Page 107 of The Devil's Deal

“We’re getting to the house at midnight.”

She hides her face in my shoulder. My hand lands on the back of her head, wanting to stay there permanently.

If I don’t make it back alive, I’ve instructed my lawyer to give her a letter I wrote, explaining who I am and why I never came for her after I ran off when we were kids.

If I do make it out alive, we’ll have that talk we never got to have fifteen years ago. I want her to finally look me in the eye when she explains how she could’ve hurt me the way she did. How she could’ve betrayed my family, who loved her like she was their own.

I hope like hell she has a good fucking reason. If she doesn’t, I don’t know what I’ll do.

That’s assuming she forgives me for all the lies I’ve told. We’re a damn mess. But then again, we always were.

Every day I lie beside her, I fight hard not to think about the past. Because if I do, if I allow myself to go back, I won’t want to be anywhere near her. I hate feeling that way.

I’ve always loved her in one way or another. Now that she’s back, that love that’s been sitting dormant has festered, except it’s deeper now, as only a man can love a woman.

Love doesn’t always make sense. It weakens the heart and deepens the soul. And no matter what I do, I can’t shut out these feelings.

I want her love in return, even when it makes no sense to want it after every ugly thing standing in our way.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chiara

He left an hour ago,leaving me alone with the darkness and even darker thoughts. I should be comfortable in the embrace of the shadowy void that’s been a constant in my life, but I don’t feel at home right now. Instead, I’m filled with worry for Brian.

My father has many at his disposal who wouldn’t hesitate to kill for him, even when it means their own untimely death.

Every person in his life is nothing but a stepping-stone to his next plan. He cares for no one, and killing Brian, his enemy, would be something he’d take great pleasure in.

Unable to sleep, I slip out of Brian’s bed and head for the door. Maybe I can find a late-night snack and watch some TV until he returns. I’ll wait all night if I have to.

Opening the door, I find Miles there, guarding me. Brian insisted.

“Hey. Any word?” I ask, knowing he’d have information if there was any.

“None at this time, ma’am.” He shakes his head, his body towering over me. “If I hear anything, I will let you know.”

“Thanks. I’m getting something to eat. I’ll be back.”

He nods as I head for the stairs. When I reach down, I flip the light on, walking aimlessly around the house, passing guard after guard. When I walk by a room that looks like an office, I freeze in place, wondering if it’s Brian’s office.

Finding no guards in this hallway, I march inside, quietly closing the door behind me before heading for his desk. There’s still so much to know about him, so much he won’t tell me. I need to know everything before I decide whether I’ll stay or go. I open the first drawer, finding nothing but office supplies.

Next, I pull open the larger one below, finding manila folders neatly aligned inside. I take one out, scanning some financial documents for a company called Vendetta Corp. I don’t see his name on anything here, but I’ll be looking up that company as soon as I have access to the Internet.

I open another file and the same shit. More stuff on the same company.

Come on! Give me your true identity.

I’m running out of time before Miles comes looking for me, knowing Brian will have his head if something happens on his watch.

I check another file, and my heart immediately races. My father’s name is written on the side. Opening it with a shaky hand, my skin crawls with tiny ants when I find surveillance photos of not only him, but me too.

There are a ton of photos of me coming out of my house, going to and leaving work, even some of me and my cousin out to lunch.

He’s the one that’s been following me all this time.

Oh my God.

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