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Noah opens his mouth but Declan speaks first. “What do you need to know to figure that out?” I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I knew these two would be the two most likely to see my side of things.
Sticking to only the facts and keeping all emotions out of it is the only way to come up with the best plans.
“How involved he is with his father’s business. How close they are. What he knows about his associates. If he has any thoughts or leads about who else was there.” I pause, reflecting on our own conversation. “Just what pieces he has from that night.” I shake my head, clearing it. “But more importantly, what he knows now. What connections we can use. If Romano did run to his father. If he knows who Romano is.”
“Do you think he will tell you the truth?” Noah asks.
I nod my head, climbing off him. “He has no reason to lie.” If nothing else, I believe that. Charles hates his father, maybe almost as much as I do.
“Then let’s go get your answers, baby girl. Anything he gives us will give me more to work with. I’ll be able to fill in any gaps and catch him if he does try to deceive us.” He looks to Declan, before turning back to me hesitantly.
I tense, knowing he wants to move away from the practical part of our conversation. I’m still not ready to admit just how I’m feeling about it all right now. There’s a mess of writhing demons in my chest, clamoring for different things. Too many things to even attempt to put into words. How can wanting to forgive someone make you hate them even more?
“Can we ask about him being your ex?”
I force myself to take deep breaths. They have reason to want to know more about that, especially since I plan on keeping him around. I give a short nod. “He’s my ex-fiance.”
Noah rises up on his knees and catches hold of my hands, pulling me back to the bed. “We won’t make you talk about it if you’re not ready,” he assures me. Guilt prickles at my conscience. They’re always so willing to roll with all the punches I throw their way.
I let myself lean into his arms, resting against the bed. “We were engaged before I was even born,” I explain. “Our fathers were as close as monsters can be. We grew up together. Grew up knowing we would always be together. One day we would merge businesses. Charles would lead our families into new and greater wealth. The engagement ended the same day my family did. I lost all status, all power, even my beauty was marred. That’s all I was worth to them. There was no reason to continue the engagement.”
Declan nods along even as Noah looks appalled. He didn’t grow up in our world, doesn’t understand how these things work. People from our circles didn’t marry for love. Only for money and power. I scoff. “I guess I should be thankful his father didn’t think to use Charles to steal my wealth from me too. It was the last thing I had.”
“He probably didn’t want to risk drawing any eyes his way. Better to cut all ties,” Declan muses, an angry glint in his eyes, making his cool blue eyes burn hotter than I’ve ever seen them.
“Do you want to share why Kade seemed like he was struggling not to kill him?”
I shake my head. I’d rather not get into all that.
Noah huffs an exasperated laugh. “And why is that?”
“His anger is justified,” I explain. “I don’t really want both of you reacting the same way to him.”
Declan pulls me further onto the bed and cages me under him. “Are you going to forgive him for whatever it is he did to you?”
I should have known that D would never be able to leave a thread unraveled. Not when it has to do with my emotions. He will push as far as he thinks I can stand. Somehow, he always knows exactly when to back off though. Understands me better than I know myself sometimes.
“I don’t know yet,” I admit in a whisper. “But maybe I want to.”
He searches me out, as if he can read my every inner thought just by focusing on my face. After several heavy moments of silence a pained expression takes over his face. “You think he’s like us,” he says.
I can still see Noah in my peripheral trying to follow along with the conversation, but I can’t tear my eyes away from D to see if he’s confused. “I think he might be,” I whisper.
With that small admission I know I have Declan’s full support and understanding. No matter how deep my wounds run from Charles’ betrayal, can I still hate him if he was just as helpless as I was in the whole situation?
The power our parents wield over us is unlike any normal familial relationship. It surpasses that of a typical parent-child dynamic. We never had the ability to say no. If we tried we faced abuse and even the possibility of death. Like I came all too close to myself.
Declan presses a sweet kiss against my forehead. “We will figure it all out, pretty girl.”
He moves away from me, letting me climb off the bed for a second time. “Let’s do this,” I say, fortifying my walls.
I can’t let anyone see just how weak I feel on the inside. How unsure I still am about this path. I believe Charles won’t betray me. I just don’t know what I’ll be putting myself through the more I talk to him. He was one ghost I had intended on leaving in the past. I never thought I would be picking at those old wounds, but here we are. Now it’s too late to turn back. The scab has fallen off and the blood is already flowing. I won’t be able to stop until I know everything. Until I forgive him or forget him permanently.
I lead the two of them out into the hallway just as the door at the other end of the hall opens. Joe leads a freshly showered and changed Charles out of the room. I meet his eyes and nod. “Follow me,” I direct, my voice already stronger. Sounding more like myself.
I don’t look back again as I head back to the living room where I can hear the others arguing. They must hear us coming because the commotion quietens before we even reach the large room. I didn’t overhear enough to even try and guess what they were arguing about, but it’s clear the matter wasn’t settled.
All four of them stand at different points of the room, their bodies tense, arms crossed over their chests as they glare daggers at each other. The living room looks different than when I briefly saw it before. The guys must have moved the furniture around to create a circle around the coffee table that almost mimics the setup we have in our office. Not that any of them are using the setup while they argue back and forth. Probably shouldn’t have left all of the hotheads unattended for so long.
