16. Chapter 14
Eli
Imust be fucking dreaming. Or better yet, I’m in a comedy that isn’t even the slightest bit funny.
What the hell is going on here?
Zoe’s narrowed eyes don’t leave my face.
She’s staring at me like I’m the enemy. But I’m not the one who’s the enemy, for fuck’s sake.
Right now, she’s the one who is. She has no goddamn idea what she’s proposing, what she’s getting herself into.
She’s out of her mind—and that’s saying a lot—if she thinks I’m going to agree to this.
The blood in my veins burns like a living fire.
My jaw throbs. The artery in my neck pounds like a hammer.
My hands clench into fists so I don’t grab my Raven and shake her with all my might.
If it were anyone else, they would have been lying dead at my feet long ago.
I’m sure I could kill with just a look and sheer willpower.
But not her. Not Raven. So, what should I do with her now?
The best solution seems to be to drag her down to the basement. Chain her to the wall. Lock her up.
She would be furious. Sassy. She would hate me.
But she would be safe.
In my head, that doesn’t sound ironic at all.
Over my dead body…
“Why not?” Ryker’s question pulls my attention away from the black-haired temptress. I shoot another furious glare, this time in his direction.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I hiss through clenched teeth, and my brother tilts his head back, never taking his eyes off me.
I’m seriously considering punching him in the face right now.
It’s more than certain that somewhere deep inside, aggression is rising, and it’s damn hard to hold back. With every passing minute, it grows inside me. It takes hold of me. Takes away any rational thinking. And to hell with it! My brain’s already like ground meat for this woman.
“Not joking.” Ryker shakes his head. “I’m asking because I’m genuinely interested.”
“Ash will make your smile stretch from ear to ear. With a knife,” I blurt out and get up from the couch.
We face off as if we were real rivals, not brothers. And it’s stronger than me. For the first time in my shitty life, I’m not sure if we’re on the same side.
“Likely,” he replies.
“She’ll rip open your chest and tear your heart out.”
“Looks like you know her well.”
“In the end, she’ll dance in a pool of your blood, laughing her head off.”
He just shrugs and grins. “What can I say? I love my Little Killer.”
“And then—” I start, but I’m not allowed to finish.
“Stop it, both of you!” Zoe can’t take it anymore. Her scream echoes through the room. “I’m an adult. I know what I’m getting into. It’s a dangerous mission. I understand who Damien is—maybe even better than the two of you put together!”
“Zozo—” I try again.
“Don’t ‘Zozo’ me right now! I know what I’m doing. I know what’s at stake in this game.”
Looking at her, I’m tempted to grab her, pull her close, and knock those stupid ideas right out of her head.
Right now, I can’t talk her out of it. I know that. So, I go for the next best option.
“Ry, I can’t believe you’re even considering this.” I appeal to his better judgment. “We’re talking about Damien Estrada here.”
“You think I don’t know that? Believe me, at first I reacted exactly the same way you did—”
I clap my hands and put on a wide, albeit fake, smile. “Perfect. In that case, we’re all set. Zoe will never go near that scumbag again. We can come up with another plan.”
“I’m not finished.” He glares at me, but it doesn’t faze me in the slightest. “It’s just that—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence, bro. Don’t do it,” I warn.
But he doesn’t listen. “When you really think about it, Zoe’s actually right about this. She’s close. Damien’s smitten with her.”
Before I can think, I snarl, “He just wants to sleep with her.”
“And even if he does, why does it matter to you, Eli? Come on, buddy. Tell me what this is really about.”
Ryker’s provoking me; that much is obvious. He wants to see how I react to his words. How much I hate the thought of Damien touching Zoe. Of her wanting the same thing.
But instead of giving him words, I act on instinct and lunge. In two strides, I’m in front of him. Grabbing the lapels of his jacket, I pull him close. The urge to shove him against the wall and punch that smug grin off his face is overwhelming. That would be worth more than a million words.
And yet I hold back when I hear Zoe whisper my name. I stop because that’s exactly what she wants from me.
Ryker smiles wider. He sees way too much, and I don’t like it one bit. He sees what I can’t bring myself to admit out loud.
I care.
With burning hands, I let go of him and take a step back. “I can’t believe you’re actually considering this. What if something happens to her? What if he hurts her? How do you plan to protect her from a distance when she can’t defend herself?”
“You’re the tech expert, Eli. We can equip her with tracking devices. Bugs and locators.”
“And what if he scans her? It’s still too risky, Ry.”
“Eli,” Zoe interjects. “Listen, I’ll take care of myself. Nothing’s going to happen to me. I went on one date with him and nothing like that happened. Nobody checked up on me.”
