LONDON'S POV
I didn't beg him to take me with him like I had yesterday. After the pathetic way I had sobbed in his arms last night, I wasn't going to show even an ounce of weakness again. It didn't suit me.
It didn't suit anyone.
He adjusted his cufflinks as he looked at me. Brown eyes had never really affected me, but his did. They were warm like coffee, yet dark like tree bark. They could go from intense to mischievous in an instant.
"Do you want to come with me?"
I froze in place, unable to believe his offer. After meeting the Barsetti brothers the night before, he had been angry that he'd brought me along. And now he was asking me himself? It only took me a few seconds to figure it out.
"I'm fine. Thanks anyway."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't want to come?"
"No. I'm staying here."
I had nothing against annoying him until I got what I wanted, but the last thing I wanted was his pity. Him feeling too guilty to hand me over to Bones was one thing. But this was something else entirely.
He slipped his hands into his pockets and stared at me.
"London."
I crossed my arms, refusing to give in.
"Hmm?"
"I know you want to come. What are you playing at?"
"I'm not playing anything. You're only inviting me because you feel sorry for me. Don't feel sorry for me. I hate that."
He glanced at his watch as if he were running late.
"I think staying here feeling sorry for yourself is worse than anything else. But do whatever you want."
He walked toward the door without any intention of turning around.
I didn't want to be alone here, especially since I had no idea when he would return. I couldn't explore the place while Dunbar constantly threw threatening looks at me. He was one of Crewe's most loyal employees, but I knew he would betray him if he thought he could get away with it. I could imagine him pinning me to the floor and doing horrible things to me. And Ariel… she was unpredictable.
"Wait."
Crewe turned around as though he had expected me to say something.
"I'm coming with you."
For once, he held back his arrogance.
"I'm leaving in five minutes. Hurry up."
We were alone in his black sports car. It only had two seats, and judging by the roar of the engine, it could accelerate at lightning speed. I stared out the window and didn't ask any questions. With a little luck, he wouldn't bring up last night.
Crewe never turned on the radio, which I found strange. He never listened to music.
"What are you doing today?"
"We're going over the weapons selection."
He was wearing thick tinted sunglasses that concealed his beautiful eyes.
"Why are you buying weapons from them?"
"Protection is important. And I want the best."
"Do you have a lot of enemies?"
"Everyone does. If you don't, something's wrong."
That was debatable.
"I can stay in the car if you want…"
He had already shown some generosity by letting me come along. I would rather sit in a scorching car than stay at the house with his men.
"Why do you hate Dunbar so much?"
"Because he's an asshole. He's already hit me twice."
"He thought you were trying to escape."
I shook my head.
"No. He has a problem with me. I honestly think that if you weren't there, he'd do worse to me… just because he wanted to."
Instead of immediately dismissing me, he thought about what I had said.
"Dunbar has worked for me for a long time. He wouldn't dare defy me."
"I'm not so sure…"
"You're going to have to give me more proof than that."
"My gut tells me so, that's all."
Crewe drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the edge of the lowered window.
"I'm not so sure."
"You've never been a woman. You don't know what it's like to constantly feel like prey. You can't understand."
I knew when a man wanted to hurt me for his own twisted pleasure. If Dunbar believed he could get away with it, he would smash my head against the floor and force himself on me.
Crewe turned toward me, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. Everything about him made him look handsome, even sunglasses that partially hid his face. He could have been wearing a sombrero and tights, and I still would have thought he was gorgeous.
"I know what it's like to feel like prey. But no, I don't know what it's like to be a woman. You got me there."
I wondered if he was referring to the death of his family. He was probably the last target on the list, but they had never managed to kill him.
"Do you think you could take me back to Fair Isle? I could just be a woman you see whenever you're there."
He had women in Edinburgh, and probably in every major city.
"Do you like it there?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't be in your way, and I like Finley. Actually, he's the only employee of yours I feel comfortable around."
"Who says you're in my way?"
He had a short memory.
"Yesterday, you told me how upset you were that you let me come with you to Crow and Cane."
"But you weren't in my way. And no, we're not doing that."
