AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You have him wrapped around your finger.”
I scoffed. “He cares about me. There’s a difference.”
“You underestimate how much you mean to him.”
“And that’s a problem?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I just want him to stay happy.”
“I’d never hurt him.”
Santino studied me for a long moment. “I believe you, but understand, we’re protective of our own. Achille’s happiness, his safety…if anything threatened that, I’d take it personally.”
The threat burned hot in my chest.
I met his glare head-on. “I’m here to support him, not to be your puppet.”
He smirked. “Kill always had good taste.”
“I’m serious. Don’t mistake my compliance for blind obedience. I’m his partner. I will be treated as such.”
Santino raised his glass and winked. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Violet. Something tells me you’ll be fine.”
As he turned to leave, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My heart raced. This family is crazy. I waited until he disappeared. Then I returned to the restaurant. I passed Romeo on my way to the bathroom.
Inside, I bumped into Becky.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for—” She broke off, her attention centering on my face. “What’s wrong?”
“God, everything.”
Becky glanced at the door. “Tell me what’s going on.”
My lip quivered. “You were right. I did some digging. I found strange transactions in my sister’s bank statements. She was getting paid by Achille. Every month, thousands of dollars.”
Her eyes widened. “Why?”
“I have no idea. Now I have all these questions, but I’m scared to bring them up.”
“Wow. Maybe there’s a simple explanation?”
“Then why wouldn’t he come clean?”
She grimaced. “Yeah. It’s a bit shady.”
“A bit?”
“Okay, hear me out. But have you considered that it’s smarter not to dig too deep? Achille is a powerful man. You don’t want to upset him.” Becky reached out, touching my arm. “I want you to be safe. More than anything. That’s why I’m saying this. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. For your own good, drop this.”
“I can’t do that. This is my sister.”
“He probably had a reason for not telling you that has nothing to do with how he feels about you.”
“I need to know the truth, no matter what it is.”
“Of course,” Becky soothed. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable excuse for all this.”
“Or there isn’t, and I’m fallin’ for a man I shouldn’t.”
