Chapter 16: A Bargain
“Oh Virginia, dear, we were wondering when you’d be up and about,” Elizabeth declared cheerfully when Ginny walked into the room the next morning. “Oh, my dear, you look absolutely exhausted. Haven’t you been sleeping well?”
Ginny looked into the pale face of the kind woman. She was genuinely concerned for her guest, and Ginny tried to repress a flood of gratitude; she had to distance herself from these people or should would play into their trap and give into their ways.
“I’m just used to my own bed at home, I suppose,” she said, returning the smile. As she sat down at the table and accepted the proffered tea with a smile, a tall woman with golden blond hair caught her eye.
“Hello Ginny, it’s nice to see you again,” Gabrielle said, sitting down across from her. Ginny, instantly making use of her diplomatic skills and unshakeable façade, she smiled warmly and nodded to Gabrielle.
“Gabrielle was just telling me that your family is very close with her fiancé, Harry. I didn’t realize that you came from such a large family, Virginia!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
“Ah, yes. Six older brothers, seven if you count Harry, and I am the only girl in the whole bunch! It made for quite the experience growing up, I assure you.”
“I can imagine what life was like for Darien, trapped with his three sisters as the only boy!” Sarah commented.
“Well, we were the lucky ones, anyway. Draco doesn’t have any siblings, it must have been very lonely for him,” Danika added.
“I remember the way he used to look at us during the holidays. All four of us, acting the childish fools, and he’d just sit there with his parents, always the proper Malfoy his father demanded,” Gabrielle said softly. The sad looks that the three Malfoy women exchanged at this moment startled Ginny, as she was forced to imagine what kind of childhood Draco must have had…She shook her head, unable to bear the weight of that image.
“It warms my heart, dear, to finally see him with someone of his own. After the life he’s had…I shouldn’t be saying anything about my husband’s brother, but he was no kind of father to Draco, and I’m glad to see him with someone who makes him so happy. I’ve always said that Draco is an old soul; he has carried many burdens for many years. It’s good that he has someone to help him carry them,” Elizabeth said, taking Ginny’s hand. Unable to speak, unwilling to lie to this friendly woman who reminded her so much of her own mother and the way she had taken Harry under her wing, Ginny looked away, and she felt her cheeks burn. It was very rare, now, that she blushed.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but the way he looks at you when he thinks you’re aren’t looking…I never thought I’d see it,” Danika said, giggling.
“Hey, you’re not the one that had to catch them snogging in the corridor the other day!” Sarah added, laughing. The three sisters giggled even more as Ginny avoided their glances, her face absolutely flaming.
“Now, now. Leave the girl alone, we don’t want to scare her off!” Elizabeth admonished jokingly. “Oh, I don’t know if Draco has informed you, or not, but this evening, we will be hosting a function here at the house and we would very much like for you to attend, of course.”
“What kind of function?” Ginny asked, throwing off her embarrassment immediately, sensing an opportunity.
“Just a bit of a holiday get-together, really. Some of Vincent’s friends and business partners, politicians and the like, will be there. Hopefully it won’t be too dull for you, Virginia, we do want to give you a good time while you’re here,” Elizabeth smiled. Ginny felt a slight degree of satisfaction – perhaps this trip wasn’t going to be the complete waste she had envisioned last night. If there was going to be a group of influential politicians in the room with her…she smiled inwardly, relishing in the knowledge that it would only take her a few minutes with each of them before she’d be able to arrange an array of appointments and meetings, preparing to do what she came here to do.
“Mother, Ginny works in politics, didn’t Draco mention that?” Gabrielle scoffed.
“I wouldn’t consider it actually working in politics, Gabrielle. I’m merely a messenger for the politicians,” Ginny said, remembering Draco’s repeated warnings about not revealing her position.
“I’m sure it will be lovely.”
“Especially for a Weasley, and one of Minister Fudge’s most favored consulates, it will be quite the affair,” a dangerously cool voice said, damaging the friendly and warm atmosphere of the cheerful kitchen. Ginny used all of her discipline to refrain from jumping from the shock – why hadn’t she noticed him lurking in the shadows? The air seemed to grow thick, and Ginny found it difficult to breath, as she felt the weight descend on her lungs.
