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Deidre slid off my bed. “I’m going to go play games.”
I paused in setting my fitness tracker on my watch. “Remember what we talked about.”
“God, I get it. I’m not an idiot.” She rolled her eyes and peeled herself off my bed.
I hadn’t specifically told her about the risk in the gaming chat room, but about being online in general. No personal information, never meeting anyone in real life, and spun my concern to include her online friends, and what would happen if Santino found out there was any inappropriate chat happening.
“Dee, not everyone online is who they say they are. You can only be betrayed by people who call themselves your friend.”
She headed for the door. “Just like I can’t tell a guy that my brother will cut out his tongue if he kisses me with it.”
I considered telling her that Santino had the computers monitored but kept quiet. I recognized the same rebelliousness in myself in her. If she knew she was being monitored, she’d find a way around it. And that was my biggest fear.
Before her recent slips in front of the Bruno’s, I would’ve trusted her with my deepest secrets. But this wasn’t about my secret friendship with Knox.
Bryne wouldn’t just kill Knox. He’d be made an example. Torture would only be the beginning.Omertà—code of silence. For the La Cosa Nostra, and for the Irish, the Yakuza, and the Bratva, it was an unforgivable sin.
I met Tim on the walkway in front of the house.
“I’m seriously just going for a run today.”
“Those lips lie so well. Give it up, Ally. You’re tenacious, but there’s no way you’re giving me the slip twice.”
We started toward the trees with a light jog. “If I’d have been born a boy, I’d own the world.”
“Beautiful and deceitful. But you’re wrong,” he said keeping in step with me. “You’re not like other girls. You could rule an empire.”
We ran along the edge of the lake. “Mafia empires are ruled by men.”
Tim lengthened his stride, and I pushed to keep up. “You’re not like most women. You never were.” He glanced at me. “Fuck, Ally, you challenged Marco at the dinner table. Your father sees it. And so does Santi.”
“What did Santi say?” Because after Marco had left, I’d barely spoken to him. “I’m sure he’s wondering what to do with me if Marco backs out of the wedding now that he can’t pawn me off to the next best match. Mafia men don’t want a wife someone else has touched.”
He was quiet next to me as we rounded the path and started up an incline.
“What? Nothing to say?”
His jaw clenched. “You don’t want to know what I’m thinking.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” I increased my speed. My legs might be shorter, but I was a stronger runner.
“Ally, wait.”
“No, fuck you. Fuck Santi. Fuck Marco. Because you all get a pass. You can fuck all the women you want. Some rich mafia prick fucks young girls, no one cares. But fuck me, because I let the man I’m supposed to marry between my legs, my mother has already set up a counseling session with Father Josue. Getting on my knees for Marco is going to have me on my knees in confession.”
Tim grabbed my bicep. His gaze met mine, but his focus lowered to the rise and fall of my chest as I drew in deep inhales.
Black leggings molded to my hips and stretched over my legs. He swallowed hard as he took a longer look on his way back to my face.
“Is that what you think? A man wouldn’t give a fuck if you were a virgin.” His voice lowered, and he released my arm. “Marco Bruno took you to bed because you challenged him. He’d be a fool to let you go, and we both know he’s not stupid.”
We stared at each other. A cool wind lifted a lock of dark hair from his forehead.
“Thank you, Tim.”
He groaned and started up the hill again. “He’s not stupid, but you are.”
“Just when I thought you weren’t going to be a douche.”
