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He smirked. “Taking a leaf out of Daddy’s book?”
“Fuck you.”
He didn’t bite back, just sat down across from me, his presence a silent challenge. “You think Violet would want to see you like this? Jack?”
Their names punched me in the gut.
“They won’t. They’re gone because of me.”
Romeo’s brow furrowed. His reaction was a mix of concern and something else—surprise? Guilt? That lingered, a giant question mark in my head.
“What do you mean, she left?” he asked.
“She took off with the kid.”
Romeo leaned in, his eyes hard. “Where?”
“No clue.”
The bottle came up for another swig. The burn was a welcome distraction from the ache gnawing my insides.
“Why don’t we put the vodka aside?” He tried to pull it from me, and I hugged it tighter.
“I need it. Leave me alone.”
He shook my arm. “This isn’t you. You’re not some lovesick puppy pining over what you’ve lost. You’re a goddamn force to be reckoned with. You command fear.”
“Don’t care.”
Romeo raked his hair. “What happened to you?”
The question sobered me like a slap. He was right. I’d lowered my guard, allowed myself to feel, love, and look where that had gotten me. Alone, in a bar, wishing for a life that had never been in my grasp.
Romeo patted my hand. “You’ll get her back.”
“It’s over.”
“Vaffanculo, it’s over. Call her.”
I rubbed my pounding temples. “She made her choice.”
“A bad one. She probably regrets it already.”
She didn’t, though. This had been her plan the entire time. An image of my son’s empty bedroom flashed. Pain radiated up my stomach. I felt like I was dying. I buried my face in my hands, well aware of the scene I was making.
Romeo grabbed my bicep and squeezed hard. “You’ve got to snap out of this. I won’t let you ruin your reputation.”
I lifted my head. “My fiancée and son are missing. You think I give a damn about that?”
“Shut up,” he hissed, leaning in close. “Everybody can see you having a meltdown over this girl.”
“I don’t care.”
Swearing in Italian, Romeo gripped my arm and flung it over his shoulder. He pulled me out of the booth. I made myself stumble.
Every eye in that bar followed me. On their faces, I recognized shock, disgust, even glee. Fuck them. I could slit all of their throats and hardly break a sweat. I gave them my middle finger.
Romeo yanked my hand down. “There’s a boss from New York here!”
