“I’m sorry,” she sobs in my ear, only making me hold on to her tighter. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. We’re okay.” I bury my face in her neck.
“I should never have come here.”
I hold her for another minute before finally looking up to see Teo examining the blood on his hands.
“What happened?”
His eyes flash to mine. “I…might have followed you.”
Slowly, I pry Cas from my arms. But I can’t bring myself to let go of her hand as I approach my friend.
He watches me with growing alarm. “Don’t you dare give me shit for disobeying an order. Coming here on your own was the very definition of reckless, and I…”
I throw my arms around him.
“Oh.” Slowly, he relaxes into the embrace.
“You killed him.”
“I did.”
The feeling is a strange one. On the one hand, I’m glad it was him and not Cas. She already has enough blood on her hands, thanks to me.
But on the other, my father’s absence is both a weight lifted and a burden taken. Everything I ever worked for is now being thrown into question. Was there a world where the transfer of power wouldn’t end in violence?
I pull away from Teo and offer him a genuine and heartfelt smile. “Thank you.”
Teo smiles back before his eyes dart over to Cas at my side.
“I better start on damage control. I’ll give you two a moment to sort yourselves out.”
With that, he gets to his feet and brushes himself off.
I’ve never seen a man stand so tall.
With one last glance out at the city skyline, Teo departs.
“It’s one hell of a view from the top.”
30
CASSANDRA
“Idon’t even know where to start.”
I sniff back another onslaught of tears as Teo closes the door behind him.
Rocco looks back at me, strong and courageous and the father of my unborn child. The man who fought the monster that was Giuliano Moretti, who was willing to sacrifice everything to keep us safe.
Not only had I misjudged him, but I accused him of a crime he didn’t commit.
But despite everything I’ve done, and almost betraying him for his own father, he opens his arms wide for me.
I reach for him in the space of a heartbeat, finding my home against his chest.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know, I was just trying to…”
