Blackmailing Belle (The Lost Girls, #4)

by Holly Roberds

"I don’t want to be part of this war, Dominic. I don’t want to be caught between two sides I never wanted to be part of in the first place." He doesn’t speak for a long moment, and when he finally does, his voice is unnervingly calm. "You’re right." I blink, thrown by the sudden flatness in his tone. "What?" He’s not looking at me anymore. His gaze is distant, his green eyes shadowed and cold. "You’re right. This isn’t your war. You don’t belong in it." His words are deliberate, each one delivered like a nail in a coffin. "Dominic—" "Consider our contract terminated." The air seems to thicken around me, the snowfall slowing as my brain tries to catch up. "You mean. . .our marriage?" "Yes." The word is clipped, devoid of any warmth. He’s not Dominic anymore—he’s the Beast of Boston, sharp and unreadable, a man made of steel. He looks past me at the rubble, his expression carved from ice. "I’ll make arrangements. You’ll be safe. Your father will be cared for." He starts to turn, his coat brushing against my arm. "Wait." My voice cracks, but he doesn’t stop. "You can’t just⁠—" "I can." He cuts me off without looking back. "And I will. You deserve better than this. It’s clear the only way to make up for this is to remove you from the situation entirely." My brain can’t comprehend what’s happening, but my gut sinks all the way to the dirty ash-streaked snow. “I’ll have Basil move in with Mrs. P until you can find accommodations if it makes you feel better. Of course, Tock will ...