Page 39 of Broken Mercy
This was extremely unexpected. I take a moment to drink her in and realize what I took to be nerves is actually something else?—
It’s rage.
Pure and simple anger.
A deep, dark, bitter well of it, flooding up through her, and it’s definitely not all aimed at me.
Hell, I doubt I’m even remotely the cause of whatever she’s got hiding inside.
Which is fascinating.
Tallie comes off a lot like her sister does: pretty, cultured, a creature of delights and comforts. But this side of her is dark and wicked, a hidden strength I hadn’t thought she contained.
Another mistake on my part.
I bend over and pick up the chair. I set it down with a sharp clack and lower myself carefully into the seat. I fold my hands in front of her and meet her at her level.
“How badly do you want it?”
Her jaw twitches. The corner of her eye wrinkles. “All my life.”
“How far will you go?”
“As far as I have to.”
“What about your siblings? Your sister? You’ll have to leave them behind.”
Her nose wrinkles for the briefest moment. “I’ll deal with it.”
“You know what you’re asking, right?”
“I want a way out, Brenden. No more family, no more oversight, no more living in the spotlight of my father’s name. I want to be my own person for once in my life.” The desperation spilling off her makes my heart flutter. I fucking swear, I’ve never seen a woman more beautiful than she is right now. “I don’t care what you’re doing. I really, really don’t. I’ll keep your secrets, whatever they are, so long as it ends with my future in my hands.”
It’s tempting to stretch this out. I could tease her, push her to breaking, see exactly what she’s made of. If I’m careful, I might even get her to beg.
But I don’t want any of that.
Instead, I bask in the glow of her anger and determination, and it warms me in ways I never imagined another person could.
“You help me get what I want… and when it’s done, I’ll help you escape.”
“What do you want?” she asks too quickly.
I shake my head. “You don’t get to know.”
“Are you joking?”
“Not in the slightest. You do what I say. You tell me what I need to know. But you don’t get to ask questions.”
“I’d rather turn you in to Arsen.”
“Go ahead. Turn me in. Get me killed. Then you’ll be the woman who betrayed her husband. Who do you think they’ll marry you off to next after that, huh? You play by my rules and we both win. That’s the deal I’m offering.”
What I don’t say is simple:
I don’t trust her.
Not even remotely.
