?Chapter 649:


    “I’ve already told you,” Ashley said sharply. “You’re the one who refuses to believe me.”


    Brendan studied her.


    Ashley met his gaze head-on, and for once, the fear that had been gnawing at her seemed to recede. “You want me to name someone I’ve never seen or heard of? How the hell am I supposed to do that? Go on, kill me. Maybe K will swoop in and rescue me.”


    “You’ve got a death wish, don’t you?” Brendan murmured, idly lifting her chin between his fingers.


    Ashley’s heart thudded in her chest. “It’s you who wants me dead!”


    “If you don’t know, just admit it. Why get all worked up?” He let go of her chin and casually drew her into hisp. “How could I ever not trust you?”


    Ashley didn’t flinch.


    She knew his moods too well. One second he was cold and cruel, the next he was ying the tender lover. He waspletely unhinged.


    “If you listen to me, your brother stays alive.” Brendan gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Ashley’s body quivered ever so slightly, a chill running down her spine as sweat soaked the back of her blouse.


    Freya, watching it all unfold, wasn’t fooled for a second. That so-called tender touch? It wasn’t affection—it was a calcted check for any hidden earpiece.


    His mind worked in twisted, meticulous ways.


    “Ashley,” Brendan said sweetly, his voice coated with charm, like he was in unusually high spirits.


    The sound sent ice straight through her veins. Any warmth she had left was gone.


    Brendan grabbed her chin again, forcing her to look at him. “Are you mad at me?”


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    “I dare not.”


    “How about I let you bite me to vent your anger?” He coaxed her, his tone as patient and gentle as a lover’s.


    To someone watching, he might’ve passed for a doting boyfriend.


    But Ashley only felt dread.


    She’d seen firsthand just how fast he could flip.


    “I’m only trying to protect you,” Brendan said, his long fingers pinching her waist with a smile that looked more like a threat. “K is bad news. If you tangle with her, you’ll end up in a world of pain.”


    “More like the pain wille from you!” Ashley didn’t say it out loud, but she thought it anyway.


    Brendan started counting her fingers. “Your grandma’s in pain, old and frail. I’m doing this for her sake. Can’t you see I mean well?”


    Her heart gave a sharp twist, and that awful scene she’d just seen sprang back into her mind.


    Someday, she’d make him pay—everyst drop of blood he owed—for what he did to her grandmother.


    “Do you understand?” he asked again, noticing the flicker in her eyes.


    He pinched her harder this time.


    A wave of dread surged through her. Forcing the words out, she muttered the thing she most didn’t want to say. “I understand.”


    “Good girl,” Brendan purred, clearly pleased.


    Natasha, having watched enough, shot Brendan a re. “What’s wrong with you, scaring a woman like that?”


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