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“Listen to me.”

I pulled away from his hold, but he was irritated with me, yanking me around to face him.

“You’re hurting me,” I hissed.

“I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m attempting to keep you safe. The house they purchased isn’t for us to live in every day.”

“Oh, really? Then what the hell is it?”

“It’s a safehouse. It’s in a remote location where no one else but the two of them knows the location.”

“A safehouse? For a wedding gift? That’s bizarre even for my father.”

He shook his head and I could tell instantly how much on edge he’d become. He scanned the area before dragging me closer to the building.

“Let go of me.”

“You need to listen to me.”

“Why should I? You’re one of them. You’ll follow all their rules like some lap dog. I can’t stand that and won’t agree to being a part of it. Hell, even Derek knows I’m just a pawn. He sent me a parting gift so I’d know exactly what he thought of me.”

“What are you talking about?”

I laughed and was ready to rip out my hair. “He sent a congratulatory card with a special note calling me a cunt who got what I deserved. Maybe he’s right.”

There was a significant shift in the man, his entire expression turning dark. In the limited light, I could still see the rage easily enough, his pulse ticking hard on the side of his neck. “Fucking son of a bitch.”

“Don’t worry about it, Alejandro. I’m used to asshole men. Now, just let me alone. I can’t listen to anything else tonight, especially bullshit. This is all a crock of shit.”

“You don’t have any choice but to hear me and heed what needs to happen. The safehouse could be our only protection, the only way we survive. If shit goes down, we’ll have a refuge.”

I was flabbergasted. “Why? What the hell happened?”

“It’s called instinct and years spent doing this shit. The reason? Because we don’t know yet what or who we’re dealing with. Your father and the man I work for understand the complexity of our world. I know you don’t and certainly have no desire to, but I will keep you safe no matter what I need to do. If that includes keeping you locked in a house, I’ll do it.”

“Fuck you.” I was aware we were no longer alone. Four soldiers had appeared on the deck. What in the hell were they so worried about?

“Firesong, just try and trust me.”

“Then why the sudden urgency? And don’t call me that!”

“Because the man and woman who took our places, the couple that pretended to be us? They were killed less than an hour ago. They’re dead, Carmella, all because they were mistaken as Carmella and Alejandro Banderas. And baby girl, I assure you once they learn we weren’t killed in the fiery hell they acted on, they will be back and make no mistake, they won’t stop until our bodies are cold and buried six feet under.”

CHAPTER16

Alejandro

“The SUV was targeted specifically, the occupants gunned down and the vehicle torched. There was very little left of the carcasses.” The murder of two married soldiers hadn’t set well with me. The son of a bitch responsible had learned late that night or the next morning his mission to end the alliance had failed.

Social media was the reason.

The honeymoon had been cut short. Now my bride and her son were locked away in my condo, several of my men guarding the suite and the building itself. So far in the two days since our return, there’d been no additional attempts at ending our life.

That would change soon enough. It was why today was important. Every soldier in both organizations was officially on duty.

It was the first meeting of the combined forces.

After that, I had plans on dealing with Derek. I’d found the card left at the wedding, the message keeping my rage right underneath the surface. No one talked to my woman that way.

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