Jesus Christ. I was playing the kind of game that had almost gotten her killed. The fury turned to rage, my blood boiling. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the asshole.
Exhaling, I rubbed my jaw, trying to think about what to say to her. “I’m sorry about your friend. Unfortunately, I can’t allow you to return for the funeral. It’s too dangerous. From what you’ve told me, it sounds like Tristen is determined to take care of loose ends.”
“Take care of. That includes killing the woman he professed to love.” She stared off into the distance for a full minute, processing the events. “You know what’s sad? He never once told me he loved me. He always used ‘me too’ or ‘that’s how I feel’ but never ‘I love you.’ If a man can’t use the words, how could a woman ever consider trusting him?”
When she looked at me for some kind of confirmation, I had none to give at this point. Love wasn’t an easy or acceptable concept in my world, and she was beginning to understand that.
“As I told you before, caring about someone is too dangerous, a weakness that could be used at any time.”
“That’s exactly the way you want your life, isn’t it? Too dangerous. You enjoy the games, the risks, and obviously the torment I’ve seen you go through. You bring the danger to your door every day and it’s as matter of fact as preparing dinner or engaging with friends. That’s not my life, Alessandro. For all the pretending I’ve allowed myself to do over the last few days, enjoying every minute I spent with you, a nagging feeling remained because I knew it wasn’t real. I keep asking myself if I eagerly allowed myself to fall into your arms, accepting your brutal passion because of my anger for Tristen. I don’t know the answer and it scares me almost as much as you do.”
“I’m not trying to frighten you.”
“No, you’re not, but everything about you is terrifying, including what I already feel for you.”
I wasn’t expecting the beautiful woman to care about me. I hadn’t done anything to deserve even a moment of kindness. Fuck. If only I could be the man she needed.
“I need you to find him. If Tristen killed her, then do what’s necessary.” Her voice was shaking, tears slipping down both cheeks.
When I closed the distance, I expected her to pull away, but she held fast, tilting her head and staring at me with all the defiance she could handle. “That’s what I intend on doing.”
She darted her eyes back and forth across mine several times. She had a way of looking past the darkness in my eyes to what was underneath. And tonight, I could swear she was looking directly into my soul. “Thank you. I’m going to lie down.”
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
A slow drift of her gaze toward the floor was followed by a single sob. She pressed her hand across her lips, her breathing shallow. “I think our relationship was a cover that he was afraid would be blown.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he was afraid of running into someone one night while we were attending a function at a country club.”
“What country club?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Sierra. It may be important. Try.”
She closed her eyes, the memory difficult enough she was shaking. “Wakefield something.”
I shook my head, unnerved by what she’d just told me. “Wakefield Acres.”
“That’s it. Very posh and I recognized several powerful North Carolina citizens, including one of the senators.”
Bristling, I knew it was no coincidence. “Why were you there?”
“An invitation from one of his clients. That was the first time he’d acted as if anyone knew who I was and that he spent time with me. What does it mean?”
“Maybe nothing.”
“Meaning you refuse to tell me.”
I moved closer, rubbing my knuckles across her cheek. “Meaning until I find out for certain, there’s no need to jump to conclusions. Why don’t you go rest? We can talk further about this in the morning, but Sierra, you can’t continue to hide anything from me. Nothing.”
“Do you think the book is important?”
“I won’t know until I get my hands on it, if it’s still there.”
Sierra exhaled, the weight of the world casting a shadow on her appearance. “He wanted me dead because of what I’d kept. How did he know?”