Page 98 of Manic

Our eyes finally met when she turned, and her lips parted like she was seconds away from arguing. Even though concern lined her forehead, her mouth sealed shut. I jerked my chin toward the door, and Axell led her out of the room.

The warmth of her presence faded, leaving nothing but a brisk chill as they stepped out, my chest hollowing. Sutton threw me one last look over her shoulder before they disappeared.

When the doors swayed shut again, fury crossed my father’s face. “You know, I had hoped you’d refrain from fucking us over before you signed those papers, but it appears you can’t seem to help yourself.”

“I did my job as your heir,” I spat. “What more do you want from me? You should have never made an alliance with the Volkovs in the first place. They’re the reason we’re in this mess.”

“An heir who is leaving the Crowes,” Father threw back and stood, rounding his desk to perch on the end of it. “Why was she even there?”

“I brought her with me so she could make sure the shipments went as planned,” I lied. “She was the only reason the Volkovs didn’t open fire on the cartel because Dmitri believed they were short.”

“They knew they were full shipments and what the product was because we had talked about it hours ago.” His lips flattened. “Dmitri set you up, Manic. He taunted you, and you fell for it. And now, because you killed one of theirs, we owe them something in return.”

“Like what?”

“In order to keep our alliance, you are now set to trade Sutton to the Volkovs during a shipment exchange in three weeks. Dmitri will be using her to bear his own heirs while simultaneously building new casinos in their own territory. We will all be able to move products more efficiently when everyone has their own secure ports and casinos. It will help wipe the Irish out entirely, and we can increase our numbers.”

Trade Sutton.

I froze as his casual words tainted the air, something inside me going very, very still. That aching pressure pushed against my chest, clamping around my lungs until each breath burned. I imagined his hands on her—Dmitri forcing Sutton to do whatever twisted thing he wanted. That was all it took for an unnatural quiet to settle beneath my skin.

Colder than rage.

It threaded through my bones and the blood in my veins, replacing my chaos for something far more chilling.

Not. Fucking. Happening.

I rolled my shoulders to ease the tension and flexed my hands until the muscles ached, willing my expression to remain composed. Calm. Father smiled flatly, waiting for my response. For me to explode.

“Dmitri would kill her,” I said calmly. “Just like the others who have warmed his bed. Sutton isn’t even a part of the mafia, so what use would he have with her other than being a toy? She’d be wasted with him.”

Dmitri knew I had a short fuse, and because he didn’t get the trade he wanted weeks ago, he’d taken it into his own hands. If I shot one of theirs, we’d have no choice but to give up one of ours.

But Sutton wasn’t ours, not really.

And if I gave her to Dmitri, she’d be in a different kind of prison.

“Mm. Well, Dmitri likes her brain and is determined to use her however he wishes,” Father said with a wave of his hand. “I can’t say I blame him, because I was going to keep her as Luka’s replacement. Now we’re forced in a different direction.”

Silence festered between us, a constant thump of annoyance beating behind my eyes. Father could make his deals and build alliances, but there was no chance in hell I would give Sutton to the Volkovs. She was mine in every aspect, and I was going to keep it that way.

A strange ache spread over me, suffocating and slow, until it lodged in my throat. I didn’t understand it, but I knew with absolute certainty that letting her go wasn’t an option for me.

I’d hate for Father to become suspicious, and so I plastered a cool smile and smoothed my expression. He’d wonder why I’d taken an interest in Sutton, and then use her as a punishment toward me in whatever way he could. Maybe he already was.

“If you want to keep her within the mafia,” I said. “She would fare better as a Crowe. Have Naomi take her in to learn the ropes.”

“No. This is what Feliks demanded in order to hold our alliance because of who you killed tonight.”

“They set us up.”

“Set up or not, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “We owe them. But pretty soon, it won’t be your problem to deal with, not unless you plan to stay.”

I blankly stared at him, knowing exactly where this conversation was headed. I released another long breath, forcing the tightness in my chest to subside. My fingers twitched with a sudden eagerness to stab something, but exploding wasn’t an option right now.

“Did you sign those release papers?” he asked finally.

“Would it matter if I did?” I clipped, pulling out a pack of smokes. “You don’t want me to sign them, so why would I? You’d be stripping me of everything I’ve earned.”