Page 30 of Fall of Snow

I round the corner and my eyes fall on a well-dressed man with a mug in his hands leaning against the counter. My eyes track from his freshly polished shoes, up his tailored pant legs, to his fitted suit jacket, until they fall on a breathtaking pair of deep brown eyes. The color of chocolate seems amused as he watches me, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Who are you?” I ask, pulling the tie to my robe just to give my hands something to do. I’ve always been a sucker for a well-dressed man, and something tells me Elijah wouldn’t want another man touching what belongs to him.

The moment the idea pops into my head I try to squash it down. But the brat in me loves to break the rules and hates being told what to do. What if I didn’t touch the guy? What if I had a little fun, made Elijah a little mad, and showed him what his future is going to look like if he forces me into this marriage, because while my siblings would never break marriage vows, I won’t hesitate if I’m in a loveless marriage. Does that make me an asshole? Yep. But I’m being forced to take vows with a man who will likely grow tired of me the moment I develop crow’s feet and send one of his men to dump me in the bottom of Lake Michigan, so I’m allowed to be a bit of an asshole.

“Dwayne. I work for Mr. Russo.”

I nod slowly, taking a tentative step farther into the kitchen. “What do you do for Elijah?” I ask, reaching above the bench for a mug. Usually Mary brings me my coffee in the mornings, not because I don’t try to do it myself, but because it seems like the woman can read my damn mind. Every time I get up to get something, she’s already walking down the hallway with whatever I was heading to the kitchen for.

“Security.”

I’m used to vague answers, I’ve been dealing with men just like Dwayne since I was born. They think because I’m a woman I can’t possibly know the truth about what happens behind closed doors.

I pour the coffee into the mug, keeping my back to him as I slowly stir cream into the dark caffeine. At least there’s good coffee here, otherwise I would have gone insane by day two. I’d give up every single material thing in my life long before I’ll give up good coffee.

I turn and lean against the bench. The kitchen is big enough that although we are directly across from one another, there’s still an appropriate amount of space between us.

The idea dancing at the edge of my mind will only make things worse for myself in the long run, but it would be fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve seduced one of the guards just for the hell of it and to incite a reaction from the men in my life. For the first time since I was taken, a glimmer of my old self peaks out from behind the broken woman I’ve become. After all, I don’t want Elijah thinking he’s marrying someone he can walk all over. That’s not the woman my parents raised me to be.

Dwayne takes another sip of his coffee, his chocolate brown eyes holding mine over the rim of his mug. He’s assessing me, trying to decide if he trusts me or not.

“You know your boss has me here against my will, right?” I finally say. Silence has always made me uneasy, but there’s something about Dwayne that unsettles me. I should listen to the little voice in the back of my mind begging me to turn my ass around and go back to binge watchingGossip Girl,and yet my legs don’t move. The thrill of the chase is intoxicating.

“I’m aware.”

I crack a smile. “Of course you are. I suppose I’ll add you to the list for when my brothers figure out I’m not here because I want to be,” my tone is soft and playful, but there’s no mistaking the meaning behind my words. It’s a threat clear as day, except Saint James don’t make threats, we only make promises.

A booming laugh fills the kitchen, bouncing off the cool tiles beneath my feet and causing me to startle. Not enough that Dwayne will notice, but just enough for my heart to skip a beat. “It’s cute that you think a man like Elijah will ever let you go.”

I shrug. “Even powerful men have their weaknesses.” I don’t bother telling him that I haven’t quite worked out Elijah’s yet, but it will come. Men like him and my brothers like to think they’re invincible, when in reality they just have so much more to lose. “If I were you, I would be wary of the side you choose.” I place my mug back on the counter and move toward the door. I’ve said all I have to say, and I’ve placed the threat exactly where it needs to be. Now it’s just a matter of who Dwayne is loyal to. Elijah, or himself. If he’s smart, he’ll do as I’ve indirectly asked him to, and if he’s an idiot, which, let’s be honest, is more than likely the case, he’ll tell Elijah about our little chat.

“Do you think I don’t know what you’re doing?” His heat is at my back, so close his breath whispers across my neck. Where I expect to feel excitement, the usual thrill of poking someone in just the right way to incite a reaction, fear grasps my lungs and holds on tight. What the hell was I thinking? All those times I played games with security I had a safety net, I had my parents or my brothers to come save me. But who do I have now? Elijah? He’ll probably hang me out to dry just for the fun of it. Just to see me suffer.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, forcing my voice to remain even despite the thundering of my heart.

One moment I’m standing in the doorway, ready to make a run for my bedroom, and the next there’s an iron arm around my middle and I’m being yanked back into a hard body. “I think you know exactly what you’re doing, Snow.” He steps us forward until my front is pressed against the wall in the hallway, his rock-hard member pressed against my ass.

For the first time since I walked into the kitchen, I remember I’m dressed in nothing more than a robe. One flick of his wrist and he can have me untied and naked as the day I was born.

“Now you’re going to do exactly as I tell you, and maybe I won’t tell Elijah what a little whore his woman is,” he hisses in my ear.

30

Elijah

Dealing with shit at the docks takes longer than it should, but that’s probably only because the people I’m working with don’t trust me as far as they can throw me. But every moment I’m away from the house I grow more and more uneasy.

I never thought I would be one of those men who constantly needs to know where his woman was and what she was doing, but Snow changed me the moment she crossed the threshold to the house. For the first time in my life, I have something to lose, and that fact is terrifying.

“I have stuff I need to do,” I tell Everett when the sun crosses the horizon. I’ve already been away for too long and the nagging feeling only grows with each minute that passes. “What do you need from me? I have a few guys I can have work alongside your guys the next time you’re expecting a shipment if you need.”

Everett watches me for a moment, assessing the offer but then simply nods. “I’ll let you know.”

Before he can say another word, I’m on my way back to the car. I don’t have time for him to ask me anymore questions about my intentions, or to start poking around in my relationship with Snow. At least not until I have a ring on her finger and there’s no way they can take her away from me.

I drive well above the speed limit all the way home. No cop in this city is brave enough to pull me over, because they know they won’t walk away with their life. The Russo name still holds just as much fear as it always has, even with the death of the rest of my family.

The closer I get to the house, the more uneasiness eats away at my usually calm demeanor. Although now I have her, I wouldn’t give Snow up for the world, I understand what my father always said about women being liabilities and feeling anything toward them making you weak. But I don’t give a fuck. If anyone in this city wants to challenge me for my woman, they won’t be walking away with their heart in their chest.

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