I threw open the door of Evie's car just as the shouting inside stopped, but it was only a momentary break. Within seconds, a massive paperweight sailed across the room and embedded itself in the wall.

The room was in shambles from their violence, but I barely had time to register the destruction when I saw Evie standing over Jacob's balled form on the floor about to drive her bracer covered fist into the back of his head.

"Evie, no!" I yelled, throwing myself between them before she could strike. "Stop it! Now!"

She paused, the blood from her freshly cut cupid's bow trickling down her chin, and stared at me for a moment. Seizing the distraction, Jacob leaped to his feet and, shoving me aside, nailed her across the cheek with a backhanded fist. She staggered back before catching herself on the edge of her desk.

"Jacob!" I shouted, shoving him away, but he ignored me as he stepped up to his sister again.

"You always liked the cheap shots," Evie spat, readying herself for his next attack.

He gave her a snarling grin. "And you always overthink everything."

I wanted to do something, but there was no way I could stop them. They were trained assassins who complimented each other's skills. Where Jacob was powerful and damaging, Evie was methodical and swift. There was no way I could keep them from killing each other once they connected again and, from the rage on their faces, that was exactly what they intended to do. Seeing Jacob's cane leaning against the doorframe, I grabbed it and did the only thing I could: I became the barrier between them.

"Back off!" I ordered, swinging the cane at both of them like a club. "The next one who makes a move is getting clobbered. I swear to God, I love y'all but I will nail either one of you if you so much as sneeze wrong."

"Put the cane down, Gwen," Jacob snapped, stepped closer.

I raised it higher instead. "You got a hearing problem? I said back off."

"This doesn't involve you," Evie, who also took a step toward me, added.

"Uh, yeah. It does. Y'all are killing each other." Sensing they weren't taking me seriously, I lowered the cane and hit each of them in the stomach in turn with the handle. "Now, back off or I'll do it again."

"Dammit!" Jacob snarled before reaching out and wrenching it out of my hands. Thankfully, he turned his back to us, ending the violence but not the tension. "We're done here anyway."

Evie turned in the opposite direction and made herself a glass of water, using the moment to calm herself before asking, "Have you any idea what you've done?"

I glanced over at Jacob, who didn't reply.

"Tell her!" She ordered, her voice edging toward rage again. "Tell Gwen how you've single-handedly destroyed the transit system for the largest city in the world?"

I shook my head, confused. "Wait. What?"

Jacob smiled uncomfortably when he looked at me. "A slight miscalculation on my part that's been remedied. And Miss Attaway has been dealt with accordingly."

"You're missing the point!" Evie snapped, throwing her hands up in defeat. "As usual, you ignore the ruin you create and move on to your next misadventure."

"Calm yourself, dear sister." He casually dusted himself off. "The smaller omnibus lines will take the place of the larger ones lost. If anything, I've ensured their survival. You should be thanking me."

I watched her narrow her eyes and knew she was about to explode. I quickly stepped between them again and guided her toward the door. "Evie, just go for now. I'll take care of this."

She glared at him but allowed me to lead her away. Before opening the door, she said, "I'd hoped your return would have a calming influence on him. I see I was mistaken."

"I'll make him understand this time." I shot him an annoyed look as well before opening the door for her. "I promise."

She looked into my eyes and for a moment I thought I saw pity. "I pray you can. For all our sakes."

Once she was gone, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. With a hungry voice, he teased, "I thought she'd never leave. I've missed you, darling."

"This isn't the time, Jacob." I ripped his arms away and turned on him. "So, let's ignore the fact that you abandoned me, yet again, for two days."

"I always come back, don't I?" he interjected.

I raised my hand. "Let's just ignore that for a minute. Am I right to assume you assassinated the owners of the two largest omnibus lines in London?" When he only shrugged, I continued. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Just a small error that's been corrected." When he tried to reach for me again, I glared at him, causing him to drop his arms with a groan. "Pearl Attaway was the cousin of Starrick."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't know this little tidbit of information when you started working with her?"

"It wasn't a topic of conversation, no." He tried to shoot me his raised eyebrow grin, which I just rolled my eyes at. "Darling, this doesn't concern you. It's finished. Now, there are two days I'd like to make up for."

"And you went there," I snapped. "Let's talk about that too, shall we?"

"I'd rather not."

"Oh good. Well, you can just listen then. I am tired of being your beck-and-call girl. I am tired of being there whenever you want me, but not getting the same respect in return. You left me without so much as a note."

He shrugged. "I'll leave a note."

"That's not the point!" I yelled. "You say you love me, but you act like I'm just supposed to sit here and wait for you forever. And when you do finally show back up, you think I'm supposed to spread my legs like… like your personal whore. I am not a whore and I am not here just so you have a hole to stick your pipe into. I didn't give up everything to come back and be treated like that and I won't stand for it anymore."

"I never considered you my whore." His eyes darkened. "And no one asked you to come back. You're free to go whenever you like. No one's stopping you."

"I know I'm free to go, but as I recall you were the one who brought me back the first time I left."

"A decision I'm beginning to regret."

"Excuse me? Are you serious right now?"

He groaned again. "Darling, let's not argue."

"Then stop acting like a child."

"Stop making treating me like one," he snapped back.

"I've never treated you like a child! But since we're on the subject, how about you stop sending your goons to follow me around. I can take care of myself, you know."

"Not as long as you're mine, Gwen King."

I bit my lower lip to keep it from quivering. I wanted to scream at him, to hit him. Instead, I said, "I don't belong to any man. This – what we had – is now over."

He looked shocked. "I beg your pardon?"

My back straightened as I repeated the words, "This is over. Our engagement, our whole damn toxic relationship, is done."

I waited, part of me holding my breath hoping he'd call my bluff. I willed him to pull me into his arms and tell me he was sorry. I could almost feel him kissing me on the forehead while he said he loved me even when we fought and he would fix what was wrong. If he'd just said he loved me, I would've believed we could work it out. If he just reminded me that I was the air he breathed, I'd let my anger go and try again.

If only…

"As you wish, Miss King."