Page 132 of Scarlet Angel

“No.” The Aspen green transitions to a terrifying, war-mongering green. “I gave my word to keep Leo and Willow safe.”

“Who did you give this word to? Leo?”

“No. Myself.”

“You let me mourn her, and you knew… The entire time, you knew.”

“You’d have done the same if our situations had been reversed.”

She wipes her cheeks. I think she hears me.

“She’s safe?”

“You can ask. These blokes out there…I believe they’re protecting her. Or, hell, maybe they work for them now. I’m… Leo deceived me right up until the end.”

“But you trust them?”

“Fair question,” I admit. “Jury’s out. My gut trusts Leo. He’s with them. He also lied to me for years. He could’ve put me under and didn’t. Left a lifeline if I needed it. I’m choosing to trust him. There are loads of others attempting to off the two of us right now, so there’s not much of a choice.”

CHAPTER34

SCARLET

I love him, but do I trust him?

After Vincent, I trusted no one. I couldn’t fathom trusting anyone who bought into organized crime. It went beyond the crime, of course. How could a trustworthy person believe a man had the right to beat his wife? How could a family member sell a daughter in a business transaction, not caring for her well-being? Greed is a sin for a reason. Greed leads people down amoral paths. And one thing motivates those in organized crime—greed.

But here is a man with more money than he can spend in his lifetime. His motivation has evolved. He wants his sister to be healthy. He wants her to beat a demon that he’s furious he can’t fight for her.

To me, he has been kind. I trusted him to touch me, the first man since Vincent. And right or wrong, while the rational part of my mind says he wasn’t honest with me, I believe him when he says he did what I would’ve done in his shoes, because Willow was the one person in my world I trusted. She hated our family’s culture and what we represented as much as I did. I would’ve done anything to assure her safety.

My soul trusts the man before me. But still…he lied to me.

There’s a rap at the closed door.

“Hate to interrupt, but we need to convene. We’ve got to finalize plans before we exit England.”

“Aye. Give us one more minute.” Nick’s index finger brushes against my cheek. “Your eyes have softened. An Aspen once more.”

How poetic.

“You okay?”

“You let me mourn her.” That’s the bit I can’t let go.

“She’s still dead to you. Don’t you see that?”

“No. She’s alive.” Can’t he see that?

“Is it so different? If she’s living in another country, and you can’t see her ever again, or if she’s up on a cloud, living in heaven?”

I close my eyes. It’s different. Christ, it’s different.

“Can you forgive me?”

“Forgive, yes. Forget, no. From here on out, I need honesty. Absolute. You’re the one who said no secrets.”

“Quite right. Understood.”

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