Life or death…Madison pops back into my head along with all the unanswered questions surrounding everything London told me.
"Do you think you could give us some privacy?" I stare right at Seven, hoping he'll get the hint to get the fuck out of here.
"Whatever, man." He hops up from his seat. "I'm not going to let you ruin my mood." Seven lowers his fist to London. "Firecracker, it was a pleasure seeing you. Get well soon."
"Don't tell me what to do," London teases him and bumps her fist against his.
Seven chuckles and nods at me before heading toward the door and slipping out of here, not staying to protest or throw a fit about being asked to leave.
I lower myself onto the couch a few inches away from London. "Will you please stay?"
She looks up at me, her eyes darting back and forth. "Where were you?"
"What?"
"Where were you, Archer?" She pauses for a split second. "You're telling me you saw every date I went on, you knew what dress I wanted, heard conversations that were private, but when Iactuallyneeded you, you weren't there?"
"I'm sorry," is all I can get out, because she's right. I did see every date she went on, even the one the night before. It fucking killed me to watch her with another man, to see him make hersmile, hold her chair out for her, and walk her to the car. Fuck, just the fact that he got to have a conversation with her was enough to make me go insane. That's why I hesitated the next day, that's why I wasn't watching her every move, because if I had to witness her meet him again, or kiss him, I'd lose my fucking mind. But the self-control I thought I had was quickly squashed and when I checked her location and saw her on the other side of town, I irrationally hopped on my bike and headed in that direction, only by the time I reached her, it was almost too late.
London sniffles and looks away, and I want to kill myself for making her feel this way.
I should have been there. I failed her. I lost her trust.
Chapter 33
London
Five days have passed since I've been at Archer's, and I'm recovered enough to almost be able to get around like I wasn't shot in the stomach by his evil ex. I've had my fair share of injuries before, and this was nothing compared to some of the worse ones, especially when I showed up here almost four months ago. It's strange to think that it's been that long since I arrived in New York.
On one hand, it seems like forever, and on the other, a blink of an eye. I knew things would be weird as I got adjusted to my new life, but I never imagined it would have gone down like this. That I would have accidentally developed feelings for the grumpy billionaire tasked to keep me safe. That a woman I thought was dead because of me would appear in my life, shoot me, and tell me she was coming for the guy I had a crush on, who happened to be her ex-boyfriend. That the people around me would be the most notorious crime family in the state and merely muttering their last name causes everyone around them to tremble and bow down.
Archer stops typing on his computer and stares at the screen, the silence distracting me from my rampant thoughts.Something is wrong, I can tell from the way his body is tense from head to toe.
"What is it?" I ask him, unsure if I want to hear the answer. I've been waiting for the shoe to drop ever since I agreed to stay here and so far, I've been lucky, but it appears my luck has run dry.
He swallows and doesn't turn toward me. "He's on his way."
"Who is?" I rise from the couch and walk over to Archer, planting my hands on his shoulders as I take a look at the screen, a flashing dot on a map indicating whatever Archer is referring to.
"Joe Vito. His private jet left LAX about a half hour ago. The flight itinerary is for LaGuardia. He should be wheels on the ground in less than six hours."
I rub his shoulders even though he's not the one in danger, I am.
"I need to talk to Madison," Archer announces, making me stop moving completely.
Thisis what I was worried about. Not Joe Vito, but Archer's ex coming back and finishing what she started.
"No," I tell him despite having no control over what he does. We aren't together, and even if we were, Archer is a grown-ass man who decides his own fate. I couldn't stop him if I tried, although that's not going to prevent me from doing exactly that.
"I need to know what their deal is. I need answers, London." Archer spins in his chair and pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You don't have anything to worry about."
This is the closest we've been since we hooked up in my apartment three weeks ago. Not counting him helping me when I was shot, other than a small touch here or there, that's been the brunt of our intimacy. I thought what we had fizzled out, that Archer was only keeping me around because he felt bad for whathappened. But the way he's holding me now unravels feelings I didn't realize were still there.
"I have everything to worry about," I confess. "The love of your life came back from the dead. I can't compete with that."
"This isn't a competition," Archer tells me, but it does nothing to settle my nerves.
Madison was different. More vindictive than I remember, something terrifying and cruel in her eyes that wasn't there all those years ago. Faking her death changed her, and not for the better. Even if she doesn't have feelings for Archer, that won't stop her from taking him from me just because she can.