“Good.” Victoria nods. I catch the movement out of the corner of my eye. Her head is close to mine, her body angled behind mine so that I provide a convenient shield for her.
“What the fuck are you doing, Victoria?” Marcus growls, rage burning in his eyes.
“What the fuck do you think I’m doing?” she spits back, an edge to her voice that I’ve never heard before. “I’m trying to end this fucking thing. To win.”
“Yeah?” Theo’s voice is hard. “How you gonna do that? Huh? We’ve got you outnumbered. Unless you brought backup like Adrian did.”
She scoffs. “No, I don’t have backup like him. I followed him alone.” She glances around the room. “Not like his backup did him a whole lot of fucking good. Besides, I don’t need it. Because I’ve got your girl.”
All three of my men stiffen at her words. They sound so strange coming out of her mouth, something I would’ve expected to hear Gabriel or Michael say, not her. I’ve only met her a few times, but she always seemed polished and smooth, like someone who understands how much appearances matter and has carefully cultivated hers.
But right now, none of that careful control is evident.
“What do you want?”
The words sound like they’re ripped from Marcus’s mouth, like they’re covered in broken glass.
“I want you.” Victoria jerks her chin toward him. “All three of you. You heard what Luca said just as well as I did. I can end this right now, and if you don’t make it difficult, I’ll let Ayla live.”
My stomach drops, panic beating against my ribs. She’s trying to bargain with them. My life for theirs.
I can’t let them take that deal.
Even if I thought she would keep her word, I can’t let them take it. I can’t fucking lose them.
Marcus’s jaw clenches. He and the other two men all still have their weapons, but I know they don’t have a clear shot. And no chance of taking one with Victoria’s finger on the trigger and her gun gouging into my temple. His gaze flicks left and right as he shares a look with Theo and Ryland, and fear turns my veins ice-cold.
He’s considering it.
“Wait!” I blurt out.
“What?”
Victoria growls the word, pressing the gun even harder into my skin like she’s trying to remind me how close I am to death. As if I could fucking forget.
“Why do you want to win the game so bad?” I ask, swallowing around the golf ball sized lump in my throat. Fear has turned my mouth dry as dust.
As terrifying as Adrian and his team were, this is somehow worse. If Victoria followed him here alone, she must’ve known she wouldn’t be able to take on all three of the guys at once. But she also knew she wouldn’t have to.
Not if she could get her hands on me.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” She laughs harshly. “Why do I want to win? Haven’t these assholes explained any of this to you? If I win, I get control of Halston. I get to run this fucking city.”
“That’s not the only reason though, is it?” I press.
I could be totally off-base, but there’s no time to second-guess myself now. I can feel something different in her.
A desperation, a wildness.
I know why the men and I are desperate, but Victoria should have no reason to be. She’s usually so cool and collected, and she’s got the upper hand right now. She should be basking in her power over us, but instead, I can feel her body trembling slightly behind mine.
Something is wrong, and whatever it is, it’s throwing her off balance.
Her wild emotions make her dangerous, but they also make her vulnerable.
“Why do you want to win so bad, Victoria?” I press when she doesn’t answer my previous question. “Whatever it is you want, maybe we can help you. Maybe we can give you—”
“Shut up. You can’t give me anything,” she hisses, her fingers digging into my arm as she tightens her grip on my torso. “You can’t help me. No one can fucking help me. That’s why I need to win.”