My eyes darted to the way he held the can of beer. His big strong hands with those thick fingers that knew exactly how to touch me. The color rose in my cheeks and I had to look away.
“I’m not trying to sell anything. It’s the truth.”
He shrugged. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”
“And…what about you? Do you believe me now?”
“I’m not here to make any personal decisions. I’m supposed to keep watch, and that’s what I’m doing. Whatever decisions are made by the Dohertys are made collectively, as a family.”
I glared at him for an answer. Why wouldn’t he commit?
Why was it so hard for him to say he trusted me? What more would I have to do?
“Okay, so what happens next? Is there a plan? Is your family going to protect me from Aldo Baron?”
“We’re doing that already. You’re here, you’re alive, and I’ll keep it that way.”
Our eyes met and I tried searching for something in his. Something that told me he actually cared—more than just as a job.
Why did I want to be more than just a job to him? Why did it matter?
“But for how long? How long am I going to live like this? Running, hiding, dependent?”
“If you care about your life, you’ll ask less questions and do as you’re told,” he replied with a growl.
I scowled back.
Maybe I liked him better when he barely spoke to me.
After I’d gobbled down a few pizza slices, I felt too full to even move. So I sat there at the table, cradling my can of beer while Tristian sat across from me in silence.
We’d both snapped at each other, and maybe we both regretted it a little now.
When he cleared his throat, I figured he’d finally come up with something to say. As long as he wasn’t going to bring up that awkward moment between us from before—when he’d rejected me.
“So, where would you be right now if you weren’t here? If none of this had happened to you and you lived your normal life.”
His question took me a little by surprise. I didn’t think he’d be interested in that. Or was he still trying to suss me out? Was this one of his ploys to get to the bottom of my story?
“I’d take up one of the jobs I was offered and begin a new life in the big city. My career was what I’d worked towards all my life. I pretty much sacrificed having the normal life of a teenager for the sake of having a career,” I explained.
Tristian waited a few moments, watching me closely.
“If you make it out of this, you’ll have to go pretty far from this place if you want to continue your normal life,” he said.
Maybe a few days ago, I would’ve jumped at the idea of being returned to some sense of normalcy. To the life I’d known before Aldo Baron made an entrance. But now…I wasn’t sure why I hesitated to even imagine it.
“It’s not fair that I’d be the one who’d have to move away from here,” I said.
Tristian shrugged.
“It’ll be the only thing you can do to keep out of everyone’s minds so forget about you.”
“But Aldo won’t ever forget about me, right? Will I ever be safe?”
Tristian and I stared at each other. I looked for some reassurance. For him to tell me I’d be okay. But Tristian wasn’t a liar.
“You won’t ever be safe for as long as that motherfucker is alive,” he replied.
Then he held the can of beer up to his lips and emptied it down his throat. When he left the kitchen, I assumed he went to the toilet but I couldn’t be sure.
He wasn’t interested in telling me anything. I wasn’t his friend.
I waited in silence in the kitchen while it took him exceptionally long to return.
But it gave me the time to think about why I hadn’t gotten excited about the idea of returning to my normal life. Wasn’t that what I’d wanted this whole time while I was held prisoner by Aldo and forced to do his criminal bidding?
Things seemed to have changed drastically since I met Tristian, especially since this evening when I met the rest of his family.
They gave me a sense of warmth and friendship, even though things had started off on a sour note. Especially Isabelle, who had magically put me at ease. She seemed so…normal. She seemed like the kind of girl I would’ve loved to hang out with. It was hard to imagine she was a Doherty. That she belonged to this mafia world.
It was hard to imagine any of them did.
They were polite and curious. Intelligent and kind.
And not to forget…some of them were sexy. Well, maybe all of them were sexy. Yeah, they were all definitely very good looking. It clearly ran in their genes.
I blushed at the thought of Tristian.
Of him returning and finding me there at the table.
If he could read minds, he’d know I thought about him all the time. While I was awake and asleep. Almost obsessively.
Was it just because he had pushed me away? Did that make me want him even more?
And what if everything changed tomorrow?
What if this war between the Barons and Dohertys ended? Maybe, with any luck, Aldo left the country with his tail between his legs. Anything was possible, right? What if Aldo completely washed his hands off me?
Was I supposed to just walk out of here and never look back? Pretend like I never met Tristian? That the limited time in which I knew him—didn’t have a profound effect on me?
No other man had changed me this way. Definitely not in such a short period of time. I felt stronger around him, and weaker at the same time. I felt beautiful and sexy when he looked at me, and then small and pathetic when he looked away.
He was hot and cold. Angry and smiling. Protective and dismissive.
I was constantly in
