Page 85 of Ruthless Oath

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not into having an audience.” I nodded in the direction of the door, glaring at my brother.

“An audience?” She turned to see what I meant. “Milo?”

“Why did you stop?” His lips curved into a devious smile. “It was starting to get all Pornhub in here.”

I scooted her off my lap. “Princess, I need to speak with my brother. We’ll finish this later.”

She swiped the plate from the desk and kissed my brother’s cheek as she walked past him. “You have shitty timing.”

“Language,” I muttered. “Wait for me upstairs.”

I wasn’t the least bit amused with their flirty demeanor toward one another. They both did it to provoke me.

“Bye.” She blew me a kiss.

Milo turned his head and watched her leave the room with a smile. “She’s really something. And to think, I could have had her first. We saw one another a few times at the club. I even danced with her once.”

“Don’t think about it,” I said. “And if that were true, why didn’t you go after her?”

“Well, she’s Gian’s daughter for one thing. I mean, I was tempted to sleep with her to stick it to him, but then I talked to her. She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who had one-night stands.”

“She isn’t.” I guess I should commend my brother’s good instincts. “Why did you push me in her direction?”

“To be honest, I was just busting your balls the night of the auction. I didn’t think you would go there.”

“I tried not to.”

“I kind of wish you hadn’t,” he said.

“Fuck off.”

“It’s not that I don’t like her for you, but you know, Dad’s rule and all. We don’t get involved because people can find the weakness and use it against us.”

“I didn’t set out to get involved.”

The last thing I needed was for an enemy to use a woman against me. My father was the strongest man I knew, but losing my mother brought him to his knees. It took months for him to recover. Not that he would ever get over losing her. He never let his guard down again, and he made sure Milo and I didn’t either.

“Speaking of Dad.” Milo sat in the chair across from the desk. “I just got off the phone with him.”

“How is he?”

“Furious.” Milo clasped his hands. “He wants you out of the safe house and back in control.”

My father was right. I could no longer fight this war in hiding. It was getting too dangerous for Milo to take the chance to come to me.

“You have to prioritize,” he said.

“Lissia is my priority. I can’t hand her back to them. Do you know what they will do to her?”

I may have come from a brutal family, but there were some lines we would never cross. My father made it clear when we started working with the cartel that women and children were off-limits.

“I know.” Milo leaned back in his chair. “Dad agrees with you. But as much as he doesn’t trust Gallanti, he doesn’t want to believe the man would sacrifice his daughter.”

“He sacrificed her when he promised her to Collins. How does a man do that to his own flesh and blood?” I got up and walked around to the edge of the desk. “Dad originally thought I could use Lissia as leverage, but given the circumstances, I don’t think that’s an option.”

“Oh, the beast fell for the princess.” Milo laughed. “You may have to put off the wedding until we figure out if we’ll even be alive next week.”

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