Page 146 of Theirs to Possess: The Marriage Claim
Do I really, really want to know?
And is that really the question?
As much as I’d like to pretend this isn’t happening, I can’t help but remember that afternoon on the yacht where they confessed they’d done things they weren’t proud of.
I’d always known their world was dark, and now I’ve been sucked into their abyss.
“Isla…” Brennan’s voice is rough, as if he’s dragging the words out. He takes a step toward me, then he stops and forces out a breath. “There’s shit we don’t want you touching. It’s…ugly.”
“You’ve said as much.” Unsatisfied, I bring my chin up higher. “Yet here I am.”
The two men exchange glances.
Brennan’s eyes soften, but there’s a haunted pain there, raw and deep. “I did time, years back.”
My knees threaten to fold.
Dark, dangerous energy pulses between them before he goes on. “I kept Dorian’s name clean.” With resolve, he folds his arms. “I regret nothing. I’d do it again—for him. For you.” His confession hits me like a wave, awe at his loyalty warring with anger that they hid this from me.
I’m swimming through a pool of horror and disbelief. “You went to prison?” There has to be more to the story.
Dorian stands and rounds the desk, his presence a storm, all heat and control, but there’s a crack in his armor—a flicker of reluctance. “Isla, the dossier…” He pauses, choosing his words like they’re knives. “It’s leverage. On rivals, on your father. His debts are deep.”
My breath hitches, Everett’s words echoing. “Debts? An escort ring?” The words taste like poison, my voice rising. “My father? You knew about this and didn’t tell me?” My hands tremble, anger surging, but beneath it, fear coils tight. I think of my father’s too-smooth laugh, his evasions, and my stomach twists. Is this the“side business”Moretti meant?
Dorian’s reaches for my cheek, but I step back, my heart pounding.
“Don’t,” I snap, my voice cracking. “You don’t get to touch me and make this okay. You’ve been lying to me.”
Brennan’s eyes flash with pain, his voice low. “We’re not lying, Isla. We’re protecting you.” He steps closer, his hand hovering, like he’s afraid I’ll bolt.
Dorian is insistent. “Your father’s mess is not yours to carry.”
“We’ll keep it from touching you.”
I shake my head. “You two really think you’re protecting me?” I swing my gaze from one to the other. “By keeping me in the dark? That’s not possible.” My voice breaks, aching with hurt, and I hate how vulnerable I sound, but I can’t stop. “I heard Everett. I got that text. Someone’s watching, and I deserve to know why.”
Dorian’s eyes darken, his jaw working. He glances at Brennan again, a silent argument passing between them. Finally he exhales, his voice low, strained. “We’re not proud of everything we’ve done, little one. We already told you that. But it’s how we survive in this world.”
Brennan exhales. “Trust us to handle everything.”
“It’s too late for that.” I scoff, wiping my tears. “I’m scared, Dorian. For you, for Brennan, for me.”
Brennan’s hand finds mine, tentative, his touch warm but cautious. “You’re not alone, Isla,” he says, his voice steady despite the storm in his eyes. “We’re in this together.”
I want to pull away, to scream, but their eyes—Dorian’s fierce, Brennan’s pleading—hold me. My anger wavers, a fragile trust clawing its way through the hurt.
They’re still not telling me everything, and it stings, but I feel their love, their need to shield me, even if it’s misguided. I’m theirs, and they’re mine, but this secret—this darkness—terrifies me.
This evening had started out so wonderfully, and a few hours ago, my life looked bright.
“No more lies.” I take a shaky breath. “No more vague answers. Tell me what I need to know.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Dorian
Damn it all.