“Darien, you really should quit lurking about, you nearly caused me to jump out of my skin!” Sarah scolded. Ginny, unable to stop herself, met the cold gray eyes, identical to Draco’s yet completely opposite, and suppressed a shudder. There was a look of unveiled hatred in them that made her recoil.
“If you’ll excuse me, ladies, I should find Draco. There are a few details I need to discuss with him,” Ginny said, standing up, desperate to escape Darien’s cold, hard scrutiny.
“I’ll show you where he is, Ginny,” Gabrielle volunteered, following after Ginny’s retreating form, shooting Darien a vicious look.
* * * * *
“Ginny, look, now that we are alone, I would really like to talk to you,” Gabrielle suddenly declared, breaking the silence.
“Gabrielle, I think that we’ve already said everything that needs to be said between us,” Ginny answered coolly, refusing to pause.
“Draco told me that you know about the labyrinth!” Gabrielle declared, throwing caution to the wind. Ginny stopped and turned around to face the blond woman.
“Which means that I know what you and your family does. Does that not scare you, Gabrielle? If Harry were to find out about this…”
“That’s not all that is at stake here!” Gabrielle declared, defiantly. Ginny was slightly taken aback, and had to fight back the sudden realization that there was more to Gabrielle that she had first thought.
“If it comes down to it, Gabrielle, what are you doing to do?” Ginny asked.
“My duty as a Malfoy. While there is little I can do to help, I still have a responsibility as a member of this family and I will stand by that. I just hope that Harry will be able to understand…and forgive me.”
“What do you mean, there is little you can do to help?” Ginny asked, picking up on what might have been a slip of the tongue. Gabrielle looked away from her interrogative gaze, as if ashamed.
“I can’t help them. I have no skills with the type of power required to do so.” Ginny, although she was almost five inches shorter than the other woman, pulled herself together and was making the taller woman quiver under her steely scrutiny. A sudden realization hit her.
“You are what this was all about,” Ginny breathed, her irritation evident in her voice. She had been drawn into this whole ordeal because of the woman.
“That was before the attacks on the maze began. Draco promised to help me. You were coming to close to winning Bulgaria’s support…if your new law on Dark Magic was signed, it would be very bad for my family. Harry, as an Auror and as a man who hates Dark Magic with everything in him, would have to work against my own family. Draco promised to try to change the law, so that my family would be safe, and so that Harry would never have to choose between his beliefs and his fiancée,” Gabrielle sighed.
“And now?”
“I’m no longer important in this. If your law passes, and we are forced to stop doing what is necessary to uphold the sanctuary, something terrible could happen.” Gabrielle, pausing, reached forward and grabbed Ginny’s arm. “You’ve seen them, you know why it’s such an atrocity to even consider any harm coming to them. You felt their magic, it’s touched you – I can see it.”
“There has to be another way, Gabrielle,” Ginny said, almost pleading. She was put into an impossible position, and was searching around frantically for any way she could possibly be able to claw her way out of the corner they had her trapped in. A family she had fallen in love with; ancient, mythical creatures that tugged at her heart and filled her with the same wonder she’d felt as a child still believing in fairy tales, and a duty that had scarred her identity and was behind her every action, clamoring for completion.
“If you find one, please let me know. I know that I have no right to ask anything of you, not after the horrible way I’ve treated you – and I hope you know that this was all a part of the plan, I really didn’t want to say those things to you. But, please, help us. Not for me, or anyone else, just the innocent creatures that live in our forest and remind us of a time before horrible things changed the wizarding world forever,” Gabrielle pleaded.
Well, Ginny thought, she’s obviously a Malfoy, because she definitely knew which buttons to press. With a sigh, she waved Gabrielle away, and stormed off, in search of Draco, in need of a very relaxing, furious rant to release her anger, and he was her best target.
* * * * *
He had been wandering around the grounds of the estate for most of the morning. Heedless of the snow covering the ground and the frosty chill in the air, Draco wandered away from the house and the forest, seeking distance from what was plaguing him. He had found himself leaning against a large oak tree at the top of a hill, gazing down on the snow-covered forest.
This was how Ginny found him: arms crossed, leaning lazily on the large tree behind him, a far-off look in his eye. Any intention she had previously of unleashing her burning anger on him died as she observed something in him that was so rare – vulnerability. His stoic silence as he looked down on the land of his ancestors, his black robes the only contrast to the white of the snow, the pale of his skin, and the silver of his hair on the landscape.
