Page 32 of Lawless Rivals

Rafe stuffs his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “Don’t forget whose blood runs in her veins.”

The bitterness he uses reminds me of our ma. The things she told us about Harringtons when we were young were told well.

The reminder digs under my skin. I grind my cigarette out in the sink, grab the bottle of whiskey off the table, and turn to face him fully.

“What is this, Rafe?” I take a slow drink before lowering the bottle. “You think I like the girl or something?”

He doesn’t answer straight away, rather his eyes flick to Keira on the floor, then back to me with a weight behind them I don’t appreciate. “It’s not like ya to bring her in. That’s all.”

A humorless laugh tears out of me. “Right. So I’m gonna let her suck me off, get blindsided by her mouth, and what—ruin the plan? Betray the family? Throw everything Ma’s built straight down the shitter for a Harrington?”

The way I grit out her surname earns a little grunt of dissatisfaction from behind me.

I ignore it and level Rafe with a stare that could snap a weaker man. “What exactly are you trying to say, Rafe? Spit it out.”

He rolls a shoulder, casual only on the surface. “Women are always into ya, Saint. She’ll be no different, and she’ll try to use it to her advantage. All I’m saying is don’t fall for her pretty face. That’s a mistake that would put us all behind bars, too. Don’t forget who she belongs to.”

Next thing I know, Keira gets to her feet and faces him, her chin high with that Harrington haughtiness that was bred into her. “I don’t belong to anyone. Stop talking about me like I’m not here.”

Rafe snorts. “You sure as fuck shouldn’t be in here.”

“Rafe.” I don’t raise my voice but his name snaps through the space like a trap springing shut.

He goes still, more from instinct than obedience.

“This isn’t the time,” I tell my brother, gaze locked on him, not her. “We’ve got actual problems to deal with, and this distraction isn’t one of them.”

Rafe bristles. “Distraction? She’s a half-dressed Harrington in your kitchen.”

“Stop overthinking it, for fucks sake. I had her cuffed, and they’re going back on once she’s earned a hot meal.” I nod to the table where the cuffs are sitting. “I don’t see you offering any solutions or helping Dane interrogate the buyer. Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t deserve to eat tonight, Rafe.”

“Ma’s still gonna kick off,” Rafe mutters. “You know she will.”

“Ma can scream into the heath for all I care.” I take another drink. “I said I’m handling it.”

“And if she asks why you’ve got a Harrington tucked away in your cabin?”

I hold his stare. “I’ll tell her the truth. It’s strategy. My mind’s on getting her da to sign over our land. Once that’s done, I won’t give a shit if she falls off her eventing horse and breaks her neck.”

Keira tenses, and Rafe nods.

He adjusts the collar on his jacket. “Fine. Just don’t let her sink her claws into anything that matters.”

I let out a short laugh. “Trust me, I don’t want her hands anywhere near me.”

Rafe turns to leave, glancing over his shoulder at Keira with pure, cold dislike.

Then he looks at me and says, “Don’t let this blow back on us.”

When he walks out, I take another long drink and push down the ache I have in my bones for the wrong woman. Swallowing, I thump the bottle on the table, grab the cuffs and snare her arm.

“I’m gonna be out all afternoon,” I say, not looking her in the eye as I snap the metal tight around her wrists. “No more bullshit messages on my floor or I’ll chain ya to the radiator. Stay indoors.”

At that moment, our gazes collide and something red-hot shots through me. She stares up at me with those wide, unblinking eyes and long lashes that shouldn’t belong to someone this infuriating.

She’s all sweetness and seductive without even trying.

When she doesn’t answer, I pinch her chin between my fingers and thumb. “Do you understand?”