Page 15 of Pretty Little Threats

I made the mistake of trusting a Miller before. “No.”

A heavy silence settles between us as he drives me home, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Remy knows the lengths I’ve gone to in the name of protecting my sisters. He knows the sacrifices I’ve made. He knows how much their safety means to me. And Rose Miller is an errant strand in need of clipping.

Remy drops me off out front. “Lorenzo is here. Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

I give him a look, but he meets my gaze, unblinking. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll wait until you’re inside.”

If not for more than a few attempts on my life, I would give him shit. All inexperienced mercenaries. No one like the men Remy and his father train and control.

Thank fuck for that.

“Go get some rest, Remy.” I climb out of the Range Rover and shut the door, sliding my gaze to where Lorenzo hides in the shadows. I dip my chin in acknowledgement before heading inside to shower the scent of Rose off my skin.

Entering my bedroom, I yank the tie from my neck and toss the scrap of material onto my mattress, scowling out of the floor-to-ceiling windows lining one wall. Piercing, hazel-green eyes haunt my mind. The way Rose stared up at me, terrified I’d hurt her, makes my jaw clench.

I hate that she seemed breakable.

Hate that her opinion of me grates over my skin.

After the threat she issued this morning, I had every intention of scaring her off, thinking she was as ruthless as her father. But now I’m not so sure. Despite her ice-princess persona, there was a softness to her when she said she believes I’m lonely.

I think people like us all suffer from the same affliction.

As those words dance around my head, I bite back a snarl. I don’t like having something in common with her. I don’t like thinking of her as anything more than a ruthless Miller. But she swore she’d never hurt my sisters. Swore she has morals.

She was so indignant, part of me believes her. If she is truly that naive, then she really has no clue of the tangled web of corruption surrounding her. Sure, my hands may be bloody, but I’ll do anything to protect the people I love.

Can Rose say the same of her father?

The fresh threat, idle or not, slithers through my mind, making my chest clench. I should check on my sisters. Changing out of the stifling tux, I pull on joggers and a shirt, then grab a new burner phone and dial Gregory’s number.

“Dare,” he greets me. When my parents died, Gregory was the only one who seemed to give a shit about us kids and not the money we would inherit. I assume that’s why they appointed him as our guardian after Grandma and Grandpa died. I don’t think they ever expected Gregory to have to take care of us, but he did, and he’s the closest thing I have to a father now.

“How you doing, old man?”

He huffs. “I was fine until you insulted me.”

Chuckling, I rub my hand over my jaw. “You know I’m joking, G. How are they?”

Gregory sighs. “Annoyed with me, as always.”

Gregory, an ex-Marine turned mercenary, was my father’s oldest friend. Before everything, he wasn’t in the private security business, but he’s the only one I trust. Gregory had to be the one to guard my twin sisters and keep them safe. They’ve been in Italy for a little over a year now, and before that, they were in Ireland. I miss my siblings. I miss my family. But until I take care of the person responsible for my parents’ deaths, they have to stay hidden.

I won’t risk their lives. It’s the shitty truth of my world that loving someone means they can be used against you.

“Can I talk to Analise and Emmie?”

“Let me grab them.”

The phone rustles and crackles, and a soft puff of air rushes through the speakers. “Hey, Dare,” they say at the same time.

“Hey.” I frown. Why did I call? Maybe I just needed to hear their voices after Rose’s threats. “How are you?”

“Fine. Bored,” Emmie says quickly.

“How can you be bored in Italy?” I drop onto the bed.

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