Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
He met my gaze and asked, “Did you hear from him?”
I hated lying to his face, so I tried to dodge the question. “Please, just listen to me. You need to let this go, before someone gets hurt.”
A frown line appeared between his brows. “You didn’t answer me.”
“And you’re not listening!”
It was rare for me to raise my voice, and Adriano seemed startled. But he regained his composure and said, very calmly, “It was my conflict first. Greco tried to ruin me, and then he came after my family by smashing up Mom’s bar. Let’s not forget he also kidnapped me, and that Jack got shot in the process.” A stray bullet had grazed his arm, but I didn’t want to downplay that. He really could have been killed, and we both knew it.
But I had to remind him, “Marcus wasn’t even in town when all of that went down.” That wasn’t new information. My brother had heard it himself from Marcus’s crew when they were detaining him. “When I spoke to him on the way to the airport, he said his crew went rogue while he was away, and that he didn’t authorize any of that. I believe he was telling the truth.”
“Why do you believe that all of a sudden? Did you talk to Greco again, and did he say something to convince you?”
I couldn’t admit I’d seen him. I just couldn’t. Instead, I said, “I know him, Reno. Anger was clouding my judgement at first, but I can see things clearly now. Yes, he was holding back some crucial information, but that doesn’t change the fact that I know the type of man he is. He’s just not the monster you’re making him out to be.”
“You knew him for a week.”
I shook my head. “Don’t dismiss it like it was nothing. How fast did you fall in love with Jack?”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No, but my point is, it’s possible to care deeply about someone in a short period of time. And it’s not like we were casually dating during that week. I had plenty of time to get to know him, because we were together twenty-four/seven and—”
“Don’t fucking remind me!” Reno got up and pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. “I know all that, and I’m sure it was intense, and that it felt like you were falling for each other. But he manipulated you, Romy, because that’s what sociopaths do! They twist the truth, and they can come across as charming if they choose to, but it’s all an act. I’m not blaming you for falling for it. You didn’t know better, and—”
Now it was my turn to cut him off. “Please don’t make me sound like a naïve little kid. For once, maybe try to see me as an adult and trust my judgement.”
His expression softened, and he said, “I do trust your judgement, Romy. But you were fooled by this man—not because you’re naïve, but because he’s obviously a skilled manipulator. And I’m going to keep looking for him, because that’s the only way to be sure he’ll never harm any of us again.”
A feeling of defeat settled heavily on me. My brother was never going to budge. He just wasn’t. As far as he was concerned, he was completely justified in what he was doing, and I was just some pathetic little thing who’d let himself get strung along like a puppet.
I picked up the coffee pot and returned it to the machine as I muttered, “I need to get going. I don’t want to be late for that class I told you about.”
“Please don’t be upset with me,” he said. When I turned back to him, there was nothing but sympathy in his eyes. “I love you, Romy, and all I want is to keep you safe. You know that, right?”
I nodded and told him, “I love you, too.” I couldn’t be mad at him. He was trying so hard to do what he believed was the right thing—protecting me from everyone, even from myself.
I was moody and distracted as I arrived at the dance studio. I kept replaying the conversation with my brother and second-guessing myself—if only I’d said this, or brought up that. Deep down though, I knew it wouldn’t have made a difference. Adriano wasn’t going to trust my judgement, because when he looked at me, he saw a kid, not a man.
The whole situation felt so hopeless. Would it come down to a choice between my family or Marcus? I didn’t want to sacrifice either one—and really, I shouldn’t have to. But if Adriano didn’t back down, it seemed inevitable.
Instead of sliding deeper into a funk, I tried to shake it off and focus on my surroundings. I was here for some much-needed distraction, after all, so I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the present.