Page 45 of Dark Wolf Soul
He grunts in agreement at that.
“I better head out. Got a lunch meeting with the generals to talk about coordinating the next steps once your engagement is announced. You two be ready to go tomorrow night. I’ll send a car.”
The way he says the words—so casually—lets me know this fucked up engagement was his real plan all along. I’m just the last to know.
“Fine,” I mutter.
He starts for the elevator, pushing the call button. The doors slide open, and he steps inside then turns to look back at me.
“And Grey? Don’t fuck this up.”
I don’t answer as the doors close and he disappears.
When he’s gone, I stalk over to the bar and pour myself a shot then immediately down it. The whiskey burns, but I welcome it against the rage crawling its way up my throat. One more minute, and I’d have unleashed it on the asshole.
From the hall, my bedroom door clicks open, and Dutch reappears.
His expression is wild, and I realize my mistake instantly.
“You cannot be fucking serious,” he says. “That asshole expects you to marry her?”
“Keep your voice down.”
He stares at me like I’ve just failed some test I didn’t know I was taking. Then, he steps back, shaking his head. “This whole thing is so fucked.”
“No shit.” I snort and pour myself another shot and one for him too.
He takes his, eyeing me over the rim. “You realize he’s completely lost it, right?”
“Don’t talk shit about the boss,” I warn.
“My boss is standing right in front of me.”
I groan. “Shut the fuck up, man. You can’t talk like that.”
“You already know it. I’m just saying it out loud.”
“No.”
“Then you’re going to have to convince her to give her cooperation some other way,” he says.
I stare back at him, my thoughts churning.
“Grey,” he warns knowingly.
“Call Razor and Crow so we can go over logistics. If we’re going to let her walk in and make sure she walks out again, we need a plan.”
“Your dad—”
“Fuck him. She had one demand. Without it, I’m forcing her, and if I do that, no one’s going to believe this marriage isn’t real. Which means Franco’s people will come for us, and then we’re as likely to destroy the city and each other as win this war. I’m tired of watching him run us into the damn ground.”
His eyes gleam because he wants this mutiny even more than I do. Before I can pull out of reach, he’s clinking our shot glasses together and downing his whiskey. “I’ll drink to that, boss.”
16
LEXI
After watching Grey kill a man who was trying to kill me, then having him tell me that lap dance was his own personal bonus to the mission of kidnapping me, I’m convinced I won’t sleep a wink. But the moment my head hits the pillow, I’m out like a light. For the next few hours, I stir occasionally at the sound of muted voices coming from the living room and even the ding of the elevator once or twice. Vaguely, I’m aware I should get up if only to keep my guard up and my wits about me while others are inside this apartment. But sleep manages to keep its grip tightly around me until, finally, I wake, groggy, starving, and unsure when I started feeling comfortable enough in this place to knock out for quite so long.