He needed a few minutes away from the happy family of his aunt and uncle. They had taken him under their wing and offered him the closest thing to real family he had ever known, and his jealousy of their connection plagued their relationship. He loved them and he hated them; because they had everything he wanted. He needed solitude and time in the peaceful barrenness that the wild of Bulgaria offered in the snow. There was no sign of life around him and it mirrored his intrinsic loneliness. He did this so that when he returned, he would be able to take pleasure in their company and quell the envy that would otherwise tarnish his time with his family.
The soft crunch of snow drew his attention, and he saw her coming towards him. Her hair, shaken loose in the high winds, was vibrant with life against the desolate white of the snow, the rich red hue practically glowing. Her wide brown eyes offered warmth in the cold, and her reddened cheeks brought color to her black ensemble. She was a symbol of life against the austere plains of snow, and the boiling passion that was just underneath her layer of ice held a promise of the fervor of life he so craved.
He let her come to him.
And she did, reaching the summit of the hill and stood beside him in silence. They both spent a few moments looking down at the scenery below them; both taking in the forest and acknowledging what lay hidden there. It was a weight of responsibility that they both shared, and this had become significant.
“I need to know everything, Draco,” she said, softly, yet her words carried a level of solemnity he hated to hear in her voice. She looked too alive to be solemn.
“There are things you are better off not knowing, Virginia. Not just for your peace of mind, but for your own safety. There is something coming and it could change everything.”
“I’m in this too far now. You all made sure of that.”
“Not intentionally.”
“But it happened anyway. What part does Voldemort play in this?” she asked, her voice hard as she spoke a name so often feared.
“Brave little Weasley, that is not a name spoken easily by members of your family,” he drawled softly, his voice silky, his eyes casting her a sideways glance.
“When you’ve experienced what I have, you learn to say things that you fear and face them. Running only gives it more strength,” she said, her eyes veiled.
“Well, to answer your question…the same role he always has, I guess. Don’t get me wrong, he has been very well defeated, we can thank Potter for that. But there are still factions that exist that believe his ideals and that would follow through on his goals. And they are the ones to fear; they are leaderless, extreme and in desperate need of power in order to accomplish anything. Much more driven than any Death Eater ever would be,” he scoffed, his disdain evident in his voice.
Ginny turned to him, observing the man before her, debating whether or not to ask the question on her mind.
“Why didn’t you ever join them?” she asked softly, and gauged his reactions. His wry smirk surprised her.
“Simple arrogance, Virginia. I’m afraid that I am not much more complex than that. I was not about to bow down before a distorted figure who could barely grasp a wand and had been defeated once already by a baby. I watched my father grovel at the primitive form of a wizard who claimed to have such a large degree of power, and it disgusted me. Malfoys do not bow,” he said, spitting his words out in disgust. He paused, as if deliberating whether or not to say more.
“And he was destroying the very creatures I have been sworn, as a Malfoy, to protect. I was not about to let some disfigured wretch of a wizard violate the pledge that was made by my ancestors, no matter how much my father wished for me to. Again, a matter of pride. It would take a much greater force than him to breach our sanctuary.”
“But your father wanted to hand them over.” A statement of fact, no hint of questioning. Just by watching him, she could see the answer.
“Yes. So I stopped him.”
His words hung in the air, the gravity of the situation echoed in their soft tones and quiet whispers. This was not an exchange of words to be carried on the wind to the ears of others. Ginny could feel the magnitude of his whispered confession, spoken with hardness and full acceptance.
“But not before he killed my mother, and disclosed the fact that the sanctuary existed to the Dark forces,” he added, his voice as cold as ice. Instinctively and before she could stop herself, she reached out and took his hand, entwining her fingers with his. She was barely able to breath from the intensity of the moment; of the power a simple touch was creating between the two of them.
“We all faced losses during that time, Draco.”
“Somehow, I wish that helped,” he said, a slight smile, absent of any humor, on his lips. He tightened his fingers around hers, and the small gesture offered her comfort from the one she sought to comfort.
“What do you want from me? What role do you see me playing in this game?” she whispered, desperate for an opening that would allow her to disappear from this whole conspiracy, to forget about everything he’d shown her that was determined to change her life. His words, that he spoke softly, with his fingers entwined around hers, carried an echo of regret – regret that he could not give her that opening.
“Help me do what is necessary to protect what is mine.”
