Page 129 of Iris' Lying Eyes

“Love,” he chuffs, shaking his head.

“Yes,” I clear my throat. “Love. Maybe that’s a foreign thing for you, but it means everything to me. You want me for whatever reason, I’ll stay, but not without him.”

“You’ll do whatever I say, girl,” he says, and I clench my hand to suppress the bitter retort. These men and their foolish games. How they seriously underestimate the power of a woman.

Meeting his stone-cold gaze, I raise my chin and murmur, “Will I?”

He laughs, the sound ancient and dusty. “You’re just like me. I like it.”

With a slight smile, I incline my head, ignoring the trickle of sweat that marks my spine.

“Bring the boy here,” Paddy says.

I clench my fist to keep from demanding answers and pray this isn’t to watch him die.

I’m sweating fucking bullets and about to lose my mind when Bastion enters. He looks me over quickly, his expression easing when I step to his side and sag into him.

Wrapping me up in his embrace, he squeezes my waist. A silent message.

“Bruno,” Paddy says, studying B with a stern frown.

“McCafferty,” Bastion says, his tone hard.

I tilt my head to stare at his face, surprised by the power he exudes. I’ve only witnessed it once before. It’s still new to me, but I guess if you’re gonna do it, it should be with the head dick.

“My girl here says she wants you. No other will do. You want her?”

Bastion tightens his hold and nods. “I do.”

“Fine,” Paddy says, looking at me with a frown. “You get what you want, and I get what I want.”

“Which is what?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

“You’re mine now. A McCafferty.”

With a slow, shaky inhale, I nod my head, relaxing against Bastion. Maybe this will work after all.

But Bastion stiffens, growling, “She’ll be a Bruno.”

Paddy chuckles and waves his arm around. “Semantics, boy. You realize what you’re getting?”

He eyes Bastion shrewdly, and I frown. What does he mean?

Bastion slowly nods, and Paddy looks at me. “You understand what you’re signing up for?”

“What?”

He sighs and leans against the desk, his thin arms shaky as he crosses them over his chest. “As a McCafferty, you’re entitled to part of your father’s inheritance. If you join Bruno, that goes to him. As it stands, when I die, he’ll be the first in line.”

I stiffen, stepping away from Bastion. Is this why? Seriously.

Bastion tightens his hold and says firmly, “I want nothing more than what the Bruno left me.”

Paddy tilts his head, and if I’m not mistaken, admiration lights his eyes. “Very well,” he says. “Now, I have a party to finish. We’ll discuss the rest tomorrow.”

He sweeps from the room, and I turn to Bastion. “Is this real?”

Brushing my hair back from my face, he rumbles, “It’s fucking real.”

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