“We are.” He looks down at his watch. “In an hour.”
“You can’t make me.” I glare at him. What is he up to? Why the heck does he want to marry me?
“It would be beneficial to everyone. People have been doing it for centuries. Marrying two people from opposite forces to resolve disputes.”
I drop my head. A marriage of convenience. That’s what they call it in romance novels. Except I don’t see Aidon falling madly in love with me. This isn't a fairy tale; it’s real life. I shake my head no without looking up at him. Why does his idea make my heart ache?
“Marry me and I’ll leave Roxy alone.”
I jerk my head up. These girls have spent their lives protecting me and keeping me hidden from the rest of the world. Here is my chance to return the favor. I could save Roxy. I might not be good at seducing anyone, but my loyalty has never come into question.
“Deal,” I agree. He grabs me, pulling me into his lap. His mouth drops down onto mine. He seals my fate with a kiss. A kiss that not only takes my breath away, he’s taking all of me. I only wish that I could have all of him too.
Chapter 14
Aidon
“We’ve got her,” Kailler informs me as I wait outside the elevator for the priest to arrive. “Should I bring her up?”
“Yes, after the priest. And then let her go. She can carry word of the marriage back to Vieth. You always leave one alive in order for there to be no mystery in your intentions. Otherwise, people could mistake—" I cut myself off. It has always been there in the back of my head that Ashford was behind this. The reasons behind Poppy’s death were as opaque to Vieth as they were to me. She was sincere in wanting to find the answers because if she wanted a war, she would’ve declared a war rather than dropping a little bird on my doorstep with a promise that I would not sully said bird.
Yes, the Vieth orphans are famous for cons and swindles, but they’re also not dumb. My core crew might be only fifty, but if I called in all my support, the Vieth orphans would be overwhelmed. Besides, their forte isn’t direct fighting anyway. They would pick us off one at a time instead of taking out just one man and then showing up at my door.
The only reason we’re playing this game is because Vieth isn’t sure how Poppy died. If it was intentional, she would need to kill me because no sacrifice would make up for the death of one of mine. If he died because of an accident, Vieth would have said that and made an offering because I could forgive an accident. Murder, however, had to be met with equal force.
Cora is not a sacrifice or a peace offering. Cora is the handcuff. Touch her and the seven-day moratorium on violence is off. I’m famous for my restraint. Karin Vieth probably thought her little bird would be safe here. If the girl had managed to seduce me, then Vieth would be able to take me out, and my crew would have to accept the bitter pill of my betrayal.
The real problem comes at the end of seven days when the bindings of my promise are gone and Vieth doesn’t have an answer because there is no answer.
Ashford planned all of this because he, unlike Vieth, knew I could not be trusted with Cora. He saw something in her that would appeal to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he planted the seed with Vieth—something like test him and see if he won’t break. When he falls to his knees, you can cut his head off.
“Ashford,” Kailler breathes. “I’ll kill him right now.”
“We can’t without proof.”
“Does that mean the wedding is off?”
“No. The wedding is definitely on. An alliance between Vieth and us is something he can’t have anticipated. Vieth hates men, and other than you and Notch, we are a crew of all men. If we present a united front, Ashford’s plans will crumble, and that will make him want to strike. That’s the proof we will need to take him out. Plus, if we work together, we can decimate Ashford’s gang with minimal bloodshed and no loss of valuable lives.”
Kailler smirks at my use of valuable. In this scenario, Ashford’s men are expendable. They will go down no matter who they are, where they are, what they are doing. “What should I do with Roxy?”
“Send her back to Vieth. Cora’s mother should be here for her wedding, don’t you think?”
Kailler’s phone beeps. “It’s the priest.”
“Feed him, give him booze, send him a woman. I don’t care. Make him happy for a few hours until Vieth decides to come and see what game we’re playing here.” I reach for the door. “And make sure Roxy conveys the message that I will be touching Cora all over in three hours so Vieth should get here before then if she wants to engage in any meaningful discussions. Once Cora is mine, Vieth will need to find new leverage.”