Page 49 of Outlaw
I make a wild guess that it’s the wild-eyed she-bitch who jumped me in the hallway. But that couldn’t be right. Silas never mentioned it. Then again, why would he mention it? Especially now that he knows about Lorenzo. Trying to keep my face neutral, I walk over to the bed and take a seat.
“Do I have your attention now? Good. Silas belongs to no woman, but if he did, it wouldn’t be to you. He’s promised to someone else. Kind of like you and your mafioso in training fiancé.”
“But… who?”
“It’s not your concern, but for the sake of getting you off his back, I’ll fill you in. Cindy and his old man made a deal with the president of our Texas charter club. He and the guy’s daughter have had this…thing…” He holds out his left palm down to around hip height. “Since he was yea-high. Why do you think he won’t settle down? He’s already got someone on lockdown. Besides, I just called their charter to help us out if things go south with your dear old Padrino. So that complicates matters, doesn’t it? If I were you, I’d stay out of the way and leave Silas alone until we can ship you back home where you belong. Otherwise, you’ll be playing with the big girls, and they have claws. You won’t win.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I mutter, only half paying attention to the words coming out of my mouth because my brain’s working on overdrive. It makes perfect sense. Silas kept telling me there’s no chance for us, yet he’d contradict himself and go on like he owns me.
Not the other way around.
Because someone else has a claim on him.
A rush of nausea takes over my stomach, and I have to swallow hard to keep down the bitter bile rushing up to my throat. This arrogant bastard essentially turned me into one of those dime-a-dozen sack demons downstairs. God, I’m an idiot, blindly sleeping with this guy I know nothing about and assuming it meant something.
I really am fucking naïve.
Silas has his own motives that I know nothing about.
I allowed myself to be his pawn.
It turns out this new information is what I need to point me in the right direction. My priorities are no different from what they were before my world collided with Silas’s on that goddamned elevator.
I know what I need to do.
One: Get the hell out of here.
Two: Figure out how to free Jordan on my own.
Three: Get as far away from my father and Lorenzo as possible.
Four: Never, ever be used as a convenient poker chip.
Five: Forget I ever met Silas Corrigan.
“Reality’s a bitch, ain’t it?”
My head jerks up. Cole’s still standing there. Fuck. “Yes it is,” I agree.
“Sorry he didn’t tell you about the whole engagement thing.” Cole shoots me a knowing look as he takes a long puff on his cigar. “Then again, you left out a few details too.”
“True.”
“So, you’re kinda even, although that doesn’t matter anyway. Try to get some rest. You’ll need it for the next forty-eight hours.”
I can’t argue with that.
I only have myself to blame.
