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Crow kept his fingers around his glass but didn’t take a drink.
“She said she didn’t want to see me anymore, and I respected her decision. But I knew she didn’t feel safe in that apartment anymore, not when I wasn’t there. So I parked my truck at the curb during the night so I could keep an eye on her place. She eventually called me because she was scared, kept hearing noises in the apartment. When I told her I was outside, she was finally able to get some sleep.”
Crow still didn’t say anything.
“She’s not the kind of woman who ever needs anything, but she’s not afraid to need things from me. That’s because she trusts me, wants me to take care of her. I need you to let me do that.”
Crow drank from his glass.
It didn’t seem to matter what I said, he would continue to hate me. “I’m not going to downplay my hatred for you. I’ve wanted revenge for a long time, my bitterness only growing during my tenure on the streets. You took everything away from me, and it didn’t seem fair. I was subjected to a cruel existence, while you got to have the perfect family in a damn mansion. I wanted to kill all of you for taking away my inheritance. Letting that grudge go was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But when Vanessa asked me, I couldn’t say no. I couldn’t deny what she wanted more than anything in the world. It was a hard sacrifice to make, to drop the blood feud. I know that’s not impressive to you because that’s the very reason you hate me, but I let the past go—for her. You can’t question my love for her or my honesty. I will say the truth to your face, no matter how painful it is.”
“Is that supposed to impress me? You’re a terrible man, but since you’re honest, that makes you a good one?” He swirled the liquid in his glass before he took another drink. “Still trash, if you ask me.”
I hated my new nickname. “I offered to buy her a gallery where she could display her pieces. I was the one who encouraged her to drop out of school because she’s too talented to listen to some bullshit instructor act like he knows better than she does. I’ve urged her to pursue her dreams because she’s meant for greatness. I don’t hold her back. I push her to her full potential.”
He drank from his glass again.
“There’s nothing more I can say or do to prove myself to you, Crow. You just need to acknowledge everything I’ve said.”
He slammed his glass down. “You expect me to look the other way when you say you wanted to kill my wife?” He turned his gaze back to me, cold and fiery. His arms were flexed with blood, muscle, and adrenaline. “My son? My brother? I should just let that go since you don’t want to kill my family anymore? Water under the bridge?”
“It’s better than holding on to a past that has no relevance now. Yes, I was your enemy. I’m not anymore.”
“And if Vanessa leaves you for another man, I’m just supposed to assume that my family is still safe? All you have to do is change your mind, and all our necks are on the line.”
“She wouldn’t leave me for someone else.” I was the only man she wanted, and I would love her so fiercely she would never want anyone else. I knew how to please a woman, and now I knew how to love one. “Trust me on that.”
“You have no idea what the future holds. Vanessa might wake up one morning and realize you aren’t what she wants anymore. She might not be able to overcome what you do for a living. You don’t know. And then, my family would be vulnerable. You would know everything about us, our every weakness. I can’t let that happen.”
“I promised Vanessa I would never hurt her family, regardless of what happens between us. I’m a man of my word—and I keep my promises.”
“Honorable men keep their promises. But you aren’t an honorable man. You know exactly what you are…”
Trash. “I already know how this is going to end. You aren’t going to be able to accept me—even though it’ll break her heart.”
He stared straight ahead. “You’re probably right. So why don’t you just give up?”
“Because I’m not going to give up until I absolutely have to. She means too much to me, and I know how much it’ll kill her if she loses me. My entire life rests in your hands—and I hate knowing you have this much power over me.”
He drank his scotch, his elbows resting on the table.
“Just keep in mind your relationship with your wife. If her family had told her not to be with you, because you were a criminal and a murderer, what would you have done? Where would you be right now? And where would she be? Would she be better off without you? Or did you give her everything that she deserved?”
