Semua Bab The Devil You Made Me: Bab 61 - Bab 70

Alastair "Same thing." His hands fisted in my jacket, pulling me closer even as his words pushed me away. "God, Alastair, what are you doing? Why are you letting him use you like this?""I don't have a choice.""You always have a choice.""Do I? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like all my choices have been taken away by men who think they know what's best for me." I kissed him again, harder this time, trying to memorize the taste and feel of him before this moment ended. "You chose Anna. Luciano chose me. Nobody asked what I wanted.""Leave him," Kyren said suddenly, his voice urgent with something that sounded like desperation. "Whatever hold he has over you, whatever he's threatened you with, we can figure it out together.""We?" I pulled back enough to look at his face. "There is no we, Kyren. You made that very clear when you chose to save Anna.""That was different. That was—""That was you showing me exactly where I stand in your list of priorities." I could hear the

KyrenWhat I had done had been very impulsive and stupid, but right now, I couldn't stop thinking about how good Alastair looked in that suit. Even rumpled from hours of driving, even with his tie loosened and his collar undone, he was beautiful. The way his dark hair had caught the wind through the open windows, how it fell across his forehead now as he leaned back against the headrest. I could tell from the way he stared straight ahead at the motel's chipped paint and sagging awning that he had a lot on his mind too.I started to ask myself why I had even done this. Run away with him like some lovesick teenager in a movie. We weren't what anyone would call textbook lovers. Hell, we weren't even friends most days. I was sure Alastair hated me, and he had every right to. I'd ruined his life so many times I'd lost count. The job opportunities I'd cost him, the relationships I'd destroyed just by existing in his orbit, the constant chaos that seemed to follow me everywhere I went.Bu

Alastair He scowled at me. "I take it back. Keep the shirt unbuttoned. It's working for you." And it was. Even in that hideous shirt, with his hair sticking up at odd angles and annoyance written across his features, he looked cute. Beautiful in a way that made my chest tight with feelings I didn't have names for. We bought the least offensive options we could find and returned to the motel as the afternoon heat reached its peak. Even though we had new clothes, symbolic fresh starts wrapped in discount store plastic, we both knew our time here wasn't going to last much longer. It was already past noon, and by tomorrow this time, Kyren would probably be gone. His people would find us eventually. They had resources, connections, ways of tracking people who didn't want to be found. He would be taken back to face whatever consequences waited for him, and I would be left to explain to Luciano why I'd helped him disappear. I didn't like thinking about it, about the inevitable end of

Kyren"I went back to check the records of those land sales," he said, settling into the chair across from my desk. "Anna's father did sell that land to Luciano, but they did it through a simple business man. A middleman to keep their names off the paperwork."I felt betrayed. Completely, utterly betrayed in a way that made my chest tight with rage. I remembered the dinner we'd had when Anna's father had first mentioned Luciano, how concerned he'd seemed, how worried about the implications. It had all been an act. He'd known about the connection between our families because he'd helped create it."How long?" I asked."The sale went through six months ago. Around the time Anna started pushing for the engagement."Everything clicked into place with sickening clarity. The timing, the pressure, the way Anna's father had seemed so eager to cement our alliance. It hadn't been about protecting his daughter or strengthening family bonds. It had been about positioning himself between two pow

KyrenThe words made my chest tight, all the guilt and longing and confusion all tangling together in my chest until I could barely breathe. Here was this woman who loved me, who wanted a future with me, and all I could think about was a man who probably hated me for dragging him into my mess."We're going to be fine," I assured her, the lie sliding off my tongue with practiced ease. "We're still together. Nothing's changed."Anna's face lit up with happiness, and she kissed me with the kind of innocent enthusiasm that made me feel like the worst person alive. "We should go on vacation together," she said against my lips. "Somewhere tropical, just the two of us. We could use some time away from all this family drama.""Work is hectic right now," I said, gently extricating myself from her embrace. "But when I find a chance, we'll go somewhere nice."She agreed readily, the way Anna always agreed to things, and we spent the whole day together. She cooked lunch while I pretended to work