Page 17 of A Forbidden Arrangement

The growl rises in my throat before I’m moving. I shove to my feet and grab Bash by the collar. The desk rattles when I yank him forward, the edge biting into his hips. Bash grunts but doesn’t flinch. His grin stays carved in place, smug and infuriating.

“You look like shit.” His tone is amused, not concerned. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“I’ll sleep when I find her.” My fist tightens in his shirt, knuckles digging into his chest. The coil inside me winds tighter with every hour she’s gone. The unease is constant, restless, gnawing. What if she’s hurt? What if she’s…

No.

I slam the thought down and shove him back, hard enough that he stumbles a step before catching himself.

Bash smooths his collar like I didn’t nearly rip it off. “Maybe it’s time you accept she’s gone.”

The words burn through me like acid. My head snaps toward him, heat flooding my veins. “If Anastasia vanished without a trace, how would you handle it?”

For the first time, his grin slips. His jaw hardens, his voice low. “I’d tear apart every street, every building, and every man in my path until she was back where she belonged.”

Exactly.

“Now you understand.” My voice cuts like a blade. “She’s mine. I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll find her.”

I drop into my chair, leather creaking under my weight. My elbows hit the desk, fingers dragging down my face. Exhaustion gnaws at me, but it doesn’t blunt the edge of her absence.

“I’m worried about her.” The words scrape out rough, unwilling but true.

For a second, Bash softens. “You’ll find her.”

A dark laugh escapes me, humorless. “I know I will. And when I do, no one but me will ever touch her again.”

Bash chuckles, then his tone shifts. “I’m glad you finally found her. I was starting to think that cold heart of yours would always stand in your way. Turns out you’re just like the rest of your brothers.”

“How’s that?”

“Just needed the right girl.”

A year ago, hell, three months ago, I would have laughed at him. All three of my brothers have fallen hard. I watched their obsession deepen, watched men who rule entire nations kneel for the women they love. Even then, I knew that could never be me. Nothing had ever mattered as much as power. Sex was a necessity. Something to be taken, then forgotten. Nothing more.

Bash shakes his head, smirking again. “You’re just as much of a possessive psycho as the rest of us.”

“Worse.” The word leaves me calm, certain. “Once I get my hands on her, she’ll learn exactly how much I own her.”

Bash straightens, grin edged with warning. “Careful. That’s my future sister you’re talking about.”

I let the words sink in. I like how they sound. A claim. A promise.

My mouth curves. “Good. Then you know I’ll never let her go.”

Chapter 9

Dahlia

The clickof heels ricochets off wet pavement, too loud, too slow. Shadows stretch long across the alley, swallowing every turn. Footsteps hammer behind me, steady, merciless, a drum that drives me harder.

The walls creep inward, inch by inch, pressing against my shoulders. The slice of light at the far end shrinks to barely the width of a person.

Move. Move. Move.

Tears sting my eyes as my legs go heavy, desperately fighting through thick syrup with each step. The corridor squeezes tighter, and the air thickens until I can’t suck in a breath..

No. No, no.