Chapter 36 · Ripping the Deal

"Put the card down, Cole." Silas Quinn kept one hand around Eve's throat and the other wrapped around the black contract burning between his fingers. "Or I close the deal with her soul."

Cole stopped three steps from the table. The Pact Deck sat between them, its edges glowing red. Eve's boots barely touched the floor. Quinn's thumb pressed under her jaw, forcing her head back.

Her eyes found Cole's.

Don't.

She didn't say it. She didn't need to. He saw the warning in the tight line of her mouth.

Cole lifted the card in his hand. "You want me to play? Fine. Let her go first."

Quinn laughed under his breath. "Still pretending you have rules. That's cute."

"Still hiding behind a woman? That's pathetic."

The smile left Quinn's face.

His fingers tightened. Eve's breath caught, but she drove her heel backward into his knee. Quinn staggered. She twisted hard, smashed her elbow into his ribs, and dropped out of his grip.

Cole moved at the same time.

He crossed the room before Quinn could recover, caught Eve by the waist, and pulled her behind him. Her shoulder struck his chest. Heat pushed through both their coats.