AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re not even going to deny it?”
Trey sighed, and straightened his shoulders. “Why would I? I’m not going to lie to you, Dahlia.”
Dahlia widened her eyes. “That’s all you’ve been doing, Trey! This whole time, I’ve been in the dark about the other side of your life. I gave you everything, and you pick and choose what you give me.”
“I never lied to you. I simply kept my personal and professional life separate. It’s safer that way.”
Dahlia spread out her arms. “For who?”
“You!” he snapped. “This has always been about you for me. Keeping you safe and not allowing you to get caught up in my world. I chose this life. You didn’t.”
Dahlia drew in a breath and walked across the office, running her hand through her hair. While she could understand his reasoning, it still kept her out of the loop. If they were going to do this, she needed everything put on the table. No more secrets.
She folded her arms and turned to Trey. “You never gave me a choice, Trey. And now, after putting it all together, everything you shared with me about your past…I’m thinking you didn’t choose it either. It chose you.”
What choice did Trey really have for his own survival? He’d been so young. He did what he had to do, thrust into a life she couldn’t even have imagined. Her youth may not have been perfect, but at least she’d had a childhood. That was something Trey had been denied.
If they were going to move forward, they couldn’t look back.
“Drugs, guns, extortion, murder. Am I leaving anything out?”
Trey knitted his brows. “Quite a few, actually.”
What the… Oh hell. Dahlia clamped her lips, trying to stay focused. This was all so much. She needed a breakdown, some type of understanding.
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
Trey cupped his mouth, finally showing some emotion. “Not unless it concerned your safety.”
“So I’m just supposed to stay in the dark about this other life of yours?”
Trey stiffened, but his gaze softened.
“Yes. Anything I tell you makes you an accessory. I wouldn’t do that.” Trey cleared his throat. “And that’s the way it will remain. It’s the only option that allows you to leave me if you choose. If I tell you everything, you don’t have that choice.”
Dahlia froze, his admission settling into her mind. Leave him? That thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. Even after everything Penny told her, she wasn’t going to leave Trey. But in Trey’s head, this was his way of protecting her.
“This is why you wanted to keep our relationship a secret?” Dahlia whispered.
“Being tied to me directly puts you at risk. I hold a coveted position in the Underground. Power has a way of creating envy, and some people will use any means necessary once they discover someone else’s weakness.”
This was all so confusing, yet made perfect sense.
“Am I your weakness?”
“Yes.” Trey clenched his jaw and muttered a curse under his breath. He dragged his hand over his face, clearly distraught. For a man like Trey, who’d had to be strong his entire life, any admission of weakness was probably painful to admit. But he did. For me.
“It’s about keeping you safe. I’ll give you what you need to know but nothing more.”
He remained silent, cupping his mouth with a tight scowl forming over his brow.
“Is this how it worked in your other relationships?”
“There haven’t been others. Just you.”
She blinked, trying to comprehend.
“What about Rogue and Oz? How did they…”
