“Let’s not jump to any conclusions about what—”
“Lilah, don’t make excuses and don’t tell me to hope for the best with this one, okay? You could have been in danger. You still might be, right now,” she huffed. “Has she even called you?”
Well, no. There was that too. I knew she was making calls to Dante’s associate, Cade, and to Dante. She didn’t think to call me to apologize, though. “I don’t think she gets much call time, Mom.”
“Well, she barely calls me anyways. I don’t know where we went wrong with her.”
That should have been the moment I told her. Speaking up was the right thing to do.
Yet, the government thought it wasn’t.
I sighed. “She’ll get better, Ma.”
“You were always better about understanding her.”
“She is my twin.” I shrugged and tried to chase away the frustration by rubbing my eyes.
“Well, please make sure Dante stays with you for a few days, if possible. I think I’ll call his mother.”
My gut reaction was to tell her no. It would help with our story, though.
So instead, I appeased her. “I’m sure he’ll be working around here for a while, Mom. I’ll keep in touch with him. No need to worry, okay?”
“Of course I’ll worry. Your father and brother are mumbling that they miss you. Come visit soon, okay?”
I got off the phone with her a minute after and went to shower. The water pressure deserved a massage award compared to where I had been staying. I tried to relax into it and not think about a thing for all of ten minutes.
10
Lie to Your Best Friend
Dante
We’d only been near one another for a few days, yet already the smell of her was fucking with my head.
I rubbed a temple as I got two guys stationed on staircases of the hotel that very next morning just in case.
I’d left her alone all night, which was more than enough leniency. In my mind, she should have been in witness protection. I wasn’t putting Delilah in any unnecessary danger. I called Cade to watch the security cameras so no threat would go under the radar. “Make sure no one suspicious is down our hallway.”
“I’m not watching a fucking camera for hours, man,” he said it like it was above him.
“You watch a damn screen all day while you fiddle on computers. What’s the difference?”
“Fuck off.” He knew he didn't have to dignify my question with an answer. “I’m waiting on this cruise ship to set sail so I can see what guys leave on it. I got other shit to do. Call someone else.”
“I don’t trust anyone else,” I griped into the phone as I heated some water on the stove.
“Man, unless this girl is your girl, I’m not spending this much damn time on her. She’s not Izzy. There’s barely a threat—”
“Any threat is a problem.” I wouldn’t have Delilah exposed to anything I did, ever.
“Why? Izzy’s threatened daily.”
“Izzy signed up for this job, dumbass. She’s trained. I’m not working unless I know she’s safe.”
“So, she’s your girl, then?”
“Fuck off. She’s my best friend’s kid sister.”