Page 155 of Dirty Rival

“The part where I said that my father is killer,” Reid says, “did that not compute?”

“If that murder even happened, my father hid it. They’re both monsters. I’m worried about you and your brother, who I know you love. Call your father. You can control him. Tell him that if my father ends up dead, you’ll do something to him. You know what that something is that will work. I know you do.”

“Setting my father’s temper on fire is not the answer.”

“Fine,” I say. “Then I need to end this.” I stand up and before I can make it a sway, let alone, a step, Reid is in front of me, pulling me to face him.

“I tried to end this. This is not a simple conversation away from closure.”

“You did end it. And then I showed up. I opened the door to yet another war.”

“You didn’t do this, Carrie. Don’t put their war on yourself. We didn’t do this. We’re the peace between two families. We’re the change.”

“Would he kill me? Would your father kill me? And no, I’m not afraid. I’m angry that I even have to ask that question.”

His lips thin. “Not while you’re with me, and that’s the part of this equation that’s tormenting me. I didn’t think he could kill anyone,” Reid replies. “Now, I think he might have. If you’re with me though you’re connected to that nastiness, but my father would not dare touch you either. I protect you, but this also means that you have to deny knowing anything.”

“This is like a mob scenario over and over. If you protect me then this works in reverse. If you’re with me, my father won’t go after you. He’s just talking.”

“I don’t think it works like that, baby. He could still come at me to get me to divide us.”

“Then I have to talk to my brother.” I try to pull away. Reid holds onto me. “Damn it, Reid, don’t stand back on this. Be the bastard that you are. Motivate my brother to shut this down.”

“If you run to him now, you look desperate and reactive.”

I swallow hard. He’s right. I hate that he’s right. I hate so much about this night and the questions that come to my mind. “Would my father kill your father?”

“He’s given me no reason to call him a killer.”

“That’s not a no, and as I said if he can accuse your father of murder, and use that murder as leverage rather than turn him in. He might as well have been a part of the murder. If it’s even real.”

“This is not a topic that you make an assumption on, Carrie. Correction: You do assume, and you assume the worst. You have to deal with the jeopardy attached.” He cups my face. “Let’s order food, fuck, and go to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. Let’s not give anyone the power to ruin that for us.”

My hands go to his hands. “If I’m with you, and you’re right, he wants to divide us, then he comes for you. There’s an easy solution. I walk away, at least for now until we find another way. I’ll go to my brother’s. I’ll play the wounded little sister. I have to. Reid, I—”

“No, Carrie. You will not leave me. Now or ever.”

“I don’t want to leave but—”

He kisses me, a deep, drugging kiss before he says, “No.”

“Reid, damn it—”

“When you leave me, you become a weapon my father can use against your father.” He squeezes his eyes shut. “But I don’t want you to stay with me to stay safe. Stay with me because you want to. Because we belong together.” He cups my backside. “I need you naked in a real bed.”

I press on his chest. “No. Do not even think about distracting me right now. I disagree with me looking desperate and reactive unless it’s by intent. Unless I make them think they’ve won.”

“I will pull out those cuffs right now if necessary. You are not leaving me. I will cuff you to the bed and fuck you until our meeting tomorrow. Fuck sleep.”

“Then we end this. We make it go away. Now, Reid. We have power tonight before we walk into the convention center deal tomorrow. I told my brother he gets a piece of the action. I haven’t given him the contract yet.”

Reid releases me, his hands settling on his hips. “All we’re going to do is make him an enemy who’s bitter.”

“He’s already an enemy. He’s the one who sent me that document and tried to convince me that you screwed me and my family.”

“Carrie, baby,” he says, backing me against a wall. “This is not a subject that we’re reacting to tonight. We need sleep. We need food. We need each other.” His cellphone rings and he grimaces.

“Watch that be my father,” I say. “He’ll call you but not me.”