Page 215 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 5-8

A muscle pulsed in his jaw and he looked as if he might move closer. ‘This is going to come as a shock to you, Sydney, but some people actually work hard for a living.’

‘I work hard.’

His face was like stone. ‘In this instance, working two jobs is not some sign of your diligence. Quite the opposite, in fact. Your position at McIntyre was about deceit and ultimately theft, and all theft is about entitlement and greed.’

‘I’m not entitled or greedy.’

‘Then why were you stealing from me?’

‘I told you I needed—Ineedthe money. Or are you deluded enough to think I want to be here with you, that I would for one moment consider pretending to be your girlfriend if you weren’t continually threatening to hand me over to the police?’

His eyes were burning a hole in her retinas. He didn’t like that, but she didn’t care.

‘Do you think I want you here?’ he said coldly. ‘You’re just the lesser of two evils.’

That hurt more than it should have done but that wasn’t why she flinched. It was the fury in his voice.

‘But,’ he continued in that same cold voice, ‘if this is all such a trial to you, Sydney, then why don’t I put you out of your misery and call the police?’

‘Because I can’t help my brothers if I’m stuck in prison.’

There was a moment of stillness and she knew from the way Tiger was looking at her that her face had gone pale, but she was already spinning on her heel, moving, legs reacting before her brain even knew what she was doing—

She heard Tiger swear, sensed him moving, his hand reaching for her.

‘Scusi, signorina.’

Silvana had returned with a trolley laden with boxes and she caught a glimpse of the housekeeper’s startled face and then she sidestepped past her and did what she should have done all those years ago when Noah had first made it clear that her feelings didn’t matter. That she only mattered in relation to him, and then only if she put his needs above her own.

Never again.

Never.

Again.

Her strides lengthened and as she pushed open a door into the sunshine, she started to run, feet pounding against warm stone, then grass, stumbling, then running, once, then twice. She had no idea where she was going. All she could think about was getting as far away from that scene in the bedroom as possible. She had shown too much emotion, given too much away. Given him more than she had wanted to.

Too late, she realised she should have gone to the jetty, but instead she had reached a beach.

She slowed, slightly out of breath, her heart shuddering against her ribs, her gaze moving past the dancing white-tipped waves to the pale, shimmering city hovering like a mirage beyond it.

Venice.

It was too far away to make out anything specific but even at a distance she felt its calming effect and, a moment later, she reached down and unbuckled her sandals. Pressing her feet into the sand, she felt a wave of homesickness, and guilt. Because she had let them down. Her brothers had needed her and she had failed them.

What had she done?

Tiger was no pussycat, but he wasn’t violent. Except his anger, that blind fury she’d heard in his voice and seen on his face, it had panicked her in a way she couldn’t control.

It was still rippling through her now, making her want to cry, because it was all such a mess. Being here with him was so far from the worst place she had ever been. But she had been there before and back then she hadn’t acted, hadn’t defended herself and everything had got so hard, so fast. She hadn’t wanted to make the same mistake again.

So she had made a different one.

And there was no point in trying to take it back.

‘I don’t do second chances, Ms Truitt. You cross me once, we’re done.’

Tiger’s voice seemed to echo down the beach and, needing to get away from the consequences of her actions, she started to walk beside the tiny, tumbling waves.

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