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“I didn’t do this to prove her wrong,” I tell him. “I’m not a child. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone or please anyone. I did this for me. And for Cain, because he was the only one who stood up for me tonight. Because he cares about me.”
Grae’s eyes narrow. “You sure about that?”
I send my palm flying across his face as my temper bursts. The slap echoes through the room.
What? Is he saying that I’m incapable of growing up or undeserving of affection?
“Cain and I care about each other,” I tell him. “I don’t expect you to understand that, because you’ve never cared for any of the women you’ve fucked, but you do not get to judge me or treat me like I’m still a child or shove your opinions anywhere but up your ass.”
Grae just stares at me. I can tell he’s shocked because I’ve never spoken to him like this before and he probably never thought I’d hit him. I’m shocked, too. It’s not like I wanted this to happen. But some things just have to be done.
Grae shifts his gaze from me to Cain. “If you hurt her, I’m going to kill you.”
He turns on his heel and leaves the room. I suddenly feel my strength run out and I sink into a chair.
Cain just stands there, silent and deep in thought.
“Don’t worry about Grae,” I tell him.
He nods, then looks at me. “I should go. Are you spending the night here?”
“After all that’s happened? No way.”
I force myself to stand up. I realize that my gown is still unzipped and I consider having Cain zip it up, but I get a better idea.
“Can you wait here while I change into something more comfortable in my room?”
I need a new pair of panties, too.
“I’ll try not to take more than ten minutes.”
Cain nods. “Okay.”
Chapter Twelve
Cain
I didn’t wait for Allie, though.
Shortly after she left the library, I left the house. I left town. I had to.
I have to speak to Orso.
The door to his room opens and Andrea’s head peeks out. “He’ll see you now.”
I walk towards the door.
“Keep it short, though.” Andrea puts a hand on my shoulder. “Papa Bear isn’t feeling good today.”
I nod. “I won’t take long.”
I already know what to say. I’ve made my mind up. I’m just going to inform him of my decision and then I’ll be out of his sight.
I enter the room. Andrea leaves. Orso is still in his bed, and now he looks even thinner, paler. He looks like he doesn’t have much time left, like there’s not much of him left. I can barely stand to look at him. Still, I swallow and approach his side.
“Cain,” he says my name weakly as he tries to manage a smile. “Give me your news.”
“You mean is Agent Chandler dead? No. She’s still alive.”
“And?”
“I’m not going to stay with her anymore,” I tell him. “I found out that the man who killed Antonio is alive.”
Orso’s eyes widen.
“I’m going after him. And also Sergio Bianchi. I’m going to hunt them on my own and make sure they pay for their crimes.”
I’m not wasting any more time playing bodyguard. I’m not a bodyguard. I’m an assassin.
“And what about Agent Chandler?” Orso asks me.
I can’t believe him. Didn’t he hear me say that the man who killed his son is alive? Shouldn’t he be telling me to hurry up and kill him?
“Alyssa Chandler is an FBI agent,” I answer. “She can take care of herself.”
“That’s…” Orso coughs. “That’s not what I was asking.”
No?
“She’s not a threat,” I tell him. “So she doesn’t need to be disposed of. Sure, she’s determined to rid the world of monsters and she has the training to do that, but she’s only human. I know you’re scared right now that everything you’ve built will get torn down once you’re gone, but you shouldn’t worry about that. You should trust the people you leave behind.”
Orso says nothing. He turns his head and gazes past the window. Then his lips curve into a smile.
Why is he smiling?
He looks at me. “You sound like the two of you have grown close.”
Did I? I frown.
As much as I hate to admit it, though, I know it’s true. I didn’t expect it to happen, but it has. Allie and I have grown close.
Too close.
I realized it last night when we were at her mother’s party, specifically when her brother walked in on us after we’d just had sex and she practically told him we were a couple. I had no idea that was what she thought. I thought we were just two people chasing after the same man and having sex to pass the time. It didn’t mean anything to me. Apparently, it did to her.
Allie may have been wary of me in the beginning. She didn’t trust me at all. She didn’t want anything to do with me. But that has changed. She trusts me now. She confides in me. She desires me. When I was in that fight, she was scared for me. She stitched me up. Then she brought me to her house, to her mother’s birthday party. She introduced me to her mother and she told her brother she cared about me.
