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“Wait, what?” I demand, my back snapping straight as I look between my brother and the man I love. “Finishing what? Find your way in where?”
My heart hammers painfully against my ribs as I get a sinking sense of foreboding. I know Killian uses Lance for the dirty, dangerous jobs he can’t do himself—and that he can’t trust to anyone else. But if the Italians have pushed my brother to the point of “unleashing” Lance, then this can’t be good. And I’m worried that Lance will put himself at unnecessary risk when he’s starting to look more like Frankenstein’s monster or Sally fromThe Nightmare Before Christmasthan he is a man, what with all his stitches.
Killian’s green eyes crackle with fury as he meets my gaze. “Lance wants to search for a way to infiltrate the Agostis’ headquarters and kill Lucian.” Then he shifts his eyes back to Lance. “I tried to give Tatiana time to do it her way, but I’m done messing around. No one gets to tell me what battles I fight. And they sure as hell don’t get to threaten my sister’s safety without consequences.”
Lance nods in agreement, and my stomach drops. Because it’s happening again. The men who mean the most to me in this world are putting their lives at risk. Without a concern for how that makes me feel.And for what?
A war between the Russians and the Italians.
We have nothing to do with this.
“If this is about me, then I don’t want Lance to go. We’ll find another way,” I insist.
But Killian shakes his head. “No, Quinn. I thought maybe I’d sent a clear enough message by wiping out that bastard captain who gave the green light to hurt you like they did. But clearly not. And if Lucian doesn’t want to censure his men, then he’s not fit to lead them. Any man who wants the right to be called don should put mad dogs like that down without question. But he didn’t. Instead, he sent more men after you.”
“You should have heard the way those filthy animals talked,” Lance adds fuel to the fire, nearly growling the words as he spits them between his teeth.
And I know I’m fighting a losing battle here. Neither of them are worried about what might happen to Lance. They’re too busy being macho and trying to prove their might is bigger than Lucian Agosti’s.
“They were just trying to scare me,” I insist. “And they’re dead now. So, what does it matter? Killian, can’t you try talking to Lucian?”
“Talk?” Killian scoffs. “We’re well past the time for talking, Quinn. He’s shown complete disregard for this family. For the empire our father built. Hemurderedmy wife’s parents, tried to claim Manhattan as his own. No, Lucian has to pay. And unfortunately, Tatiana’s men aren’t fully on board with her as their new leader—which means if we want this job done right, it’s time to take matters into our own hands.”
“I’ll go tonight,” Lance states.
His certainty strikes fresh fear into my heart because I know how reckless Lance can be with his own safety. And he and my brother are so hot-blooded—he might just throw himself into a half-baked plan that could get him killed.
But I know if I say as much in front of my brother, he’ll sense something’s off. Because I’ve never spoken up so boldly to Lance in front of him before. I’ll have to wait for an opportunity to speak my mind. But I can’t let him leave tonight without saying my piece. If I did and Lance died, I could never forgive myself.
“Good,” Killian agrees. “Is he done being stitched up?”
He looks at me pointedly, and I feel my grasp on the situation slipping through my fingers.
“Nearly. He took a bump on the head I want to check before I release him,” I state in my best clinical voice.
Lance casts me a sidelong glance because we both know he didn’t get hit in the head, but he doesn’t argue. And my fib seems to pay out.
“Fine,” my brother concedes. “Finish up. Lance, meet me in my office when you’re done. We can go over your plan of action.”
With a curt nod and a grunt of acknowledgement, Lance turns back to me, and Killian departs. But when he reaches the door to my bedroom, he pauses.
“I’ll leave this open,” he states pointedly, looking at the door then back at me.
“Thanks,” I agree, knowing better than to push my luck.
And as my brother vanishes into the hall, I release the heavy breath I’ve been holding since he came in.
23
LANCE
Ican feel the tension rolling off Quinn in waves as the silence stretches between us. Then, after watching the door for several seconds to make sure Killian’s gone, she turns back to me.
“A bump on my head, hmm?” I ask, quirking a brow.
“Please, Lance,” she breathes, dropping all pretense as she steps toward me. And her fingers wrap around mine with such desperation it makes my heart twinge. “I don’t want you to go. It’s too risky. You’re already hurt. And Lucian clearly means business. You can’t do this all alone.”
Sighing, I run my thumbs over Quinn’s knuckles, lifting her hands to my chest and looking at their delicate perfection. “Defense doesn’t seem to be working very well as a strategy either,” I point out. “They were complacent when they thought we might back down. But the peace was only temporary.”