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We all dote on the girl who heals invisible cracks between us, drawing the household closer into a family unit as we work to repay a favor with no price tag.
Striding along the hall I turn at the end and head straight to Rafe’s office, entering without knocking. He doesn’t look away from the man seated on the other side of his desk, his hard eyes fixed in a way that halts my steps. I stop behind the man, my hands clasped in front of me, and await my boss’s word.
“Your behavior is unacceptable.Thisis unacceptable.” Rafe speaks softly, his fury a palpable thing as he looks past the man and nods.
I reach behind me as the man jabbers something in his native Italian I barely understand, cocking my gun, and I put a bullet into his brain, angling the shot downward. The man—I don’t know his name—slumps forward onto Rafe’s desk.
“Next time, take him outside.”
I nod, wrapping my fist around the back of his jacket and haul the lump of a man over his seat. “I’ll have someone clean up the mess,” I say, unemotionally. “What happened to earn his fate?”
Not that I care, but sometimes it’s nice to keep a growing catalogue of the sins I commit.
“Two of the girls are dead.” Rafe’s dark eyes bore into mine.
I let the man slide back into his chair, grey matter plopping onto the leather and oozing its length.
“One of the girls Thalia was rescued with?” I can’t keep the sharpness out of my tone.
Rafe doesn’t seem to care. “Both had their throats sliced. With wire garrottes.” He runs a hand over his head, spearing his fingers through his hair.
“Why are they dead now?” I ask him softly.
My best friend spreads his hands over his desk, gripping it like he might fall off the edge of the world, or throw it into the black abyss of his growing rage that matches my own.
“Clearly, they know something no one wants told.” He licks his lips. “Dom … she has to talk. We need to know.”
I nod silently, my gut roiling as I drag the body from Rafe’s office and direct a handful of plebs to clean-up duty. My disquiet has nothing to do with the man bleeding brains at my back, and everything to do with forcing the girl with hollow eyes to speak to me.
Because I don’t want to break her further. Something tells me if I don’t get her to speak, Rafe will. He won’t be half as sweet in his torture as I am.
A low growl fills my chest cavity as I dump the body at the back of the loading dock and head to my bathroom to clean up.
I’ll talk to her in the morning. It’s an empty promise I make to myself, delaying the inevitable job as long as Rafe’s patience will last.
Because after this, she’ll hate me forever.
****
Sunlight lances across the white sheets that cover Thalia’s body just enough to outline the perfection of her shape. Between us, Luca and I have brought out her sweet curves with a lot of TLC.
Now, I jeopardize everything we’ve worked for.
“Wake up, honey,” I murmur, trailing the backs of my knuckles over her cheek. “I don’t want to do this, but we have to talk.” I keep stroking her gently as she turns into my touch, arching her cheek into my palm when I turn my hand to cup her face. Her lips nuzzle sweetly against my skin, and my body aches with the need to strip down and hold her to my chest.
But what I want is impossible.
“Wake up, Thalia,” I whisper, my voice lower than I want, reflecting the hunger within me.
Her eyes fly open at the sound, and she backs herself so far across the bed I worry she’ll fall off the other side. Her mouth opens in a silent scream, her hands clawing in my direction.
I hold up both of mine, palms facing forward in supplication. “I’m not a danger to you, Thalia. I never was nor ever will be. I promise you. But something’s happened, and we need to talk.” I suck in a long breath, unused to speaking so many long sentences to her after our months of silence.
Her gaze darts around the room, taking in the bright window I left open for her, hoping the fresh air would help. She sees the door is shut and locked.
This isn’t a conversation I want Luca or Rafe or any other dirty fucker with murder on their minds to interrupt. We will do this at my speed, and hers, even if it takes me all day.
Even if I have to break her.
