Page 83 of Twilight Mask

“I can share you with Jackal, but nobody else.”

“I thought so.” She slips out of my grasp and gets out of bed. I smile up at the ceiling, and I know I’ll have to get up in a minute too, but I wish she’d just come back and we could forget about the world outside.

It’s been three days since the attack. One of those days was spent in suspense, worried for Laura, until she showed up at my doorstep. I thought she was there to run away: instead, she invited me back to the oasis. Part of me was worried I’d get shot the second I stepped foot on Bianco territory. Instead, she ushered me into her house without so much as introducing me to anyone else, and we’ve been enjoying each other ever since.

I left my mask back at home, unfortunately, but there will be time for Jackal soon.

Laura takes a shower. I put on clothes and head downstairs. Her coffee machine is pretty basic, but it does the job. I carry my mug down into her basement and walk around, looking at her tools and her half-finished works, and smile at the camera perched on top of her workbench. That’s my eye up there. I can’t guess how many hours I spent staring through it.

“Impressive, right?”

I look up and back toward the stairs. On instinct, I reach for Laura’s chisel, thinking I’ll need to defend myself, but my hand falls away.

Simon Bianco’s watching me. He’s alone and unarmed, at least as far as I can tell.

I would’ve killed to get in a position like this. Just me and him, the leader of my enemies, with nobody around to stop me from killing him. It takes a lot of willpower not to do anything stupid. I have to remind myself that this isn’t Don Bianco; this is Laura’s brother.

“She’s talented,” I say finally. “I didn’t hear you come down.”

“Reinforced stairs. Hides the sound.” He drifts over and runs his hand down a partially finished jackal ear. “I couldn’t figure out why she was into these until I saw your mask at the opening. Then it made sense.”

“Does she know you’re in here?”

He nods. “She let me in. I told her I wanted to talk to you alone first.”

I watch him warily, not sure where this is going. “Never thought I’d be having a civil conversation with you.”

He smirks and looks at me, head tilted. “I never really thought about you at all, but here we are.” His smile fades away. “Laura loves you.”

“I know she does.” I stare at him, struggling to keep myself in check. I don’t like his arrogance, and I hate the power he holds over my relationship with his sister. I’m rethinking that whole murder thing.

“And how do you feel?”

“I love her too. Very much.”

“Good.” He nods to himself as if that’s what he had been hoping for. “I’m going to be honest here. If you hadn’t tipped Angelo off about the attack on the gallery opening, this conversation would never happen. I never would’ve let a Santoro on our turf, not for any reason.”

“If it weren’t for your sister, I’d be busy trying to bring you down. Funny how life goes sometimes.”

Simon lets out a short laugh. “I get the message.”

“It was a good idea, by the way. The body-doubles thing.”

His expression darkens as he looks away. “That was Angelo again. I didn’t like it. I hate the idea of letting my men die for me, but it worked out. We killed an important enemy and a dozen of his men.”

A strange shiver runs down my spine. Adam. Poor fucking Adam. Did he deserve what happened to him? Should I feel guilty for selling him out to his enemies? If Laura hadn’t been in the room, I would’ve been happy to let him murder every Bianco available. But I couldn’t risk it. I had to tell Angelo, I had to warn him. Adam wouldn’t listen when I asked him to stand down.

Guilt seethes in me. I think I’ll always feel it. If I could go back, I’d make the same decision a thousand times over—because I made it for her. But I’ll always feel like I betrayed him, and I’ll have to find a way to live with that.

“All I care about is your sister. I didn’t do it for you.”

“I know that. Which is actually better. I wouldn’t respect you if you sold out your associates for any other reason.”

“Who else was with him?” I think of Valentina in her mask. I think of Ronan, Dusan, and Julien. I haven’t heard from any of them since the attack, but I also haven’t tried to reach them.

“Nobody, aside from the Jankowski soldiers.” His eyes narrow and he studies me. “Should there have been someone else?”

I cross my arms. “Doesn’t matter.”

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