Risky Temptation by Gemma Hart

nothing else, I knew Copper was part of the highest echelon of society.
     
                  And breaking in? Breaking in to where? For what?
     
                  “How do we know that you’ll leave us alone after all of this?” I asked, turning around.
     
                  Tobias raised a brow. “After all of this? You have some solid faith in your man, don’t you?” he said. “Are you so sure he’ll come out of this successful?”
     
                  “How?” I persisted. “How will we know?”
     
                  “You won’t,” he replied shortly, taking another sip. “You’ll just have to take me at my word.”
     
                  I sighed and turned back towards the fire. What good was his word to me—the word of a kidnapper?
     
                  Another beat fell between us. I heard Tobias walk over to the drinks cart near the back of the room and pour himself another whiskey. The man was clearly in a mood to relax tonight.
     
                  “You want me to tell you what’s going to happen to you in the next five years?” he said as he walked over towards the fireplace. He leaned one arm over the mantle, fixing me with those gleaming green eyes.
     
                  “So now you’re a psychic,” I said uninterestedly, keeping my head on my knees, worried even more now for Marco.
     
                  Tobias shrugged, unfazed by my disinterest. “Let’s say Marco pulls off this job,” he started. “Even with the Black Saints out of the picture, there are several other crime Families out there who will soon learn about Marco Desmond living in London. The Desmond Mafia reach was wide and there are several people out here that I know for a fact would love to get their hands on that man.”
     
                  He took a sip of his drink. “But of course, Marco Desmond is not the kind of man that you can put your hands on. At least not if you don’t want them broken.”
     
                  I gave a small huff of a laugh, proud that Tobias recognized Marco and his lethality.
     
                  “But,” he quickly countered, dampening my small rise in spirit, “he has you now, doesn’t he? And as smart as you are, you’re no trained killer. I guarantee it’ll take less than a year for his presence to be noticed around town and even faster yet for you to get caught in the crossfire.” He made a broad gesture with his drink hand. “Look at where you are now. And trust me when I say, most of Marco’s enemies are not this hospitable.”
     
                  I eyed him warily as he spoke, unraveling what my potential future looked like.
     
                  “Within three years, you’ll be regularly targeted. And protecting two backs is much harder than one. With how notorious the Desmond name is, Marco will have to constantly be fighting to protect himself but more importantly, to protect you.” Tobias raised a brow at me.
     
                  “He is taking on an impossible job right now to save you,” Tobias said bluntly. “He wants to rescue you from this plush imprisonment. What would he be willing to do if someone had a knife to your throat?” He let the words hang. “What would he do if someone had a gun to your head?”
     
                  I swallowed, wanting to deny the truth of his words but unable to. What would Marco do? Or more correctly, what wouldn’t he do? We were completely rogue now. We had no large Families or resources to protect ourselves with. It was just the two of us. Just him and me.
     
                  “And let’s say one day Marco fails,” Tobias continued. “Let’s say one day down the road, maybe a few years on, he makes a mistake or something goes wrong and he fails to save you. What’s to stop someone from slitting that pretty little throat