doesn’t back down. What do I do? Punish her? And how? Scream at her? I can’t talk.
I shake my head and brush past her, walking aimlessly through my house. It felt like the soul was ripped out of my mansion when Pops died. It came back somewhat when Rose was here, spirit filling this hollow brick shell. And now it’s gone again.
I feel anesthetized, numb, unfeeling.
Gutted.
My steps become quicker, more urgent, and I barge into my office, swiping up the Scotch on the way to my chair. I drop. I glug. I swallow. And I eventually focus past the end of the bottle.
Red fills my vision.
I lower my drink, swallowing down the burning liquid. She’s sitting on the couch by the fireplace, one leg crossed over the other, her own bottle in her hand, though she’s opted for vodka. Her beauty swamps my mind. That red dress throws me back to the night I first laid eyes on her. Every kiss, touch, and word races through my mind. She caught me. Reeled me in. Blinded me.
And betrayed me.
I slam the bottle on the desk and slowly rise, the fading anger returning now I’m looking at her beautiful, deceiving face. “Nox Dimitri,” I say simply. I’m surprised when she frowns, diverting her stare to her bottle of vodka in her hand. “What, did you forget that you betrayed me?” I round the desk, taking my Scotch with me for support. “The boatyard was crawling with FBI tonight.”
Her eyes dart to mine. “What?”
Her ignorance makes me want to strangle her, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m pulling her up from the couch. My hold of her injured arm is firm, and she comes with ease, meeting my eyes without a wince of pain. I walk her back until she’s pinned against the wall. “I had the pleasure of a photo-viewing session. Saw you and Nox Dimitri together. Heard of your expert qualifications in seducing men too.”
Her eyes widen. “No . . .”
Her denial angers me more, my hold of her constricting. “You’ve been feeding information to that Romanian cunt and now I’ve got the FBI crawling up my arse.” I push my forehead to hers, hard and forcefully. “The attempts on my life are because of you.” I release her before I really hurt her, pulling myself back to a reasonably safe distance. “You lying, filthy whore.” I say it with as much conviction as I feel, laughing on the inside when she appears to look insulted.
Her chin lifts in an act of pure Rose strength and she walks forward, brave and resolute. I can see her locking and loading that sweet palm of hers, and I don’t stop it. She swings at me with a look of pure hatred on her face, landing me clean on the cheek with brute force. Her strike creates the most piercing sound, the echo probably carrying through the entire house. “I didn’t tell Nox about the exchange,” she says calmly. “I could have, but I fucking didn’t. I typed out the message detailing where you would be and when, but I didn’t send it.”
I scoff. “Really, Rose? So if Nox didn’t tip them off, then who the fuck did?” I spit back, cricking my neck before taking another soothing sip of the hard stuff.
“I don’t fucking know. I was with you, Danny. Every time Nox tried to put an end to you, I was with you. Why would I do that?”
“Because you want to fucking die!” I roar.
“I don’t!”
Lies. I grab her by the throat, flexing my grip. “Shame,” I sneer, pushing my face close to hers, snarling. “Because I’m going to fucking kill you.”
“No, you won’t,” she retorts as she, too, drops her bottle, her hands coming up to mine on her neck.
“You sure about that?”
There’s that resolve in her again, and it makes me pause a beat as she pushes my hands into her throat, goading me to squeeze.
“Dead fucking certain, Danny Black.” She forces her forehead to mine, her words virtually hissed in my face. “Because you love me.”
Chapter 22
ROSE
* * *
Danny drops me like I could be diseased, moving away quickly. He looks shell-shocked. “No.” A shake of his head reinforces his lie.
“Yes.” I swallow, rubbing at my throat, his anger seeming to have transferred to me.
“No.” Now, he laughs, like my suggestion is the most obscene thing in the world. Sad truth is, it is. And that only angers me more. I shove my hands into his bare