“Oh, really?” I turn to her. “What will you do, Zoe, when on the second or third date he decides he wants something more from you? Hmm? Are you prepared for when this man doesn’t accept your next excuse? When he pins you down with his weight? Takes you against your will?”
“Eli!” Ryker’s shout snaps me back to reality. My mind is racing with worst-case scenarios. They circle in my head like hungry vultures searching for prey.
My eyes plead with my brother not to do this. Not to agree to it. I know he can see it in my eyes.
And then he opens his damn mouth. “You were supposed to keep an eye on her. And you’re going to keep doing it.”
I close my eyes because, once again, I can’t believe what’s happening. Those words left his lips. Out loud. In front of her.
I run my hand over my face as Zoe asks in a weak voice, “What? What does that mean?”
“It’s nothing. Ash and I were worried about you,” Ry clarifies.
“You were supposed to watch over me? Be my babysitter?” She glares at me.
A sharp stab appears in my stomach. What the hell is this? I don’t know. But it’s burrowing into my insides, trying to break through to the outside.
Slowly, I raise my gaze to this woman. To the woman who possesses such immense and incredible power. Power over me. And she doesn’t even know it yet.
In her pupils, I see hurt. Maybe disappointment too. Or perhaps a mixture of both.
“It’s not like that, Zoe,” I whisper. “I wasn’t supposed to babysit you at all. Ryker just asked me to check if you were okay. They were worried.”
At my answer, Zoe just shakes her head, but I know. This information wounds her. She’s convincing herself that’s exactly why I showed up at her apartment. That’s why I followed her and why I called her over and over like a madman.
She grasps nothing. And I have to explain it to her, but not here and not now. Not while Ryker is watching.
I sigh, and Ryker clears his throat. He directs his next words straight at her.
“Zoe, if you really want to do this and you realize just how dangerous it is… And yet you’re determined, I think that with the right level of security, it could work.
I obviously have to think it through, but I’m in favor of it. ”
At this point, I feel like a loser. I’m grasping at straws. “How can you not think he’ll eventually put two and two together? Zoe Monroe, Ashley Monroe. It’s a suspicious coincidence. They know Ash is your wife, Ry.”
“That’s not a problem,” Zoe says. When we both look at her quizzically, she continues, “He thinks my name is Lily.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “What do you mean?”
Zoe shrugs and wipes invisible sweat from her forehead. “It’s simple. It’s not smart to give a guy you just met at a club your real name. I gave him the name Lily.”
“Lily what?” Ryker is curious.
Zoe mumbles something under her breath and looks away.
“Excuse me? Can you repeat that?” I ask.
“I said my name is Lily Montgomery,” she says loud and clear, and my heart stops.
She said her name is—Montgomery? Like mine?
Swallowing hard, I’m struck by the thought that this isn’t an unpleasant emotion at all.
Zoe Montgomery.
Damn it.
Zoe is confused and can’t hide it. It’s written all over her face.
And me? The possessive instinct I have toward her is growing stronger.
Before I can take a step, Ryker already knows what I’m going to do because he says to her, “Zoe, I’ll be in touch.”
My feet carry me to her. I grab her hand and pull her to the exit.
As soon as we’re in the hallway and the door slams shut, I turn to her. Catching her by the waist, I press her against the wall. My body is immediately against hers. Not even an inch of space remains between us. When our bodies touch, her presence fills every fiber of my being.
And then my lips crush against hers with a greed I never knew I possessed. She responds to my kiss, parting her lips as my tongue slips inside.
I place both hands on her cheeks and instinctively rub her velvety skin with my thumbs. She’s so warm and soft. She smells of citrus and flowers. It’s the most wonderful scent I’ve ever smelled. This feeling is so potent it makes my head spin. It’s as addictive as its owner.
Her body arches, pressing completely against me. I feel her breasts against my chest. The warmth radiating from her body feels like home.
I kiss her as if there were no tomorrow. She’s just as hungry as I am. A low purr of satisfaction and excitement escapes her throat. Then I pull back an inch from her, letting our lips part.
We’re both breathing fast and unevenly. Zoe opens her eyes, and her pupils are huge. Huge and hungry.
That’s when I know: She’s dangerous. She’s like a weapon no one expects. Like a Trojan horse. Under the guise of an insecure, inexperienced, innocent woman lies a veritable devil living in a pit of fire.
And I hope that fire will consume me too.
“I beg you, Raven, don’t do this. I have a bad feeling about this. We’ll find another way out. Don’t do this. You don’t know who he really is.”
Her smile is sad. She plants a quick kiss on my lips and says, “On the contrary. I know exactly who he really is.”