Page 21 of Princess of Passion (Caprice Langden)

“I’m sure she is,” Gabriel bit out. “Fine, Lilly. We’ll see you in a few days... or whenever. Take me off the speakerphone. I want to talk to St. Valentine.”

The Gabriel I knew had returned. I turned off the speakerphone.

“Give me a second,” I said to Gabriel. I put the phone in my pocket and turned my attention back to Lilly. “I need to talk to your brother. Do you want to wait here or inside?”

“I’ll wait in my room. I don’t need to hear this.”

I wanted to kiss her, but I settled for pulling out her chair. “I’ll be up to see you soon.”

She laughed as she walked away without even looking back at me. “Ha. Presumptuous, are we? I may take a bath... or wash my hair... and who said I want you in my room at all? Just how arrogant are you...” Her voice trailed off as she walked away.

I took a deep breath to keep the amusement out of my voice before I spoke to Gabriel. I summoned the coolness again.

“You needed something?”

“What. The. Fuck... are you trying to pull?”

“It’s simple. Lilly’s here... with me. She’ll stay with me until I say otherwise.”

“Thefuckshe will. You hurt her and I swear to God–”

“She won’t be harmed, and you know that.”

“Do I? I overlooked a lot of your shit, Sebastian, but I’m not going to overlook this.”

“Then tell him to back off.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

I lost a bit of patience for the first time. “Your brother. Tell Dante to stay away and Lilly won’t be harmed. But if anyone tries to come for me... well, let’s just say that changes everything.”

“I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about or what Dante has to do with any of this. You fucking coward.”

“You know what... we’re done. Lilly stays with me for as long as I want her to. If anything happens to me, then something happens to her. Have a nice night.”

He pissed me the hell off. Nothing had changed except my plans for revenge. Despite my words, I wouldn’t hurt Lilly. I never could. I neverwould.I bluffed, but Gabriel had no way of knowing that just the thought of making good on my threat made me nauseous. I slid the phone back into my pocket and rubbed the back of my neck. Lilly had said it—cryptic words and hidden meanings. I was getting as sick of them as she was.

I shoved my chair back under the table and turned to go inside, but I couldn’t get past the cold, dark eyes glaring at me.Fuck. I was sloppy. I should have locked her in her fucking room myself.

“This is your plan?” Lilly whispered in the dark.

“This is my plan to keep your brother away, yes.”

“By hurting me,” her voice rose.

“No.” I reached for her hand, but she pulled it away. “I would never...”

“You alreadyhave!Don’t you get that?”

“Lilly, there are things you don’t know–”

“No shit. There are always things I don’t know. Like why Gabriel couldn’t say what he had to say with me present. Why it had to be a secret. Like why you keep lying to me. Like why you kidnap me then treat me like I’m your freakin’ houseguest. Like why you think,” her voice dropped, “that it’s okay to keep using me as if I’m no more important than a paper towel you use then throw away.”

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