Page 10 of Claiming Veronica

“Watch your mouth, Eli.” Pike’s voice again had that low, dangerous edge, but I wasn’t fazed, not by him, not by his threats. I knew he wouldn’t hit me. I wish he would, honestly. I’d made a killing — no pun intended — fighting. Pike wouldn’t stand a chance.

“What?” I said with a mock-innocent shrug. “Just saying, the girl’s been in bubble wrap her whole life. How long do you think that’s gonna last? Veronica doesn’t strike me as the type to stay sheltered forever.”

Pike’s eyes narrowed, and I could see the calculation in his gaze. “She doesn’t need you getting involved in her business.”

I snorted. “Who said anything about getting involved? I just like knowing what I’m dealing with.”

Pike’s lips pressed into a thin line. He wasn’t buying it, not for a second. “You’ve been leaving her those gifts,” he said suddenly, his voice quiet but firm. “Shit on her patio. She told Nat.”

My stomach twisted, but I kept my face blank, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He was watching me closely, waiting for acrack, but I wasn’t going to give him one. I had a moment where I wondered what she thought about when she saw my little presents. Did they excite her as much as they did me?

“Gifts?” I asked, tilting my head, pretending I didn’t care what he was talking about. “What gifts?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Eli,” Pike growled, taking a step forward. “You’re lurking around the house. I know you’re leaving those little ‘presents’ by her patio door.”

I clenched my jaw, irritation flaring in my chest. “You don’t know shit.”

Pike’s eyes darkened, the frustration bubbling to the surface again. “You’re messing with her head, Eli. That’s not okay. She’s been through enough.”

I let out a sharp laugh, unable to hold it back. “I’mmessing with her head? You think I’m the one doing that? Last I checked, she’s not exactly living a normal life. What, with Bratva guards lurking around every corner and her sister keeping her locked up like some princess in a tower?”

“Veronica’s got her reasons for staying inside,” Pike shot back, his voice tight. “And it’s not yourplace to question it. What are you even talking about? Why do you even care.”

“Maybe,” I said, looking him in the eye. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit on the sidelines and watch her suffocate in that place.”

Pike’s jaw twitched, and I could tell he struggled to keep his temper in check. “You don’t know her, Eli. Not like you think you do.”

I stared at him for a long moment, letting his words sink in. Maybe he was right. Maybe I didn’t know her — not fully. But there was something about Veronica that pulled me in and made me want to protect her, not in the same way Pike did, not with cages and walls. I wanted to give her the freedom she deserved, to help her break away from the chains that held her down.

“You’re wrong,” I said quietly, my voice steady. “I know enough.”

Pike stared at me, his eyes searching mine for some answer. But he wouldn’t find it. Not yet. I wasn’t ready to lay all my cards on the table. Not with him.

“Just stay away from her,” Pike finally said, his voice weary but firm. “She doesn’t need your kind of attention.”

I didn’t respond, letting his words hang in the air. Maybe he was right. Perhaps I was poison. But I wasn’t about to walk away from Veronica, not when she was the only thing that made sense in this screwed-up world.

“What does that mean exactly,” I shot back. “My kind of attention?”

“She doesn’t date.” Pike ran his hand to the back of his neck, and I almost cringed at the memory of him doing that same motion when I was small.

“So?”

“She should date, but I don’t get the idea that you date,” he said pointedly.

“I don’t.” There was no reason to beat around the bush on that one. There were several reasons I didn’t “date,” for fuck’s sake. Only jerkfaces in creased pants did that. The way I was raised had never meant that I got to go on regular dates and shit. If Veronica needed something, I’d be the one to give it to her.

“Exactly. Not sure what you do,” he muttered the last bit under his breath, but I heard him loud and clear. I rocked on my heels a bit and gave a shit-eating grin.

“Wow, you’re just as fucked up as I am. I’ll see you around, brother,” I said, turning on my heel and walking away, feeling Pike’s eyes on me the whole time.

But as I walked, I knew one thing for sure — I wasn’t staying away from Veronica. Not now. Not ever. Dating? Did she want to go on a date? Like holding hands? What did that mean?

Chapter 6

Veronica

Maxim’s voice crackled through the speaker, low and authoritative like always. He wasn’t the type to ask for opinions unless he actually cared. So, when he started the conversation by asking if we were okay with Luca and Enzo heading back to San Diego, I knew he was worried about the change.