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“Look: I’ve known men who are capable of things like that—I meanreallybad, evil motherfuckers. If you look, you can see the monster in them—it’s right there in their eyes.” Alistair lifts his shoulders as he gazes at nothing on the desk in front of him. “As much as I don’t like the guy, I don’t see that evil in Dante. Nor do I see him being a heroin user. But even if he had nothing to do with whatever happened that night, the fact that he so pointedly shut us out and sealed her records looks suspicious as fuck, and honestly, yeah, it makes me fucking hate him.”
He frowns, leaning across the desk to peer at me. “Where is this coming from, T? Is Dante doing or saying anything?—”
“No, nothing like that.” I shrug and laugh dryly. “He basically just ignores and avoids me.”
Alistair’s lips thin. “Good. Best case scenario, honestly.”
We both exhale in the ensuing silence before he nods at my to-go container. “You gonna eat that fried rice, or…?”
The man is built like a movie superhero and still manages to eat like a total pig.
“All yours.” I slide it his way. “I filled up on smoothie.”
Alistair looks like he’s going to say something, but he takes a bite of my fried rice instead. As he’s chewing, his eyes land on my hand. He squints.
“Did you get your nails done?”
My face heats. “I…yes?”
“Pink?”
“Please. It’s rosé blush.”My face gets pinker than my nails. “Is that a problem?”
“No, just…confusing. I haven’t seen you wear anything except black nail polish, much lessrosé blush, since you were in high school.” His eyes snap to mine. “Is this Dante? Did he make you?—”
“Did he make me…” I gasp dramatically, clutching my hand to a string of imaginary pearls. “Get a manicure?!”
My brother gives me a cool stare. “It’s just completely unlike you. I’m worried, Tempest.”
“Well, I’m fine, Alistair. You don’t have to be worried. I canguaranteeit.”
“And why is that, exactly?”
I take a beat before breaking out in a smug grin. “Because Dante needs me. He wasn’t just going after Maeve because of whatever business dealings he and Charles were cooking up. He needed a wife to appease the dons over his ownership of Club Venom.”
Alistair raises a brow. “Single guy running a sex club,” he grins. “I was wondering when they were going to start getting iffy about that.” He smiles darkly at me. “Dante knows you know about all this?”
“Oh-yes-he-does.”
He chuckles. “I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you’d make one hell of a lawyer, Tempest. I mean, if youeverdecide to take Columbia up on that deferred enrollment in their pre-law program, I can make sure?—”
“Thanks, Alistair,” I blurt sharply. “I’ll let you know.”
He smiles, nodding. “Only when you’re ready. You’ve got all the time in the world to conquer it, T.”
All the time in the world.
Something like that…
19
TEMPEST
“I’ll be right out herewhen you’re finished, Mrs. Sartorre.”
I sigh heavily as my eyes raise to Lorenzo’s in the rearview mirror. “Can wepleasejust stick with Tempest?”
“’Fraid not, Mrs. Sartorre.”
