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I closed the door behind me and reached out to find the light switch, flicking it on so that I wasn’t standing in complete darkness.

I knew my reflexes were good.

But I didn’t know that they weresogood that only a second passed between me registering the figure standing in my kitchen and my handbag hitting Ashe square in the face.

15

ASHE

“Jesus, Zar!”I cursed, bringing a hand to my probably-bleeding nose. “What do you have in that bag, a fucking brick?”

“No, but if you’re going to make this a habit, maybe I’ll start carrying one!”

I looked down at my hand. No blood.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she stormed over to pick up her bag, inspecting the material to make sure it wasn’t injured. Knowing that I was lower on the totem pole than a handbag stung a little, I’ll admit.

“I had to make sure you were okay,” I shrugged, leaning back on the kitchen counter and crossing my arms.

It had taken every last shred of my self control not to rip that rich boy’s throat out at the pub when he dragged her away. Her little bodyguard was proving to be a bit of a problem for me. I knew I couldn’t do anything about it though, not when things were already so tense between the MC and The Family.

“Of course I’m okay,” Zarina shook her head. “What did you think would happen?”

“Look, I know what happens when a member betrays the club, alright? I don’t exactly know what protocol is for the mafia. I had to be sure.”

“My brother wouldn’t kill me, that’s for sure,” she rolled her eyes.

Her lips pressed into a pout as she crossed her arms, mimicking my stance. I was sure she thought she was being funny, but all I could think about was the brief memory I had of those cherry-red lips wrapped around my?—

“He would killyou, though,” Zarina added, disrupting my much happier thoughts. “What would have happened if he had brought me home? Hmm?”

She had a fair point. I wouldn’t admit it, though.

I shrugged.

I didn’t have an answer. Hadn’t heard any of the rational reasons why I should not have come here when Charmer and Bull had tried to stop me at the pub. They had tried to make me see reason, to stay with them and drink, to go for a ride somewhere to take my mind off of it.

But as soon as we were on the highway, it was easy enough to lose them.

I knew that nothing else would be able to occupy my thoughts until I knew that she was safe. Saw it with my own two eyes.

“Well, I’m fine,” she gestured at herself. “All in one piece. So now what?”

I pushed off the counter, closing the space between us in two steps and she moved against the wall. Her eyes widened with a little bit of shock and sparkled with a little bit of excitement.

Zarina Santino loved this little game we were playing, that I could already tell.

“You tell me, Princess.”

She was tall, but I was taller, and the way that she looked up at me through those long lashes would have me falling to my knees if only she asked for it.

This woman could flutter her eyelashes and flash those icy blue eyes at me and I’d sign over half my shit without a second thought.

Hell, let’s be real, I’d sign overallof my shit.

That meant that she was dangerous.

Not only to me, but to my club.