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“What about your task force at the FBI? You claim to trust them, and yet you aren’t close with them.”
“There are levels to trust or perhaps different kinds of trust. I trust my team to have my back in the field just like I have theirs. Our survival is linked to our collective efforts, and we’re working toward a common goal. We all want to take down the bad guys.” At that, Alister smiles. “That doesn’t mean I trust them to know my secrets. Or maybe it’s not a lack of trust I have in them. Maybe it’s just my fear that they won’t understand me, that they’ll judge me. I don’t know. I just…”
“Need to be able to trust me,” Alister says.
“Yeah.”
Alister nods. “Well, here’s the thing. I can’t promise you anything, Ariana. I’d like to. I’d like to be able to tell you that our plan will be foolproof. We’ll go to Boston, find Gallagher, and everything will go without a hitch. But I can’t promise you that. I’ve…I’ve made promises to people before, promises that I would protect them, and I haven’t always been able to live up to those promises. If you need something to trust in, trust that I will always be honest with you, even if it isn’t what you want to hear.”
At Alister’s words, I bite my lip. I’m not sure if he’s trying to discourage me from coming or testing my desire to see this mission through, but his words certainly don’t offer me the encouragement I was hoping to find. But he’s right. Trusting him to tell me the truth is a good step in the right direction. It may even be a lifesaving one.
“Okay,” I say.
“Alister, where is everyone? This place is deserted.” I close my eyes as Sophia enters the office. Right. I imagine my inevitable conversation with her will go about as well as the one I’m currently having with her brother. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you had a meeting.” Sophia does a double take as she recognizes me. “Ariana?” She looks between me and her brother. “Alister, what’s going on?”
Alister stands and makes his way to Sophia. He grabs her arm gently so he can lead her out. Oh no. That’ll only make her more pissed. “Let’s discuss this elsewhere,” he says as the two of them disappear behind the thick wooden door separating his office from the rest of the house. At least sixty seconds pass before my reality dawns—I’m alone in Alister Amato’s office. Memories of the night of the Halloween party return to me. His office is always under guard. I stand zero chance of ever having an opportunity like this again.
At that, I stand and quickly move to the other side of his desk. I know he’s agreed to help me find my mother’s killers, but what if he changes his mind? What if our Boston trip is as big of a shit show as his recent attempt to collect Walsh and his men and he dies before he can help me? Well, I suppose that would mean I’m dead too and, at that point, the truth really wouldn’t matter. Ugh.Focus, Ariana.
I shove my mental rambling to the furthest corner of my mind and scan over the documents atop his desk. Nothing worth looking at there. I then start tugging on desk drawers, all of which are locked aside from the one keeping the bourbon.Figures.I click the space bar on his laptop, praying it hasn’t already shut down due to inactivity, only to find that it has. I sigh in frustration, that is, until I spot the USB drive jutting out from the side of the computer.Jackpot.I snatch the thumb drive and return to my seat just moments before Alister reenters the room.
“Trust, huh? I leave you alone for five minutes and you’re already back to your old ways.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, playing dumb. But as Alister approaches me, his features tight with frustration, I know I’ve been caught. “Hey!” I cry out as Alister pulls me up out of the chair with one hand and reaches into my back pocket with his other. His fingers easily find the USB drive, and I roll my eyes. His office must be under video surveillance. Paranoid much?
“This was a test.” Alister holds me in place as he lectures me on breaking the trust I’m sure I never had. Instead of pulling the USB from my pocket, he presses it into me. His unexpected, lingering touch draws a gasp from me as he presses firmly against my bottom, holding me by not only my arm but also my most tender flesh. As he does, I find the same look in his dark eyes as before. My body responds in kind, giving in to his touch rather than pulling away, even though I know I should. I really should. Thankfully, before my body overrules the sirens blaring through my mind, Alister lets go of me and takes the USB, tossing it back on his desk. “You failed.” When he turns back to me, I no longer find the warm gaze that makes my insides melt. In its place is disappointment and a coldness that eats at me in the most unpleasant way.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. It’s all I can say. Despite my reasons for going for the drive, none of them seem worth mentioning now. He told me he’d help me. He told me he would always be honest with me. What I just did proves I don’t believe him. It proves I don’t trust him, despite my desire to. I suppose because I’ve never been able to rely on anyone before and the memories of his constant denials are still fresh.
Alister brings his fingers to his temples and massages them as he considers what to do with me. Once I finally convinced him to let me accompany him to Boston, he said I should stick around until we came up with a plan. But who knows how long it will take Gio to gather the intel he needs, and he may not want to put up with me for that long.
“Just please don’t send me back to the dungeon. That’s all I ask,” I blurt, assuming the worst. Alister looks at me with furrowed brows.
“Contrary to your belief, I don’t make a habit of keeping people in my dungeon. It’s only used under special circumstances. Given our common goal and our survival is depending on our collective efforts, I’m willing to let your transgression slide, just this once,” Alister warns. “Though, clearly, you can’t be left alone. So, come on. You’ve just earned yourself a date with the Devil.”
“Dramatic much?” I ask as Alister moves past me toward the door. When he turns back, his lips are drawn into a wickedly sly grin.
“You wish.”
* * *
After changing into exercise clothes,both of us in black leggings and tank tops, Alister leads me outside through the formal courtyard to the pool. What I find is a much different scene than the night of the Halloween party. Instead of blaring music and the ruckus of party guests, it’s quiet, save for the soft trickle of water coming from a fountain. Instead of a chandelier-lit evening of ghouls and glamour, the day is cloudy and crisp. Atop the pool is a platform covering a portion of the water. Based on our attire and the kickboxing gloves Alister tosses at me, I can only assume it’s meant to be our battleground. On any other day, I’d relish the chance to spar with the Blood King, but today’s temperatures and the ice bath awaiting the loser of the duel make me hesitant.
“If this is your idea of a date, I can see why you’re still single.” At that, Alister laughs. Good. At least some of his tension from earlier has subsided.
“Would it help the illusion if I took off my shirt?” Alister asks, brow cocked. I roll my eyes and slip my hands into the gloves.
“Not exactly sure that’s date appropriate either. More like the morning after.” Besides, if he takes off his shirt, I imagine the ice-cold water will be the least of my worries.
“Well, if you hadn’t gone snooping through my things, then maybe I could trust you to stay in the house while I work out. Unfortunately for you, that is not the case.”
Alister hops up onto the platform before turning to offer me his hand. I give him a scowl filled with all the annoyance I can muster. Though, I have to admit, I’d much prefer this than sitting alone inside the mansion. Or worse, being left to deal with Sophia. I know I owe her an explanation, and I’ll give her one, but right now, I’ve got my hands full trying to make sense of Alister and whatever urges he’s awakened in me. I take his hand and he pulls me up to join him in one swift movement.
“Gio could use a day off anyway.”
I nod, moving to the opposite side of the platform. “Fine. Though why you choose to duel over an ice bath is beyond me.”
“It helps ease the sting of getting your ass kicked, and it also serves as great motivation to not let it happen twice.”
