Page 4 of Lie to Me

Why would she… oh fuck.

I let out a chuckle. “You mean go back to my sister-in-law?”

Her breath hitches before the mumbles something I can’t make out.

“Luca got married?”

“Yeah, he did. But he’s married to a woman called Izzy. That,” I wave towards the door, “was Enzo’s wife. I was sitting with her while Enzo showered.”

“Enzogot married? Isn’t he a teenager?” she asks, bewildered.

I feel my lips tipping up in a rare smile. “He’s twenty-two, though he does act like a teenager most days.”

She smiles back at me, and… fuck.

The tightness in my chest that’s been a constant for the last ten years loosens a little at the sight.

Christ, I missed the hell out of her.

“I’ve missed that smile of yours.”

She visibly flinches at my words, but I don’t try and take them back. I’m done with the lies.

“Can we talk sometime, when you’re not working? I have some things I need to explain,” I murmur softly, not wanting to spook her. If there’s one thing I know about this girl—no, thiswoman—in front of me, it’s that she’s fucking good at running. I’ve waited ten years to lay my eyes on her again, I don’t want to fuck it all up now she’s finally here.

“I… I’m not sure that’s necessary. It’s been ten years, Marco. We don’t need to rehash the past, we’ve both moved on. I don’t see the point.”

Both moved on? I sure as fuck haven’t, and the quiver in her voice tells me she hasn’t, either. She never could lie to me, not really. I’m about to call her out on it when her phone chimes with a text message and she pulls it from her pocket.

Before she can stop me, I grab the phone and input my number. She changed hers when she left the city years ago—which I only know because I caved one night after drinking too much and tried to call her—and mine has changed since then, too. The move reminds me of how she stole my phone from my hand to give me her number on the night we met. I suppress a smile as I pass the cell back to her.

“Call me when you’re ready, little warrior. I’ll be waiting.”

I don’t stick around to see her reaction.

Itry to focus on work, I really do.

Dad has me meeting with other capos this week since we’ve had a couple of gun shipments conveniently disappear over the last month. The last time this shit happened, it ended up escalating into an all-out war where we lost men, had a rat in our organization, and Luca ended up getting married to Izzy to secure an alliance… that ended up going to shit.

Yet no matter how much I try to focus on work, my thoughts keep shifting back to Sloane. I’ve thought about her every day for the last ten years, yet this past week it’s like it’s kicked into overdrive, and I can’t for the life of me get her off my mind.

Where does she live? Does she have friends? Where did she go and why did she come back? Is she happy? Is she seeing someone? She wasn’t wearing a ring when I saw her at the hospital, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a boyfriend or isn’t dating. Or maybe she is married, and she just can’t wear a ring for work. So many possibilities and unanswered questions drown out all other thoughts and I can’t focus on anything else. Now that she’s back in my city, back in my orbit, can I really justsit around while she does whatever the hell it is that she does, knowing that she’s so close? Can I really cope with not knowing?

I make it to Friday, a whole five days, before succumbing to temptation.

The only issue is, I have no idea where to start—which is why I’m about to make what could possibly be the worst mistake of my life. That mistake being asking my sister-in-law for help.

I usually leave it to Enzo to randomly turn up at my older brother’s apartment unannounced, but I guess today I’m taking that spot. I decided to come in the afternoon, knowing that Luca is busy with Dad and that Izzy would be here alone. It’s bad enough that I’m coming to her for help, I don’t need Luca here making shit even harder.

The elevator dings as it opens up into their apartment and I spot Izzy sitting at the dining table, frantically typing away on her laptop. Her head snaps up just as I step inside, and her eyes widen when she sees it’s me.

“Marco? What’s wrong? Where’s Luca?”

Of course she’d think something was wrong. It’s been nearly a year since she joined our family and I’ve never once just turned up at her apartment. I probably should’ve texted her to give her a heads up.

“He’s fine. Everything’s fine,” I assure her as I take a seat opposite her.

“I’m here because I need your help,” I grumble.

---