My life changed irrevocably in a heartbeat. Now I have two purposes.
Revenge.
And loving Rose.
I kissed her sleepy eyelids and let her settle into my side. She was asleep within five minutes, breathing softly and serenely. Breaking away from her warm curves felt like ripping our skin apart, but I forced myself, pulling on some boxers and leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind me.
And that’s where I am now, still with my back to the wall outside her room, struggling to get my shakes under control and any decent amount of oxygen past the ball of fury blocking my airways. I can’t fucking breathe. I sink to my arse and hold my pounding head in my hands, wrestling with the sway of my chaotic thoughts.
Abduction.
Rape.
Babies.
Human trafficking.
A serpent ring.
A fucking serpent ring. Rose’s life was cruelly given to Nox Dimitri by a man with a serpent ring. In a deal.
I push out air and force myself to my feet, taking a moment to ensure some stability before making my way to my office. I slam the door behind me and take the picture of my father out of the drawer, my eyes falling to his little finger. I always hated that ring. Now?
I swallow, my head in fucking chaos.
“There you are,” Brad says once he’s barged in. “We found Adams. He’ll be here any sec—”
“Have you ever wanted out?” I cast my eyes across to him, and he balks, stepping back. My rage must be embedded into my skin for the world to see.
“What?”
“You heard me,” I say, returning my attention to my father.
“Never really thought about it.”
“Well, think now,” I counter shortly. “If you could get out, would you?”
“Danny, I don’t like what—”
“Answer my question, Brad.” My patience is thin at best. “Would you get out if you could?”
“I . . . shit, Danny, I don’t fucking know.” Out the corner of my eye, I see his arms launch into the air in exasperation. “Anyway, isn’t it a moot point?” He joins me at my desk, pointing at the picture in my hand. “He left his legacy to you. His power, his reputation. You have an obligation to keep it all alive.”
“I thought so too,” I say, shoving the photo back in the drawer and slamming it. “But my obligations have shifted.”
“The woman,” Brad sighs.
“She’s opened my eyes in more ways than one.”
“Don’t be a fool, Danny.”
“I want out.” I make the statement and watch Brad close his eyes as if to gather strength.
“You don’t just walk away from this life.”
“Who says?”
He almost laughs. “The dozens of assholes who want you dead, that’s who. You think after what we’ve done we can retire and live out our days pretending we haven’t bludgeoned hundreds of men?”
“They all deserved to die,” I grate.
“Agreed. But there is always someone who doesn’t agree. Don’t lose perspective over a bit of ass.”
I only just hold back my fist from sinking into his face. “She didn’t tip off the FBI.”
“You said. So who did?”
I ignore his question. “Call the Russians. Tell them I’ll meet them tomorrow.” I settle in the chair. “That’ll be all.”
His shock is clear at my dismissal. “Dan—”
There’s a knock at the door, and Ringo pops his head round. “Adams.”
I nod. “That will be all,” I reiterate tightly to Brad, my stare a laser beam of threat. He backs out of my office, uncomfortable and unsure, as Ringo more or less tosses Adams in.
The man looks utterly beaten. “You’ve been on vacation, Perry. I expected you to look more chilled out.”
He closes his eyes in despair. “Can I sit?”
“Sure.” I point to the chair opposite my desk. “You look like you need it.”
He flops down on an almighty sigh, his fingers digging into his eye sockets, rubbing hard. “Let’s get this over with,” he says, opening his eyes and looking at me.
“Rose was planted on you.”
He balks. “Of course she wasn’t.”
The stupid fuck. Seven years of fucking college, twenty years working as a lawyer. He’s done nothing but disappoint me at every turn. And he’s the most popular candidate for the next mayor of Miami? He’s not capable of organizing a fucking piss up in a brewery. How did I not see that? That he’d eventually be useless to me. “Does the name Nox Dimitri ring any bells?”
“What? No, no, it doesn’t. Should it?”
“Romanian. Descendant of the Romanian mafia. He’s shaking things up and reforming. He’s the guy who’s been blackmailing you.” I get up and start pacing my office. “He’s following in his father’s footsteps. We’re talking women trafficking, drugs, rape, and selling babies on the black market, to name a few of his inherited areas of expertise.”
“What?” Adam’s gasps.
For the first time this morning, I laugh under my breath. “Yes, he makes me look like a law-abiding citizen, right?” I reach up and pinch my nose. “He wants me dead.”