All Hail - J. Bree Page 0,77
old service elevator that goes down to the lower levels of the manor that is in perfectly maintained condition but is still creepy to climb into. The moment he had walked into the room Atticus had found his way over to me and the skill that he has to do that without being obvious is something that can’t be taught. He’s lived in this world for so long that it’s as easy as breathing to move all of the pieces to where he wants them to be without any of the smiling and laughing patrons noticing him going in for the kill.
I notice.
Amanda does too.
She smiles at me like this is all going according to her plans and I have to smile my way through the frustration of knowing that and accepting it. I can’t win if I can’t see the board we’re all on. I can’t win if I don’t know the game and the stakes to what we’re playing.
Atticus stands close to me as we get into the elevator with Amanda, Luca walking in behind us and pushing all of the buttons. He’s furious, the stiff lines of his shoulders tell me as much, but I really don’t care. He could have told me what is going on but he chose not to so he can keep his fury to himself and burn in it.
“You look like a little bird in here, Beaumont. A little, fine-boned bird in a cage. You might want to make sure you don’t get stuck here,” Amanda murmurs to me, leaning in close to my ear and I force myself not to move away from her, no matter how badly I want to get away from the feel of her breath rolling down my neck.
It’s disgusting.
I keep my mouth shut and that just makes her laugh. “Oh, little bird. Of course, you’re not worried! So surrounded by men willing to kill for you, where is that delicious Butcher of yours? Did he finally choose his wife over you? Was it the baby that swayed him?”
Atticus tenses, I presume he was unaware of Odie’s pregnancy, but there’s no way I’m letting this woman threaten Illi’s unborn child. I have no doubt that’s what she’s doing.
“Dynasties are built on the strong foundation of a family. Loose, immoral women like you wouldn’t understand such a thing.”
She giggles under her breath at me. “Loose and immoral? Ah. I was unaware that fucking a man in the back rooms at a gala was such a pious thing to do. Fucking another down in the docks of Mounts Bay? At least the Crow has good breeding, the other one is nothing but a gutter rat. Was it the rape at school that made you this way? Did it derail you from your dreams of marrying a Crawford and settling down to live out your privileged life?”
Atticus doesn’t mask his feelings about this question at all. Instead, he turns to look down at me and I refuse to feel guilty about Aodhan. I refuse to feel a goddamn thing about what has happened in my life.
So instead I look over at her and smile. “If you’re jealous because I have no intention of fucking you, Donnelley, you should know that you never really stood a chance. If there were any inclination in me to be with a woman, I would never stoop to be with someone like you.”
There goes that infuriating giggle of hers again, the one that sounds like she’s trying to be some psychotic school girl. “No, you’d fuck the legendary Wolf of Mounts Bay. What it must be like to know her… I had a pet assassin once. He was ex-army and came highly recommended, you know. There was never a death too difficult for him to execute and he never asked questions. Great in bed too, his dick never went down.”
My lip curls at her because for one I don’t give a fuck about her sex life and for two she’s equating Lips to a fucking animal to keep and that is beyond insulting.
The elevator finally dings like it’s going to open and she leans into me again. “Your Wolf killed him. I’ve never seen anything like it and I knew then that I’d like to find her and keep her too.”
The doors open before I can answer but I’m very glad that Lips went away with the guys and there’s no chance of this woman getting her claws into her. I need to figure her