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Elena grips my arm, and her eyes look panicked. She hisses, “No! Don’t drag your family into this!”
“Trust me,” I whisper.
“Who are you whispering to? What’s going on, Archer?” Lia demands.
“I have someone with me who needs a disguise.”
“Between you and Levi, I should go into the camouflage business. What do you need?”
“She can’t look anything like herself. She’s going to a place where if she’s recognized, it could mean her life.”
Lia’s quiet for a moment. “Archer, did you find Elena?”
I smile. “Yeah.”
“Oh, my God. This is so exciting. Is she with you? Can she hear me?”
“I can hear you,” Elena says softly.
“Elena! We’ve missed you so much. Don’t you worry, I’ll make you look so different, even Archer won’t recognize you.”
“I’ll always recognize her,” I say and link my hand with Elena’s, holding on even when she tries to pull away.
She won’t be pulling away from me again.
“You can’t tell anyone,” Elena says, her voice laced with urgency. “This has to be absolutely secret, Lia. Please.”
“I understand. Mum’s the word. When do you need me? I have to get some supplies. Are you still the same size?”
Elena and Lia discuss the specifics, and once I’ve hung up with my sister, Elena bites her lip, looking unsure.
“Talk to me.”
“This is a bad idea,” she says at last. “What am I doing? I’ve been safe in Bandon for years. And now you and your family know where I am, and I’m walking right into the lion’s den tomorrow. My grandmother would be so pissed.”
“You love her,” I remind her. “And you’re allowed to go to your own grandmother’s funeral. You’re allowed to grieve and be a human being, Elena. Besides, I know where you are, but my family doesn’t. And Amelia isn’t a snitch.”
“I know better than this.”
“What are you afraid of?”
She laughs, but it’s humorless. “Well, worst-case scenario? You and I are both killed.”
“That feels extreme.”
“You don’t get it. I’m the daughter of a mob boss, Archer.”
“A dead mob boss.” I glance at her and see her bite her lip again. “And I never got it because you always refused to explain it to me, E.”
“Doesn’t matter that he’s dead.” She shakes her head. “I have responsibilities that I walked away from. There will be punishment for that. Grandmother warned me.”
“Your father is dead. Who the hell would punish you?”
“Murdered,” she agrees. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I walked away from the family. That’s not okay. I knew I’d have to go back one day, I’m just not ready. And any one of them could punish me for leaving.”
I take a deep breath and decide that now’s as good a time as any to ask some hard questions.
“Anastasia told me the real reason why you broke things off.”
And learning that it was because her father had threatened my life was enough to almost destroy me.
“I wish she hadn’t done that.”
“So you’d rather I never knew the truth? That I remain clueless? I felt like a fucking fool, E.”
“I’d rather you be safe,” she stresses. “Your safety was always the goal. My father didn’t hand out idle threats, Archer. There was no way in hell I was going to allow him to harm you. So, I did what he asked.”
“And you never came to find me when he died.”
“You don’t get it.” She growls in frustration. “My father made it clear to everyone that if you came around again, looking for me, that you were to be taken care of. That directive didn’t die with him.”
“You didn’t give me a chance to make a decision for myself.”
“What would you have done?”
“Gone to him,” I reply. “Talked to him, man-to-man. Explained that I loved you and that I’d do anything to be your husband.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. You’re not from the right bloodline. You’re not who he picked out for me. And if he’d been willing to give you a chance, he would have made you become part of the family. The mob family. And that’s not okay, Archer. It would have only made things worse.”
“I lost you,” I say, frustration flowing through my veins. “It didn’t get much worse than that.”
“Losing you and the pain that came with it was nothing compared to the agony I knew I’d feel if he killed you, Archer. So, yes, I made a decision for both of us, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“No. You won’t. You won’t ever make a decision like that for me, for both of us, ever again.”
“This is ridiculous. I don’t know why you’re here. Why didn’t you just move on? Find someone else and get married. Have a dozen kids. Live your life? Because you being with me puts us both at risk.”
“I tried,” I admit. “I dated, and there was even someone who loved me enough that I considered marrying her. But it wouldn’t have been fair to her because I never would have loved her the way I loved you.”
