Page 163 of The Devil's Thorn

We wrapped the conversation from there—details confirmed, hands shaken. No signatures yet. But the energy had shifted. They wanted the deal. Needed it. And they’d remember this room, if only because of the woman in it.

When we stepped out into the hallway again, the air felt lighter, even if the danger hadn’t passed. Yuri clapped Nikolai on the back, muttering something about the youngest Cartel guy probably writing sonnets to Isabella before sunrise.

But I didn’t laugh. I turned to her instead, my hand ghosting down her lower back, not touching—almost. “You’re not what they expected,” I said quietly, low enough that only she could hear me.

She looked up at me, unreadable. “Neither are you.”

I held her gaze, something sharp and unspoken passing between us. And for once, I didn’t try to name it. I just nodded, stepping ahead toward the cars, knowing she’d follow—because she always did.

Not because I owned her. But because we were moving on the same path, whether we liked it or not.

Just as I stepped closer to the waiting car, Damyen emerged from around the corner, his hands clasped behind his back like he was trying too hard to seem composed.

“Sir,” he said quickly, a little too eager. “The shipment’s ready for transport—warehouse near the port. They’re moving it out tonight. I was told you’d want to oversee it yourself.”

I studied him for a second, my jaw ticking. His voice was steady, his face expressionless. But I’d seen men fold with far less pressure than what this world could serve. He was new, green in ways that would get most people buried if they weren’t careful. Still, he hadn’t made a mistake—yet.

“Text Nikolai the location,” I said, my voice low but sharp enough to cut. “And I don’t need reminders of what I want to oversee.”

“Of course.” Damyen dipped his head and stepped back, disappearing into the dusk.

Just as I was about to open the car door, I felt her before I heard her. “You’re really going?” Isabella’s voice came soft, calculated—low enough that no one but me would hear.

I glanced sideways. She stood beside me, arms crossed, her eyes sharp like she’d dissected every word of that conversation. She wasn’t dressed for bloodshed, but that never meant she wasn’t prepared for it. The breeze tugged at a strand of her hair, and I had the fleeting thought that if she ever stopped looking at me like she wanted to rip out my throat, I wouldn’t know what to do with it.

“I don’t trust him,” she added, chin tilted slightly up. “Damyen.”

I looked back at the car. “You don’t trust anyone,” I replied, stepping closer. “It’s what makes you useful.”

“Then you should take me with you.” Her voice didn’t rise. It never did when she was like this—deadly calm, still. “If something’s off, I’ll see it before you do.”

I turned to face her fully, arching a brow. “You’re not going.”

Her jaw clenched. “Why? Because I have a vagina or because you still think I’ll break if I get blood on my shoes?”

I let out a soft chuckle. “Because I don’t need a distraction if shit goes sideways. Stay here.”

“You’re making a mistake.”

“I’ve made worse.”

Her eyes narrowed, like she wanted to throw something at my head—or kill me, but that was often the same thing with her.

“You’re underestimating me again.”

“No,” I said, stepping closer, voice dropping to something quieter, more dangerous. “I’m protecting my investment.”

Her lips parted, but before she could say anything else, I turned and slid into the backseat of the car. Nikolai was already inside, phone in hand. Yuri was smirking like he’d just heard the entire thing and was dying to comment but knew better—barely.

As the engine purred to life, I glanced once through the tinted window. Isabella was still standing there, arms folded tight across her chest, her weight shifted to one leg like she’d decided ten different ways to kill me with her eyes alone.

“You two get any closer, and the whole damn resort’s going to burn,” Yuri said as we pulled away.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I stared ahead, the heat outside nothing compared to the fire crawling just beneath my skin.

She was right about one thing. I should’ve brought her.

But I didn’t know if it was the danger I was trying to shield her from… or myself.