They’re going to try to send him back to prison. I know the system. I’ve worked in the system. I know how they look at ex-cons.
No.
I won’t let it happen.
Not to Falcon.
Not to the man I love.
He would do anything to protect me.
And damn it…I’m going to do the same for him.
“Miles,” I say.
“What?”
“If I go with you—if I do whatever it is that you need me to do without arguing—could you do something for me?”
He stops and meets my gaze. “I’m not in the habit of making deals.”
I scoff. “You’re kidding, right? You made a deal for me back in the day, remember? I recall being locked in a conference room while your father and mine and a couple attorneys decided our lives.”
“You’re correct.” He shrugs. “I should rephrase that. I’m not in the habit of making deals with you, Savannah.”
“You mean with a lowly woman?” Women are regarded as chattel in these organizations. It didn’t take long to figure that out.
He doesn’t reply.
“Why are you okay with this? Surely you’ve got someone else you love. Or you could find someone.”
He looks away. “That’s inconsequential.”
“It shouldn’t be. Love should never be inconsequential.”
“It is in my case. Just as much as it is in yours.”
The look in Miles’s eyes is… I can’t tell what it is. Is there someone for him? A woman? A man? A large animal? I can’t tell. He’s cold. Cold as ice, like the blood in my veins.
He leads me away from the entrance and down a more secluded hallway near the cafeteria, which is now closed. “No deals to be made, Savannah. You’re mine, so you’re coming with me.”
“I’m telling you I will come,” I say quietly, “without fighting you. Whatever it is you get by having me at your side, I’ll see you get it. But there is one thing you have to do for me.”
“Did I not just say I won’t make deals?” Flecks of saliva sputter from his mouth.
I gulp back my nausea. “You did. But I could run away screaming right now, and that wouldn’t bode well for you.”
“You won’t do that.”
“Won’t I?”
“You’re forgetting that I’ve known you since you were a kid, Savannah. The day you were born, you were promised to me. I was ten years old. You think I haven’t watched you over the years? You’re meek. Meek and weak.”
I gulp again, summoning my will against his harsh words. “Weak? Meek? Are serious? Did you see what I did to Giancarlo?”
“That doesn’t change who you are at your core. Quite frankly, it’s good that you choose fight over flight. But that doesn’t change who you are. Not on a day-to-day basis. Not when you’re not being threatened.”
Anger courses through me. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.” I curl my hands into fists, open my mouth—