Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“I know,” I snarl when he looks like he’s about to get going again. “It’s wrong. It’s twisted. I get it. All right? Fuck.”
I stand up, my hands trembling.
“I’m going to wait outside until they leave, then follow them to the city’s edge to make sure nobody’s following them. Tell them to hurry.”
I stalk outside to wait in my car.
“What do we do?” Lucy says, pacing up and down under the stark lights of the kitchen at three am.
I check my phone. Arria has just texted me.
Arriana: We’re still on the road. Everything is going well so far. Dad called, and he said there have been no visitors. Maybe it’ll all be okay.
Me: Let’s hope so, Arriana.
Arriana: So we’re back to Arriana, huh?
She adds a heartbroken emoji.
I don’t text her back. I need to remember my promise. I need to remember that I told her dad I would have the discipline to leave his daughter the hell alone.
“If we run,” Lucy says when I don’t reply, “it’ll be obvious we’re hiding something. God, can’t he just let go? It’s been years. He never loved me. How could he? He never even knew me. It’s absolutely ridiculous for him to even still care about this.”
I grind my teeth, nodding. “The lie detector stunt was a failure. I didn’t expect that. Now he’ll know we’re waiting for him to make his next move. He said he’s going to prove that our relationship isn’t legitimate. You need to be careful with Giancarlo—maybe even cut things off for the time being…”
“And you need to do the same with Arria.” Lucy throws her hands up. “Don’t give me that look. You care about that girl—my niece. I know you do. I’d be happy you could finally find somebody if it didn’t mean…”
“That Caruso and his goons might string us all up and bleed us the fuck out.”
“Exactly,” she says, shivering.
“Let’s say you’re right. Let’s say something is going on between me and Arria.”
Lucy rolls her eyes. “Sure, let’s say…”
“Would it be such a bad thing?” I snap. “I know she’s younger than me. That she’s my niece, I know she’s…” A virgin. My body aches for her. “Inexperienced. But I’d never take advantage of her. I’d never lie. I’d never use her. Despite who I used to be, I like to think I’m a good person now.”
“You were a good person then,” Lucy says with a sigh. “You wouldn’t still be here otherwise, helping me.”
“So, if the—the goddamn world, if it was different, if it didn’t mean risking our lives, if it didn’t mean putting a wedge between her and her father, who’s told me to back off, would there be a problem?”
“Maybe not, but it’s not like you to live in imaginary worlds,” Lucy says.
My phone buzzes again.
Arriana: Have I made you mad, Nico?
I text back quickly.
Me: I didn’t tell your dad about us, but I didn’t need to. He knows. He asked me to back off. I didn’t say yes, but I nodded, so I might as well have. Even if we weren’t risking our lives by doing what we’re doing, we’re risking you ever having a decent relationship with your dad. I can’t be responsible for that.
Arriana: I’m not a child. I can make my own choices. I can take my own risks. Anyway, we’re just texting. What’s the harm in that?
Me: We both know this has never been ‘just texting’…
“We should try to get some sleep,” Lucy says. “We can’t do anything right now, can we? Despite what else is true about Dominic, he’s worked hard to establish himself as the sole ruler of this city. He did that by putting his fucked-up family before his personal desires.”
“True,” I say. “But that doesn’t mean he’s going to quit, Lucy. He’s going to keep digging. He will not stop until he gets what he wants. After that lie detector test…” My hand curls into a fist. “Dammit. I can’t see any way out of this for any of us.”
“It’ll seem more manageable in the morning,” Lucy says. “You’ll see. Maybe we’ll have to pay him off? Or we’ll have to—I don’t know. There has to be a way out of this.”
But she’s wrong. There doesn’t have to be anything.
“Stay in public, busy places,” I tell her. “Tomorrow, when you go to work. No stops at a cute, quiet little cafe. No routes that avoid major traffic. If he’s going to strike, it’ll be somewhere that won’t cause a public scene. We won’t even see him coming. It’ll just happen.”
I feel sick saying this, but it’s the truth. The sick, broken, twisted truth.
“Okay,” she murmurs, walking toward the hallway. Then she pauses. “Nico, I want you to know… I’m grateful. You’ve always put others first. You put your life on hold to save mine. I’ll never forget that.”