Burn Down the Night (Everything I Left Unsaid #3)- Molly O'Keefe Page 0,31

the handcuffs. “What do you want?”

I put my spoon back in my yogurt and set it beside me on the dresser. I took my time crossing my legs, making sure he got a good look at all the parts of my body, covered and uncovered.

His eyes tracked me, sweeping over my legs, across my belly and tits.

Yeah, he saw.

Much better tactic. Men, no matter how murderous or dangerous or wounded—were simple creatures. That was a lesson that had been proven right time after time. It was a constant in my life.

Men could be counted on to think with their dicks.

“I went to a lot of trouble, Max, trying to save your life. And frankly, the fact that you are so willing to go and get killed or sent to jail offends me. On a deep level.”

He smiled at me, like I was entertaining him. He’d relaxed a bit against the headboard. “A deep level, huh? Good thing I don’t give a shit what you think.”

“I saved your life.”

“Unchain me and I’ll thank you.”

Ahh…that was a thinking with your dick comment. He wasn’t just flirting, he was flirting with intent. This wasn’t going to be so hard.

“If you could do anything you want, what would it be?”

He glared at me. All flirtation gone in an instant.

“Who the fuck do you think you’re dealing with, Joan?” He gave me a look like I was dirt. “You’re not an idiot. I mean, you’re crazy but you’re not an idiot.”

All right. This wasn’t working.

“I need your help.”

He laughed. He laughed so hard he started to cough and held on to his ribs like they hurt.

“Your ribs were only bruised,” I told him. “Not broken. Don’t be a pussy.”

He lifted his eyebrows as if he respected me for giving him a hard time.

“I’m not joking,” I said. “About needing your help.”

He nodded, lifting his handcuffed wrist. “That’s what this is about, huh? You don’t want to stop me from killing the assholes who shot me, you want me to do something for you.”

“Yes. But also, I think revenge is a terrible idea. You’ll get killed, or sent to jail and killed, and for what?”

“Joan,” he said. “You don’t have to understand. I don’t give a shit if you do. Now tell me why you’ve really got me locked up.”

“Lagan has my sister and I need to get her back.”

“Lagan? As in the drug dealer?”

I nodded.

He laughed again and shook his head.

“Hear me out—”

“I don’t need to. I know what you’re going to say. She’s one of his fucked-up brides or whatever, right? And she’s all brainwashed and you feel guilty because somehow, on your watch, she ended up in that shithole and you know it’s your fault.”

I sucked in a breath. The arrows of his words sank deeply into my skin.

“Your problem,” he said. “Not mine. I have no interest in getting killed over a girl I don’t know.”

“But you’ll get killed for some stupid revenge?”

He kept his mouth shut and just stared at me with those blue eyes.

“Help me and I’ll help you,” I said.

“Help me do what?”

“Whatever you want?”

“I want out of this condo.”

“Anything but that. I saved your life.”

“You keep saying that. But the way I see it, I saved yours. You were going to blow yourself up and for what?”

“My sister.”

“Yeah, and how were you going to do that blown into a thousand different pieces all over the Velvet Touch parking lot?”

I looked away from him, his disdain and his razor-sharp words and his blue eyes that saw every bit of me—it was just too much.

“Lagan liked you,” I said. I split the blinds, because I needed to do something with my hands, and sunlight beamed right into my eyes. Too bright. I closed the blinds again. Max and me, we did better in the shadows. “And I think after what happened in the club, he’d still trust you.”

“I’m not doing it, Joan,” he said. “But I get it. I get why you got me chained to this bed. Family can make you do some fucked-up shit.”

I looked over at him. This was how I would get him. “Your brother made you come back, didn’t he?”

He was silent, sitting there, rumpled and dark. My chained beast.

“Annie told me,” I said to him. “You were gone. I didn’t see you at the club for weeks. You left—”

“There’s no leaving this life.”

“But you tried.”

“And I came back, so it didn’t fucking work, did it?” he yelled and then held a hand up to