AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Does he work here now?
I feel like my eyes are deceiving me. I adjust my glasses just to make sure they are, in fact, on.
This can’t be happening.
Why are all of Lorenzo’s friends somehow employed with Valeri Financials? Why is the ghost of him following me around like I’m some sort of haunted house?
I suppose it makes some sense—Santiisrelated to Rowan, after all. Perhaps the better question is why he’s not working at Rowan’s branch, and why Lorenzo’s not working here.
I need to tear my eyes away, but how do you stop watching the train that’s about to run over your tied up body on the tracks? Where’s my trolley dilemma button? Someone needs to press it.
But it’s too late. The worst thing that could possibly happen, happens. Santi looks up. And his eyes lock with mine.
I watch the familiarity fill them when he recognizes me.
Does he know that I know?
I break eye contact, pulling out a napkin from my drawer to wipe up the coffee spill. I go through the motions while my heart thumps erratically in my chest.
This will be fine. It has to be fine. I haven’t said a word about Lorenzo’s… accident, if we can call it that. I’ve downright acted like I’ve never known him, locking all thought and feel and hope about him tightly in the trunk I’ve created in my brain.
But I’m afraid that Santi will be the key to open it right back up.
Just as I’m returning to my desk after lunch with solace that Santi and I can carry on a professional relationship in which we pretend we’ve never known each other outside of these walls, he appears at my desk.
“I need to talk to you,” he says abruptly.
“Hello, Santi. Nice to see you, too,” I bite out sarcastically. I’m sick of him treating me like some sort of villain. It’shisfriend that’s the villain, which makes him a villain by association.
He stares at me unabashedly, crossing his arms over his chest. He doesn’t say anything, which only fuels my repressed anger. My next words escape me before I can think them through.
“Why would I talk to a cokehead like you?” I hiss. It’s rude and judgmental, but fuck him. Fuckthem.
His brows shoot up. “Cokehead? What are you talking about?” His expression is surprised enough that I’m close to believing him.Close.
“Are you really going to play stupid with me?” I ask with narrowed eyes.
He studies me then, and my confidence wavers. Did Lorenzo not tell him what happened? What Char and I discovered?
When Santi speaks, his voice is lowered. “Kate, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Let’s talk in the hallway for—”
“No.” My voice is full of icy fragments and I intend for them to cut deep. What I didn’t expect was for it to work.
“Look, I”—he runs his hand through the back of his short hair—“Zo is like my brother. You need to understand—he’s not who you think he is.”
I gape at him. “What—”
“I was driving that night.” It takes a moment for me to process what he’s saying, but the implications cut through like the shards of ice I wielded a moment ago.
“You? How could you—”
He looks around quickly before leaning towards me and whispering, “You need to be careful.”
My mouth dries out and I’m suddenly filled with the deep need to ask him all the unanswered questions I’ve ignored. “Careful about what?”
He gives me a wary look. “Just… if anything weird happens, please tell me.”
My mouth hangs open, but I shut it quickly. “What are you—”
