And now, when I needed it the most, my head was quiet.
Redmond. He did something to me, and I didn’t understand what. I looked up at him, at his handsome lips, at his smiling eyes. I never would’ve guessed he could hunt down one of the cousins and kill her so quickly—much less that he’d bring me an actual dead woman’s head in a bag.
It was something from a nightmare.
But he was an Oligarch and the spawn of Old Bern himself. That mattered. I had to respect it, even if I hated him.
I didn’t want to get locked down and hidden away by another man that didn’t care about me. And yet I couldn’t come up with another way out.
If I killed him, that would only provoke a war that I couldn’t win. The rest of the Oligarchs would crush me along with whoever took control of the Orchard family.
But I couldn’t accept. I couldn’t give in to him that easily.
“It’s not enough.”
His eyebrows raised in surprise. “I brought you a woman’s severed head. What more do you want? I could go back and scoop up her ashes too.”
“She’s not enough. She’s not nearly enough.” I sat up straight and mustered as much strength as I could.
His face fell. He studied me carefully, weighing my words. “What will be?”
“All of them.” I stood and faced him, back straight. I set my jaw and chose my course of action, even if I hated the outcome and couldn’t see all the branching paths of possibilities. When he left, I could consider what to do, but for now I was flying blind.
I hated it and loved it.
“Are you saying you want me to give you Maeve’s fortune first, then you’ll marry me?”
“That’s right. Kill them all. Get rid of my enemies, and then I’ll marry you. But not before.”
He laughed softly, shaking his head. “That’s a big ask.”
“I know. But you’ll do it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you have no other choice. I won’t give myself to you so easily, Redmond. If you want me as your wife, you’d better earn it.”
That sparked something in him. His eyes blazed in a way I hadn’t expected, like this was about something more than just power and control. He looked at me and licked his lips slowly, head tilted to the side, eyes roaming down my body, and I felt seen and measured and weighed—and I liked it, god, it was strange and dizzying and wild, but I felt a sudden pulse between my legs and an odd, impossible lightheadedness came over me as he finally looked back up and met my eyes.
“I need your word. Promise me here, in front of your men, that you will marry me if I give you what you want.”
I tensed, but nodded. “I promise.”
He drifted closer. I held up a hand to make sure nobody put a bullet in him.
“Understand something. I don’t make promises lightly, Erin. If I say I’m going to do something, I will do it, or I will die trying. If you make this promise, I will hold you to it, whether you like it or not.”
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
I was playing a dangerous game. I felt myself high up on a tightrope walking without a harness. There was no net beneath me, only a steep drop to rocks and earth.
“I promise.”
He smiled and held out a hand. “Shake.”
I took his grip. He pulled me into him, making me stumble. He brought his lips down and grazed them along my knuckles before I could yank my wrist back.
He released me and I stood inches from him, glaring up at a monster.
What kind of man would cut off the head of an old woman?
Simone was a power-hungry harpy. She would’ve gladly killed him.
But to cut off her head?
It was horrible. It was unthinkable. And I was a certifiably bad person.
I’d underestimated Redmond from the start, but I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
“Are you done? Is that what you want?”
“For now. I’ll be in touch.” He came within inches of my lips. “It was nice doing business with you, love. I look forward to our wedding night. I’m going to claim what’s rightfully mine, and I think you’ll enjoy every moment.”
He turned and left, and I stood shaking with rage and something deeper, something primal.
Fear, tinged with lust.
Fuck, I hated him. And I wanted to ride his cock into oblivion.
As soon as he was back in the car, my mind began to do circles again. Chika stepped out of the house, watching Redmond roll slowly down the block.
“Are you sure this is the right move?” she asked, without looking at me.
“No, I’m not, but I don’t see how we have a choice. I bought us some time, at least.”
She glanced over, frowning deeper. “You don’t plan on honoring your word?”