Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
I’d love that. A smile pulled at the edges of Charlie’s mouth despite her best intentions.
“Oh God. You two are disgusting.”
She looked up in time to see Keira roll her eyes. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure you were giving Dmitri Romanov all sorts of come-fuck-me looks. And now you’re wearing his rock on your finger.” The memory killed any feel-good she’d gotten from Aiden’s plans for the night. “He’s dangerous, Keira. I don’t think you understand how much.”
Keira gave her a look that had no place on a twenty-one-year-old’s face. “Everyone in our world is dangerous. If you haven’t figured that out yet, you should get out while you still can. My brother might like to pretend that he’s holier-than-thou, but he’s just as ruthless as Dmitri. And I’d be really surprised if he didn’t have as much blood on his hands—if not more.”
“You don’t…” Surely she wasn’t hearing this right. “You sound like you have feelings for him.” She very carefully didn’t think about the claims Keira had aimed at Aiden.
All emotion disappeared from the woman’s face. “Don’t be silly, Charlie. Only a fool would fall for Dmitri Romanov.”
* * *
Keira regretted setting up the lunch with Carrigan and Charlie the second they sat down at the table. It was early enough that the restaurant wasn’t very busy, which was a blessing in disguise, because her sister turned to Charlie and immediately said, “Keira is right. You must be a gold-digging whore to get into bed with this family.”
Charlie took a sip of her water. “Let’s get this out of the way. I’m marrying your brother. You can throw a bitchfit, but the wedding is going to happen. You might as well come to terms with it now, or you won’t be invited.”
Keira knew she should probably step in, but Charlie seemed more than capable of holding her own. She was an interesting woman, and despite herself, Keira kind of hoped that Aiden didn’t fuck it up.
Her phone vibrated in the pocket of the jacket she’d tossed over her tank top before they left the house. She slipped it out and blinked. When had she thrown Dmitri’s burner phone into this jacket? “Excuse me.”
Neither her sister nor Charlie paid much attention as she rose from the table and walked to the back of the restaurant, where the bathrooms were. She answered as soon as she turned the corner. “Are you sneaking into my room again and moving this damn phone around?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “If I were in your room, it wouldn’t be because I sneaked in there, but because you let me in. And I certainly wouldn’t be prioritizing moving a phone around.”
He seemed to do that a lot—appear to answer a question without actually answering it. She tapped her toe against the trim on the bottom of the wall. “Well, knock that shit off. It’s creepy.”
“It’s probable that you drank too much and misplaced the phone.”
She glared, tapping harder. He had a point. When she’d gotten drunk last night, she seemed to remember wanting the phone on her in case he decided to call again. Reckless. “What do you want? I’m busy.”
“Out to lunch with your treacherous sister.”
He would think that. Carrigan breaking her word to him was the catalyst that had turned Dmitri Romanov into the bogeyman that the O’Malleys feared. Keira froze, feeling sick to her stomach. Of course. This had all started with Carrigan. Of course Dmitri wanted Carrigan. He always had. “Don’t call me again.”
“Keira.” He spoke sharply enough that she knew she’d surprised him.
If she was smart, she’d hang up and throw the damn phone in the nearest trash can, but she’d already proven that she was too reckless to live when it came to Dmitri Romanov. “If you want Carrigan, that’s your problem. I’m not interested in being sloppy seconds, or a younger, meaner version of the woman you really want.” It hurt far more than it had the right to for her to say those words.
And, goddamn him, he laughed. “Is that what you think?”
“You’re answering a question with a question. Again. I hate that.”
“You didn’t ask a question. But let’s pretend for a moment that you did. Do I want Carrigan? No. I never did. She would have been a suitable wife, but I had no strong feelings for her one way or another.”
“Then why force my family to its knees?”
She could almost hear the smile in his voice. “You know why.”
She licked her lips. “Yeah, I know why.”
Because Carrigan breaking her word and running off with James Halloran had weakened him. If he couldn’t hold on to a woman who’d agreed to be his wife, then he might not be able to hold his people in place. Having Olivia flee Romanov hands, defying their father’s dying wishes, and ending up in O’Malley hands had only further weakened him.