Page 62 of Taboo Flames

“No, son, don’t do anything yet for now,” Giordano says. “In the meantime, I’ll continue to look into it discreetly. If he thinks we’re coming after him, I don’t know what kind of moves he’s capable of making to stop us. Allow me.”

I nod in acquiescence. I trust Giordano to put as much importance on this matter as it deserves.

“On another note, how goes your fight against the Alba—” Giordano’s words trail off as Aurora is suddenly marched into the room by one of Giordano’s men.

“Boss,” he begins, “I found this one snooping around.”

Aurora quickly tucks something in her pocket, and I make a mental note to investigate what it is. At that moment, embarrassment and fury fill my chest, covering my heart with a layer of ice.

“I told you to stay in the car,” I say coldly.

She gives me a dark look. “I’m not a damn dog. You can’t just order me around or leave me in the car.”

“What you are is a damn stubborn and infuriating woman who doesn’t know when to just quit.”

What she is, is a damn mistake. A mistake I’m addicted to. A mistake I can’t quit even if I try.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me, son?” Giordano pipes up, his eyes unreadable.

Turning to face him, Aurora steps forward boldly. “I’m Aurora Vitale, and you must be Giacob Giordano.” She holds out her hand.

He takes her hand in his with a smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

She looks over at me with a dark look. “I can’t say the same about you.”

“Aurora,” I growl in warning.

Giordano chuckles. “Oh, I like her, Gio.”

“At least somebody does,” Aurora says, her eyes still looking intently into mine.

She thinks I don’t like her? If I didn’t, I’d have shot her through the head for what she just did. What did she even set out to find by snooping? Does she think Giordano will just leave a diary full of memories of the past lying around?

I grab her by her elbow, jerking her roughly toward the door, and say, “We’re leaving.”

“You’re hurting me,” she cries.

I soften my hold on her but continue pulling her out of the house.

“Let me go,” she snaps.

I spin around to face her with a glare. “You could have died in here,” I hiss at her.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t.”

I fist the front of her shirt and yank her close to me. “One day, you’ll step too close to the edge, and you’ll fall over. And on that day, I won’t be there to catch you.”

Then, I release her and motion at one of Giordano’s men.

“Take her straight home to the Vitale estate,” I tell him. I don’t wait to see her reaction. I just turn away and head to my car.

“You’re leaving me here?” she croaks out in shock.

I don’t grace her with a response.

When I back out of the driveway and zoom away, she’s still standing there in the courtyard, waiting for the car that is taking her home to be brought around and staring at me with eyes full of hurt.

I don’t allow myself to look at her in the rearview mirror because if I do, I’ll turn the car right around and go back for her.

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