Page 39 of Bitter Arrangement

“I want to be useful,” she says. “I can be useful. You just have to trust me first.”

“I believe you, I really do, even though I’m kind of surprised, but it’s not about your skills.”

“Great, thanks, that’s almost a compliment. What’s it about then?”

“Keeping you safe. Making sure the alliance we built doesn’t fall apart.” I lean forward before she can talk over me. “My boss murdered your leader’s brother. Do you have any idea how hard it is to come back from something like that? The fact that we’re sitting here in this room together is a testament to hard work and pure luck. The second we screw this up is the second a lot of people will start trying to kill each other again, and I don’t want that. I assume you don’t either.”

She looks toward the window, frowning. “I don’t want that,” she says gently. “I knew some of the men that died. They were boys, really.”

“Then I have to keep you safe. I need to preserve this relationship. Which means you go nowhere near Mantis.”

“I still think it’s the only option.”

“And I still think I’ll come up with something else.”

She pushes to her feet, looking frustrated. “It’s not just about protecting me though, is it?”

I tilt my head. “What else would it be?”

“It’s about protecting your investment. It’s about… protecting this.” She puts a hand over her belly. “Don’t act like I don’t know what we’re supposed to do.”

“Marriage is one thing, but there’s nothing like a baby to bring two organizations together.”

She turns her back on me. I can’t tell how she feels about that, but I’m guessing it’s not good.

This is a woman who craves control over her life. She’s impulsive and passionate, and yet she wishes she had more agency over the direction of her future. It must be hard knowing she has no say in whether she gets pregnant or not.

That’s the ultimate hell for her.

She doesn’t even get to say what happens to her own body.

If I feel guilty, I shove it back down. That’s just weakness talking. Pity’s not going to fix our situation.

We’ll be lucky if we even get to the point of knocking her up before Mantis ends us both.

“Let me know when you change your mind,” she says and heads to the door.

“You can help,” I say without thinking. It spills out of my mouth, and I don’t even know where it came from. Now I feel like her, saying whatever comes through my head. But normally, I have better self-control than that.

“Really?” She perks up slightly. “You’re going to let me steal the key?”

“I’m going to keep you involved in my plans.”

She frowns, clearly not happy about that. “Sounds like a load of crap to me.”

“Best you’re going to get.”

She turns back to the door. “Keep me updated.” Her hips sway slightly as she leaves my office.

God, I’m weak for that woman, and I don’t even know why.

Chapter15

Riley

Iturn the dial on my safe and listen to the satisfying click as it opens. The door swings out, and I look in at all my little treasures.

The bedroom behind me is empty. The closet all around me is basically raided to the studs. A few random things are still hanging around on the top shelf, but I’ll bring all that over to Alexan’s house in the next few days.

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