“You’re going to sacrifice yourself for her?” Brogan asked in mocking disbelief. “Why? She’s not faithful. She whores around on you—”
“Don’t call her that,” Donny protested raggedly as Brogan watched his expression thoughtfully while watching Sandi from the corner of his eye.
Hell, they loved each other.
“Tell me why,” Brogan demanded again.
“Because I’ll die anyway if you kill her,” he stated, confusing Brogan with his suddenly calm demeanor. “I couldn’t live without her. ”
“So you risk her life thieving? You pimp her out and keep her in harm’s way here while committing treason?” he probed while he had the chance. “That’s not love, Donny. ”
“I love her. ” It wasn’t a protest or an argument. It was a statement. Then he frowned, confused. “I ain’t no traitor, man. ”
“So you love the woman you let other men screw for money?” Brogan ignored the protest.
“I love her,” Donny snapped, meeting his gaze directly. “And she’s no whore. Sandi screws no man but me. I know what she does. She flirts and she teases a little. Then she gives them a few sleeping pills while I steal their money. She doesn’t screw them. ”
“You endanger her in whatever moneymaking schemes you can come up with. That’s not love. ”
“I love her. ”
Brogan whispered the next accusation sneeringly. “You use her; you don’t want to die for her. ”
“I love her. ” Donny’s voice cracked in misery. “I love her. ”
Son of a bitch, go figure.
“Donny?”
“What?” He sniffed, swallowing tightly.
“Do you want to live another day with the woman you love?”
Donny nodded slowly. “Yes. ”
“Then listen to me carefully. ” Brogan hardened his voice. “If either of you, at any time—tomorrow, next week, next year, fucking next lifetime,” he snarled, “should verbally or physically or through someone else strike out at Eve Mackay again, I won’t give you a choice; I’ll just come after your woman. ”
Donny’s eyes widened in shock.
“If you so much as breathe Eve’s air, brush against her, or even think to insult her, her family, her friends, hell, her fucking enemies, then I’ll come after your lover. When I do, I’ll make what happened to those rabbits seem humane. You read me, asshole?”
“I hear. ” He snarled as Brogan nicked his neck with the blade.
“If Eve Mackay or Brogan Campbell learns anyone was here tonight, learns you were threatened in any way, coerced to act decent, then I’ll come for her,” he whispered insidiously. “And if I hear so much as a breath that you have information concerning thieves and traitors and didn’t tell me, then I’m coming after her. Read me. ”
“I hear you. ” Donny’s voice was barely a whisper now.
“If I find out you heard any of the above and you didn’t contact me, I’ll bathe in her blood. You got it?”
“How?” Donny swallowed tightly. “Contact you how?”
“You left your cell phone in the kitchen,” Brogan reminded him. “There’s a new number in it. Now I’ll ask you one more time: Do you know anything?”
Donny and Sandi stared at each other for long moments. Nodding to Eli, Brogan watched as he pulled the long, wickedly sharp knife from the sheath at his thigh and laid it against Sandi’s neck.
“Wait. Wait,” Donny whispered.
Eli lifted the knife marginally from Sandi’s throat—just enough that it wasn’t touching her skin.