Even more apprehension trickled through me. Why would I need to be putting up any fights on this date?
Ezra went on as if he hadn’t said anything odd. “We already know you can hold your own, so you shouldn’t be intimidated by him. And you’re aware enough of the situation with Bryant that you can easily talk up our cause while you’re with Mr. Herald.”
“It would just be dinner?” I clarified.
Ezra inclined his head. “That’s all he’s asked for. He’ll send a car to pick you up, and it’ll bring you back to this house when your date is finished.”
“If there’s anything to bring back,” Anthea muttered. “With his reputation when it comes to women—” She cut herself off at Ezra’s glare and revised her statement to simply, “He’s a volatile man. I don’t like this.”
“I’m well aware of your feelings on the subject, but you have become rather protective of Miss Katz beyond what she appears to require. I’m sure she can make this decision for herself.”
Wylder stirred, speaking up for the first time in a bored tone. “Mercy is the volatile one.” As I bristled, he went on. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to send one of the groupies? That’s what they’re here for anyway. They’d probably jump at the chance to fawn over this Jasper guy.”
His voice stayed blasé through the entire remark, but understanding settled over me. He was trying to protect me too, without showing that he was. If he’d really hated me as much as he’d been acting like he did lately, he’d have relished the chance to send me off to what Anthea clearly thought was my potential doom.
Just how big a sicko was this dude when it came to women?
Ezra waved his hand dismissively. “They’d make a fool of themselves and put us in a bad light. Our alliance with the Demon’s Wings depends on this ‘date.’ I’ve heard from multiple sources—including you—about Mercy’s capabilities. It’s time she put them to more use on our behalf.” Ezra looked at me with a challenge in his eyes. “Unless you’re rethinking your commitment to the Nobles?”
Understanding hit me. This wasn’t just a job—it was a test of my loyalty to him. Ezra cared at least as much about making sure I’d follow his orders as how much Jasper would supposedly like me.
How would he react if I refused?
“I’m not rethinking anything,” I said quickly. But no way in hell did I want to cater to some sleazy and potentially violent gangster—sleep with him and endure whatever else he might do to me. Anthea had implied he might even kill me.
And how would I really be able to defend myself without screwing up the deal and ruining the whole point of the “date”? It sounded like this asshole liked women to fight back so it was more of a challenge to finally overpower them. I suppressed a shudder of horror.
I groped for something else I could offer Ezra instead. “If you’re looking for more allies, I might have an easier solution, one that won’t require making any deals with people outside Paradise Bend. There are a lot of lower-level Claws members still out there in the Bend. A few of them have gone over to Colt’s side, but there have to be lots that are still loyal to my father. I could reach out to them, get them to fight alongside us—”
Ezra scoffed so loudly my mouth snapped shut. “Do you think the people who rolled over for the Steel Knights while Bryant took control of the Bend will be any real help to us? Wake up, Miss Katz. If you ask for my opinion, those worthless bastards should be crushed too, right alongside the Steel Knights.”
“Exactly,” Axel said from behind me. “We’re better off without them anywhere near us.”
I didn’t have any way to argue that. As I hesitated, Ezra leaned back in his chair, his gaze getting even more penetrating. “Well? Are you willing to take this job for me? Or despite all your talk and the fact that I initiated you into our ranks, should I assume you’re not actually serious about your dedication to me and the Nobles?”
“I was just taking a second to think,” I said.
“Actions speak louder than words,” he said. I got the impression he was trying to push my buttons, waiting for me to snap. But I wasn’t going to give him an excuse to dismiss me like he’d just written off everyone else left from the Claws.
For a second, I let myself picture telling Ezra Noble to fuck off and walking right out of here, out of this mess for good. In some ways, it was a satisfying image. Hell, Wylder had been encouraging me to take off and leave the Steel Knights to them for days. I could give him what he wanted and not put my neck on the line in this way that made my skin want to crawl off my body.
But I only considered it for a second. That was how long it took before the screams of my dying family echoed up from my memory. That gurgle as Grandma had slumped on the floor, gasping her last breath…
My hands clenched at my sides. Neither father nor son was going to get rid of me this easily. Colt had stolen too much from me, and I wasn’t going to let any other asshole take my revenge away as well. Nothing would really be okay until I’d destroyed that bastard with my own two hands.
I lifted my chin and stared right back at Ezra. “And I’m a woman of action, so that’s not a problem. If this is what you need, I’ll go on a date with Jasper.”
“And agree to all his conditions?” Ezra said.
More like his whims, from the sounds of things.
I shrugged as if it was nothing at all. “Yes. Just tell me when it’s happening.”