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“Your club?” She pushes harder against my chest. “Is that what this is about? Your guilt?”

“This is about keeping you safe.” My voice drops lower, rougher. “About making sure no one else tries to hurt you or Leo because of me.”

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” she whispers, but some of the fight has left her voice.

“No,” you didn’t. But here we are.”

Tension crackles between us as I lean closer, drawn to the fire in her eyes. Her lips part slightly, and for a moment, I want nothing more than to claim that defiant mouth with mine. To taste her anger, her passion. My grip tightens on her hips as desire wars with reason.

But I can’t. Not yet. Getting too close, letting myself feel too much—it will only make protecting her harder. And right now, her safety has to come first.

I force myself to pull back, putting space between us even as every cell in my body screams to do the opposite. The flash of confusion in her eyes nearly breaks my resolve.

“One week,” I say, my voice rougher than intended.

She blinks. “What?”

“The wedding.” I maintain eye contact as understanding dawns on her. “We’re getting married in one week.”

All the color drains from her face. “One … one week?” She stumbles back a step. “That’s impossible. We can’t—”

“We can and we will.” I keep my tone firm despite the way her obvious distress claws at my chest. “The sooner we make this official, the better protected you’ll be.”

“Protected?” She laughs, but it sounds more like a sob. “This isn’t about protection anymore, Zeke. This is about control.”

“This is about keeping you alive.” I resist the urge to reach for her again. “The longer we wait, the more vulnerable you are. One week, Eve. That’s all the time we have.”

She stares at me, those emerald eyes wide and full of something that looks dangerously close to betrayal. Her chest rises and falls rapidly with shallow breaths.

“You’re insane,” she whispers, shaking her head. “Completely fucking insane.”

Chapter 9

Crumbling Walls

Evelyn

Istare out the window as Columbus blurs past, the familiar streets feeling strangely foreign from the passenger seat of Eli’s black SUV.One week. The words echo in my head, mocking me with their finality. Seven days until I’m bound to a man who thinks he can control every aspect of my life under the guise of protection.

My fingers drum restlessly against my thigh as we cruise past the coffee shop where I usually grab my morning fix. The sight of people going about their normal routines makes my chest ache. Twenty-four hours ago, that was me—just another face in the crowd, living my life on my own terms.

Eli maintains his stoic silence behind the wheel, but he checks the mirrors constantly, scanning for threats. His presence reminds me that this is my new reality. A life where even my morning commute requires an armed escort.

My gut twists as I think about Leo, about how quickly our lives have spiraled out of control. He too has an armed escort to school and guards watching the school all day long.

Will he understand why I agreed to this marriage? Will he see it as protection or another adult making choices that affect his life without his input?

We stop at a red light, and a young couple crosses the street, laughing together, completely in their own world. My throat tightens. Is this what Zeke and I could have been in another life? If he hadn’t disappeared on me right as I thought we were getting closer. If he wasn’t tied to the darkness of Columbus’s underground. If I wasn’t a cop sworn to uphold the very laws he seems to view as mere suggestions?

The light changes, and Eli accelerates smoothly, turning onto the street that leads to the precinct. With each block we cover, my anxiety rises.

How am I going to explain Eli’s presence to my colleagues if he’s spotted or someone sees me getting out of his car? To my captain? The thought of trying to maintain this facade while doing my job makes my head spin.

“Nice day for a drive.” Eli’s deep voice breaks through my brooding thoughts. His dark eyes flick to me briefly before returning to scan the road ahead. “Sun’s actually out for once.”

I grunt noncommittally, not in the mood for small talk. The morning’s confrontation with Zeke still burns in my mind. His commanding tone when he’d announced our wedding date makes my blood boil all over again.

“You know,” Eli continues, undeterred by my lack of enthusiasm, “scowling at the dashboard isn’t going to change anything.” There’s a hint of amusement in his voice that grates on my already frayed nerves.