He could go for Stirling, but that wouldn’t stop the dozen black-clad operatives stationed throughout the building.

No clear exits.

No easy outs.

Just a line he had to walk without slipping, and backing down wasn’t an option. If he let them see weakness now, they’d exploit it the next time.

Because there would be a next time.

His skin prickled with sweat beneath his shirt, and his muscles ached from holding tension too long, from fighting the raw, animal urge to lunge. To do something.

But he couldn’t win this through physical force. He had to talk his way out, and he suddenly wished Elliot was in his ear. He could use his brother’s calm logic right now, but it was just him, and he couldn’t afford to fuck this up.

What would Elliot tell him?

Don’t panic. Think, Davey. Outplay them. Trust your gut.

All his instincts told him the same thing: Stirling was bluffing.

“You call this mercy?” His voice was low, lethal. “You put a gun to her head and make demands, and now you expect me to thank you for sparing her?”

Stirling laughed softly. “I expect you to understand the reality of your situation and that this is the best offer you’re going to get.”

Davey held the man’s gaze, hate boiling up to fill every inch of him. “Let’s be real. You need this just as much as I do. Otherwise, you wouldn’t still be talking. So, yes, thisisa negotiation. Call off your rabid attack dog, and then we can talk like civilized men.”

Stirling’s expression didn’t change, but Davey caught the slight pause before he nodded to Raines. He hadn’t liked being called out like that.

Scowling, Raines backed up a step. He removed the gun from Rowan’s temple but still kept it trained on her.

Stirling smoothly regained his composure. “All right. Let’s negotiate. My offer remains the same. Give me Cade, and you and Rowan walk out of here unharmed.”

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