Page 24 of Lovely Venom

“Why will you live here?” My throat goes dry. “Level with me, Tahiri.What’s the catch?”

“The catch,Raina,” Noel sneers, “is that you must marryme.The council agreed to make mekyreon the condition I marry Levin’s rightful heir.”

Everything inside me turns ice-cold. Two hands land on my shoulders. Not threatening me or detaining me. Calming me. I look up and it’s Valdrin, nodding.

It’s all right, kid. I got your back.

I must be delusional to trust a complete stranger.

I get my shit together and smile with a slow, lethal grin. Noel smiles back. He thinks I’m considering it. Like I actually want him the way other women fall at his feet and suck his dick in his club.

Then, before I can stop myself, I start to laugh. Not polite, not nervous. A real, full-bodiedwhat-the-fucklaugh.

Noel’s eyes glint with amusement. “Something funny to share with me?”

“Yeah.” I push back from the table and smash the glass with my fist. “Is that strength enough for you?”

“What the fuck?” Noel jumps up.

My arm screams in pain, and blood trickles from busted stitches, but I ignore everything and step over the shards to get right in Noel’s face. With a deep husky drawl, I say, “I’d rather put a bullet in my own skull than marry you.”

Anger boils in Noel’s eyes at my disrespect. He backs me against the wall with his hands around my throat. “Is it me you object to, or marriage?”

“Marriage.Andyou.” I catch Valdrin go still at how Noel is touching me. “I don’t know you. And I don’t want any of this.”

“Then stay Raina Riatt. The DEA agent who put dozens of mafia-connected drug dealers in jail, and notalways with the most lawful methods. I will dox you so fast, you’ll be dead or abducted by sunrise.”

Shaking, I realize the catch isn’t the marriage. It’s that I don’t have a choice.

“That’s enough,” Valdrin roars. “Someone clean up this glass before our princess starts slitting throats with it.”

Noel stiffens at his tone and releases me. “Let’s see how far you get out there on your own.”

With lackeys in tow, thekyrestruts down a long and shadowed corridor of the expansive penthouse.

“I’ll walk you out,” Valdrin says and gently takes my arm. When I whine in pain, he loosens his grip. “You’re bleeding.”

“Yeah, one of the guys from that club stabbed me. My stitches must have opened.”

“I’ll call a doctor.”

“No. It’s fine,” I bristle. “I’ll stop at a clinic.”

“This should cover it, seeing you don’t have medical insurance anymore.” Valdrin opens his wallet and hands me five hundred dollars. “You did good tonight, Raina.”

His note of approval sends a warm rush through me. Mom never asked about my job, just my love life. When I tried talking about my team and how I was fighting a drug war, her eyes would glaze over.

“And here.” From his back pocket, Valdrin takes out my gun and hands it to me with no hesitation.

“Thank you.” I take the cash and let the 9mm rest in my palm to see if Valdrin reacts.

He doesn’t, so I put it back in my side pocket.

“What now?” I ask with a tight throat.

“We wait for your decision.”

I glance around. “Why aren’t you just abducting me?”