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“Your revenge on my dad’s partners? You think you can take them on by yourself?” When he didn’t respond, she narrowed her eyes. “You think my family’s going to help you?”
“I don’t need their help. I just need them to stay out of the way and not oppose me.”
“You’re insane! These people could be friends or peers they’ve known for years.”
“I told you, there’s no such thing as friends in the business world, just acquaintances that come and go.” He chucked her playfully under the chin. “The only thing you can count on is family.”
“Which is why you married me.” He was unbelievably diabolical.
“The gatekeepers have gone unchallenged for generations. They knock down any who oppose them. I know that best, don’t I?”
“You could lose everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
“The fact you’re with me shows me fate is on my side.” He kissed her temple. “Don’t worry about it.”
That was impossible. She had firsthand knowledge of how vicious and unscrupulous these people were. She didn’t want to be within a ten-mile radius of their games, yet Roth was eagerly wading into infested, hostile waters, with little to no backup. But if he could take on her father and not only endure his trials but come out on top, there was no reason he couldn’t take on other opponents. Still, it was a risky, foolhardy thing to do that no sane man would attempt. But there was no dissuading him. He wanted his revenge and despite everything, she understood his need to retaliate and put men like her father in their place. If she had his confidence and iron will, would she do the same?
She shook her head and splayed her hand on Colette’s folder. “Do you have a file like this on me?”
“Yes.”
“What’s in it?”
“Everything I could collect from your birth to your present.”
“You could have asked me.”
“I could.” His unapologetic tone made her clench her teeth.
She debated for a minute before she blurted, “Did you orchestrate that meetup in Philadelphia? The first time we went for coffee.”
“Yes.”
She looked down to conceal the disappointment clouding her eyes. A part of her had already known it was too much of a coincidence. She was too old to believe in fairy tales, but she’d harbored a small kernel of hope, which had just died.
“I wanted to see if the chemistry I felt the night we met was real. If there was nothing, I wouldn’t have pursued you. It would have ended there. We were meant to be, princess.”
She stared at the horrible scratches on his arm and didn’t have to look in the mirror to know she wore various marks on her neck from his hands and mouth. Were they meant to be? If she had the ability to show that impressionable college girl an image of them now, would she have accepted his invitation to dinner? Hell no. She would have run in the opposite direction and called Ford again and again until he answered. She would have fought harder to bridge that formal gap and create a real connection between them instead of seeking attention from another man.
She blew out a breath. That was neither here nor there. She wore Roth’s ring, legally bore his name, and they had an ironclad prenup to protect their agreement. But there were no legal documents binding her to their true contract: marrying him so her sisters could retain control of Hennessy & Co. and restore the company to its former glory. Was that enough reason to stay in this arrangement?
Roth was a ticking bomb. Violent, secretive... Being with him was like standing on the bow of a ship during a storm; there was the thrill of adventure, the fear of the unknown, and the very real danger of being swept overboard. The only reason she’d been able to handle him in her youth was because he’d held back the force of his personality. Now, he wasn’t. The reality of him was terrifying.
Roth was playing a high stakes game of revenge, extortion, and blackmail that she wanted no part of. She should get out before it was too late, but where would she run to? Her sanctuary was Tuxedo Park, and it was too close to the city for her peace of mind. Roth wouldn’t hesitate to show up several times a week, somehow bypassing security and her locks to fuck her brains out. That wouldn’t do. She had to move out of state. Better yet, another country...
“I won’t let you go.”
She raised her gaze and locked eyes with the monster.
“You still think you can walk away—that you have a choice. You don’t,” he informed her with the same nonchalance he’d use to comment on the weather.
She lifted her chin. “You think you can keep me locked in your tower forever—that no one will notice?”
“The idea has merit.” He didn’t break eye contact as he covered her hand on the table and ignored the way it balled into a fist. “The princess attracted a dragon who guards her vigilantly, making sure no harm comes to her.”
“Yet, she’s in the most danger from the beast who calls himself her protector,” she quipped.
Something swam up from the depths and peered at her from the dark pools of his eyes before it retreated.
