The Dragon Finds Forever
He didn’t move for a moment, then he nodded. “I want to understand what drove you to do what you did. Your act ruined me.”
Guilt washed over her. She stared at her feet. “I know it did. I’m so sorry. I had no idea that the outcome would be so drastic. But even if I had, I really didn’t have a choice.” She took a breath. “I guess maybe I did. But I’ve never made it through the pain long enough to find out if I really can resist. Or if it will just kill me.”
His brow furrowed. “I do not understand.”
“Let me start from the beginning.” She pointed toward one of the booths lining the wall. “Do you want to sit? It’s a long story. And you don’t need to stress your leg any further.”
“I am fine. But we can sit.”
So they did, on opposite sides. She folded her hands on the table, one on top of the other, took a breath, and told him exactly what she’d just told the women on the other side of the restaurant.
Every single awful detail.
Van had expected a lot of excuses, a sad tale about a life gone wrong, bad choices made, decisions that couldn’t be undone.
He had not expected what Monalisa actually told him, and by the time she finished, he had to remind himself to shut his mouth, because it hung open in shock and disbelief. “Your father controls you?”
She nodded, her eyes bright with angry tears. “All my life. I’m nothing to him but a weapon in his arsenal.”
“I cannot understand how your father can do this. I would never treat a child of mine in such a manner.”
“Not many would, but he’s a leprechaun, and his status as king has made him greedy, ambitious, and paranoid. Everything he does is a calculated move designed to protect or expand his empire.”
“Does he not consider you something to be protected as well?”
She flattened her palms on the table and stared at him. “What do you think, based on what I’ve told you?”
He clenched his teeth for a moment, his anger now directed at the man who called himself Monalisa’s father. “He does not.”
“The worst part is…” Her gaze went back to the tabletop as her words trailed off.
“Tell me.”
“I don’t want to.”
He thought about taking her hand, but wasn’t sure if she would welcome that. “Are you afraid of me?”
That lifted her head. “No, not really. I don’t have any concerns about you hurting me. You don’t seem like that kind of guy.”
“Good. I am not. So then tell me.”
She sighed. “I still don’t want to. It’s awful.”
“I cannot imagine how much worse it could be.”
She combed a hand through her hair, pushing it off her face, then returned both hands to the table and looked at him. “You understand I am basically powerless to resist him? I can try, of course, but—”
“You cannot fight the pain it causes.” He slowly reached out and covered her hands with one of his. She didn’t flinch or pull away, so he kept it there. “I do not want you to suffer because of me. I know pain. And I do not want you to become as familiar with it as I have these last few weeks.”
“Thank you.”
He lifted her top hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “I want you to know too that I do not blame you for any of this. And now that I know, my feelings for you are…as they were.”
She sniffed, and her mouth bent in a tiny smile. “You’re a good man, Ivan Tsvetkov. My feelings are the same for you too.”
“Then tell me what this worse thing is, and we will figure it out together.”
She stared at his hand, her gaze taking on a distant gleam. “He has commanded me to bring you to Vegas for the rematch.”
“I know that, zolotse.”
She barely noticed that he’d called her by that strange Russian word again. “In five days.”
He jerked back. “Less than a week? The venom will still be in my system. Fighting will be very difficult. Winning will be impossible.”
She nodded, looking like she was on the verge of tears. “I tried to tell him that, but he has whales coming in—regular clients who spend huge amounts when they’re at the casino—and he wants the rematch to happen while they’re there so they can bet on it and up his take.”
“What about Ronan? He has to agree to this too.”
“Ronan’s been staying in the Dublin Suite since the fight. I think he’s as deep in my father’s pocket as you can get without being part of the pants he has on.”
Van sat back. “That is a conflict of interest. Does the League know?”
“A few of the officials do, but my father pays them off to look the other way.”
“Your father does not deserve the power he holds.”
“No, he doesn’t. But what can I do about that? What can any of us do?”
Van tapped his fingers on the table. “I have an idea.” He pointed toward the other side of the bar. “But we’re going to need your new friends.”
“Gang’s all here,” Pandora said as the women rejoined them. “I take it you two have made up.”
“We have.” Monalisa had swapped sides to sit with Van. They were hip to hip and thigh to thigh, and his radiating warmth was as welcome as his comforting presence and smoky scent. She knew she was basically in love with him at this point and how silly it was to be so crazy about someone she’d known for such a little amount of time, but she didn’t care. He was the best man she knew.