Page 68 of Blackbeard
But I had to admit, I was beginning to enjoy having Leigh in my home, in my bed. Not just because of the scorching hot sex. And I wasn’t hypnotized by pussy as Spike had claimed.
I slept better when she was next to me. One touch of her smooth skin and it became a little easier to breathe, clearing my head of the countless whirling thoughts that plagued me every waking moment.
But love had blinded me to Courtney’s ambitions years ago. Even though I was a different man now—older, wiser, tough as raw hide—I still wondered if this was another case of my heart running away, willfully closing my eyes to the blazing red warning signs.
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
Baby Doll cast a quick glance in my direction.
“Here what?”
“What’s your read on Leigh?” I prompted. “You have a flawless track record when it comes to seeing through people’s bullshit. So, what’s your take with my new wife?”
Baby Doll shrugged.
“I already told you before. She’s bad news.”
“That’s not specific enough, Baby Doll,” I replied.
“Well, I can’t really—”
“Lillian,” I cut in quietly.
She narrowed her eyes, hating when I used her real name instead of her road name. But I wasn’t doing it to piss her off. I did it to get her attention.
“This is the first time I’ve…felt something for someone since Courtney.”
Understanding dawned in Baby Doll’s eyes.
“I’ve never seen someone read people as well as you do,” I continued. “And I could really use your expert opinion right now.” I blew out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. “Because I’m falling in love with my wife. And if…if she doesn’t feel the same way…”
It would kill me,I thought. I can’t go through that again. Especially when I tried so hard to keep Leigh out, and she still managed to worm her way into my heart regardless of my strongest defenses.
Baby Doll took a bracing breath and set aside her tools. I clenched my jaw, steeling myself for what I was about to hear.
“She’s definitely attracted to you,” Baby Doll said. “You’re easy on the eyes, and she likes what she sees.”
Which was flattering. But there was an air of inevitability and a definitive pause to her words that indicated the other shoe was about to drop.
“Attraction doesn’t mean a damn thing in the long run,” I said.
Baby Doll spread her hands.
“That’s where it gets tricky. Leigh likes you, but I’m just not sure that’s enough to overcome her loyalty to her father and the Forsaken when shit hits the fan.”
I nodded, weighing that piece of information reasonably.
Baby Doll shifted in her seat, chewing on her lower lip as she deliberated what to say next.
“She’s biding her time, Diego. Like a sleeper agent. As soon as someone says the trigger word, she’ll take out the whole room. That contract was a way to get her behind our walls, like a Trojan horse. There’s a slim chance she might allow you to live when things go to hell in a handbasket simply because she’s developed a fondness for you. Or…”
Baby Doll paused and shook her head.
“Or you might be the first one she gets rid of. Your feelings for each other endanger her position more than anything else. She can’t afford to split her loyalties between her father and her husband when you stand on opposing sides. If she chooses you, she loses everything and everyone she’s ever known.”
I nodded, letting that grim reality sink in. It wasn’t exactly a surprising revelation—it made perfect sense—but I had hoped for a different answer regardless.
“I can’t say whether Leigh genuinely cares for you or not,” Baby Doll added as gently as she could. “But at the beginning, my guess is that you were a means to an end and nothing more than collateral damage. An asset she would bleed dry then throw away when you were no longer useful to her. It’s…hard to tell if that’s changed on her part. That kind of programming runs deep though. So…”
