Page 65 of Lie to Me

“Where did you see us?”

“I first saw you talking on the terrace on the night of a gala. I didn’t say anything at the time because I wasn’t sure how long you were even out there with her. The second time I saw you lurking around her was in a club one night. I was ready to fucking shoot you since it looked as though you were stalking her. It wasn’t until you threatened some asshole for getting too close to her and I saw how comfortable she was with you and that I knew I had it all wrong. And the way you looked at her? Fuck, I’d never seen anyone look at another person like that,” he mutters the last phrase with a shake of his head.

“Sloane was happier than she’d been in a long time, and I knew that was because of you, so I covered for her whenever I needed to. She eventually admitted to me that she was seeing you. The only reason I warned her to be careful with you was not because I thought you’d hurt her, but because I worried what my father would do if he found out.”

I didn’t even know Sloane had told him about us, or that he’d warned her away from me. Though I don’t blame her for not telling me, things were different back then.

“Things seemed to be okay, and it wasn’t until I overheard my father bragging about hurting the Romanos that I knew something was up.”

He takes a deep breath, his throat working on a swallow before he continues. “Then the next morning, I found Sloane crying in her room. She was fucking heartbroken. She told me that you had cut things off between the two of you and I knew it was because my father threatened you with something, but I couldn’t tell her that.” He pauses to look between me and my brothers. “She’s my little sister. My twin. She’s a part of me, and I couldn’t just let her stay when my father knew she’d been sleeping with the enemy.”

I go to open my mouth to tell him that we were so much more than that, but he raises a hand that has me halting.

“I know. I know you loved her, but my father didn’t give a shit about that. Yeah, he didn’t want a war with the Italians, but he knew that if it came out that his daughter and Salvatore Romano’s son had been seeing each other, he’d be expected to retaliate. I also knew that he would have made my sister’s life hell for what he would have seen as a betrayal.”

“So you found a way to get her away from here,” I murmur.

He nods wordlessly. “I was only nineteen. I didn’t have the backing of men I needed to take over at that time, and it was the only thing I could think of to keep her safe. I persuaded my father to send her to live with my aunt—my mom’s sister—and that we should cut off all communication with her. I told him that she should be cut off from our family and that she didn’t deserve the name O’Brien.”

“You just cut your sister off? Just like that?” Alec asks, speaking for the first time since Finn’s arrival.

Finn shakes his head. “We still spoke on the phone and I visited whenever I was able to without my father knowing. I had my own money that wasn’t connected to my dad, and my aunt was well off, too, so Sloane never struggled in that sense. It took a few years before I had the backing I needed to take down dear old Dad and take over the business, but by the time I did, Sloane was happy with my aunt. It took me years to get her back home,” he grunts before pinning me with his gaze. “And now she wants to leave again.”

“I won’t force her to stay. Sloane is her own woman and I will not take that choice away from her. She’ll leave, and we just need to hope that she comes back.”

Finn nods reluctantly, knowing he needs to give his sister the choice.

I understand where he’s coming from. The last thing I want is for Sloane to leave, but she’s already had so much ripped away from her. She deserves to have everything she wants, and if thatis a life away from this city and away from me, then I’ll just have to survive on the memories I have with her.

Luca’s phone rings and he quickly swipes to answer it. It must be Izzy, since he’s never so quick to answer anyone else’s calls. He’s quiet as he speaks to her before he ends the call. His eyes flit over everyone in the room before they land on me. An unknown emotion flickers behind his eyes before he quickly masks it.

“I think Marco has had enough of our company for one evening,” he announces to the room. “As enlightening as this has been,” he says with an appreciative nod towards Finn, “I think it’s time for all of us to leave.”

We all look at him in confusion, but he’s already standing up and gesturing for the others to do the same.

“Come on. Marco has probably had enough of us already.”

“I’d had enough of you the second you walked through the door,” I grumble, and he nods enthusiastically.

“Yep, I figured. So, I’m gonna go home to my wife and leave you to your own company.”

“They’re done?” Enzo exclaims and Luca nods. Enzo jumps from the chair and makes his way towards the elevator, not looking back to see if the others are following or bothering to say goodbye to me, too focused on the knowledge that he can go home to Robyn.

It’d be fucking sickening, but I know that feeling well and I honestly can’t blame him for it.

Alec gives me a pat on the shoulder as Finn and Luca both nod to me, following behind them.

And then I’m left alone once more.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sloane

Present

Ipad through the apartment on silent feet. I passed the guys on their way out of the lobby, with my fucking brother, of all people. What the hell he was doing here, I have no idea, but it no doubt has something to do with me. I glance around, looking for Marco, only to hear him puttering around in the kitchen. Once I get there, I knock my knuckles against the door jam, announcing my presence and leaning my hip against it.

Marco doesn’t bother to turn around, he just sighs and calls out, “I swear I will shoot you if you don’t leave me the fuck alone.”

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