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“I hope that doesn’t mean you aren’t willing to do it because he”—I aimed my thumb towards Brandon—“promised to protect me and break me free of my da. The only way to do that is to put him six feet under.”
    “Blood thirsty little thing, aren’t you?” Nic chuckled, glancing over at Brandon. “Are you sure you want to keep her?”
    My back straightened in outrage, more at the implication that Brandon shouldn’t want to keep me than the idea that he could just decide he was going to. Brandon slid his hand up my back and wrapped it around my neck, practically shackling me in place. It was a macho move, but I found comfort in his show of possession and relaxed into his hold.
    “Quit messing around,” Brandon growled. “You knew she was mine before I was willing to admit it.”
    “That I did,” Nic murmured with a smug grin before turning his attention my way again. “When you first came to me, I offered to eliminate your father and you refused to believe it was the best way to proceed. What’s changed since then?”
    My breath caught in my throat as I tried to fight against the tears that welled in my eyes. I’d learned long ago that my da didn’t really love me, but it didn’t stop the pain of knowing how very little I meant to him. “Killing my da would only halt things in his organization temporarily. I wanted to blow it the fuck up. But, now he knows about my betrayal. Chances are, I’ll end up in his next shipment of girls.”
    Brandon’s fingers dug into the skin of my neck, hard enough I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up with bruises. “No fucking way,” he hissed, turning my head until I was staring into his eyes. “I knew he was after you, but I can’t believe he would sell his own daughter into slave trade.”
    “He likes to play his cards close to the vest as much as he can,” I explained. “I wouldn’t even know about it, except Tommy overheard my da on the phone with one of his guys when I disappeared. Apparently, he was royally pissed that his ditzy little girl was able to outsmart him. Da told the guy I’d be worth the trade and ‘kept in line’ with a firm hand, or find myself saying Hail Marys on my way to hell.”
    “Motherfucker,” Nic growled.
    I laughed without any humor. “Oh, and let’s not forget how valuable I am, being a virgin and all.” In any other situation, I might have felt uncomfortable discussing my sexual experience, or lack thereof, with Nic Deluca, but I didn’t have the luxury of being squeamish.
    “There’s no fucking way that’s gonna happen.” Brandon’s voice was deceptively soft. “No one will lay a fucking hand on you."
    “What’s with us and falling for virgins?” Nic murmured, shaking his head, as though disappointed. The possessive look in his eyes and half-smile on his face said otherwise. His attention returned to us. “If she isn’t a virgin any longer, that may negate his plans to sell her to the highest bidder,” he said, displaying the level of cunning and ruthlessness that had gained him a fearsome reputation as the head of the DeLuca family. “I’m sure I can depend on you to take care of that little problem, right Bran?”
    “Shut the fuck up before I shut you up myself.”
    “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Nic chuckled. “Unfortunately, I’m sure Pat will decide his only other choice is to kill her.” Brandon practically snarled at Nic, who held up his hand to indicate that he wasn’t done. “Which is all the more reason to agree with Carly. Pat O’Reilly needs to be taken out.”
    “After he’s spent a few hours in my company,” Brandon muttered with grim determination. There was an air of deadly intent in his words. He clearly wanted my da to suffer, and I was surprised when I didn’t feel a single ounce of compassion for the man who’d fathered me. Truth was, I wanted him to suffer, to pay for his sins in this life and the next.
    Nic nodded. “How you handle it is up to you.” He looked