Page 79 of Monsters Wear Crowns
“Adela,” he cut in, his voice smooth but clipped. “Howconfident are you in your system’s firewalls?”
I blinked. What I said to him in the car must have stuck with him. “Seriously?”
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “We still don’t know how deep Moreau’s reach goes. I need to know if there’s any chance–”
“Rafe.” My voice sharpened, frustration curling through me. “I told you. Sinclair Solutions is airtight. Evenyoucouldn’t get in without my knowledge.”
He didn’t flinch. “Everyone thinks they’re impenetrable until one day, they aren’t.”
“Don’t youdareinsult me,” I shot back. “I know what I’ve built from the ashes of what my father handed me.”
“Fine.” He clenched his jaw. “Part of me is surprised you’re still here.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t be.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, and for the first time all night, his entire body stilled. The fire crackled between us, and I forced myself to meet his eyes, even as my heart thumped hard against my ribs.
“Why are you really keeping me here?” I asked quietly. “Is itmeyou want? Or my business? Are you trying to protect something so desperately that you’re willing to hurt me in the process?” The words hung there. And when he didn’t answer right away, my stomach twisted.
He didn’t deny it.
I looked away, suddenly too warm. Too exposed. The scent of the fire shifted, smoky and sweet, dragging me back. Back to memories of my mother’s perfume and the flicker of candlelight in her eyes when she cried. The way she’d whispered my name through trembling lips after my father had left another bruise, not always on her skin, but on her heart.
She’d loved him, even when it destroyed her.
And I… I was starting to understand why.
“Adela–”
“Don’t,” I whispered. My throat tightened, and I hated it. “You don’t get to fuck me, burn down a warehouse andkill peopletogether, and then act like I’m just another business asset.”
The firelight danced over his face, casting it in shadows. “You’re not–”
“Then what am I?” My voice was strong. “Tell me. What is this?”
For a long time, he didn’t speak. And when he did, his voice was so soft it felt like a touch. “I don’t know.”
It wasn’t enough.
The fear in my chest spread, cold and insidious. I swallowed it down and stood, brushing imaginary wrinkles from my dress. “I should go inside.”
But before I could take a step, his hand caught my wrist.
“Adela.” His grip was warm and firm, not enough to hold me but enough to stop me. “Don’t.”
I closed my eyes. “You want my company. You want my body.”
“I want more than that.”
“Then say it.” I looked down at him, my heart in my throat. “Because I’m not going to be my mother, Rafe. I won’t love a man who only sees me as an object or a weapon to be used.”
The fire popped between us. And still, he didn’t say it.
My heart cracked.
“I thought so.” I tugged my hand free, the cool air biting against my skin where his warmth had been. “Good night, Rafe.”
I didn’t look back. Because I wasn’t sure I could handle what I’d see if I did.
Chapter 16
