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Tiero has underestimated me before, and now I have an even stronger reason to fight for what is right for me. He will not dictate the course of my life.
“No,” I repeat, firmer this time. “Not a chance. And don’t even think about drugging me to take me. You can’t do that shit while I’m pregnant.”
“I never wanted them to drug you in the first place. Well, except for that one time.”
I know instantly the event he refers to… the night Molinaro’s men took me in Rome. I welcomed the blackness then.
Tiero stands and moves toward me, taking careful, measured steps, as if not to scare me off. When he reaches me, he takes my face in his hand, his eyes sincere and focused on mine.
His voice drops to a hushed, intimate pitch, weaving an air of secrecy around us.
“Angel, I’m working on a way to get out… for you… for us. But it takes time. It’s not something I can do overnight. It takes planning and preparation. Please trust me.”
My stomach twists and tumbles… from his words, from his nearness.
“You’re trying to get out… out of the Mafia?” I whisper, unsure if I heard him right.
He nods with deliberate tilts of his head, as if he’s determined to imprint the truth deep into my brain.
“How?” I sound shocked even to my own ears.
Is he truly contemplating this for me?
I mean that much to him that he’d upend his entire world for me? Leave everything he’s ever known?
It’s hard to fathom.
He leans in closer and brushes his lips against my ear. Goosebumps erupt on my skin.
“I promise Iwilltell you. Just not now. There are too many eavesdroppers here.
“We can’t trust anyone. This must remain secret. You can’t breathe a word about this to anyone.”
A shiver runs down my spine. He seems serious, but can I truly trust him?
What if this is another one of his ploys to get what he wants? If I can’t talk to anyone about it, I’d never know if he’s making this up. But he’s not that good of an actor, is he?
My eyes bounce between his, studying him, searching for any signs of insincerity. I find none.
Still, I have trouble accepting what he’s telling me is true.
“Tiero, I want to believe you. I really do. But so far, you haven’t given me a reason to trust you. You destroyed the life I knew and loved. And even now, you’ve stormed in and taken over everything. You lied to me about who you were–”
“I never lied to you, angel. Did I always tell you everything? No. But when I left out certain elements, it was for your own good.”
“See, there it is again. You deciding what’s good for me. If it affects me, I should be the judge! No one else.”
I break free from his hold and march to the fireplace. Spinning around, I face him.
“Tiero, you steamrolled over everything I wanted. You wouldn’t even give me back my own clothes.”
He straightens, his eyes a combination of remorseful and defiant.
“Princess, let’s–”
“Don’t princess me.” I throw my hand up in the air.
Argh!
