"And you think we have meaningful relationships with the subs we pick up in clubs for a night?"
"No. It's just … Once we've put Jansen away, Kinley won't have anything more to do with us. You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise, Law. And I'm not sure if she can handle a short-term affair. Why give her another reason to hate us?"
"You don't know her like I do." He had Dominic on the ropes. "But you need to make up your mind. Is she a whore or an innocent we need to protect?"
"Back the fuck off and stop thinking with your dick for two seconds. We're close to nailing Jansen. I've worked for years to get Carrie justice, and I can't let Kinley stop me."
"Is your whole life about revenge, man? I'm not telling you to give up on bringing Jansen down. He deserves it. But isn't there more to life? Are you really such an empty shell that you can't see Kinley is everything we could possibly want. She offered herself to us on a platter, dumbass. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want her."
Dominic stayed silent, his stare holding Law's.
"It doesn't matter if you're willing to admit it or not," Law grumbled. "Even if you don't want her, you should've let her down easy. Goddamn it, I've seen you handle women for years. You know how to treat them kindly even when they're rude. Kinley tried to play by your rules and negotiate because she didn't feel that she had the right to simply ask for what she needed. And you treated her like crap."
Dominic opened his mouth, then stopped. Sighed. "I didn't mean to make her feel bad."
"But you didn't hold back, did you?"
"I did what I thought I needed to do," he shot back between clenched teeth.
"To protect yourself, yeah. And you didn't care if you hurt her in the process." It wasn't a question. It was the truth.
Law was done He couldn't seem to get through Dominic's thick skull, and Riley had built up a fortress around himself that Law wasn't sure anyone would ever get through. Was he willing to give up Kinley because his brothers wouldn't give her a chance?
No one ever put her first. If he was going to be her man, Law knew he needed to think about her above all others.
"I'm done here," Law said. "I'm going to Kinley. I'm glad I'm not too dumb to see the future possibilities with her. I'll take care of her from now on. If she figures something out that will help you put Jansen behind bars, I'll let you two know. But starting now, she's mine. I make any decisions that concern her."
"What the hell, Law? You can't just take ownership of her like she's a stray."
"I'm taking responsibility for her. And I'm going to get a collar around her neck as soon as I can. Once I do, I expect you both to respect my rights. I was more than willing to share her, but I can see I'll have to do this on my own."
He turned and stalked out, frustration welling. He'd finally found the right woman and they were too stubborn to see it. How could something so right go so fucking wrong?
He stopped outside Kinley's door, hesitating for the first time. Would she even want to talk to him? Or would she put him in the same category as Dominic? Law could almost forgive his brother. Riley had been deeply hurt by Simone. But Dominic? He'd known the relationship with that bitch wouldn't work out, yet he still hadn't treated Simone half as badly as he'd just behaved toward Kinley.
That was past. Time to forge his future. Law took a deep breath and knocked on her door.
"Go away. I'm not trying to escape."
He turned the knob and walked in, standing over her as she stared out the window, attempting to hide the fact that she'd been crying. In fact, they'd made her cry far too much for his liking.
It was past time to take charge.
"I know you aren't," he assured.
"Good. I said I'll help you. And I'm not going to press charges when this is over. So you can leave me alone."
He could hear the tears in her voice, and they tore at him as he approached her. Damn, he wished he was better with words. "Baby, I won't do that. In fact, I won't ever leave you alone again."
Her shoulders shook, and she sniffled. "Don't say things like that."
"Why not?"
"It's not fair."
"Aww, baby … " Law pulled her into his arms, and she buried her face in his chest. "Don't cry. Dominic isn't usually so harsh with women. I think he's confused. He's caught between wanting you and avenging his sister. You have to understand that he's been trying to implicate Jansen for a very long time."
"I wasn't talking about what he said. I meant the whole situation. I finally find a man who seems to really want me, but his two best friends don't. And that's a deal breaker for you."
Oh, he could solve that problem for her.