Page 36 of The Heir's Defiance

"He likes you," he says without turning.

I stay near the door but I tiptoe in a few steps. "What does that mean?" I'm not foolish. I know what it means for both Connor and me, that Da will use Connor's affection for me to control us both.

He turns now, eyes bloodshot from anger. "O'Rourke," he says, stepping toward the table where a map of the docks is spread. "After that mess at the memorial—Callum says the man looked at you like you were his last meal."

I don't respond because there’s no safe answer with him. He knew I took an interest in Connor, and he assumed Connor took the same interest in me, but somehow, it's been confirmed to him now. Now the greedy, impatient nudges for me to exploit that connection will turn vile and sinister, and I won't be able to stop him.

He taps the edge of the map. "I want you to meet with him again. Soon. Make it feel spontaneous. Make it feel… intentional."

I watch his hands, not his face. "Why?" My heart flutters nervously. I knew this was coming, that Da would escalate things at some point and I'd either have to take a stand or watch Connor come into his crosshairs. I just didn't expect him to move so quickly. The Russians must really be pressing him in the wake of my rejection. Volkov is probably out for blood.

He looks at me like I’ve asked whether the sky is still up. "Because if he’s emotionally compromised, he’s vulnerable. And if he’s vulnerable, he’ll give us something useful."

"I'm not a spy, Da. I don't want to spy on him," I almost whisper. The words come out hollow sounding because that's how I feel—hollow. I feel like a husk of the person I'm supposed to be, of the person I am when I'm with Connor. The fight hasn't left me. It's just grown quieter because of fear. Watching my cousin’s friend crumple on the ground at my hand woke me up. Da is in this for blood—Connor's blood.

His smile is slow and without joy. "I want you to be smart. Use what you have."

"And what is that, exactly?"

"You know what it is." He says it like it’s obvious—like the years he spent turning me into something ornamental were just prep work for this. "I'm not naive, Nora. Liam told me you're slipping out, spreading your legs for that sack of shit." His eyes narrow on me. "Do it again, and when you've got him by the balls, we'll pin him down. We worm our way in and take over the O'Rourke name or the Russians will destroy us. We need the power that comes with that legacy."

I cross my arms. "You didn’t ask whether I was willing." My protests sound so feeble now, and I sound weak. I hate myself, and I hate the idea of my family suffering almost as much as I hate the idea of losing Connor or doing something that will put him in danger.

His eyes go dead. "I’m not asking, Nora. We had an arrangement and you backed out. Now you will do as you're told."

The silence that follows is suffocating. I feel the walls pressing closer, the heavy curtains dulling the light and his shadow stretching long across the carpet between us. It feels like he could swallow me whole.

He lifts a folder from the table and flips it open. "Next time you see him, I want names. Contacts. Weak points in their supply chain. Anything that tells me how deep the O'Rourkes are into the South Quays."

"How am I supposed to get that information? He likes to fuck me, not confide in me. He's not a fool. He's loyal to his familyand he's not going to give anything up." Now I'm shaking mad. I can't believe he's putting me in this position.

His voice lowers. "Don't pretend you can't do this. You were born to do this. You just forgot what side you're on."

A knock at the door breaks the moment and Da doesn’t tell them to enter. Two men file in anyway—both in dark jackets, expressions flat and eyes locked on him. Liam isn't one of them, which means my father has wised up and figured out I've been forcing the man to do my bidding. I could still bury him, but what would be the point now?

"These are Farren and Daryle," Da says. "They’ll be accompanying you for the next week."

My spine stiffens. "You don’t trust me anymore?" It's a stupid question to ask the man who trusts no one, but it's going to make seeing Connor the way I want to next to impossible. I have to try something, so I pout like a girl whose father can be manipulated.

He downs the whiskey, face twisting at the taste, then slams the empty glass onto the table. "You never gave me a reason to."

Farren doesn’t speak. Daryle nods once. He's all duty and nothing else between his ears. The kind of nod reserved for orders that don't require a response. My hands curl into fists at my sides, but I can't do anything about this. Da probably won't kill me, but he will force me to marry Volkov or some other putrescent lackey.

I don’t know what’s worse—that Da is using me or that part of me is already considering how to do it well. If I’m going to be watched, cornered, turned into bait, then I’m going to decide how it plays out. I huff out a sigh from my nose and turn toward the door with two new shadows in tow.

They follow me to my room, and before I reach the landing on the stairs, I heard Da's voice. "Be ready in fifteen minutes. We're having a sit down with Pyotr Vetrov…"

The name curdles my blood and I scream-growl as I stomp my foot, but it doesn't affect him. The men try to follow me into my room, and I press a hand into one's chest and push him back.

"Uh, feck no. You fecking perverts aren't watching me dress for lunch." A hard shove puts him in his place, and I step into my room, shut the door, and lock it before going straight to my window.

I throw the latch and shove it open, climbing out onto the ledge and stepping onto the roof just below. The shingles are slick under my feet, the air sharp against my skin. I duck out of sight of the driveway and pull my phone and dial Connor’s burner. It rings twice.

"Nora?" he says, and there's tension wound tight beneath the surface.

"I didn’t know if you’d answer." I feel on the verge of crying, and just hearing his voice comforts me.

"I always will, baby." Connor's voice wraps around me like a warm blanket soothing me, but I need more. I need to feel safe and steady.

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