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“You have got to be kidding me, Snow. Out of all the bullshit you’ve pulled for attention, this has got to be the worst.”
I flinch at his words.
“You cannot date Elijah Russo. Just because we have an understanding doesn’t mean he can be trusted. I barely trust him with his word, let alone my baby sister.”
The phone is wrenched from my hand, and my eyes go wide when he brings the phone closer to him. “That’s enough,” he barks into the phone. “Snow is old enough to make her own decisions, and I am not going to allow you to treat her like she’s an inconvenience in your life.”
Deafening silence greets us on the other end of the line, and my fingers tangle together in my lap. Logically I know I’m telling a lie to keep my family safe, and the last place I want to be is locked up here with Elijah, but the way my brothers always assume the worst of me, always assume every time I act out is because I want attention, only makes me want to defy them more.
“Put my sister back on the phone,” Storm finally demands.
“No,” Elijah replies. “You’ve already upset her, and I’m not going to let you continue to do so. When you’re ready to have a civilized conversation, let me know and we’ll organize another time.”
“Why is her phone off?” he asks.
“Because I knew you were going to be like this,” I say, nothing but strength and resolve in my voice. I may not want to be locked up in Elijah Russo’s fortress, but right now, I’d take it over being anywhere near my brother.
12
Elijah
I’ve always known my Snowflake has claws. No one else sees past the good girl exterior to the lioness beneath. She’s been overlooked and underestimated her entire life, but not anymore. Being with me will give her the strength to be the woman she was always meant to be. She’ll no longer stand in her sibling’s shadow, instead she’ll be by my side, exactly where she belongs.
Fire flames to life in her eyes as she stares at the phone in my hand. I’ll be honest, I planned for a lot of different eventualities when she made this call, but her getting mad at Storm for telling her what she can and can’t do is not one I expected.
“Snow—” he starts.
“No. You listen to me, Storm. I’m an adult. I am completely capable of making my own decisions.” She pauses, and her eyes move to mine, anxiety playing behind the pools of blue. She’s trying to decide the answer to an age-old question, is she better off with the devil she knows, or the one she doesn’t? “If I was dating a normal guy who didn’t understand the safety implications, then I would understand your stance, but if there’s one person in this whole fucking city that gets it, it’s Elijah.”
We stare at one another as the silence drags out. She doesn’t want to be here, that much she has made abundantly clear in the short time she’s been here, but if the anger flickering in her eyes is anything to go by, I don’t think she wants to be at the estate either. Which is a good thing because that’s no longer her home. Her home is here with me, and that’s a reality she’s going to have to get on board with relatively quickly. I’m not a patient man, and my allowances for her outbursts are only limited.
Storm sighs on the other end of the line. “Fine, you can stay there for a while longer. But you will be coming home.”
“This is her home now,” I say and can’t help but smirk at the anger that flares to life in her eyes at my words.
“No, it’s fucking not,” Storm snaps. “I’m trying really fucking hard to be understanding, but don’t fucking test me. I will not hesitate to put you in the ground beside your father and uncles.” Menace drips from his words, but I can’t shake my smile.
“I’ll come home when I’m ready to,” Snow offers.
My smile falters and I glare at her, but she just shrugs, turning her attention back to the phone in my hand.
“Is that her?” Wynter’s voice fills the other end of the line and then a moment later there’s an obvious change in hands. “Snow?”
Snow squeezes her eyes shut, tears pooling at the brim. Talking to Storm was one thing, but her sister is her best friend, lying to her is an entirely different thing altogether. “Hey Wyn.” She forces the words out through thick emotion.
“Are you okay? We’ve been really worried.”
“I’m fine, I’m… with Elijah.” My name on her lips is like a fucking symphony. All these years I’ve dreamed of how it would sound in her sweet voice, but every time she says it, my cock gets impossibly harder.
“Elijah Russo?”
“Yes.”
Wynter doesn’t respond for a few moments, and I imagine her and Storm having a silent conversation. “When are you coming home? I have some news.”
Snow’s eyes lock with mine, question dancing behind them. She knows she’s not getting out of here without my say-so, and I hold all the cards right now. “I’m not sure at the moment. Can you tell me over the phone?”
“Not this kind of news. That’s okay. I’ll hold off until I can see you. Just don’t scare me like that again!”
