Page 107 of Ravaged By a Devil

I take another slow sip, letting the whiskey burn.

I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head as I set the glass down. "Relax. I just got off an encrypted line with Isaac." I give him the breakdown—Brendan back in New Orleans, making moves in the shadows, and most importantly, courting the O’Connors because they view us as an erratic, unstable dynasty without a future.

“You should call a family meeting. Get Cain, Levi, and Malachi together so we can map this out."

Ezekiel stands motionless for a long moment, processing the information. But instead of ordering a sit-down, a calculating look settles over his features.

"We don't need a meeting," Ezekiel states calmly. "There’s only one immediate solution to this. You get married, Elijah. And you do it quickly."

I freeze, my brow furrowing into a deep scowl. "What? No. I don’t want to get married, Zeke."

"You must do it for the family," Ezekiel cuts in, his voice leaving zero room for argument. "You're thirty-two years old, Elijah. By the old guard's standards, you should have settled down years ago to prove you have a stake in the future. A wife gives us the image of stability, legitimacy, and continuity the O'Connors claim we lack. Levi is only thirty, so we can excuse him for now. But you? You're prime lineage."

"Are you out of your mind?" I snap. "First of all, I don't even have a girlfriend. I can't just manufacture a 'quick marriage' out of thin air. And second, marriage isn't my thing. You know that."

"It doesn't have to be your 'thing,'" Ezekiel says indulgently, moving toward my desk and snatching up the folder he came for. "It will be pure business. A strategic alliance to shut the Devlins out completely. We secure the O'Connors, destroy Brendan and Lachlan, and once the dust settles and our position is absolute, you can seek a quiet divorce."

He slides the file under his arm, holding my furious gaze with absolute composure.

"Think about it," he says simply. He turns on his heel and walks out, leaving the door swinging shut behind him. “I think we both know who I have in mind…

I stare at the open doorway long after the sound of Ezekiel's footsteps fades down the hall.

His words linger, because as much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. I’d take a bullet for this family without blinking. I’ve bled for them, killed for them, and built the intelligence network that keeps us alive. If laying down my life is second nature, then taking a fake wife shouldn't be any different.

Zeke may be on to something. It has to be someone bound by silence. Someone with something massive to lose if she steps out of line.

Hours drag on.

Unable to sleep, I pour another drink and start pulling up the internal financial ledgers, scrolling through the outstanding loans, debts, and high-stakes markers owed directly to the Kavanagh family.

My eyes catch on the account I was looking for. Overdue. Past due by six months, with compounding interest that has reached an astronomical summit.

I click into the profile.

Sadie Quinn.

Zeke’s words slowly begin to lock into place. Her file is exhaustive—bank records, asset evaluations, personal history. Looking at the sheer magnitude of what she owes, it’s painfully obvious: she cannot possibly repay this debt. Not in this lifetime.

A slow, ruthless smile touches my lips as I stare at her photograph attached to the top corner of the file.

She doesn't have the money to settle her account with us. But Sadie Quinn has something far more useful to offer me than cash.

Perfect.

Cain and Alexis survived deadly enemies, dangerous secrets, and a love neither of them saw coming.

But in the Extended Epilogue, the ruthless man who swore he'd never fall in love has one final surprise for Alexis—and this time, he's ready to claim her forever.

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