“She’s in love with you, Magnus,” Cassie says, and you can hear the taunting little smirk on her face. “Aren’t you? I can see it now.”
“You’re the other woman,” Alice spits at her. “I’ve been with him for months and then you come along like you’re some hot shit and weasel your way into his bed. No, that’s not the way this goes.”
I glance at Renner and I can see him stiffen, but he doesn’t say a word. Not now when Cassie’s life is on the line.
“You fed information to the enemy,” I tell Alice in a mellow voice. “They always wanted this house,” I say, letting out a breath. “Killing me inside with the deed would be a good way to get it easily. You must have called them and told them we were here.”
“She called someone earlier,” Cassie says, wide-eyed. “I saw her just before we—”
Just before we made love in the light of the fire. Just before we became one.
“Shut up, you bitch!” Alice shrieks, cocking the gun. “This is between him and me!”
I watch Cassie’s pulse quicken in the vein that runs up her neck and my whole body stiffens with fear for a moment. I’ve realized that I really don’t care what Renner or anyone else thinks, but if I lose Cassie, I know I just might lose myself in the process.
“Why did you do it, Alice?” I ask her. I just want to buy us time, and get her to relax a little so my team can make a move.
Alice looks at me with teary, half-crazed eyes. “I wasn’t going to. I was going to save you.”
“He’s not yours to save,” Cassie says savagely, and she throws her head back, smacking into Alice’s nose with a sharp crack.
Alice screeches and I rush forward, pushing her to the ground. My security team rushes forward and I look up to watch Cassie stumble back, holding the back of her head.
“Cassie,” Renner says, as I signal my security team to pull Alice to her feet. Renner holds his daughter close, kissing the top of her head.
As they yank Alice away with a bloody nose, I hear her whisper, “You don’t even like blondes.”
Cassie is under her dad’s arm, but as her face shows the depth of her emotions, she runs to me as I get to my feet, burying her face in my shoulder with a soft cry. My arm comes up to wrap around her automatically and I see Renner freeze.
He heard Alice. A dozen emotions scatter over his face, but he settles on a bright red that might be anger, but could also be some sort of embarrassment at seeing his daughter in his best friend’s arms.
“Magnus,” he says in a hard voice. I can’t blame him for his ire if that’s what it is. I would probably feel mad or even betrayed too in his place. “I need to see you in the other room.”
Cassie grabs my arm, but I peel her fingers away gently and tell her everything is going to be fine. This is something I need to do.
“If you were anyone else,” Renner says, pointing a finger at me. “I would break your jaw.”
“I wouldn’t blame you,” I tell him honestly, leaning against the table in the sitting room. “But, before you poison my dinner, you need to know that it’s not what you think, Ren.”
Renner softens at his nickname, but not much. Anger still turns his face a bright red.
“I think you’re involved with my daughter,” Renner grits out, bringing a fist down on the table hard enough to hurt. “I think you’re my best friend and I trusted you.”
I raise a hand, trying to be as sincere as I can be.
“You can trust that I’ll keep her safe,” I tell him in a hard voice. “I would give up my life for hers.”
“She’s a grown woman and I wasn't there for most of her life,” Renner says in a defeated voice. “I have no business telling her who she can and can’t love. But if you hurt my girl—”
“He won’t,” Cassie says surely as she walks into the room. She smiles at her father and I can see the love in her eyes. “Dad, I’m sorry, but this isn’t something I can walk away from.”
“I won’t be going anywhere either,” I tell him. “But we do need to talk about you and the future of the family, Renner. I…I’m thinking of taking a step back. I want to get my priorities straight.”
“You would leave all this for me?” Cassie asks me, wide-eyed. When I nod, she grins brightly.
Renner sighs, watching as Cassie wraps herself around me. He runs a hand over his face.
“Well,” he says, a small smile tugging at his lips. And he’s only partly joking when he says, “When’s the wedding?”