Page 57 of Captive Audience
“For flirting?” A wicked smile curved his mouth. “I’ll turn your pretty arse so red you won’t be able to sit for a week. How do you like that?”
“I think your rules are bullshit.”
He shrugged. “I don’t make them.”
“Yes, you do. You’re literally standing here telling me you’re a violent man with poor impulse control and I should adjust my behavior to protect your precious ego; otherwise, people will get murdered.”
“Hmm. I suppose I am. Well, I imagine it’ll take years of therapy to work through my issues. In the meantime, be a good wife.”
I seethed in silence, biting my tongue hard enough to bruise.
Play your part, find the Soul Collector, and get an annulment as fast as possible.
But every single rule Rook laid down made that harder to achieve.
26
ASHA
Needing a secluded place to vent my frustration, I strode outside to the terrace and slammed the door behind me. Then I spent the next five minutes swearing at the Philly skyline while trying to figure out how I was supposed to live with someone as infuriating as Rook.
The door slid open, and Finn appeared. He froze. “Sorry, ma’am. Do you need a moment alone?”
“No, I’m fine. It’s just…” I exhaled a sharp breath. “I’m sorry you had to witness my meltdown.”
“I’ve heard love makes people do crazy things.”
Love? Ha!
“I’m not usually so confrontational. Actually, I am. But I’ve never met anyone who pushes my buttons like Rook.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’ve never seen him this way over a woman before.”
“So he’s not normally this bossy, controlling, and possessive?”
His face tightened. “I was going to say passionate.”
“How diplomatic of you.”
“I know he seems intense, but he’s not so bad. Done a lot to help me and my family. Best boss I’ve ever had.” He glanced behind him, perhaps to check that Rook had left. “Let me put it this way. If you were in trouble, he’d crawl across broken glass to get to you.”
“How long have you worked for Rook?”
“Couple of years now. I got into some trouble with a gang back in Belfast. I’m a cage fighter, you see. Like Aidan. This gang pressured me to take a dive in the third round of a fight I’d been training months for. I told ’em to stick it up their arses, and all hell broke loose. Firebombed the gym I trained at, took a baseball bat to my car, and tossed a brick through the front window of my home. Long story short, my ma grew up with Rook’s, so she gave him a call. Before I knew it, the Beasts had taken care of the gang members and organized for me to come out here. Put me up in an apartment just down the road and pay me well enough to send money home to Ma. The best part is I get to train at Aidan’s gym. Rook doesn’t even mind if I need time off to prep for a fight.”
“That’s decent of him.” I had to wonder if we were talking about the same man.
“Rook’s no saint, but he’s good people. Of course, you already know that, or you wouldn’t be with him.”
I choked back a laugh. A good person who murdered people and forced unsuspecting podcasters to marry them.
Finn hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Security console’s ready if you still want to take a look.”
I nodded and trailed him to Rook’s home office. He’d pointed it out during the tour, but we hadn’t gone inside. Now, stepping through the doorway, I realized it looked less like a study and more like a surveillance hub. A leather swivel chair sat behind a broad mahogany desk with a sleek computer perched on top. But it was the wall of screens that stole my attention.
“What are those for?” I asked, pointing at the half dozen displays.
Finn gave a small shrug. “Security cameras, I guess.”