“Oh Virginia, dear, we were wondering when you’d be up and about,” Elizabeth declared cheerfully when Ginny walked into the room the next morning. “Oh, my dear, you look absolutely exhausted. Haven’t you been sleeping well?”
Ginny looked into the pale face of the kind woman. She was genuinely concerned for her guest, and Ginny tried to repress a flood of gratitude; she had to distance herself from these people or should would play into their trap and give into their ways.
“I’m just used to my own bed at home, I suppose,” she said, returning the smile. As she sat down at the table and accepted the proffered tea with a smile, a tall woman with golden blond hair caught her eye.
“Hello Ginny, it’s nice to see you again,” Gabrielle said, sitting down across from her. Ginny, instantly making use of her diplomatic skills and unshakeable façade, she smiled warmly and nodded to Gabrielle.
“Gabrielle was just telling me that your family is very close with her fiancé, Harry. I didn’t realize that you came from such a large family, Virginia!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
“Ah, yes. Six older brothers, seven if you count Harry, and I am the only girl in the whole bunch! It made for quite the experience growing up, I assure you.”
“I can imagine what life was like for Darien, trapped with his three sisters as the only boy!” Sarah commented.
“Well, we were the lucky ones, anyway. Draco doesn’t have any siblings, it must have been very lonely for him,” Danika added.
“I remember the way he used to look at us during the holidays. All four of us, acting the childish fools, and he’d just sit there with his parents, always the proper Malfoy his father demanded,” Gabrielle said softly. The sad looks that the three Malfoy women exchanged at this moment startled Ginny, as she was forced to imagine what kind of childhood Draco must have had…She shook her head, unable to bear the weight of that image.
“It warms my heart, dear, to finally see him with someone of his own. After the life he’s had…I shouldn’t be saying anything about my husband’s brother, but he was no kind of father to Draco, and I’m glad to see him with someone who makes him so happy. I’ve always said that Draco is an old soul; he has carried many burdens for many years. It’s good that he has someone to help him carry them,” Elizabeth said, taking Ginny’s hand. Unable to speak, unwilling to lie to this friendly woman who reminded her so much of her own mother and the way she had taken Harry under her wing, Ginny looked away, and she felt her cheeks burn. It was very rare, now, that she blushed.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but the way he looks at you when he thinks you’re aren’t looking…I never thought I’d see it,” Danika said, giggling.
“Hey, you’re not the one that had to catch them snogging in the corridor the other day!” Sarah added, laughing. The three sisters giggled even more as Ginny avoided their glances, her face absolutely flaming.
“Now, now. Leave the girl alone, we don’t want to scare her off!” Elizabeth admonished jokingly. “Oh, I don’t know if Draco has informed you, or not, but this evening, we will be hosting a function here at the house and we would very much like for you to attend, of course.”
“What kind of function?” Ginny asked, throwing off her embarrassment immediately, sensing an opportunity.
“Just a bit of a holiday get-together, really. Some of Vincent’s friends and business partners, politicians and the like, will be there. Hopefully it won’t be too dull for you, Virginia, we do want to give you a good time while you’re here,” Elizabeth smiled. Ginny felt a slight degree of satisfaction – perhaps this trip wasn’t going to be the complete waste she had envisioned last night. If there was going to be a group of influential politicians in the room with her…she smiled inwardly, relishing in the knowledge that it would only take her a few minutes with each of them before she’d be able to arrange an array of appointments and meetings, preparing to do what she came here to do.
“Mother, Ginny works in politics, didn’t Draco mention that?” Gabrielle scoffed.
“I wouldn’t consider it actually working in politics, Gabrielle. I’m merely a messenger for the politicians,” Ginny said, remembering Draco’s repeated warnings about not revealing her position.
“I’m sure it will be lovely.”
“Especially for a Weasley, and one of Minister Fudge’s most favored consulates, it will be quite the affair,” a dangerously cool voice said, damaging the friendly and warm atmosphere of the cheerful kitchen. Ginny used all of her discipline to refrain from jumping from the shock – why hadn’t she noticed him lurking in the shadows? The air seemed to grow thick, and Ginny found it difficult to breath, as she felt the weight descend on her lungs.
“Darien, you really should quit lurking about, you nearly caused me to jump out of my skin!” Sarah scolded. Ginny, unable to stop herself, met the cold gray eyes, identical to Draco’s yet completely opposite, and suppressed a shudder. There was a look of unveiled hatred in them that made her recoil.
