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She couldn’t keep the pain out of her eyes. “Call me the instant it’s over.”
“I will.”
She stood in front of me without touching me, unable to keep the misery out of her expression. Vanessa had hardly shown her emotions to me when we first got to know each other, but now she wore them out in the open. She tried to hide them now, to the best of her ability. “I hate the way you make me feel. I’ve turned into one of those women who worries all the time…who stay up all night waiting for the front door to open.”
“You mean, you hate that I made you fall head over heels for me.”
She shook her head. “Now isn’t the time for your arrogance.”
“I’m always arrogant. And I love seeing you this way…even though it makes me an asshole.”
“You love seeing me miserable?” she whispered.
“No. I love seeing the way you love me, the way you can’t live without me. When I told you I loved you, you tried to run away. But now you’re so hung up on me that it’s hard to believe I said I love you first.”
She shook her head again. “Arrogant.”
“No. Just proud. Proud that I earned the love of such a woman.” I cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her, to feel the emotion in her lips as she embraced mine. I didn’t want her to cry, not after I’d seen her shed so many tears for me. My fingers touched her hair, and I felt her petite frame against me. It was nearly impossible to leave this place, to leave the home I made with this extraordinary woman. My heart would always remain behind, even if my body took me somewhere else.
“Please be careful,” she whispered against my mouth.
I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to see the sorrow etched into her features. “Always.” I turned away before I could look at her again, not wanting to see the heartbreak I caused. When I was gone, she would let her tears fall, but I didn’t want to see upcoming heartbreak. I hadn’t even been home for a day before I had to walk out on her again.
I made it to my truck and pulled onto the road, doing my best to focus on the next task at hand. My emotions had to be left behind so I could remain pragmatic for the evening. As far as I was concerned, Vanessa didn’t exist. I had to be calm, cruel, and sinister. I had to behave like I had no one to live for but myself.
But when everything was said and done, I had to marry her.
Officially make my woman mine.
When I arrived at the Barsetti home, they were gathered outside. Crow was dressed in all black, his dark hair matching the color. Pearl was in high-rise jeans and a white blouse. With her hair pulled back, she looked elegant, the opposite of her husband. Cane and his wife were there too. Cane had a gun in his holster and a shotgun across his back, even though he wouldn’t be participating in the meeting.
I left my truck parked in the gravel and joined them. Lately, I’d been spending more time with the Barsetti clan than Vanessa. I talked to her father as much as I talked to her.
It was becoming a pain in my ass.
Pearl smiled when she laid eyes on me, and when she walked up to me, she didn’t just greet me with a hug, but a kiss on the cheek—the way she greeted her son. “How are you, honey?”
Honey. That was the first time someone had called me that. “Good, Mrs. Barsetti. How are you?”
She squeezed my arm and smiled. “You can call me Pearl, Griffin.”
“I prefer Mrs. Barsetti.” It was a sign of respect that she’d earned.
She smiled but didn’t press me on it. “I’m sorry you had to leave Vanessa again.”
I didn’t want to think about what she was doing at that moment. Probably lying in bed next to the phone. “When all of this is over, I’ll never leave her again.”
She gave a nod. “I know.”
Crow came up to me next. “Griffin. Thanks for coming.” He shook my hand.
I followed the movements, my heart not truly invested. “Let’s bury this once and for all.”
Cane came next. “I really think Conway and I should back you up, somewhere outside the city. If we’re five hours away—”
“No.” Crow had made up his mind, and he wouldn’t change it. “If something goes wrong, you need a head start. There will be time for you to evacuate everyone. If you don’t get the call from me…assume the worst.”
Pearl held her gaze steady, but her eyes started to water in terror.
Cane’s face remained stoic, probably because he’d been in these situations so many times. The possibility of death didn’t unnerve him anymore. “Alright.”
