Page 93 of Devil's Azalea

Desperation claws at my throat. There’s only one way to really do that.

“Marry me.”

31

RAFAEL

The words slipped out of my mouth unbidden. Goddammit. I was going to ask her with more finesse—not blurt it out like this while she’s hooked to an IV drip.

She’s staring at me now, mouth slightly open, eyes wide like I’ve just suggested we relocate to Mars.

“That wasn’t very smooth, was it?” I clear my throat, straightening my shoulders. No backing down now. “Let me rephrase: we’re getting married.”

There. Direct. Final. This is what I want, what Ineed, so there’s no point trying to backtrack. I’m sticking to my guns—and I’ll bulldoze right through her objections if I have to.

“Rafael.”

“No, listen. Marriage to me is the only way you’re going to survive this mess.”

“What are you talking about?” she snaps, glaring at me and instinctively trying to cross her arms over her chest. Her body rebels against the movement, reminding her of the IV line before I can, and she drops her left hand back to the bed with visible frustration.

I study her for a moment, taking in the pale cast to her skin,the way her eyelids keep drooping despite her anger. She’s exhausted, running on fumes and stubborn determination. Maybe this isn’t the right time for this conversation. But then again, she’s vulnerable right now. Hurt, isolated, questioning everything she believed in. If that makes me a bastard for taking advantage, so be it.

“Simple, baby. You’ve managed to make yourself enemies on every single front. I had a meeting with one of my dons last week—he was very concerned about you poking your pretty nose into our business. The Italians are not happy with you, and he wanted my permission to end your life.”

She winces, and something twists in my chest. Was that too brutal? Perhaps. But brutal honesty is the only thing that’s going to get through to her now. I force myself to stay where I am, resisting the urge to go to her, to smooth the worry lines from her forehead.

Not yet. She needs to hear all of it first.

“The Russians can’t be too happy with you after the arrest of theirpakhaneither. And now that he’s been released, Sergey can come after you at any time. And apparently, you even have enemies within the bureau now?”

“We don’t know that for sure yet.” Her protest is weak, halfhearted. She doesn’t believe her words any more than I do.

“We’ll know for sure when I pay those fuckers a visit in a few minutes.” I pull out my phone, unable to suppress the satisfied smirk that spreads across my face when I see Stefano’s text with an address.

“What did you do?” There’s something new in her voice now—a flicker of excitement threading through the exhaustion, her eyes popping wide.

“I have a man watching you. He’s the one who alerted me to the attack on you. I instructed him to follow your attackers—and guess who just sent me their location?” I wave my phone, and something unexpected happens.

She smiles.

Christ. The expression transforms her battered face, makes her look younger, more like the girl I fell for all those years ago. The sight of it hits me harder than expected, stealing the air from my lungs. She likes my ruthless efficiency? My willingness to hunt down the bastards who hurt her?

Good.That’s exactly who I am. Your monster, your protector.

“I’m going with you.”

“Like hell you are.” The words come out sharp, final. No room for negotiation. “The point I’m trying to make here is that your life is in danger from multiple directions, and there’s only one person with a genuine, vested interest in keeping you alive. Me.”

She tilts her head. “Are you really in love with me?”

Fuck.

My heart jackhammers against my ribs, the organ squeezing painfully until my chest heaves with the effort to continue breathing.Who the hell told her that?I’m not ready to admit how deep this goes for me.

I sidestep the question entirely. “You’re going to marry me to stay alive, and so your superiors won’t be able to force you to testify against me. A wife can’t testify against her husband.” They won’t be able to use her against me again either.

Two birds, one stone. Protection and insurance.