Embrace the Darkness (The Maura Quinn Series Book 1) - Ashley N. Rostek Page 0,75

me. Either way, I was surprised he wasn’t mad I'd threatened him.

“That’s kind of morbid,” Rourke said, pushing his plate away.

“She’s too much like you, Stefan. You should have raised her to be more like a lady who deserves respect and a lot less like a mobster who kills to earn it,” Kiara lectured.

“Kiara,” Conor snapped, chastising her for berating Stefan again.

Stefan ignored them and leaned back in his chair, still holding my gaze. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a dark blue velvet box. “I got this for you,” he said, handing me the box.

I schooled my face as I flipped open the lid. I guessed the tattoo on my lower back was no longer a secret, like everything else in my life. Inside, pinned by two satin snaps, lay a rose gold necklace with a shamrock pendant. Four heart-shaped diamonds made up the sprig’s petals and a cluster of smaller diamonds encrusted the stem. It was beautiful.

“Are you trying to buy my forgiveness?” I asked him.

He didn’t immediately respond, clearly choosing his words carefully. “I’ve agreed to hiring back someone from the team who watched over you in Hartford,” he said, as if that righted the wrong, the violation I'd felt. “Which, I’ll have you know, is almost double what I normally pay for security.”

Manipulation. Guilt. Tools of the game. I wondered if it was on purpose or after playing it for so long, he didn’t even realize he was doing it. Either way, he was skirting the line, threatening to break the terms of our deal. “Am I not worth it?” I asked, using his own tools against him while acknowledging his transgression, accidental or not.

Of course, he hid what he was thinking or feeling. The only hint I got was his hand resting on the table. It was curled into a fist.

I didn’t need jewelry. I needed two words. But I knew I’d never get them. Along with three other words I’d give my left arm just to hear once.

“I won’t explain myself again.”

“I don’t need you to.” I understood why he'd done it. He'd been trying to protect me. That still didn’t erase how I felt. Exposed. Lied to.

Closing the lid on the beautiful pendant, I slid the box over to him, leaving it next to his clenched fist. “I need time.”

“It’s a gift, Maura. No expectations. I had it made for you,” he said, pushing the box back to me.

I locked my eyes with his. “It’s an insult.”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “You’re being stubborn.”

I clenched my jaw, preventing myself from lashing out. I glared at the box. I couldn’t accept it. Not like this. Relaxing my face, I put on an empty mask before meeting his eyes. “I want to meet the person you’ve chosen before we hire him. To see if it’s a good fit,” I said, hoping to change the subject.

Stefan studied me with narrowed eyes for a few heartbeats before relenting with a slight nod. Angela returned with mine and Jamie’s breakfast. She placed our plates in front of us without a word or a lewd glance at Jamie before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Looking around the table, I sighed. We really needed to invest in a coffee carafe. Standing, I drew Jamie’s attention right before he was about to take a bite of eggs. “Want some coffee?”

He nodded. I took one step away from the table. Just like in my bedroom, the world tilted, but a lot faster this time. Pressure built behind my face and my vision spotted to black.

“Maura?” I heard Stefan say as a hand touched mine.

I was falling before everything went black.

CHAPTER 23

“Maura?” Jamie called to me through the darkness. When a hand brushed against my cheek, I knew it was him.

“Maura, damn it! Wake up!” Stefan yelled. I felt myself being shaken awake.

I groaned and blinked my eyes open a few times, getting glimpses of blurry bright light before I squeezed them closed. Why is it so bright? Am I hungover? My head was killing me.

“She’s waking up,” a woman said. Aunt Kiara?

“The doc is on his way,” I heard Louie say.

I tried to open my eyes again, this time squinting to help shield them from the light. My vision was less blurry, and I found myself staring up at a bunch of faces peering down at me. Am I on the floor?

Stefan and Jamie were sitting on the floor with me, hovering. Louie, my aunt, my uncle, Rourke, Brody, and a