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Dad kissed her. Not a peck. He kissed her like he was about to make another Blackwood.

The cop came back. "Mr. Blackwood?"

No answer.

"Sir?" The officer had his keys in his hand now. His face had gone from sickly pale to deathly gray. "There's been a misunderstanding."

The officer stepped toward Mom and fumbled with the ring of keys.

Dad caught his wrist. "Don't bother. I'll take it from here."

Ma bit her bottom lip, a shit-eating grin on her face as the chains around her wrists rattled again. Dad bent, caught her behind the knees, and tossed her over his shoulder. My mother shrieked. Her cuffed hands landed against Dad's ass. She gave it an enthusiastic smack.

The entire garden watched Fenrir Blackwood stalk into the surrounding woods, carrying his handcuffed wife over his shoulder.

Ivar covered his face.

Vidar looked like he was reconsidering every life decision that had led him to this moment.

Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose.

I watched my father's hand settle possessively over the back of my mother's thigh.

Then I looked at my brothers. Vidar and Magnus were already moving to Addie and Nell. I looked through the sea of faces, searching for my raven haired beauty. Rosalind wasn't with my sisters-in-law. She wasn't with my sister, who was glaring daggers at a bombshell biracial woman who smelled like a big cat.

I found Rosalind sitting alone at one of the tables in the far corner. She was staring sightlessly out the window. "They let your mom go?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry this happened."

I didn't placate her. I didn't say it wasn't her fault. I already had the suspicion that she was involved. What I needed to understand was if she wanted to remain involved.

"I believe you're sorry. Will you help me fix it?"

"No."

Well, that said it all. She was a sociopath. She cared about me; I didn't doubt that. But she didn't care about anyone else.

Was I going to have to choose between my wife and my family? It was already tearing me up inside. Maybe I could just lock her away and⁠—

"I'm going to fix it myself."

I didn't know whether to slap some sense into my wife or spank her ass. "What we are going to do is fuck this whole independent woman shit right out the fucking door. You are not by yourself, Rosalind. You are a we."

I surprised my wife into momentary silence. Momentary.

"You don't know what I've done."

"I have a pretty good idea what you've done. You've been running around and stirring up chaos for months, maybe even years. You fed the Ironwoods enough bullshit to make them think we were coming for their construction contracts. You put something in Elias Vane’s ear that got my fists in his face. You put out rumors that eventually got back to Dante Lupetto. I’m guessing you’ve been fucking with the Volki too.”

This time the momentary silence lasted a few seconds longer. I was insulted by it.

"I'm not stupid either."

Rosalind's hands came to my face, finding me instantly. "I know you're not stupid. Well, I thought you were at first. But you figured out more things about me than people who've known me my whole life."

"I'm a little obsessed with you."