Page 126 of Nothing to Win

“No!”Bram exclaimed, trying to wrestle the door from Twyla.“How did you get past our security?”When Roxie’s growling companion, Ballard, appeared to put himself between it and Roxie, Bram gave up the struggle.Ha!“You and your hoards—”

“Our hoards are not going anywhere, Little Man,” Roxie said.“And we’re bigger than you.If you don’t relinquish the princess to me, you’ll find yourself in a world of hurt.”

“Was that a threat?You’re threatening us?”

“No!”Roxie scoffed and arched to emphasize her cleavage.“I’m miked and our legal team taught me better than that.That’s me simply saying you should be grateful I’m the one doing the negotiating because the guy with me, the guy with something to say, he doesn’t negotiate with hostage takers.”Her friend’s smile grew to a grin when she extended an arm past Bram toward her.“You’re late to the party and this is one you don’t want to miss.Come see.”

Whatever was going on out there, the lights hadn’t faded and there were definitely voices.Brogan?Could he be out there with the melee?

Ballard extended an arm to block her brother while guiding her outside.Oh good…

People, a lot of people, noise of feet on the ground, voices overlapping, lights, cameras, the press gathered behind a barrier of security men and metal barriers.Backs to the rest of their men, Carver and two others faced the house at regular intervals.More… BKS.Was that BKS security?With numbers like that, they’d have overtaken sparse Sear security efforts.

The calls for Roxie mixed with calls of her name from the baying mob.How could anyone know her?Security controlled the hoard Bram spoke of, it was really there, he wasn’t wrong.

A figure moved into the light between the Sear stairs and the moving mass fifty feet away.She held up a hand but already knew his shape: Brogan.

FORTY-ONE

RUSHING DOWN THE STAIRS, Gia couldn’t be near him soon enough.They’d seen each other earlier that night, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.

“Mister,” she said on a breath, desperate to be in his embrace.

He caught her arms before hers could go around him.When his eyes flicked to the side, she glanced back.Her parents and brother were at the top of the stairs, Twyla just behind.Roxie was halfway down the stairs, elbows on the banister, heels of her hands under her jaw, fingers curled against her cheeks, Ballard at her back.

People were looking.So many people.Not long ago her whole life was imploding, now something was changing, right here in front of witnesses.

“Irish…” Every time she drank him in, she shook herself to get over the gravity of his pull.“I won’t let you walk away.I love you and that’s it.You’re going nowhere but home with me.”

“What about SG?”she asked because there was still a risk to his livelihood.She’d have asked him the question whether in public or somewhere private.If they were going to have this conversation, they had to do it for real.“If I’m the reason SG—”

“You are the reason.”

“You’ve given up so much—”

“I draw the line at you,” he said.“Anything else can stay or go, but you, this relationship, is nonnegotiable.”

“Brog—”

“Give me a number.Tell me the price.”

“There is no price.”

“Your quid—”

“No,” she said.“You are quid.”

That was the way it had been until then.His this, her that.

“Okay, here’s the quid, baby.”As he sank down onto his knee, she couldn’t imagine why he would— “Marry me.”

“Ah…”

The strangled sound came out as her mouth opened, but she’d forgotten how to speak.Right there, pinched between his thumb and forefinger, was a diamond bigger than any she’d seen on a ring.A ring!Brogan was… oh, wow.

“As long as you bear the Sear name, you’ll belong to that family.”Similar to what her father said at Gault’s.“Give it up, baby.You’re not a Sear; you belong with the Spurns.”

“Spurn men don’t get married.”