Page 23 of Broken Promises

“Yes.”

“Well, thanks for keeping the boogeyman away from me. I think I’ve got it from here.”

“Can’t be too careful,” he replied, still not moving. “Get dressed and come out for breakfast. I have something to do this morning, and you’re coming with me.”

“Pass.”

“It wasn’t an offer to hang out. You’re coming, end of story,” he said as he finally stood, leaving me alone to get dressed.

“This motherfucker,” I muttered under my breath as I climbed from the bed and rummaged in my bag for fresh clothes. I’d had a long shower last night when he’d brought me here, wanting to scrub the scent and DNA of Devon and Michael off me.

I’d slept in one of Zavier’s shirts, being less mad at him right now than the other two, and I swore it was what helped me sleep.

I shoved some jeans and a black tank on, tying my hair up in a messy high ponytail, and I put a little mascara on before wandering from the room to find Ander.

He was cooking at the stove, his back to me as I dropped onto a barstool.

“So, where are you taking me hostage today?” I asked dryly, a chuckle leaving him as he brought the pan over to where he had two plates waiting. He scooped some scrambled eggs onto each plate, switching the pan for another that had loads of bacon cooking. When I saw the toast pop, I got up to bring it back to the counter, starting to butter it without being asked.

“I’m not holding you hostage. You’re right, it’s my fault that you and Zav got hurt, so I’m trying to keep you safe. I had no idea Stefano knew about Zavier’s involvement, or I never would’ve left,” he said seriously, grabbing two coffees before sitting beside me at the counter.

“You want to tell me how you got caught up with the fucking Italian mafia?” I scoffed, taking a sip of the hot coffee to simmer some of my mood.

“Young, dumb, and broke,” he said with a shrug, picking up a piece of bacon and taking a bite, finishing his mouthful before continuing. “They needed someone to oversee their drug trade in the States, and I had a lot of connections. I didn’t exactly have a say in the matter, it was one of those situations where I did as I was told or I’d end up dead.”

“What did you do for them to go after Zavier?”

“Nothing. I never even mentioned him to them. They must have found out about him helping me, and decided he was a loose end,” he said, glancing at my untouched food. “Eat. You’re too skinny.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Some people can’t afford to?—”

“I’m not blaming you, just stating that you need to eat the food in front of you,” he cut in, picking up my fork and stabbing it into the eggs, lifting it to my mouth. “I have no problem feeding you.”

“Give me that,” I grumbled, taking it from him and eating it myself. “So, you left to hide?”

“I wasn’t running,” he said with annoyance. “I thought I was keeping everyone safe by leaving, I swear.”

“Is that why Blake left you? She knew the truth?” I asked bluntly, his eyes dropping to his food. I’d hit a nerve, I could tell it had hurt.

Just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer me, he did.

“Blake didn’t know. She’s always known I was tied in with bad shit, you know she used to street race in my races, and she’s not stupid. She saw a lot of drug deals and shit over the past year too. Her sister will always come first, as she should since she’s her guardian, and I don’t hold it against her for walking away from me to protect Kate.”

“You didn’t love her enough to leave the job?”

“I loved her enough to let her go,” he corrected, a bit of bite to his tone. “If I’d stopped, they would’ve come after me, which would’ve meant hurting Blake and Kate to get to me.”

I eyed him as he ate silently after that, some of it starting to make sense.

“You never called Zav because Stefano could track it?”

“Yeah, Bluebird,” he sighed, sounding tired. “I thought Stefano had no idea about my personal connections here, but I was wrong. He wants Zavier eliminated, and now he knows that you’re Zav’s weakness. Logan and Reid might be safe for now, but you and even Penn are huge targets. You both mean a lot to Zav, so if something happened to either of you, it would bring him out of hiding. The things Stefano and his men could do to either of you would be horrific.”

I swallowed nervously, not wanting to think about it. “What about Beckett? She’s his best friend.”

He gave me a look of amusement. “I don’t worry about her as much. You and Penn could be easily snatched, but Beckett? That girl scares Satan. He’s making sure she stays alive so he doesn’t have to face her.”

“She’s still in danger.”

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