holding me down and doing unspeakable things to me. And Ariel…she was a loose cannon. “Wait.”
Crewe turned back around like he’d been expecting me to say something.
“I’ll come with you.”
He bottled his arrogance for once. “I’m leaving in five minutes. Hurry up.”
It was just the two of us in his shiny black car. It was a two-seater, and judging by how loud the engine was, it was fast. I looked out the window and didn’t ask him any questions. If I was lucky enough, last night wouldn’t come up at all.
Crewe never had the radio on, which I thought was strange. He never listened to music.
“What are you doing with them today?”
“Going over weapon selection.” He wore thick sunglasses, hiding his pretty eyes.
“Why did you buy weapons from them?”
“Protection is important. I want the best of the best.”
“Do you have a lot of enemies?”
“Everyone has enemies. If you don’t, then you’re doing something wrong.”
That was debatable. “I can stay in the car if you want…” He’d already done something nice by letting me come with him. I’d rather sit in a hot car than be back at the house with his men.
“Why do you hate Dunbar so much?”
“Because he’s an ass. He’s hit me twice now.”
“He thought you were escaping.”
I shook my head. “No. He has a problem with me. I honestly believe if you weren’t around, he’d do something worse to me…just because he wants to.”
Instead of shutting me down right away, Crewe considered what I said. “Dunbar has been working for me for a long time. He wouldn’t cross me like that.”
“I’m not so sure…”
“You need to give me more evidence than that.”
“It’s a gut instinct. I can just tell.”
Crewe drove with one hand, his other arm on the windowsill. “I don’t know about that.”
“You’ve never been a woman. You don’t know what it’s like to feel like prey all the time. You wouldn’t understand.” I knew when a man wanted to cause me harm for his own sick pleasure. If Dunbar thought he could get away with it, he would force me on my stomach and take me like a dog.
Crewe turned to me, his gaze unreadable behind his glasses. He looked handsome in anything he wore, even sunglasses that hid some of his face from view. He could be wearing a sombrero and tights, and he would still look good. “I know what it’s like to feel like prey. But no, I don’t know what it’s like to be a woman. You have me there.”
I wondered if he was referring to his family’s death. He was probably the last target on the list, but they never succeeded. “Do you think you could take me back to Fair Isle? I could be one of your women that you just see while you’re there.” He had women in Edinburgh, and probably everywhere else too.
“You like it there?”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t be in your way, and I like Finley. Actually, he’s the only employee you have that I feel comfortable with.”
“When do you get in my way?”
He had a terrible memory. “It was just yesterday when you said how annoyed you were that you took me to see Crow and Cane.”
“But you weren’t in my way. And no, we aren’t doing that.”
I hid my disappointment as best as I could. “So, where you go, I go?”
“Exactly.” He drove farther into the city and down a few streets until he reached a deserted complex. When he pulled up to the gate, the camera must have recognized his face because the doors opened and allowed him to pass through.
I searched the concrete complex and stared at the warehouses. It didn’t seem like anything illegal was going on at first glance. “If I’m always around, how will you spend time with your other women?” I didn’t like to think about him with anyone else. The fact that they were free and consensual just annoyed me. I’d give anything to have something consensual again. But I knew I was annoyed for other reasons too.
“I’ll make it work.” He killed the engine then got out.
I hid the sour look on my face before I got out and joined him.
Crewe took my hand and pulled me with him, keeping me right by his side as he moved. He entered the warehouse and greeted the men before he located Crow. His hand never left mine, and when he was face-to-face with the man we saw last night, his arm snaked around my waist. “Crow.”
He nodded. “Crewe. Excited