“She wouldn’t, would she? You two keep protecting each other from everything. Including the truth.” He shrugs, and winks at the woman at the table beside us.
I roll my eyes and consider warning her off him, but I know she would just turn that against me.
“But Father promised.” My heart hammers in my chest.
I’m so close to saving her. I can’t fail. Part of my deal with him was that he would leave Tee alone.
Nico pulls out his card. It’s not really a business card. It’s more of a calling card. My brother has a phone number he uses for women only.
He flips the luxurious card between his fingers. “This might be one of the few times he breaks the promise.”
He takes the hand of the woman beside us and kisses her knuckles. I swear, she almost faints. Giving her the card, he turns back to me.
“You’re incorrigible.”
I don’t understand it, but I know the woman willcall him. And will end up crying her eyes out once he’s done with her.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Dad’s plans?”.
Nico shrugs. “You haven’t been answering your phone.”
Shit. The one time they were not calling to exert their authority and control me. If I knew, I would have… what?
Talked to my father? I might have won one round with him, but my influence doesn’t reach that far.
“She will be eighteen soon, and then she can live with me.”
Nico will not tell our father about my plans. And even if he did, Father would laugh, dismissing it.
“He might believe you’d pull it off, and that’s why he’s rushing. To have her engaged and probably wed before her birthday. He needs a legitimate alliance, Roxy.”
I lower my head, shaking it. I’m so close, and I might still fail. If I pulled her out of there now, he wouldn’t hesitate to report me. She isn’t going anywhere until she’s eighteen.
“Look, if you were home, it would be you,” Nico suggests.
“Are you saying I should be relieved he’s pawningheroff?” I let out adisbelieving laugh.
Nico looks at me, unimpressed. “I’m saying, maybe it’s time to return. For Tee. You can handle a husband, but she is too young.”
How fucked up it is that my brother guilts me into returning because he is worried about our younger sister? He accepted there would be a sacrifice—because there is no other word to call it.
He wants me to step in and save Tee.
And he might be right. That might be the only option.
“And you better decide fast, because he will try to pawn her off to people who are way worse than his current contender. The older he gets, the more unhinged he is.”
A shudder ripples through me at the idea of my innocent sister being sold. Nico is right. I’m better prepared to handle it.
“What’s the alliance?”
“It’s not that bad at the moment. He craves legitimate business expansion. If he gets it, it would please and occupy him enough to buy us time to get Tee out of his grasp.”
I want to hug Nico for understanding. For trying to save our sister. It’s nice not to be alone fighting against our father.
I wish he’d offer a solution that doesn’t involve a sacrifice to appease Father. That he would help us escape the grim future. Can I ask him for help?
“Who did he pick this time?”
