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Whether I’ll ever feel normal again.
“Just wondering what’s really going on.”
He rolled over onto his back, his exhale an entirely different sound. I shifted directions, staring at him as he placed his arms behind his head. Obviously, he was thinking about whether or not he was going to tell me the truth.
“Let me ask you a question. Did Theodora confide something in you?”
“Don’t ask me that,” I said. “That’s not fair to her.”
“It may be the only way to stop a war that seems masterfully created.” He turned his head to look at me.
“Created? Are you trying to suggest someone is pitting the two families against each other?”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to say, and I think your father is involved.”
With that, I sat up, dragging the sheet around me. “That’s what you didn’t want to tell me.”
“I have a feeling he’s on the take. Did you know he has an offshore account?”
I laughed. “That would make sense. That’s how he probably wined and dined his mistresses.”
His upper lip curled. “Son of a bitch.”
“Isn’t that what all men do who wield that kind of power, like you?”
He growled on purpose. “I’m not most men and no, that’s not what we do. Family is sacred.”
I offered a smile in response. “Why an offshore account?” I asked but could answer it myself. “So it couldn’t be found in a traditional sweep by the Feds.”
“Yes, or by an organization such as mine. We have connections. There is little we can’t find.”
“Jesus. Another crime syndicate?”
“Possibly, but it could be one of a half dozen.”
“How are you going to know?”
“By approaching your father.”
I shrank back, trying to process what he was telling me. “You’re going to use me, our marriage.”
“Yes, Sarah. I need to.”
With the only light in the room the sliver of moon cascading in through the partially open blinds, I couldn’t see his eyes, but I sensed his tension, could see the rise and fall of his chest. He wasn’t taking this lightly. Neither would I. Whatever my father had gotten himself involved in, the thought of possibly being his pawn sickened me.
“Then do what you need to do.”
He reached over, lightly brushing his fingers across my face. “If only I was a different man.”
“You are a different man, at least from what little I’ve learned about your family. Whatever you do, don’t make the decision based on your brother or your father or because of the past. Do so because it’s the right thing to do.”
Exhaling, he tugged me close, nestling me against his chest. As I pressed my ear to his skin, I heard his rapid heartbeat. It was still difficult for me to understand how he could tolerate this life. Now I understood why he’d tried to distance himself not only for him but for the woman he’d adored long ago. There was nothing left to say that could ease his pain or mine. I only hoped that when this was finished, we’d both survive.
“Theodora is in love with Nico. Yes?” he asked out of the blue.
Shit. I didn’t want to betray her confidence, but I had the feeling he wouldn’t allow me to skip telling him the truth. “Let’s just say they’ve spent enough time together that she is willing to openly recant her story that she thinks he’s responsible for hurting her.”
He grumbled, cursing under his breath in Italian. “They’ve been seeing each other in private. Goddamn it. How long?”
