Page 33 of Bitter Arrangement

“Stop calling him that,” I say, interrupting. “His name’s Jeremy.”

“Iron Head,” he repeats, looking annoyed, “is personally interested in solving this problem as well, which means he’s absolutely looking into it. If he figures out that you’re the one who took it before I can figure a way out of this, he’ll come for you. I need to make sure you’re safe.”

I try not to laugh at the absurdity of his logic. “And in order to do that… you need me to sleep in your bed? Sounds real convenient.”

“Not necessarily in my bed, but in my room.”

“Great, huge difference, like I’m going to be on the floor or something. We both know you just want a repeat of our first meeting.”

He licks his lips and shrugs. “I can’t deny that.”

“Then it’s a hardnofrom me. I’ll take my chances in the other room.” I turn to leave, but he says a single word before I can move.

“Artakarg.”

Suddenly, an iron wall slams down in front of me, blocking the exit. More shutters cover the windows. All of them are metal and reinforced. The lights dim to a dull red and cameras descend from the ceiling. Something flutters from a hidden alcove near the dressers and begins buzzing out.

“Is that a fuckingmurder drone?” I shriek as it begins to circle me. A gun barrel mounted on its belly is aimed at my chest.

“This is why you need to be in my room,” Alexan says, standing up and walking over. He casually reaches out and grabs the drone from midair, flipping it over and deactivating something at its base end. The rotors slow and stop as he places it down on the floor. “I haven’t updated the guest security yet.”

“This is insane,” I say, staring around me. All the entrances are covered with pure steel, all of which I’d bet are blast- and bullet-proof. Cameras record every square inch of the place, and that murder drone is enough to put more than a few holes in an intruder’s face. “Why the hell is your freaking bedroom like this?”

“Because I have a dangerous job and more than a few enemies.” He steps up close to me, looming like a monster. The red lights make his face seem bloody and terrifying. My heart races in my chest as nerves tingle down into my core. “I need you close, little thief. If Mantis comes for us, I can’t guarantee you’d be safe anywhere but right here.”

As much as I hate him, he does make sense. I have to admit that this whole lockdown sequence is really impressive, even if it’s also paranoid and crazy.

“You can always upgrade the guest room?” I suggest sheepishly.

“The walls in here are bulletproof. The glass is as well. Construction on that part of the house would take a year, minimum, and we have four weeks. It’s not feasible.”

I take a deep breath through my nose. God, I hate this. I already feel like I’m giving up a ton, marrying him and moving in, and I don’t want to keep making sacrifices.

But this is my fault.

I can’t keep pretending like it isn’t. Yeah, I didn’t know that stupid antique watch was the property of a super-violent crime syndicate, but I’m still the impulsive moron that took it.

And now Alexan’s stuck trying to protect me when he could just hand me over and wash his hands of all this.

“Alright, fine,” I say, holding up my hands in defeat. “But I want the left side.”

“Avartsvats,” he says, and the lights go back to normal, the cameras ascend back into their sockets, and the shutters disappear. It’s almost like nothing happened, except for the murder drone still lying deactivated at his heels like a happy puppy waiting for belly rubs. “I sleep on the left.”

“You’re unbelievable,” I say, hands curled into fists. Frustration wells in me. There’s a handsome, mocking smile on his face. “Now you’re just being controlling and punishing me for that watch thing.”

“You think I’m that petty?”

“I think I don’t know you well enough to say.”

He laughs softly. His pretty tongue rolls against his teeth. “I’d say you know me very well by now, Riley.”

“Don’t be a prick. I know I fucked up, okay? Is that what you wanted? I admit that I made a mistake pickpocketing that dumb watch. Still doesn’t give you a right to torture me.”

“This is far from torture.” He looks amused. It’s like the only time that cold bastard comes alive is when he’s teasing me.

“I don’t know, right now I think getting my fingernails ripped out one by one would be better than sleeping beside you.”

“I’m wounded.” He puts a hand over his heart. “You hurt me deeply.”

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