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“Like all the rest. Shitty.”
“For what it’s worth, I think Lucas deserved what he got.”
I picked off another piece as I looked at him.
“I should have done it myself.”
“You don’t like him?”
“Now I don’t,” he said. “I didn’t know he was hurting your sister.”
I had been prepared to punch Victor in the face when I saw him again, but I realized he wasn’t a bad guy. We were both young, and he made some mistakes. He wasn’t an asshole like Lucas. “I’m gonna try to talk some sense into her. Maybe after the fiftieth try, she’ll listen.”
“Yeah, maybe,” he said noncommittally.
I drank my coffee and took a few more bites of my muffin.
He took a drink before he cleared his throat. “I also wanted to talk to you about that guy you’re seeing.”
“What about him?”
“I can tell he’s been in the game for a long time.”
He’d been in the game since birth.
“Not the kind of guy you fuck with.”
Nope.
“Not sure if he’s the kind of guy you should be involved with.”
“Really?” I asked with a half laugh. “That’s rich, coming from you.”
“Just looking out for you, is all.”
“Victor, I needed you to look out for me seven years ago. Not now.”
His eyes flicked away from my attack. “We deal with a lot of assholes in this line of business. Lot of cronies. Lot of muscle. I’m not sure who he works for or what kind of business he’s in—”
“He’s the boss,” I snapped. “He doesn’t work for anyone.” The pride in my voice surprised even me—the one who said it.
Victor stared for a while before he gave a nod. “All the more reason to stay away from him.”
“I can take care of myself, Victor.”
“He’s dangerous—”
“To you. But I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
He looked out the window, his steaming cup of coffee sitting in the saucer in front of him. “I’ve thought about you a lot over these last seven years. More than guilt. More than remorse. I thought about what could have been if I’d talked to someone…or we’d gotten help…if we’d stayed—”
“Ifyou’dstayed, you mean.”
He turned to look at me. “Yeah…if I’d stayed. What would have been. Because you know I loved you, Laura. I meant it the first time I said it. I meant it the day we got married. I still meant it when I asked for a divorce.”
“Don’t dwell on the things you can’t change, Victor.”
He stared at me head on, his eyes looking the way they did seven years ago. “You think you’d ever give me another chance?” His voice was quiet, like he was already braced for the ferocity of my response.
