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“Look how far we’ve come already,” I tell him. “I almost had a meltdown when I spoke to you in the gym. Now, we’ve been through so much. We can do this, and it gives us a chance.”
“A chance for what?”
“To prove to everybody we work as a couple.”
He smiles, leaning in for another kiss. When the passion begins to overtake us, I place my hand on his chest and lean away slightly. He nods. He doesn’t say anything. He knows what I’m wordlessly saying. There’s been too much evilness for me to go there, at least for now, and the glint in his eyes tells me he feels the same.
“Let me just hold you,” he says, leading me to the couch. “Let me hold you and forget about the rest of the world.”
He pulls me against him, his breath tickling over my neck. His breath changes after a few minutes, and I can tell he’s fallen asleep. I cuddle even closer to him, closing my eyes and doing what he said—forgetting, just for a little while.
CHAPTER 27
Luca
Colt calls me later that day when my woman is at home, getting ready for the party. I answer so damn fast, my heart pounding.
“None of it was true, Luca,” he tells me.
“Wait, what?”
“None of it,” he repeats. “There was no baby. Turns out the Kingstons bribed the warden to provide false prison records. Seems they threatened your ex?—”
“She’s not my ex.”
“Well, this lady you once slept with, then,” he says. “Threatened her to record the video, confessing to this sick shit. They knew the only way to get your brother to do what they wanted was to threaten you. They knew you were his weak point.”
“Sick bastards,” I mutter.
“It doesn’t matter. Maverick will never see public office again when his son’s stuff goes public, and Nate…”
“You need to let me give you something for all this work,” I tell him.
Colt chuckles. “You already took the one thing you could’ve given me.”
It takes me a moment to realize what he’s referring to. When it hits me, a cold chill moves down my spine. He’s talking about Nate—about killing him. The one thing I could’ve given Colt Walker is the chance to put Nate in the dirt.
“I guess this is all over now,” Colt goes on.
“Yeah, I hope so,” I reply.
“I’ll see you at the gym, then.”
“Wait,” I say before he hangs up. “My mother is throwing a party tonight. Seems she wants to make up for all this mayhem. She wants us to focus on the good parts of life. Why don’t you come?”
“Parties aren’t really my thing.”
“I figured you’d say as much, but the offer’s there.”
He hesitates. “Who’s going?”
“My mother can throw one hell of a shindig when she sets her mind to it, even on short notice. There’ll be some Family people there.” I mention that upfront so he doesn’t think I’m tricking him. “Elio, his wife, Scarlet, Ruby, and her family?—”
“Ruby’s family?” he says tightly.
I find myself smirking despite the darkness that tries to cling to me. I feel like we’re entering a new era, able to leave behind the pain and the bull crap. Elio was right that taking a life is never easy, but I chuckle when I hear the twitch of emotion in Colt’s ordinarily calm voice. “You say that like you’re excited, Colt.”
“Why would I be excited?” he says coldly.
“To see Lexi again…”
“She was going to do something stupid,” he snaps. “I stopped her. That’s all there is to it.”
“Relax. I’m only messing with you.”
“Not everybody is going to fall in love in a week, Luca.”
“Colt, I said relax,” I snap. “Don’t talk down about my relationship with Ruby. We banter a lot, and I like it, but that’s a no-go area.”
After a pause, he says, “Fair enough.”
“So, are you coming to the party?” In the background, Shadow whines. “It sounds like Shadow has strong opinions about it.”
“It was the craziest thing,” Colt says. “He climbed into her lap. He whined like a pup. He never acts like that with anybody. Shadow is the most well-trained dog you’ll likely meet, and no, Luca. I’m not coming to the goddamn party.”
Anger flares into his voice, and he hangs up the phone. It’s clear he has some feelings, but it’s impossible to know if they’re ones of desire or doubt or something in between. However, that’s not my problem. If he wants to stay lonely, like I was, it’s his choice.
I shrug, then quickly write a text to my woman. Just got word from my friend. The whole thing was a scam, Ruby. She was never pregnant. There wasn’t a baby.
Oh, thank God! I can see her beaming, her cheeks flaming as ruby-ish as her name. That’s great news. One less piece of darkness. One less innocent who’s suffered.
