Page 6 of Knuckles & Knives
Dom’s attention snaps to me, and I see hurt flash across his features before he locks it away behind his professional mask. “Fine. Then tell me you’re not seriously considering whatever deal he’s proposing.”
“I’m considering all my options.”
“Your options?” Dom steps closer, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. “Your option should be getting the hell out of this city before someone puts a bullet in your head. Just like they did to your father.”
My temper spikes. So much for his trying to conceal who I am.
“Don’t you dare use his death to try to control me,” I snap.
“Control you?” Dom’s laugh is bitter and raw. “I’m trying to keep you alive, just like I promised him I would.”
Of course my father would procure that from Dom. The confession hangs in the air between us as I stare at him, seeing past the enforcer’s mask to the man underneath—the one who taught me how to fight, who gave me a head start, who probably hasn’t slept well since the night he failed to save Vincent Blackwood.
“He asked you to protect me,” I say quietly.
“He asked me to protect his daughter. The innocent girl who collected vintage fight posters and spoke three languages andhad never killed anyone.” Dom’s voice drops to a whisper. “But that girl died the night he did, didn’t she?”
The accuracy of his observation steals my breath. He’s right. The Raven who fled this city five years ago was soft around the edges, sheltered despite her dangerous upbringing. The woman who returned is carved from sharper material, honed by years of training and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.
“Yes,” I admit. “She did.”
Something shifts in Dom’s expression—grief, maybe, for the girl I used to be—but there’s something else there too, something that looks almost like hunger as he looks me up and down and takes in the woman I’ve become.
“Then I guess my promise is null and void,” he says roughly.
The tension in the room ratchets up another notch. His protection used to mean the world to me. That he taught me how to fight… I used to daydream that we would end up grappling on the floor, and I would kiss him, and he wouldn’t shove me away. He only ever saw me as Vincent’s daughter, though. He didn’t realize that I saw him as so much more than a bodyguard. I had been too certain he would react my advances, and I hadn’t wanted to deal with rejection or risk losing him as my teacher, so I kept my feelings too myself.
But his grief now… Maybe he’ll finally see that I’m not a child in need of protection. I’m a woman who need allies I can trust.
I trusted him with my life and my heart once, and although he didn’t outwardly break my heart, he still has my trust.
Marcus clears his throat delicately, reminding us both that we have an audience. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere,” he suggests. “I believe Mr. Frost is expecting a meeting with our… distinguished guest.”
My blood chills, and I straighten. My muscles do not like that. I’m sore and need an ice bath. In fact, I would rather shove an icicle through my eye than see Kieran. “He wants to see me?”
“The heir to the Sterling Syndicate takes a personal interest in all new fighters, especially ones who defeat his champions.” Marcus’s smile is razor-sharp. “I’m sure he’s very curious about your… background.”
Dom moves between Marcus and me, his protective instincts overriding everything else. “She’s not going anywhere near that bastard.”
“It’s not really a request,” Marcus says mildly. “Refusing would be… inadvisable.”
The walls are closing in around me. Five minutes ago, I thought I was in control of this situation. Now, I’m trapped between Dom’s misguided protectiveness and Marcus’s political machinations with a meeting looming that could expose everything I’ve worked toward.
But maybe that’s not entirely a bad thing. I came here to infiltrate this world and get close to the people responsible for my father’s death. Kieran Frost is at the top of that list.
I nod once. “I’ll take the meeting,” I decide, ignoring Dom’s sharp intake of breath.
“Raven, no. You have no idea what he’s capable of?—”
“I have a very good idea,” I cut him off, almost smiling. He’s dropped all pretenses now. “His family murdered mine. I know exactly what kind of monster I’m dealing with.”
“Then you know this is suicide.”
I meet his dark gaze steadily, letting him see the steel that’s taken root in my soul over the past five years. “Maybe. But it’s my choice to make.”
Dom stares at me like he’s seeing a stranger. Then, his shoulders slump slightly in defeat. “I can’t protect you if you won’t let me.”
“I never asked you to protect me.”
