Page 12 of Romeo

My beast is nervous.

“I’ll explain later, Jess. Please, just trust me. We have to go.”

If it was anyone else, I would’ve declined, ran back inside, and locked the door. But something put Romeo in this state, and he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.

“Is everything okay? Are you in trouble?” He sets me back on the ground.

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Romeo sets me back on the ground and rolls his shoulders. “But your dad is, and I don’t want you here for what comes next.”

Cautious steps guide me to the passenger seat of his car. Somehow, my discomfort isn’t directed at my beast. Foolish as it may be, I see him as a bright beacon of light in an endless sea of darkness. I know full well that what happened here yesterday could’ve been some grand scheme, and getting in his car can land me in terrible danger.

But I trust him.

Romeo starts the car, and we speed up the drive. Barry glares at us with an annoyed squint as we pass him, but he doesn’t stopus. And soon enough, we’re traveling down roads I didn’t even know existed.

I’m supposed to be scared, right? Why is this so thrilling, instead?

9

ROMEO

Iwant you to destroy them.

The Don’s words chip away at my soul. They’ve played on repeat in my head all night, chipping away at my psyche and leaving me feeling weak.

“So, this is your place?” Her gentle finger runs over dusty vases and trinkets decorating my apartment. I haven’t given them much love since I bought them, and it shows.

“Sure is.” Trying to sound normal when feeling this crushed is challenging.

Beating the shit out of her dad? No problem. He deserves the terrible thing heading his way. But where will that leave us? Jess will hate me for it, and I’ll be the monster who destroyed her entire world.

I brought her here to keep her safe. Hide her away from what must be done.

My crusade—the Lion’s crusade—will not leave her a casualty among the rubble.

I have to say something. Break the tension. If not for her, then for me.

She beats me to the punch, and I’m thankful for it. “Did you really have so much fun that you’re willing to risk getting caught for another taste?”

A naughty twinkle dances inside the deep oceans of her eyes. She hasn’t stopped smiling since we left her place. I wonder if it’s going to change. If the severity of what’s about to exit my mouth will gnaw away at her the way it’s doing me.

“I’d give up this whole damn world for another go at you.” The massive swallow of drool flooding my mouth is proof enough. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since…” You shook my world and left me desperate.

I can’t be so forward, though. Not yet.

“Okay, enough brooding. Tell me what’s going on.” Her tone changes, and Jess makes her way over to me.

Come clean. Do it. Tell her you’re a wicked bastard working with worse people. Let her decide if you’re good enough.

And I do, rehashing the events of last night in painstaking detail—from the moment Dante picked me up right down to the Don’s last order.

“They want me to destroy your father’s business,” I finish.

Jess doesn’t interrupt while I speak. Her smile fades, and her face shifts from happy to neutral, but there aren’t any signs of her being upset. If I wasn’t the one to spill my story, I’d assume we were just talking about how my walls could use a fresh coat of paint.

“Destroy it?” Her brow furrows.

She needs to process what I’ve said. Take it in and let it stew in her mind. Funny faces and a deadpan tone are a far stretch from my expectations, but we all cope with things in our own ways.

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