Page 94 of As the World Falls

I sigh irritably. “But they think they can get it. They think they’ll win.”

“Every move they make against you will get harder and harder. Keep a close eye on everyone and everything,” Udovich says.

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see their next move.”

Sheriff Udovich nods as he stands from his seat. “I’ll get going and leave the plans up to you. I’ve already spoken with Stefano, so let me know when you need me to make a move.”

“Will do. Thank you.” He nods and leaves, and I look back at Tobias, a new sinking feeling slamming into my gut as I remember his sister and her visit from the mayor, as well as Dante and Hodge. As much as I tried to avoid discussing Cecilia with him, this wasn’t something I couldn’t keep from him.

“We have another problem,” I tell him, and his brows furrow deeper as he looks back at me.

“Such as?” I flick Chuck’s library card from Stone Corridor to him with his name written on it. The one he left here that he not so subtly threatened me with. Tobias holds it up in front of him, and his face hardens to rough stone, one carved in fury as he crumples it in his hand, his fiery gaze meeting mine again. “Why the fuck do you have this, and why does it say Chuck’s name on it?”

“Because he paid a visit to your sister to threaten me. Now that we know he and Dante are directly involved, we can’t rule out them endangering her.”

“Why would it be a threat to you? I don’t understand why she’s still part of this.” His voice is guttural, and he speaks in a tone he’s never used with me. If he were anyone else talking to me like this, I’d think about cutting his tongue out, but since it’s him, I try to refrain.

“He suspects we’re close. She worked for me, and she is your sister. They know you and I are close. It makes sense they’d target her.” I lie through my teeth, choosing to leave out all the personal time I’ve spent with her and how I’ve held her in my arms, tasted her lips, and was always…always counting down the seconds until I could taste her again. He didn’t need to hear that bit. He didn’t need to know that going after Cecilia was more of a direct threat to me because the damned girl was thawing my icyheart. He also wasn’t going to like the next bit that I was going to tell him either, but this was a particular secret that I could no longer keep from him since it was detrimental to Cecilia’s safety. “There was also another incident with Hodge and Cecilia.”

“What incident?”

I sigh. “Hodge forced your sister into a meeting to threaten you over the ledger mishap. Dante and his men visited Hodge, and Cecilia got caught in the crossfire.”

“You're telling me Cecilia got herself involved with Dante now?”

I honestly wanted to laugh at his incredulous tone and shock over the idea that his sister somehow got herself mixed up with a mafia family outside of myself. It wasn’t necessarily funny, but the girl had a way of getting herself into questionable situations. But I could see Tobias was close to having an aneurysm, so I held in my amusement. Also, the fact that he’s been burying himself at work since their dad died made this situation less funny. I could see how tired and stressed he was. His eyes were heavier lately, and he was easily irritated more than usual.

“Yes, but I handled the situation, and Hodge was hung up with Dante, so that’s why it never got back to you. I made sure she was alright, and Stefano tied up any loose ends. Cecilia’s okay too…well, besides watching me kill a man, but she’s been okay since then…I think.”

Tobias’s mouth is hanging open, and he blinks slowly at me. “Are you fucking with me?”

I press my lips together hard before speaking. “I’m afraid not.”

Tobias drags a hand through his hair, roughing it up as he heaves a monstrous sigh. “Perfect. Just when I think I didn’t have to worry about my sister as much, I find out she’s also living this whole secret life, and she has trust issues withme?”

“Yes, well…you two seem to have a lot of secrets. It's best you get everything out in the open to avoid these complications in the future. She knows enough at this point already.”

“Fuck, apparently.” He drags his hand over his mouth now in frustration, and I sit silently, unsure of what to say at this point. Family affairs were far out of my comfort zone, and despite caring deeply for both him and his sister, their specific dynamic between each other wasn’t my expertise. Tobias looks up at me again, tilting his head to the side and watching me curiously. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before? And why did Cecilia call you for help and not me?”

“Probably because she was scared of how you’d react to the situation, and I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to distract you from your work. Then everything happened with your father. I handled it and made sure she was okay.”

“You killed someone? In front of her?”

“He was touching her. If I hadn’t gotten there…I know what he would have done.” I felt sick at the thought of his hand going a fucking centimeter higher up her thigh. I should have tortured him a little before killing him, but the rage I felt at that moment wasn’t easily controlled. I wanted him dead, and so he was.

Tobias nods, although he doesn’t look happy about it. “Thanks, I guess. In the future, though, I’d appreciate it if you would not keep secrets about my sister from me. This is the second time now,” he says suspiciously. “I don’t want to think I couldn’t trust you when you’re the only person I do.”

“I understand, but let me remind you that if I choose to keep something from you, it will never be to betray you.” I felt like a liar telling him that because my feelings for his sister were starting to feel like a betrayal. I could see his apparent disapproval of my having anything to do with Cecilia. I know how separate he wants to keep her from his life, which means keeping her separate from me. I would never in a million yearsbetray Tobias except for only one thing. His sister. She was my damnation and saving grace wrapped in a seductively lethal bow. I couldn’t resist her if I tried, and trust me, I’ve tried.

“Speaking of, I think I’ll call my sister now and check in on her,” Tobias says, standing from the chair and pulling his cell phone out from his pocket.

“Good idea,” I murmur nonchalantly, although I also wanted to know if she was okay. I hadn’t spoken to her in weeks, and it was killing me.

She was obviously avoiding me, and I was letting her. I wouldn’t try to push her into something or overwhelm her with my feelings after going through a loss. But having no contact at all was starting to wear on me, and she was looking at a very unexpected visit from me in the near future if she didn’t cut it out. All my texts to her have gone unanswered as well, and when I saw her at the funeral, she pretended as if she didn’t know who I was.

It was a fucking shitty situation, and I was just about over it. It’s been nearly four weeks since I’d seen her, and I wasn’t okay.

An idea pops into my head, and like always when it comes to Cecilia, I feel impulsive and possessive. Cecilia was a target now, and I’m sure Tobias would agree that her safety was now the most important thing. This might even take some stress off his plate.

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