I hid my disappointment as best I could.
"So I have to follow you everywhere you go?"
"Exactly."
We continued driving through the city until we reached a building that looked abandoned to me. When the car arrived at the gate, the camera must have recognized Crewe's face because it opened and allowed us inside.
I examined the concrete building that housed warehouses. At first glance, you would never guess that anything illegal was happening inside.
"If I'm always with you, what are you going to do about your other women?"
I didn't like imagining him with other women. The fact that they were free and willing to sleep with him irritated me. I would give anything to have a consensual relationship again. But I knew I was irritated for other reasons too.
"That can be arranged."
He turned off the engine and got out.
I hid the bitterness on my face before getting out and joining him.
Crewe took my hand and pulled me along, keeping me close as he walked. He entered a warehouse and greeted the men before spotting Crow. His hand never left mine, and when we came face-to-face with the man we had seen the night before, his arm wrapped around my waist.
"Crow."
He nodded.
"Crewe. Looking forward to seeing the merchandise?"
"Impress me."
"This way."
Crow led us to a room away from the other men. Cane was already there, adjusting the different rifles on display. They were all black, and they looked like military weapons. There were machine guns as well as handguns.
I felt a little nervous.
"They're not loaded."
Crow smiled at me as if he knew I was terrified.
Crewe kept me close while examining the arsenal. He only let go of my waist once to inspect an AK-47. He weighed it in both hands, then pointed it toward the opposite wall. Clearly, he had handled heavy weapons before because he seemed to know exactly what he was doing.
That only made me more nervous. If I were in New York, I would be in class right now, studying the nervous system. But I was in Italy, with a man who intended to keep me and have his way with me for as long as he wanted. He was examining the selection of weapons he was about to buy from two criminal masterminds.
How had Joey gotten himself tangled up in all of this?
"What do you think?" Cane asked. "Your girl seems impressed."
I glared at him.
Crewe didn't correct him.
"It's quality. You didn't cut corners."
"We never cut corners," Crow said. "You get what you pay for."
Crewe put the machine gun back on the table, then moved on to a handgun. He weighed it in one hand before checking the barrel. Empty, just as they had claimed. He then moved on to another weapon, and another, examining each one and noticing little details I never would have seen with my inexperienced eyes.
Crow turned toward me, watching me as if I might try something.
I held his gaze, narrowing my eyes threateningly.
The corner of his mouth curled into a smile, and he looked away.
"Your girl's got guts, Crewe. That's not easy to find."
"She's got a fist too," I said. "And she isn't afraid to send it straight into your face."
Crow smiled even wider.
"Don't let her go, man. She's rare."
Crewe picked up another handgun and examined it, ignoring his comment.
"Everything looks good to me. Pack it up."
He moved back to my side, still focused on the weapons.
"Of course everything's good," Cane said. "This is genuine Italian craftsmanship."
Cane left the room, probably to tell his men to pack the weapons for us.
I was left alone with Crewe and Crow.
"How's Vanessa?" Crewe asked, probably just to make conversation while we waited.
Crow's good mood immediately disappeared. He didn't look angry, just dark and hostile. His green eyes grew darker, and his body visibly tensed. His nostrils flared, making him look like a wild beast that had been provoked.
"You know I'm in the middle of a war. And she's the leverage."
"What does that mean?" Crewe asked quietly.
I leaned in slightly, knowing Crow was about to say something important.
"Bones kidnapped her. I offered him everything I own, but he refuses to give her back."
Crow stared at the wall without blinking, his thoughts somewhere else. He was completely still, as if he had even stopped breathing.
"I'm going to get her back… one way or another."
I lowered my head to hide my face. I knew exactly who Bones was. I had seen him in person, and I had seen the evil in his eyes. He was the embodiment of everything vile, disgusting, and satanic. I tried not to shudder at the thought of what my life could have been. The Vanessa he was talking about had suffered the fate I had almost been condemned to.
"I'm sorry."
Crewe never apologized, but he seemed sincere.
I wondered who this girl was. Crow's wife? His girlfriend?
📌📌 Why do you think London is jealous of Crewe's other women? 😏