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I rested my head on his chest, and he ran his fingers through my hair. “Last year, Aiden said something when we were at The River Styx, and it’s stuck with me ever since.”
“What did he say?”
“That I’ve been running back to you since college, and I’m the only one who doesn’t see how this will end. After Aiden disappeared, I wondered if you followed through on your threat.”
“I didn’t hurt your brother.”
A silence passed over us as I struggled to still my racing heart.
“That’s what you want to know, right? You think I killed your brother. We had this conversation last year, and still, you don’t believe me.”
I peeked up at him, searching for the truth. “Did you?”
“I never liked Aiden because he got in the way. Killing him would crush you. Do you think I would do anything to hurt you?”
“You’re capable of a lot of things, Luca, and murder is one of them.”
He clicked his tongue. “I have committed a lot of sins. Killing your brother is not one of them.”
The hallway doors opened, and with it, the smell of garlic and herbs floated through the air.
Luca pulled a chair out from the table, gripping the chair back as he breathed against the shell of my ear. “When will you trust me?”
“When you reveal something real.”
Luca
After dinner, I changed into khaki shorts and a polo shirt. I wanted to take Alex on a date, but I couldn’t risk someone grabbing Alex. With the help of the Knights, I’d been working around the clock all week. Alex thought I was ignoring her for the hell of it, but I did nothing without a purpose. It was better if she didn’t know what was coming.
I found Alex in her bedroom, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the mattress. She looked up when I entered the room, smiling at me as she patted the space next to her on the bed. Alex sat with one leg crossed over the other, dressed in pink sleep shorts and a matching tank top. Her nipples poked through the thin fabric, the hardened points begging me to notice.
I stopped beside the bed and placed a black satin box in front of Alex. She peeked up at me, eyes wide with wonder, a smile in place as she glanced at the box.
“What’s this?”
I slid the box along the duvet until it tapped her fingers. “Open it and find out.”
She flipped the lid, unable to contain her excitement, beaming with delight at the sight of the diamond and sapphire necklace worth as much as a luxury car.
Only the best for my girl.
Alex lifted the necklace from the box. “My birthstone? But my birthday isn’t until September. What’s the occasion?”
I took it from her hand and draped the gems around her neck. “This necklace belonged to my mother. She would have loved for you to wear it.”
Her mouth hung open in surprise. “Thank you, Luca. It’s beautiful.”
“So are you.” I bent down and kissed her cheek. “I want to show you something. It’s important you keep this secret and only use it in an emergency.”
Her eyebrows knitted together. “Like life or death important?”
I nodded. “If it comes to that, I need to prepare you.”
She dug her teeth into her bottom lip. “Luca, you’re scaring me.”
“Don’t be afraid, baby girl.” I stroked her cheek with my fingers, and she leaned into my touch. “I will protect you from the monsters.”
She laughed. “Then who will protect me from you?”
“I’m the least of your problems.”
Alex tugged on her pajama top. “You said to get comfortable. Is what I’m wearing okay?”
“Grab a jacket. It gets cold on the beach at night.”
She walked into the closet and came out wearing a light jacket and jewelweed sandals with a blanket tucked under her arm. We walked down the hall and climbed the stairs to the third-floor library. Alex gave me a curious look.
I held open the library door and ushered Alex inside. The house was full of secret passageways and hidden laundry chutes. I wanted Alex to know about one passage in particular.
Her eyes traveled up and down the two-story library in awe. “I thought we were going to the beach.”
“Shortcut.” I led her to the front of the large, open room with vaulted ceilings and endless cases of books. “My grandfather built this house during Prohibition. My family used the secret passages to move illegal alcohol and evade the cops.”
“Nothing has changed,” she quipped.
Pressing my hand to the center of the bookcase on the exterior wall, I reached for a book a few shelves above my head and pulled it down.
“The Count of Monte Cristo,” Alex said with laughter in her tone. “What an appropriate choice, given the situation. Are we digging our way out of this prison?”
“Nah, my ancestors already did that for us.”
