Page 142 of Devil's Azalea

Julian pulls out his phone, taps the screen a few times, then slides it toward me. It’s a photo—me, carrying Katie in my arms after she was shot. Carrying her out of Rafael’s hotel where Emily held her conference with the press.

Blood. Pain. Her body limp against mine.

So fucking small and fragile.

I don’t so much as blink as the memory flashes through my brain. He’s trying to fish for a reaction, and I’m not going to give him one.

“Something going on between you and her?” His question cuts through the silence in the restaurant.

I stare at the photo for another moment before answering with a flat, cold, “No.”

Julian’s smile turns satisfied. “Good. Arianna still has a chance then.”

I can feel the edge of annoyance creeping in, but I keep it in check as I fix my gaze on him wordlessly, the urge to wring his thick neck almost overwhelming. I hate being dangled on a string like a puppet, and as long as he keeps what he knows about Katie’s whereabouts to himself, he’s going to keep me dancing to his tune.Fuck.

“You don’t want to know who Arianna is?” he asks with a smug chuckle that grates on my last nerves.

I give him a pointed look, voice dry as ash. “I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.”

“A sense of humor. I like that.” He chuckles again. “Arianna is my daughter. Just imagine being a senator’s son-in-law. Or hell, maybe even the president’s son-in-law someday. She’s myonly child, which means you’d be like a first son to me. Think about it.”

He’s painting a picture he thinks should entice me. But he doesn’t know me at all.

The thought of being tied to him—to politics, to the kind of power that comes at the cost of losing everything I’ve worked hard for my whole life—makes my skin crawl. I’d rather eat glass than become part of his world.

But then I remember Katie. Still missing. Somewhere out there. Maybe even in danger. Possibly hurt. There’s no way to really know what’s happened to her in all this time.

So for her, I’ll play Julian’s little game. Until I have what I need.

“Fine,” I mutter. “Tell me where she is. Then we’ll see if this will be worth my time.”

Julian shakes his head with another goddamn chuckle. “Now, now, Romero. What do you take me for? As soon as I tell you where she is, you’ll have no incentive to cooperate with me and do what I want, will you?”

My jaw pops from how hard I’m gritting my teeth.

“Just relax in the knowledge that I know where this Katie is, and I’ll release that information in due time. As long as you keep to our deal. A few appearances here and there with me. Your brothers joining my campaign team. You meeting my daughter. Very simple.”

My hands curl into fists by my sides as the reality sinks in. Whether I like it or not, I’m stuck in Julian DeMarco’s web.

For now.