Page 60 of As the World Falls

“You’re scaringme,” he counters. “You have no idea what you’re getting involved in. I need you to tell me what you’ve done.”

I swallow hard, feelings of shame slamming into me like a horrible car accident. “I…I met someone who said they could help. He said if I found proof of Labyrinth’s or James's, specifically, illegal activity, he would help me, help you. That you would walk away untouched while James took the hit.”

“Who? Who was it?”

I bite my lip before muttering, “Hodge Wiseman.”

Tobias let go of me like he was in a daze of shock. “Tell me you didn’t give him anything. Tell me you have no proof.”

“Tobias, of course I did. I don’t want you involved with these people. They’re criminals.”

“Fuckin A, Cecilia. You have no idea what you’ve done. What was it? What proof did you give him?”

The realization didn’t hit me until right this second that I stole from my brother. That the ledger I found was in his car, under his protection. He’s been looking for it, and I don’t know what he’ll do when I tell him I was the one who took it, that I lied to him and gave it to Hodge.

I let out a shaky breath as I met his angry gaze again. “I found his ledger. In your car the night of the launch event.”

It’s like the life leaves his body. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“I took it, and after I realized James was just stringing me along for the fun of it, I met with Hodge yesterday, and I gave him the ledger.”

Tobias rakes a hand through his hair, his eyes bouncing back and forth like he is wracking his brain for a solution. I hate seeing him so stressed, but he is free now. Hodge said he’ll make sure of it.

“Tobias, you can walk away from all of this now. You can?—”

“Lia shut up. Fuck, for once, can you just shut up for a second so I can figure this out.” I rear back in shock at his tone but can’t bring myself to say anything. He looked so hurt because of me. “You are stupid if you believe he’s still going to help you now that he’s gotten what he wanted. Fuck Lia, do you know what names are in that ledger? How many people are going to— Fuck.”

“He said he would?—”

“Screw what he said! He’s a fucking snake. He’s working for the mayor, who has a vendetta against James. He doesn’t give a fuck about you or me. He will let me go down with James if it means James goes down. But that’s not my concern right now. My concern is the people in that ledger that you fucked over.”

“What people?” I ask nervously. He looked at me, his disdain evident in his eyes. I had never seen him look at me this way before, and it was painful.

“Since you think you know everything, do you, by chance, know of the Costra Nosa? Did that ever come up?”

I scrunch up my nose. “Costra Nosa? Isn’t that the?—”

“The mother fucking mafia, Lia. The mafia that James used to be a part of, and his brother currently is.”

Is it possible for everything inside you to stop? Like your organs, your heart, stop? Because that’s what feels like happens to me. Everything stops, and dread takes over entirely.

“What…what are you saying to me right now?”

“I’m saying, not only did you fuck James over, but you fucked over the mafia too.”

Chapter Nineteen

James

It’s cold when I walk inside my city apartment, and for the first time, I’m disappointed in its emptiness. I never had a problem with it before, but now…I felt different. Cecilia was making me feel different.

Fuck.

It was somewhat amusing, her little get-up tonight as if I wouldn’t recognize her the minute I looked at her. I saw her just as Tobias and I reached the bottom of the staircase. She was dashing into the sea of people on the dance floor, but I knew the blue of her eyes as soon as my gaze flitted to her. I knew the subtle roundness of her face that combatted with her high cheekbones. I knew her round lips, long legs, and the way she carried herself so fiercely, unlike every single person in that damn room. I second-guessed myself for a second because of the apparent straight hair that looked longer and more golden skin, but as soon as I looked over to her again, I got that same punching feeling in my gut like I do every time I look at her.

Seeing how she danced, trying to avoid our attention, was nearly my last straw. I couldn’t not be near her and put myhands on her. I had never wanted to touch someone so bad in my life, if only just to remind her that I fucking knew her and saw her despite her attempt to trick me. How could I not? She was becoming my own personal anthem, drawing me in and stealing away all of my attention anytime I was in the same vicinity as her. It was maddening as much as it was thrilling.

And don’t get me started on how it felt to finally feel her mouth on mine. Never in my life have I tasted such sweetness or felt such desperation. It was sickening in a way I wanted to get completely lost in. I couldn’t have her, though. That was the biggest game of all, one that I was losing in.

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