And as much as I denied it, I’d already made my stance pretty clear.
But the more Elsie spoke, the more apparent it became she didn’t actually need my help.
She was able to field off every query coming in her direction. It had started from Dad, but pretty soon my brothers had questions of their own. Everyone was curious about how much she knew. The kind of things she’d been involved in with the Barons. How she’d managed to make her escape with Davey in tow.
The truth was—it was pretty impressive, her ability to handle the room.
We were in there for over an hour, and by the end of it, it had become less of an interrogation and more of an informal chat. I half expected Dad to order in a six pack and offer her a cigar from his drawer.
Elsie held her head up high and answered each question. Her voice didn’t falter anymore, neither did she lean towards me anymore either.
I realized they all liked her. There was no doubt in anyone’s minds that they could trust her, she was reliable. This wasn’t a girl who tried to hide anything.
Now, all I had to do was drop my walls too.
And now that my family believed her story, what did it mean for us?
Nine
Elsie
It was pretty obvious that Tristian was surprised by the way his family reacted to me. Maybe they all were.
None of them expected me to do as well as I did—least of all, me.
I didn’t think I’d actually come out of that meeting in one piece. I was sure the Doherty family would pass a severe judgement on me. They had no reason to believe me and every reason to mistrust me.
I was a girl they didn’t know, with an almost unbelievable story.
But I had to admit—maybe it was Tristian who’d set the stage right. So maybe this was all thanks to him.
I didn’t expect it from him, but he introduced me to his family as the girl who saved their nephew’s life. Then, he stood beside me the whole time his family interrogated me.
That had to be the most obvious display of support anyone had shown. And I had no idea why he did it.
I thought he’d act neutrally. He hadn’t given me any reason to make me think he was on my side.
He’d pushed me away earlier in the day. He made it clear he didn’t want our relationship to go any further than it had already. He wanted to keep things simple between us. So why did he show his support for me?
That was one of the questions on my mind when we left the room.
His family was done with me. Even though they hadn’t given me any verbal confirmation of support, it was obvious they believed my story. By the end of the story, it was almost like we were all friends.
I’d felt a real sense of camaraderie amongst the brothers. They laughed at each other and with each other. They were the kind of family I’d only heard and read about in movies and books. As an only child with parents who’d always been overly protective of me—I’d never known that kind of family life.
I left the Dohertys feeling a little lighter on my feet. A surprising feeling since they were still the mafia.
I had to remind myself who they were because I’d forgotten.
They seemed so…normal. Warm. Trusting and friendly.
Isabelle was right. They looked intimidating, big, tall and muscular, but that wasn’t what they were like with each other.
Even Tristian had loosened up a bit around his brothers. Their father was clearly the boss. The one who was respected and who called all the shots, but he was also respectful and kind.
I was almost sorry to leave their company.
I considered asking Tristian if I could go and say bye to Isabelle before we left, but I decided against it.
I had to be careful and not get ahead of myself.
“Where are we going now?” I asked as we left the Doherty house.
“Home,” Tristian replied as he walked ahead of me.
Suddenly, a warm glow spread in the middle of my chest. Home? Our home? Was it possible that’s what he’d meant?
“I brought a pizza for you…for us, earlier. We didn’t get a chance to eat it,” Tristian said, once we were inside the apartment.
He locked the door behind him, checking the windows like he was surveying the neighborhood. I wanted to tell him not to worry. Aldo surely would’ve made himself known by now if we were being followed, right?
I only hoped he’d given up on me. Hopefully, he didn’t care.
There was a nagging voice in the back of my head that kept saying it couldn’t be true. I’d done something unforgivable. I’d escaped and taken one of their prisoners with me. He wasn’t going to just forget about that.
However, for now, I felt safe.
I felt safe because of Tristian and the way he looked at me. The way he stood beside me and watched over me.
“Thank you. A pizza sounds amazing!”
I went to the kitchen and found the box there on the table. Tristian brought two cans of beer out of the fridge and placed them on the table too.
There was something so ordinary and normal about the scene—it warmed my heart again.
I tried to be ladylike as I ate the slices of pizza, but I failed miserably at it. I was very hungry and just ended up stuffing my face.
Tristian smirked as he watched me eat, and I was surprised to find I was comfortable enough around him not to care.
“So, what now?” I asked, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“What do you mean?”
“What has your family decided about me?”
Tristian’s eyes glowed. “What do you think they’ve decided?”
“I don’t want to make any assumptions. I wouldn’t want to be disappointed.”
“I think they bought what you’re selling,” he
