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“You’re miserable without her.”
My whole body tensed. “I have her.”
“You don’t. Not the way you both need.”
Right again, but what other option was there? Mari needed me at her back, not at her side. And Antoni…how could you break a promise to a dead man?
“Are you playing matchmaker now? I thought you were going all in.”
Dominic lifted a shoulder. “All I want is to take care of her. If you’re something that she needs, why would I stand in the way of that?”
I shook my head. “We can’t.”
“Why not? There’s nothing publicly binding her to anyone else, and you’re single. Why not be together while you can?”
I’d rather get my teeth pulled without anesthetic than admit anything to Dominic normally, but we had common ground between us now and I didn’t have it in me to be spiteful. “Despite the fact that she’ll have to move on to someone else eventually, I made a promise.”
In all the years since Antoni had died, I’d never uttered a single word about our agreement. His plea, really.
“She needs a safety net, Grey, and I’m not going to be around forever. Let’s be honest, I’ll be lucky to last the year. Be that for her, protect her.” He looked at me with something just short of anguish on his face. “I know you love her, but this is more than that. I need to know you’ll push her to do whatever it takes to stay alive, even if it means aligning herself with someone with the means to protect her better. Even if it means breaking her heart. Promise me.”
I hadn’t hesitated. Antoni had been my brother in all but blood, but Mari had my heart. I had no problem doing whatever it took to keep her breathing. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for the girl who’d owned my soul since we were born.
Even watch her with someone else.
Dominic didn’t ask who I promised. He knew. “When?”
“Before he died.” Antoni had been right; he hadn’t made it a year. He hadn’t even made it two months. I always wondered if he’d had a sixth sense about it, a feeling that the end was near. I almost didn’t want to know. Confirming that my best friend had lived out his final days aware that they were numbered was almost too painful to stomach.
“And you’re dead set on honoring that promise, even if it’s not the best thing for Mari?”
“The best thing for Mari is to survive. That’s all I care about.”
Dominic’s long, slow exhale was full of disbelief. “Then she deserves better than you.”
Wasn’t that the truth.
We fell into silence again, and this time, I didn’t break it. I was so focused on the red dot that I barely noticed he’d stopped the car. A quick glance up showed me Mari, whole and alive, and my chest compressed with a relieved breath I felt in my soul.
“I needed time to come to terms with my part in this, but I was always coming back for her,” Dominic said quietly. “We both know that, eventually, she’ll let me back into her heart and her bed. I could have her to myself if I wanted, but I’m trying to do what’s best for Mari. So, I’m hoping that you’ll realize the living are more important than whispers you’ve given to the dead. She needs you as more than her friend. Don’t deny her that.”
We opened our doors at the same time, and my mind whirled as I stepped out. Was I hurting Mari by staying away? Was I damaging us further by putting Antoni’s wishes above hers? I loved him, but he was dead. Gone. Mari was still here.
* * *
By the time I assessed the area, Dominic had Mari wrapped in a hug. “Mariposa, looks like you had a busy drive.”
If you counted a dozen dead bodies as busywork, sure.
Mari rolled her eyes, and that lightness I’d noticed crept into them. Despite how much he irritated me, Dominic was good for Mari. I had to admit that.
While Mari filled us in on the ambush, I crouched next to the closest body. I wanted to hold her, to pull her into me and know that she was safe. Here. Alive. But we’d barely spoken in days, and for once, that didn’t feel right. So, I kept my distance even as I ached to get closer. Peeling back the dead man’s shirt, I found the Ace and swore under my breath.
“This is definitely a complication.”
“Why was she alone?”
I twisted to find a man leaning against Mari’s car. The Good Samaritan. I ran my gaze over him, cataloguing as I went. He had strength in his arms and legs, muscle he tried to hide. He had those good ol’ boy looks that ladies flocked to, and he was quiet. Too quiet. It felt like he was trying very hard to be unassuming. Something about him sent my instincts into overdrive, and I vowed to look into him more when I could.
