Inez cursed herself inwardly. She and her big mouth—why did she have to mention that her contract was expiring in front of Dominic? She should have kept her mouth closed and opened it only to say 'Yes, boss,' and silently handed her resignation.
However, she was so angry upon being used and thrown as if she was a discarded piece of rag that she couldn't help but put Dominic in his place. She wanted to see him regret missing out on her.
And she wanted him to show some panic at the fact that her contract was soon expiring—that she completely forgot that these men would not let her go so easily.
When she didn't speak, Luca arched a brow and nudged her slightly. "What's with that look? Do you want to make any amends in the contract?"
He spoke so fluidly as if he was going to let her do that.
"No," Inez.
"Thats good—"
"Because I won't be signing any," she finished her sentence without bothering to even pay attention to how swiftly Luca had cut her off.
The man didn't say anything. For a few minutes, the car fell into complete silence but Inez knew better than anyone that this silence was only momentary. Luca must have sensed her rejection and he knew that the old tricks of using their friendship bond wouldn't work.
Thus, he must be thinking of some other way to convince her to sign the contract.
"You know, sweetheart," he spoke up after a pause of a whole five minutes. "This is not going to help your case. If you refuse, then Dom will only pass out the orders that will make your and your family's lives hell. And there is also the matter of your brother working right under me. Do you really want to go down this lane?"
And there it was.
In the past, Luca would use the friendship that they shared and cajole her into signing the form by telling her that she could maybe move Dominic with her determination. Back then, she didn't know that Luca was in cahoots with Dominic and the rest, which was why she trusted him and believed his words.
It wasn't until recently that she cottoned on that Luca was just playing the role of the devil's advocate. He lied, coaxed, and twisted the facts around such that she would trust him. But in truth, he was just playing her like a fool.
"You can do whatever you want," though Inez knew that she was provoking a tiger. But, really, what other choices did she have? If she stepped back now, then she would fall back into the very same cycle that she wanted to break. These four men had done enough damage to her and her wolf; Inez wanted to safeguard whatever was left of her.
"What did you say?" For the first time, there was a crack in Luca's confident expression.
Inez sighed and repeated, "You can do whatever you want. It is not like my life currently is a walk in the park. Not only do I have to pick up Eve's slack but I also need to take on extra jobs. And it is not like I am not being bullied."
"Ricky–"
"I don't care about that," Inez lied. She swallowed and continued, "If you want to kick him out despite how hard-working and skilled he is, then be my guest."
Though Ricky was an arrogant piece of little shit, he was skilled in what he did. If not, Luca would not have let him on the enforcer team. Of course, he did it to control her better but Ricky's skills also mattered.
She knew that this was going to start another house war in her family but she would rather be free and bullied than extorted and bullied.
That was like the worst combination.
The man studied her for two seconds. His lips curved slightly as he questioned, "Are you sure?"
"Positive." Inez nodded.
"Alright," Luca agreed without saying anything else.
Did he agree just like that? Inez frowned and her fists clenched even tighter. She turned her head and looked at the door's lock and wondered if she should clutch the safety belt tightly just in case the man threw her out.
But Luca didn't do anything. On the contrary, he drove her back to the pack's territory. What was he trying to do? Was he trying to find a secluded spot to bury her?
"We are here."
His words snapped Inez out of her thoughts and she heaved a sigh of relief. As they came to a stop at the parking lot of the office, she could feel the tension uncoiling and her limbs easing up a little. Inez admired her patience and courage; if it was someone else, they would have cried because of how stiff and terrifying the entire car ride was.
She hopped out of the car without even waiting for Luca to say something. However, before she could leave with her stuff, Luca walked around the car and caught her hand.
"Do you really have to be so heartless, Nessie?" he almost purred as he looked into her eyes.
His touch made Inez recoil. There was a time when she held his hand and ran around the pack's territory but now this touch only brought bad memories.
"What are you doing?" After staying as a loner for so long, she preferred staying away from men and liked her own or her sister's company.
"You think I have planned something?" Luca asked with a raise of his brow.
"You always have a plan," Inez deadpanned as she tried to push the male away from her. However, as a half-shifter, she didn't have the strength or the means to kick the man away and as her mother had suppressed her siren side, she could hardly even use a single skill.
Even seducing a man was out of the question for her.
"You are wrong," he cupped her chin and moved his head slightly to the left. "This time around, I have planned nothing."
After he finished speaking, he let go of her hand and walked away, which left her confused. Until —
"YOU BITCH!"