“Noted. Thanks, Rome.” Wyatt reaches out to grab the drinks from our waitress.
When our table is clear of people we know, we continue our conversation. “I shouldn’t fall for you. And you shouldn’t want me. I’m not good enough.”
“And I’m the playboy. Do you really think we need to feed into these roles that people have given us? I don’t know about you, but I hate being the damn playboy. I’m tired of being the fuck up. And I don’t want anyone else but you.”
“God, if it were only that easy. I’m so tired of being the mob boss’s dutiful daughter. The one that mothers pull their children away from because god forbid I might steal their children.” I rest my head on the back of the booth.
If I could escape who I was forever, I would absolutely do it. I never want to be a Chiave again.
“So, we don’t. Let’s just be together. Me and you.”
“What about Cooper?”
“That’s up to you. If you want to keep this quiet for now, I’m with you. If you want me to buy a billboard, I will. I’ll do whatever you want.” He smiles that lopsided grin that got me in the first place.
“Can we just keep it me and you for a minute? At least until I know I’m safe from Hugh and James.”
“You got it. Oh! That reminds me.” He reaches down into his pocket and pulls out a familiar phone. A Hugh Chiave signature burner phone.
“What the fuck are you doing with that?” I push back into the booth like the phone might burn me.
“Your brother sent it to me. It had a note with it that we can only use this phone with the one number programmed into it.”
“Tell me you didn’t use it.” I snatch the phone off the table and instantly turn it off.
“What’s wrong?” He’s staring at me like I’ve lost it. And maybe I have.
Pulling out my own phone, I dial Aubrey’s number.
“Aubs.” I call out her name as soon as she answers. “He found me.”
Hanging up immediately, I turn off my phone and grab both of them, running out of the restaurant without explaining anything to Wyatt.
“Sophia!” Wyatt jogs to catch up to me as I place both phones under my tires. “What are you doing? What’s going on?”
“That wasn’t Ryder! Ryder told me he’donlytalk to Aubrey. He wouldn’t have sent a phone. How did you get this?” I’m frantic now, trying to keep my emotions in check and figure out just how fucked I am.
“It was brought to the station by one of Ryder’s guys. Big guy. Bald.” He pulls open his phone, showing me a photo that has my blood running cold.
“That’s Hugh’s right-hand man. This could have nothing to do with me. What did he say?”
“Nothing. Just that I have everything I need, and that the package was from Damon.”
I don’t answer him. I get in my car and run over the phones, crushing them as I roll back and forth with my car.
“Don’t accept anything from them. Hugh knows you’ve been talking to Ryder. You’re in more danger than I am. Call Aubs right now.”
He doesn’t ask any questions, just calls her and puts her on speaker. “Wyatt! What the fuck is going on?”
“Aubs, it’s me. Hugh might not know I’m here. But he knows that Wyatt is the reason he was put in prison.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. So I need you to call Ryder with the emergency code word. I smashed both phones, so I’ve got no way to communicate with anyone,” I tell her.
“I talked to Ryder, then Damon called me. I didn’t talk to Hugh, and right after that the phone showed up. Are you sure it came from him?”
Poor Wyatt. He’s so naive to my father’s underhanded ways.
