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Her brow furrowed, all sympathy and understanding. “Oh, that’s the worst. Why don’t you come in? I’ll call him for you.”
“That’s okay,” I said quickly, shifting back an inch before I could stop myself. “If you wouldn’t mind giving me his number, I can contact him.”
“Don’t be silly.” She waved away my request, that beatific smile still glowing like a warning beacon. “If you’re dating my little brother, I’d love to get to know you. We can chat while we wait for him to come home.”
I swallowed hard. This terrifying woman was Max’s sister? Now that she’d mentioned it, I could see the resemblance, especially in the eyes and around her full mouth. Only where Max’s eyes burned with rage, hers glinted with cold calculation.
“Come in,” she urged when I hesitated. “I’ll call him now. I’m sure he’ll get here quickly.”
I definitely didn’t like the little twist to her lush lips when she spoke. Why would she think Max would rush home to see me? Did she suspect that I was a threat to their family somehow? Had she been in on Max’s scheme to abduct and interrogate me in the first place?
“He hasn’t dated anyone since the accident,” she supplied, pretending she didn’t register my reluctance as she stepped aside in an attempt to usher me through the front door.
I barely stopped myself from clutching my locket as anxiety gripped my body like a vise. She wasn’t offering to share his number, and I didn’t know how I would track him down otherwise.
I took a moment to process what she’d said. It made sense that she’d be wary of any woman who might date her brother, especially if he truly hadn’t been with anyone since his face had been scarred. I had no idea when the injury had been inflicted, but girlfriends showing up to his house must be out of the ordinary.
She’d also mentioned a shithole apartment, which meant Max didn’t live here with his family, despite the fact that the house was massive. Of course my presence here would seem weird. I’d shown up out of the blue and asked for Max at the wrong address.
Still, it would be beyond stupid for me to walk into that house. The memory of what’d happened the last time I was alone with a Ferrara in a private space was all too clear in my mind: I’d been tied to a chair in a basement and questioned by a madman.
This house probably had a basement too.
“If you don’t mind calling him, I’d appreciate it.” My voice barely wavered. I could excuse that as nerves at meeting my supposed boyfriend’s sister. “I can wait out here. I don’t want to impose.”
“Don’t be silly.” Her brilliant grin practically dazzled me, but her predatory eyes kept my feet firmly rooted on the concrete step.
She blew out a sigh and closed the door behind her, joining me outside. “I’ll call him. I get that it can be intimidating to meet the family of the person you’re dating. Especially if it’s a new relationship.” She was all smiles and understanding as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and found Max’s contact details.
She connected the call, and to my surprise, she put it on speaker. The four rings that sounded as we waited for Max to pick up seemed to clang through my system like alarm bells, setting my body on high alert.
“He doesn’t like to take my calls.” She confided in me like we were sharing a sad secret. “He’s been different since the accident. Private, you know?”
I swallowed and managed a silent nod. My fine hairs stood on end, and every instinct was screaming at me to get the hell away from this woman and her false social niceties.
“What, Francesca?” Max’s voice cracked through the air like a thunderclap, and I jolted.
“Someone’s here to see you.” Her voice took on a slightly singsong lilt. “Come to the house.”
“Who?” he barked. That harsh, impatient tone was all too familiar to me by now. I heard it in my nightmares.
She glanced at me. “What did you say your name was, hon? Allie?”
A beat of silence, then a harsh curse.
Francesca let out another melodic laugh. “Don’t you want to see your new girlfriend?” That lilt took on a taunting edge. “She looks like she’s too good for you anyway.” She fixed me with an affected pout. “She wouldn’t even come into the house to wait for you. What have you been telling her about your family, little brother? We’re perfectly hospitable.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he growled.
Francesca’s eyes glinted cruelly. “That’s too bad. She’s very pretty. You might think you’re too ugly for her, but she did come here to see you.”
I stiffened at the underhanded comment about his disfigurement. She’d said that Max hadn’t dated since the accident. It implied that the injury had occurred after he was old enough to be interested in dating. I’d been up close and personal with that devastatingly handsome face that’d been marred by the horrific scar. Max must’ve been breathtaking before he’d been injured so severely. I suspected that Francesca’s cruel words landed a harsh blow to a deep emotional wound.