“If you’ll excuse me, ladies, I should find Draco. There are a few details I need to discuss with him,” Ginny said, standing up, desperate to escape Darien’s cold, hard scrutiny.
“I’ll show you where he is, Ginny,” Gabrielle volunteered, following after Ginny’s retreating form, shooting Darien a vicious look.
* * * * *
“Ginny, look, now that we are alone, I would really like to talk to you,” Gabrielle suddenly declared, breaking the silence.
“Gabrielle, I think that we’ve already said everything that needs to be said between us,” Ginny answered coolly, refusing to pause.
“Draco told me that you know about the labyrinth!” Gabrielle declared, throwing caution to the wind. Ginny stopped and turned around to face the blond woman.
“Which means that I know what you and your family does. Does that not scare you, Gabrielle? If Harry were to find out about this…”
“That’s not all that is at stake here!” Gabrielle declared, defiantly. Ginny was slightly taken aback, and had to fight back the sudden realization that there was more to Gabrielle that she had first thought.
“If it comes down to it, Gabrielle, what are you doing to do?” Ginny asked.
“My duty as a Malfoy. While there is little I can do to help, I still have a responsibility as a member of this family and I will stand by that. I just hope that Harry will be able to understand…and forgive me.”
“What do you mean, there is little you can do to help?” Ginny asked, picking up on what might have been a slip of the tongue. Gabrielle looked away from her interrogative gaze, as if ashamed.
“I can’t help them. I have no skills with the type of power required to do so.” Ginny, although she was almost five inches shorter than the other woman, pulled herself together and was making the taller woman quiver under her steely scrutiny. A sudden realization hit her.
“You are what this was all about,” Ginny breathed, her irritation evident in her voice. She had been drawn into this whole ordeal because of the woman.
“That was before the attacks on the maze began. Draco promised to help me. You were coming to close to winning Bulgaria’s support…if your new law on Dark Magic was signed, it would be very bad for my family. Harry, as an Auror and as a man who hates Dark Magic with everything in him, would have to work against my own family. Draco promised to try to change the law, so that my family would be safe, and so that Harry would never have to choose between his beliefs and his fiancée,” Gabrielle sighed.
“And now?”
“I’m no longer important in this. If your law passes, and we are forced to stop doing what is necessary to uphold the sanctuary, something terrible could happen.” Gabrielle, pausing, reached forward and grabbed Ginny’s arm. “You’ve seen them, you know why it’s such an atrocity to even consider any harm coming to them. You felt their magic, it’s touched you – I can see it.”
“There has to be another way, Gabrielle,” Ginny said, almost pleading. She was put into an impossible position, and was searching around frantically for any way she could possibly be able to claw her way out of the corner they had her trapped in. A family she had fallen in love with; ancient, mythical creatures that tugged at her heart and filled her with the same wonder she’d felt as a child still believing in fairy tales, and a duty that had scarred her identity and was behind her every action, clamoring for completion.
“If you find one, please let me know. I know that I have no right to ask anything of you, not after the horrible way I’ve treated you – and I hope you know that this was all a part of the plan, I really didn’t want to say those things to you. But, please, help us. Not for me, or anyone else, just the innocent creatures that live in our forest and remind us of a time before horrible things changed the wizarding world forever,” Gabrielle pleaded.
Well, Ginny thought, she’s obviously a Malfoy, because she definitely knew which buttons to press. With a sigh, she waved Gabrielle away, and stormed off, in search of Draco, in need of a very relaxing, furious rant to release her anger, and he was her best target.
* * * * *
He had been wandering around the grounds of the estate for most of the morning. Heedless of the snow covering the ground and the frosty chill in the air, Draco wandered away from the house and the forest, seeking distance from what was plaguing him. He had found himself leaning against a large oak tree at the top of a hill, gazing down on the snow-covered forest.
This was how Ginny found him: arms crossed, leaning lazily on the large tree behind him, a far-off look in his eye. Any intention she had previously of unleashing her burning anger on him died as she observed something in him that was so rare – vulnerability. His stoic silence as he looked down on the land of his ancestors, his black robes the only contrast to the white of the snow, the pale of his skin, and the silver of his hair on the landscape.
