Page 24 of The Tallest Tower (Underbelly Enchanted)

“Sure.” He takes a bite of his sandwich, crunching the chips between his teeth. “And when she wakes? What do you suppose she’ll say?”

“She’ll probably say ‘Fuck me, Daddy.’” Humored at myself, I make my way through the door, past my brother and toward the stairs. “Go to the car and get her purse for me. It’ll have her phone and stuff in it. Chances are, folks will come looking for her, but not until the morning. We canget ahead of it and reply to her texts and shit. Maybe announce she’s taking time off.”

“Right. Not suspicious at all.” His voice trails off, as he goes one way and I head up the stairs, toward my room.

It just so happens to my office, too. A one-stop shop, with everything I need all in one space.

I carry Christabelle’s too-few pounds up the stairs with her scent in my lungs, knowing when she wakes, she’s gonna tear the skin from my face. She’s a viper, ready to fight for the things she believes she deserves. Like not being held at my home against her will. Which means if I lose focus and go soft on her, even for a second, I’ll probably end up with a knife at my throat and the National Guard at my door.

I rule an army too, but not one that can withstand a National movement.

Besides, that kind of shit makes headlines, and I’m not interested in providing any more of those than I already have.

I move from one floor to the next. Finally making my way to my room and crossing the threshold, I go to my four-poster bed, settled in the middle, and gently lay her in the center of the mattress.

Her hair is a pool of dark, dark brown against my silky black sheets, and her long lashes kiss her supple cheeks, almost tempting me to do the same.

I take her left wrist and, with my other hand, reach out for the cuffs secured to one post of my bed. After fastening the cold steel around her limb, I repeat the process for her right. I use soft fabric for her ankles, though, giving her just enough room to close her legs.

I’m not an animal.

Finishing up by her feet, I turn from my guest when I sense Micah nearby.

A heavy, oversized bag dangles from the tip of his pointer finger, and his eyes are focused on the woman vulnerable to us both.

The fact he looks, oddly, pisses me off.

“I don’t know what your plans are, Lix, but this is a new low, even for you.”

“I won’t kill her.” I start in his direction, taking her bag when I’m close enough to reach, then I stand in front of him, blocking his viewand meeting his eyes. “She’s got a hard-on for us right now. Slinging shit in the news and trying to get our attention.”

“So now she’s got it. You think this was the best way to handle a girl with brass balls and fast-typing fingers? You could’ve ignored her.”

“We let too many articles go to print, Micah. More than one is too many. And they draggedmembers of our family through the shit.”

“And nothing bad happened,” he counters. “The stories ran, the city talked about us. Who fuckin cares? They talk anyway.”

“I care!” I open her purse and peek into the dark depths inside. But everything is black; phone, laptop, wallet, sunglasses. She’s found the color that works for her.The one that matches her soul.“I care that she’s taking shots at the Malones who are going straight. Cato is a kid aiming for a career in pro basketball. Archer has settled down with his hot little wife. And he’s a cop, Micah. He didn’t ask for Christabelle Cannon to blast his name all over a city he no longer calls home.”

“He’s still Tim’s son. Freedom of press and all that shit.”

“Yeah, well, she can use her freedom of press to talk about me. I’d even let her take a shot at you, since you decided to stay here with me. But my job is to take care of the family.” I close the bag and look back to the woman on my bed. “Even when our threat would look amazing in a little gold bikini and with her mouth wrapped around my cock.”

“You’re gonna bite off more than you can chew someday, Lix.” He takes another bite of his sandwich as if to prove his point, the crunch loud enough to draw my focus back around, my eyes to his.

“You’re gonna fuck up. And you won’t be able to undo the damage you create.” Shaking his head, he swallows. “It’s all fun and games to bang the Erikson girl and destroy an engagement. It’s cute to walk into Pastore’s beach home and shoot up the place. You’re dealing with dudes in our world, operating within guidelines we all know and understand. But now you’ve got Cannon in your bed, drugged unconscious, and I’m not sure you and her work within the same sets of rules.”

“So you think I should just leave her be, free to run her mouth and drag a kid through the mud when he’s working really fucking hard to get away from this business?”

“No, but?—”

“Or let her destroy Arch’s career, when he’s the noblest of us all?”

“I didn’t say that. I just think?—”

“This isn’t mafia versus the real world, Micah! This is about men who’ve escaped hell and come out the other side with as few scars as possible. This is me making damn sure those men stay where they are, and keeping Ms. Cannon’s big mouth from fucking shit up.Shedecided to step forward and challenge us.Sheasked to go toe-to-toe with the big dogs.”

“So you’re the big dog, now, huh?” Skipping over everything else, his lips curl into a smirk. “You gonna start growling soon? Piss on her leg, maybe?”

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