Page 79 of Property of Bones

I swallow hard. “Okay…”

He uncrosses his arms and takes a step closer.

“I’m gonna give you an out.”

I blink. “What?”

“If you want,” he hesitates, just a second. “I’ll hire someone to help you at your apartment until you’re fully healed. Set you up with better locks, reinforced windows. Make sure no one gets in.”

He looks down, then back up at me, steel in his eyes now.

“And I’ll walk away.”

The words hit harder than I expect.

“If you don’t think you can handle this life, this club, I’ll let you go.”

My throat tightens, but I don’t speak.

“I won’t lie to you,” he continues. “We don’t follow the law. Not like normal people do. We move product…drugs, weapons. From seller to buyer. We don’t sell it ourselves, but we make damn sure it gets where it needs to go. No matter the cost.”

He pauses. Watches my face for a reaction. I try not to give him one.

“I’ve killed before,” he says, voice flat. “I’ll kill again.”

Silence.

“I like it,” he adds, quieter now. “I like making the people who threaten my family suffer. I won’t pretend to be something I’m not.”

He kneels in front of me, so I have no choice but to meet his eyes.

“But I’ll never bring that part of me home. Not to you. Not unless it’s to protect you.”

I feel like the room gets smaller. Hotter.

He doesn’t blink.

“This life... once you’re in, you’re in,” he says, voice low but steady. “Even if you’re not wearing a patch. Even if you’re notpart of the business. Even if you eventually walk away and have nothing to do with the Shadows.”

His eyes lock on mine like he’s daring me to look away.

“You’re associated with us. That doesn’t go away. Not ever.”

My heart pounds so hard I swear he can hear it. He’s giving me a choice. But it doesn’t feel simple. Doesn’t feel like something you can just say yes or no to.

“You don’t have to decide now,” he adds, softer this time. “But if you stay… you need to understand what that really means.”

He moves closer, voice dipping even lower, just for me.

“I will protect you with my fucking life. My brothers will protect you with theirs. I’ll do everything in my power to make you the happiest woman in the world.”

His hand brushes mine…barely there, like he’s holding himself back.

“But,” he continues, “if you decide to stay, then life as you knew it is over. You won’t leave this compound without an escort. Ever.”

The air leaves my lungs. “But… my work.”

“You don’t have to work, Sunny.”

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