He needed a few minutes away from the happy family of his aunt and uncle. They had taken him under their wing and offered him the closest thing to real family he had ever known, and his jealousy of their connection plagued their relationship. He loved them and he hated them; because they had everything he wanted. He needed solitude and time in the peaceful barrenness that the wild of Bulgaria offered in the snow. There was no sign of life around him and it mirrored his intrinsic loneliness. He did this so that when he returned, he would be able to take pleasure in their company and quell the envy that would otherwise tarnish his time with his family.
The soft crunch of snow drew his attention, and he saw her coming towards him. Her hair, shaken loose in the high winds, was vibrant with life against the desolate white of the snow, the rich red hue practically glowing. Her wide brown eyes offered warmth in the cold, and her reddened cheeks brought color to her black ensemble. She was a symbol of life against the austere plains of snow, and the boiling passion that was just underneath her layer of ice held a promise of the fervor of life he so craved.
He let her come to him.
And she did, reaching the summit of the hill and stood beside him in silence. They both spent a few moments looking down at the scenery below them; both taking in the forest and acknowledging what lay hidden there. It was a weight of responsibility that they both shared, and this had become significant.
“I need to know everything, Draco,” she said, softly, yet her words carried a level of solemnity he hated to hear in her voice. She looked too alive to be solemn.
“There are things you are better off not knowing, Virginia. Not just for your peace of mind, but for your own safety. There is something coming and it could change everything.”
“I’m in this too far now. You all made sure of that.”
“Not intentionally.”
“But it happened anyway. What part does Voldemort play in this?” she asked, her voice hard as she spoke a name so often feared.
“Brave little Weasley, that is not a name spoken easily by members of your family,” he drawled softly, his voice silky, his eyes casting her a sideways glance.
“When you’ve experienced what I have, you learn to say things that you fear and face them. Running only gives it more strength,” she said, her eyes veiled.
“Well, to answer your question…the same role he always has, I guess. Don’t get me wrong, he has been very well defeated, we can thank Potter for that. But there are still factions that exist that believe his ideals and that would follow through on his goals. And they are the ones to fear; they are leaderless, extreme and in desperate need of power in order to accomplish anything. Much more driven than any Death Eater ever would be,” he scoffed, his disdain evident in his voice.
Ginny turned to him, observing the man before her, debating whether or not to ask the question on her mind.
“Why didn’t you ever join them?” she asked softly, and gauged his reactions. His wry smirk surprised her.
“Simple arrogance, Virginia. I’m afraid that I am not much more complex than that. I was not about to bow down before a distorted figure who could barely grasp a wand and had been defeated once already by a baby. I watched my father grovel at the primitive form of a wizard who claimed to have such a large degree of power, and it disgusted me. Malfoys do not bow,” he said, spitting his words out in disgust. He paused, as if deliberating whether or not to say more.
“And he was destroying the very creatures I have been sworn, as a Malfoy, to protect. I was not about to let some disfigured wretch of a wizard violate the pledge that was made by my ancestors, no matter how much my father wished for me to. Again, a matter of pride. It would take a much greater force than him to breach our sanctuary.”
“But your father wanted to hand them over.” A statement of fact, no hint of questioning. Just by watching him, she could see the answer.
“Yes. So I stopped him.”
His words hung in the air, the gravity of the situation echoed in their soft tones and quiet whispers. This was not an exchange of words to be carried on the wind to the ears of others. Ginny could feel the magnitude of his whispered confession, spoken with hardness and full acceptance.
“But not before he killed my mother, and disclosed the fact that the sanctuary existed to the Dark forces,” he added, his voice as cold as ice. Instinctively and before she could stop herself, she reached out and took his hand, entwining her fingers with his. She was barely able to breath from the intensity of the moment; of the power a simple touch was creating between the two of them.
“We all faced losses during that time, Draco.”
“Somehow, I wish that helped,” he said, a slight smile, absent of any humor, on his lips. He tightened his fingers around hers, and the small gesture offered her comfort from the one she sought to comfort.
“What do you want from me? What role do you see me playing in this game?” she whispered, desperate for an opening that would allow her to disappear from this whole conspiracy, to forget about everything he’d shown her that was determined to change her life. His words, that he spoke softly, with his fingers entwined around hers, carried an echo of regret – regret that he could not give her that opening.
“Help me do what is necessary to protect what is mine.”
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