He shakes his head. “I don’t want it, no, to answer your unspoken question, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve engaged in such an act. He is into it. It would show him I’m still into sharing you.” His jaw works after speaking the last two words. “Only if you want to do it, though. It’s up to you. I understand if you think a threesome is unsavory, but tonight it might save your life. It might save his.” I’m hit with a wave of nausea when I picture the scene.
“Wouldn’t that be a red flag? He might think we’re trying too hard?”
Riley runs a big hand over his abs. “I only need to distract him for one night. There is a team of investigators pulling logistics and cell phone data as we speak. We need him to believe us tonight, and after that, we’ll know one way or another if Jesse is up to no good.” He cracks his knuckles. “Fuck if I’m wrong, Drew, but I don’t think I am. Blood isn’t everything in the Astor family. We value loyalty. Jesse’s loyalty has always been tied to his son. I was okay with that until now.”
I lift one brow. “The one he lost in the fire?”
“Yes. I still can’t fucking believe he told you that. That’s what makes this so confusing. He seems to care about you, and I know him enough to know that’s not an act, but then today happened.” He runs his hand through his hair. “I was going to tell him you were mine the moment you landed, but something stopped me. I got this feeling like he might take it personally, given he’s the one who found you.” Riley meets my gaze, and the warmth dissipates into an intensity that makes my stomach turn. “Ithinkhe’s found who he’s been searching for.”
“No one does revenge like Astors. It’s how we’ve arrived here.” He waves an arm around the room. “This might be Jesse’s revenge plan in action.”
“If… if he did try to take me,” I say, because I can’t think he’d want to harm me after saving me. “What would that mean for him?”
Riley shrugs then paces. “Why did he want to take you? What was his plan when he got you away from here? You’re related to the woman, Bethany, who killed his son, but what’s his move? Where do you fit in? Pure curiosity? More? Where was he taking you? Why didn’t he tell me? When would I see you again? There are too many variables to issue a punishment at this point.” A punishment. Another roll of my stomach, along with all the other information laced throughout.
My mouth goes dry. “Related to the woman who killed his son?”
Riley stills. “I had a call with Cyrus earlier and he confirmed what I suspected. She’s your blood relative—your biological sister. This isn’t how you should have found out. Then again, none of this should have happened to begin with.”
I assumed this, didn’t I? Some buried secret had to be what kept me around at the start of our relationships. A sister. An evil, malevolent sibling. I shudder, knowing that blood means little to me. I’m nothing like my family. I push the information down. “I’ll do it. I’ve done it before. Obviously with people I didn’t care about, so I know how it’s done, but tell me what to expect.”
He kisses me briefly, letting his hand wander between my legs. “This is mine. Only mine.” He twists my clit. “I can’t speak for Jesse, but do you really care for him?”
“He took me in when I thought I didn’t have any worth. It didn’t make sense, but now I know what he saw, or who he saw. Theherhe was talking about before when it didn’t make sense. I am capable of a lot of things. I’m strong and brave, and can handle seeing death without falling to pieces. I am made for this life, Riley. He gave that to me, in a way. I have to care for him. Without him, I’d still be nothing.”
“You were never nothing. From the moment I met you, you became everything. I do believe people come into our lives for reasons and seasons. If Jesse set out to save you, I’ve only ever wanted to love you. I don’t know if my version of love is good enough for you, but it’s what I have to give.” His hand circles my wrist.
“What does this bracelet really mean, Riley?” My voice is a whisper.
“It’s a token of ownership. My mom wears a necklace. It tells anyone who sees it that you’re untouchable.”
“Wouldn’t it mark me as a target?”
“No. Not in our world. You being here, in another country, I needed to mark you quickly and in a big way.”
“That’s why Jesse was upset?”
“It was me saying you’re only mine, and I hadn’t spoken to him yet, so yes. That’s why we need him to think things are the same. Just for the night.” Riley’s phone rings and his eyes darken. He nods. It’s Jesse. He mouths three words to me:wear the black.I nod, going over to the closet. It’s filled with more clothes than I could wear in a lifetime. There are drawers in the center island, and I pull them open until I find the lingerie section Pirelle no doubt stocked. I put on a black teddy with garters and high heels. I’m sliding a silky dress over my head when Riley comes in.
“You have to go by yourself first. Give me your wrist.” He takes off the bracelet and my heart races.
“I can’t leave it on?” It became a safety blanket the second he explained what it meant. “He knows I have it.”
“Drew, you need to convince him you’re coming to him on your own and you need to convince him you want the threesome. He suspects everything we think already. Can you do this? Reggie will be right outside the door, listening until you’re ready for me.”
“He is going to see right through me.”
“Jesse is dangerous,” Riley says.
“No shit,” I say, laying a hand on my chest.
“But I am in charge. He’s not going to do anything stupid when he knows I’m here.” He asks for one of the heels I’m wearing and plants a camera into it. I grimace as he destroys the sole to get the placement right. He explains that I need to kick off the shoes in a place far enough away from Jesse, so he won’t suspect anything. Having audio is enough.
I’m following him to the door when I say it. It pops right out. “Riley, are you going to tell him after that I’m just yours?”
“Is that what you want?”
It feels like cheating in the worst way. Like stabbing an angel in the back or being ungrateful for the person who opened the stairwell for me now that I’m standing on the top looking down. When I don’t answer right away, Riley hangs his head. “You don’t have to answer right now. Just go. Reggie will lead you to his quarters.”