Yes, I have to protect the child in my belly. But I also have a duty to make sure my child has a father. And if I can make the slightest bit of difference to this fight, then I’m going to try.
I’m not going to be a damsel in distress for a single second more.
As I rip around a dark grey wall, I run into yet another man. This one is tall and blonde and extremely familiar.
“Kian?” I gasp.
The man grabs me and holds me out at arm’s length. “Ah, so you’re the wildcat he walked into the lion’s den for?” he smirks.
The more I look at him, the less like Kian he seems. Their resemblance only goes surface-deep. Beyond the blonde hair and the blue eyes, they couldn’t be more different.
“You’re Cillian.”
“I see my reputation precedes me. The pleasure’s all mine, really.”
“Where’s Kian?” I ask.
“Not your concern at the moment,” he says. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I can help.”
“No, you can’t,” he says with finality.
Jesus.Why do I have to come into contact with every single alpha male on the planet? It hardly seems fair. A girl can only handle so much testosterone without going insane.
Cillian spins me around and starts marching me back the way I came. “There’s a fight in play and you’re only going to distract him.”
“Why aren’t you in there fighting with him?” I prod.
He chuckles. “I can see why he fell for you. Us O’Sullivan men have always liked our women feisty.”
“Please,” I say, trying the polite route. “I can’t just leave him here.”
“There is no way he’ll let me live if I willingly let you waltz right into—”
I realize something just then—Kian’s brother doesn’t consider me a threat at all. Which is the only reason I’m able to spin around and aim my gun at his face. It’s not even cocked, but he doesn’t have to know that.
“I’m not asking anymore,” I tell him icily.
He raises his eyebrows. They’re thicker and more unruly than Kian’s. His eyes are a lighter, clearer blue. He must have been drop-dead gorgeous in the prime of his youth. Even as an older man, he still has a youthful quality about him.
“You really wanna do this?” Cillian asks.
“He needs me.”
“Not now. Not like this. He needs me and the Clan and the Bratva. He has all that. If you go in there, it’ll only distract him, Renata.”
I’m mildly surprised that he knows my name. “I can make a difference—”
He shakes his head. “Let one of my men escort you off the compound. You’ll be safe.”
“I have been at the mercy of men all my life,” I snap. I’m close to sobbing, but I don’t care. “I have been pushed around and controlled. I’ve only ever been a pawn. And I’m done being that. Kian’s the one who told me that I could be a player if I wanted to be. Well, I’m choosing to enter the game.”
Cillian weighs his words heavily. “In this game, Renata, if you lose, you die.”
“I’m aware of the risks.”
“If you want to get through me, you’ll have to shoot.”