Page 23 of Forbidden Until Midnight

He pulled the door open and looked down to find her crumpled on the floor.

His heart yanked, hard.

Pitiable. That was what she looked like, and from the flush of shame on her cheeks she knew it too. Anger began to dissolve as he crouched down to her level.

Questions filled his mind and throat.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Whassit matter?’

He frowned, struggling to interpret her slurred English. ‘Eleanor—’

‘Doesn’t matter. Not any more.’

And, to his horror, she started to cry.

‘I want to go home,’ she whimpered.

‘Okay. I’ll get you home,’ he said, pulling her gently into his arms.

‘But I can’t,’ she confessed, tucking her head into his chest as if she could hide from the world.

‘Of course you can. I’ll take you,’ he insisted.

‘Don’t have a home. Don’t have a father. Not any more,’ she said, before closing her eyes and seemingly passing out.

‘Eleanor—’ He shook her gently in his arms, but she didn’t rouse.

Alarm spread through Santo’s entire being.

‘Don’t have a father.’

Did she know? Did Edward Carson know?Cristo, that changed everything.

Santo was halfway out of the door when he came face to face with her mother, Analise. She took one look at Eleanor in his arms and gestured for him to follow her.

They drew several curious glances as she led Santo towards the back exit.

‘Edward’s waiting,’ Analise warned and Santo nodded to acknowledge he’d heard.

‘He knows?’ Santo asked Analise.

‘Yes. Since November.’

‘Are you okay?’

‘No. Not at all.’

‘What about Eleanor?’ he demanded.

‘She’ll be okay, if she plays along,’ her mother confirmed.

Santo gritted his teeth together and unconsciously tightened his hold on her.

‘What do you want me to tell Pietro?’ he asked.

There was an almost imperceptible hitch in her stride before the words, ‘Tell him whatever you want,’ were tossed over her shoulder.

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