“Don’t let Ethan hear you say that,” she warned, but the corner of her lips turned up. “We are both bad people, but I feel better.”
“Don’t. We might not be lucky next time. It’s the mafia. It isn’t supposed to be fair. It’s just supposed to be. And we may be black sheep, but black sheep are still sheep,” I reminded her, and she paused, looking around the bag, her eyebrow raising slightly. “Asterisk or not, our names are still Callahan. That’s better than other people.”
“You’re in a good mood today. What aren’t you telling me?”
I looked at her for a moment and smiled sadly. “I’m going to betray you, Nari. When that day comes, forgive me, okay?”
“No.” She frowned. “Why should I forgive someone who betrays me?”
“Because you know if I could have avoided hurting you, I would have done it…bad choices can be forgiven if they are done because of love, right?”
“You’re not a bad person. You are the worst type of person.”
“And what kind of person is that?”
“Conspicuous,” she replied, punching harder into the bag. “Looking at you is like looking into a mirror.”
“Why does that make me the worst type of person?”
She punched twice. “Because not all of us want to face ourselves.”
I couldn’t reply because she just hit harder. I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I didn’t press her more on it. She needed to vent and blow off steam, and I just wanted to relax and pretend I wasn’t a little bit of a hypocrite. She wanted to get strong, be more useful, and I told her not to reach too high…even as I was reaching, everywhere.
I’m good at giving advice…taking it is another thing altogether apparently.
WYATT
“I’ll be at my penthouse.”
She had texted me early in the day, and I couldn’t reply with anything but “okay.” That was hours ago, and now I found myself outside of her door, not sure if I should knock or not. I hadn’t ever thought about it before, but it was strange doing so now.
This is insane. I frowned, entering the pin before opening the door. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but her leaning there against the couch in a silk emerald green gown wasn’t it.
“I was wondering how long you were going to stand out there.”
“How long were you going to have me stand out there?” I questioned, sliding my hands into my pockets.
She shrugged. “For as long as you wanted. I already made the first move, it’s impolite to make me do more than that.”
This is what I like about her…her answers were very clear. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. What time does the play start?”
“In an hour. Why?”
“Because before we go any further, I’d like to be completely honest with you.”
I paused. “Should I sit down?”
“It’s better if you don’t. It would be easier for you to turn around and walk away.”
She’s serious about this. But what the hell could she have done that she thought was so serious to tell me now of all times?
“Ready when you are.” I nodded for her to go on.
“The day I went to the manor, I was prepared to abandon my crush on you and focus on helping the family…Dona had called and reminded me that while Ethan was away you were going to need help.”
“I’m glad to see all the concern,” I said, somewhat annoyed. “Do I seem like I’m doing such a bad job without Ethan now? And here I thought Rome wasn’t built in day.”
“And it wasn’t built by one person.”
“When I need help I’ll ask for help, Helen.” I eyed her carefully before crossing my arms over my chest and continuing, “Okay, how about we skip to the point. Why are you bringing this all up now—”
“Because if we are going to go forward, we’re going to do so as partners, and you need to hear and see all of me. You’ve just scratched the surface of what it means to be the boss of this family—”
“And you would know that how!?” I snapped.
“I was here!” She hollered back at me. “While you were fucking nurses and living it up in Boston, I was here fighting alongside your brother. Do you think you’re the only one who finds me convenient to vent to? You have no idea what your brother has gone through to get to where he is. How thin he stretched himself. I do. I saw it. Your parents built this family together. It takes two very strong people to run this business. He was lucky that he’s naturally gifted when it comes to running this family, but to say it never took its toll would be a lie. The audacity of you to think you can just take over and get your way. It doesn’t work like that.”
I laughed, crossing my arms over my chest. “You expect me to believe Ethan, my big brother, was a team player? That he told you his plans—”
“Yes,” she said it without hesitation.
I stared into her eyes but couldn’t see anything. They weren’t the same brown eyes I was used to. “You’re lying.”
“Ethan decided on Boston six months ago. I was the one who ordered the safehouse built. I also donated three extra ambulances for your hospital, knowing you’d more than likely be in one of them. Your old girlfriend, she didn’t have a shift that day. I hacked into the hospital system to make sure her shift changed. Don’t tell, Dona, but I also knew about Tobias. Ethan had a backup, too, if for some reason she didn’t follow through. He had another month before the poison would have killed, though. But all of that isn’t really anything to brag about. That’s child’s play in comparison to some of Ethan’s other plans. Is he a genius? Yeah, but he’s not God. He can plan perfectly, but someone still has to put the small pieces in motion.”
Who the hell was this, and
