Page 73 of Velvet Corruption

His words twisted something deep inside of me. The idea that she was a strategy—just another pawn on the board—made my jaw clench so hard it hurt. But that was why I was in her life again, wasn’t it? That was the job—why I’d stalked her, touched her, kissed her, held her bleeding hand in mine. That was the only reason I had communicated with her again.

For the Callahans.

For my brothers.

For the business.

“It’s going.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re going to have to elaborate.”

“She spent the night at my house,” I told him.

“So you got the DA to fuck you,” he says. “Well…do you have proof? Seems to me like that would be enough to bury her.”

“We didn’t have sex.”

Tristan’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

“She was hurt.”

“By you?”

“She cut her hand on some glass, I guess. She didn’t have a choice.”

“Explain.”

I settled deeper into the leather chair, stretching out like I owned the place. “Relax. It’s strategy.”

His brows lifted. “That so?”

I took my time answering, pouring myself a drink from his decanter. “She’s armored up. If we go after her now, she becomes a martyr. But if I get close—if I seduce her—” I let the word sit between us, letting the weight of it sink in, “—then when she cracks, we leak it. Controlled demolition.”

Tristan didn’t react.

That was the first bad sign. Then, slowly, his mouth curved. “Oh my God.”

I frowned. “What?”

His smirk sharpened. “You like her.”

I snorted. “Don’t be pathetic.”

“Oh, I’m the pathetic one?” He leaned forward, amused now. “You had half of Boston willing to warm your bed, and you chose the woman who’s trying to bury us?”

I shrugged, sipping my drink. “It’s leverage.”

“So youdolike her.”

“I mean, I’m not immune to the charms of beautiful women,” I replied, shrugging. “Especially when they stay over at my house. And she’s so fucking smart. That’s why you can’t control her, right? So forgive me if I like someone who challenges you.”

Tristan laughed with a warmth I wasn’t expecting. “I already have someone who challenges me. Unfortunately, she’s taken.”

“Adriana? You can keep her.”

He laughed again, this time without any warmth. “I intend to.”

“Look, I have a plan—”

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