Page 176 of Inferno

“She won’t.”

“She did try and shoot me, Dec.” Conan appears beside me.

“Where?”

“She aimed for the thigh.”

I grin.

“So she wasn’t aiming to kill. See? I’m safe. Don’t worry about me.”

Finn blows out a breath.

“I’m not worried about your safety. I’m now worried you’ll let her in.”

I roll my eyes and get a cigarette out of the packet.

“I won’t let her get to me again. She’s just here until Enzo gets the information he needs, then she will be gone and we can move on. I’ll just spend a year without an official sub. I’ll survive.”

Sliding open my door, I head into the yard and light up.

Do I even want another sub?

She’s here because she has to be, not because I want her in my home.

Perhaps if I keep gaslighting myself, I’ll eventually believe my own lies.

I don’t want her.

Chuckling to myself, I flick the ash from my cigarette onto the ground.

“Bullshit,” I mutter out loud.

I’m fucked.

Chapter 67

CHARLOTTE

Asweet old lady delivered my food on a tray earlier. I expected it to be Declan.

There’s plenty of things that could be a weapon in this room, but it’s pointless.

The only way now I can survive is by getting him to listen to me.

To tell the truth and hope he believes me.

I keep scribbling in the notepad. Pages and pages of names and locations.

I’ve kept Drago out of it, he’s the final trick up my sleeve if I can somehow make contact.

For now, I withhold. I need to protect him, just like he does me. Until I know of their intentions with this list.

If I can get in Enzo’s good books, my chances of survival are higher.

Once he’s done with me, my life is in Declan’s hands.

And so is his daughter’s.

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