Page 82 of Thorns of Silence
“Call my sister ‘lacking’ again and it will be the last word you ever speak.Capisce?” Goddammit. I knew Tomaso Romero had a big mouth.
Reina smirked, then strutted away, probably proud of herself for pulling off a word in Italian.
THIRTY-TWO
PHOENIX
Ifelt him watching me from the shadows.
An eerie sensation trickled into my bones and I pulled my wool coat tighter around my body. December wasn’t very pleasant in Paris, its temperatures hit or miss. Or maybe it was just the mood I was in.
My sister was in an arranged marriage with the boy I fell in love with five years ago. The boy who broke my heart and left me alone when I needed him the most. It was a bitter pill to swallow. First, he had forgotten me, and now, he was marrying my sister.
But he was still stalkingme.
After I shot him, I thought Dante would get the message. I meant business that night in his club, and I’d kill him if he tried anything again. Yet, the persistent creep kept following me in the dark, shadowing me wherever I went. Sometimes even Cesar did the honors.
As usual, I pretended I didn’t see him and that neither one of them existed. But my whole body was so attuned to Dante that it was like every fiber of my being got used to the weight of his stare.
But thankfully, Dante stopped approaching me. So maybe he did learn his lesson. Granted, I stopped dating after I didn’t hear back from Baptiste and a few other men I went out on dates with turned up beaten.
Not that I mourned my dating life.
I spotted his motorbike from the corner of my eye. By now, I recognized every one of his vehicles. Even his helmets, and he had many. He passed me on his BMW motorbike, the pavement vibrating from the throttle of it.
Show-off! Hope he breaks his neck.
I shook my head at his stupidity. I wouldn’t even pause to help him. I’d step over his body for being a total idiot.
Pretending he didn’t exist, I turned to Rue de Richelieu. My destination was my only focus.
Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
I had some research to conduct, and I couldn’t afford for anyone to trace it. I would tell Reina about my baby after we took off and left everything behind. We came to the conclusion running was the only solution. Let Papà, Grandma, and the Leone lunatic figure out their stupid arrangement.
Tomorrow was Reina’s rehearsal dinner. We’d decided to stay for that, give everyone the impression that she was going along with this stupid arrangement, and then we’d disappear.
The magnificent building occupied a full city block, surrounded by four major streets in Paris—Rue de Richelieu, Rue des Petits-Champs, Rue Vivienne, and Rue Colbert. At the entrance of the library, I couldn’t resist glancing over my shoulder. His visor was lifted and he was parked across the street, his savage gaze on me.
Goosebumps erupted on my skin and I rushed into the building, not even stopping to collect my change after paying the entrance fee. He never followed me into buildings, and I prayed he wouldn’t start today.
I had to use the public computer to dig up whatever information I could find on adoption laws and my rights, and I didn’t need anyone standing in my way.
* * *
Three hours later, I was back in our little haven, the apartment I’d called home for the last five years.
After taking a shower and changing into pajamas, I went to Reina’s room and knocked on the door. I couldn’t hear her answer, of course, so I cautiously opened the door and found her lying on the bed on her stomach, legs in the air, staring at the dress that had been delivered earlier today.
Her black wedding dress.
“Why did you bother getting it if we’re going to run before the wedding?” I loved my sister with all my heart, but the idea of watching her say “I do” to Dante sent something ugly slithering through my veins. I didn’t like it.
She shrugged, then shifted to a seating position so she could sign. “Just in case we get caught and I’m dragged down the aisle. A girl has to be prepared.”
Reina walking down the aisle in black would certainly make a statement. Unlike me, she was the spitting image of Mamma. They shared the same blonde curls, petite features, and an elegant aura that drew people in. She had always been soft-spoken until someone pissed her off. Then she was a force to be reckoned with.
To be honest, it was a trait we both shared.
