Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“Dom?” I said quietly.
His head snapped up, eyes catching mine. They looked vacant, similar to Rocco’s when he kicked me out of his room last night. This situation was different, though. Dom could tell me to leave, but unless he physically pushed me out of his room, I wouldn’t budge. I walked closer until I was right in front of him. He took a deep breath and exhaled as I stood there.
“Not now, Nora,” he said, his voice hoarse. Not now, Nora. Those were the exact words Rocco had said to me last night.
“Are you okay?”
That was the stupidest question of all time, but I wanted him to tell me he wasn’t. If he did, maybe I could help him. Not that he’d let me. These men had too much pride for their own good. Whatever this was, it must have been huge for them to act this way. His phone buzzed on the side table; it sounded loud in the deafening silence. I went over and lifted it when I saw Rosie’s face on the screen.
Dom shook his head. “Not now.”
“But it’s Rosie.” When the call went to voicemail, I looked at the screen and saw that he had twelve missed calls. I was sure a lot of them were hers. She must have been losing her freaking mind. “Dominic.”
He looked at me again, still blank. I felt out of my element. He’d normally never turn down a call from Rosie. My mind jumped to the worst conclusion I could conceive: someone died. Someone important. Someone they loved. The thought made my stomach drop. I didn’t know how to handle him when he was like this.
“Can I call Rosie back?”
“I can’t talk to her,” he said, his voice breaking.
No tears were coming down his face, but it was the closest thing to a sob I’d ever heard from him. It rattled me to the core. Gabe was the more emotional brother. He didn’t care if anyone saw him crying, laughing, or yelling. Dominic had always been serious. A jokester, sure, but I’d never seen him like this. I set the phone on the bed and walked behind him. He may very well shrug me off, but I didn’t care. The only way I knew how to comfort him was to wrap my arms around him. He brought his hands up and held me tight, as he dropped his head and his body shook. He still didn’t make a sound.
“Did someone die?” I asked quietly.
A sound tore through him. He sounded more like a wounded animal than a hurt man. I bit my lip to keep from wobbling, trying so hard not to cry, but it was impossible. With my arms around him, I could feel the weight of his grief. I was going to repeat the question and ask what was wrong, but I waited for him to compose himself. If someone had died, who? My stomach felt like an empty pit while I awaited his answer.
“No,” he said, finally. The confirmation should’ve eased my concern, but it didn’t because he was still struggling.
“Can I call Rosie back?” I whispered against his hair, squeezing him a little tighter. “She has to be worried sick.”
“I can’t talk to her,” he chanted hoarsely. “I can’t talk to her. I can’t talk to her.”
It felt like a hand was gripping my throat from the inside. My strong, untouchable older brother was breaking before my eyes, and I didn’t know what to do or how to help. I didn’t know how to take some of this pain from him, so he didn’t have to bear it alone. He’d often done it for me, taking my calls when I was crying over something — hugging me tight when I felt lost or heartbroken. I’d always told myself I’d do the same for him, and here I was, at a loss. The only thing I could do was call Rosie. I kissed his head and unwrapped my arms. When I picked up the phone and lifted it to his face to unlock it, I saw a tear roll down his cheek, and I couldn’t bear it. I walked away so I could call Rosie without completely losing my shit. I didn’t know what happened and it didn’t matter. When he hurt, I hurt. I took a breath and called Rosie.
“Oh my God, Dominic,” she said loudly.
“It’s me.”
“Nora?” She sounded confused, then worried. “What are you— where’s Dominic? Is he okay? Are you okay?”
“We’re safe,” I cleared my throat and walked to the ensuite, shutting the door slightly and sitting on the closed toilet. I lowered my voice. “But Rocco found something on my dad’s USB drive that fucked him up, and when he told Dom what it was, he also lost it.”
“What was on it?”
“I. . .” I shut my eyes and took a shaky breath. “I don’t know. I didn’t see it, but it doesn’t matter. Dominic is a mess.”