Page 55 of Don't Break My Heart
I can’t help but laugh with her. When her life was falling apart, the two of us sat on this very sofa not all that long ago. A time when I thought my biggest problem was that I couldn’t get laid. “That girl had no idea how easy her life was.”
“Loving four men is never going to be simple, Sloane, but if you can get through the complicated shit and you can make it work, it’s worth it.”
I stare back at her. I can see how happy she is now, but is it worth it? Really? “Do you feel like you lost yourself when you fell for all of them?”
“I think I just found a different version of myself. Life doesn’t stay the same forever, and we wouldn’t want it to. Yeah, I didn’t know this was the life I wanted, but who would? It’s unconventional, but I wouldn’t change it, not for a second.”
She looks so happy. I wish I could see through the haze I feel now and imagine a future where it all works out for the five of us, but I just don’t think it’s possible. “I don’t fit here anymore. But I don’t fit anywhere else either.”
“You still fit here. You just need time to adjust, and who says you have to stay in one place? If you need to spread your wings to find yourself, then do it. Your club will still be here when you get back and so will all the people you love. I can’t imagine what it would have been like living in Italy, but I’m sure it’s more exciting than this place.”
“Honestly, it was terrifying. Everything about the place made me feel uncomfortable. The country itself was beautiful and everything Orlando had was the lap of luxury, his villa was stunning, but it was more what had been left to us. Their papa’s business. You thought Enzo Moretti was depraved, well, his brother takes the cake. There was this club there, nothing like mine. It made my skin crawl, Harley.”
“There was shit going down there?”
“I can’t even… All I know is I want to save those girls; their empty eyes say it all. That’s why the boys flew me out of the place. I’m sure Orlando was behind it. But it was all of them who made it happen. One minute I was falling asleep in the arms of the man I thought I loved, the man I thought loved me in return. The next, I woke up cable-tied to a fucking private jet seat. They got me out of there because they said it was going to be too dangerous, the only thing they care about is me. What about all those other girls?” Tears stream down my face now, I can’t stop them. I feel so sick when I think about what I left behind.
“Sloane.”
I glance at Harley, and she’s crying now as well.
She pulls me toward her. “Don’t cry, you set me off.”
“I can’t help it. Never in my life have I felt so helpless. So out of control. Even if my life before was just an illusion, at least I felt like I had a say.”
“What do the boys say about the situation over there? I’m sure they don’t agree with what their papa was doing.”
I shake my head. “Orlando says he’s going to fix it. But he has their younger brother Valentine to get through, and Romeo tells me we can fix it from here, but I don’t see how.”
She gives me a half smile.
“What?”
“I know you feel like your hands are tied, but sounds to me like you have a man on the inside and all the resources you need to do whatever it is you want from here. I know how stubborn you are, babe, but don’t let your anger toward the boys for what they did get in your way of making the change you want.”
I raise a brow. Even Harley thinks I’m the asshole. “You think I’m overreacting?”
“Not at all. I just think you’re focusing your anger on the wrong people. Sure, let the boys suffer for a while, sounds like they might deserve it, but don’t give up on what you truly believe in. Look at the difference you have made here. You turned Syd’s shithole club into something amazing. You helped me create a safe haven for the women of this town. Think bigger, Sloane. Why can’t we take what we’re doing and make it a global operation? You with your clubs, me with my clinics. Our men have the resources and the funds to do anything.”
I stare at my beautiful friend as her words bounce around in my head. “You know what, sis. You’re the first person to make any sense at all.”
Her smile widens to an all-out grin. “I can be a sounding board whenever you need.”
“Thank you.” I cover my mouth as I yawn, the exhaustion finally taking over.
“I’m going to let you get some sleep, the jet lag must be getting to you.” She sits forward and uses the arm of the chair to get herself up to standing.
I move with her back through the house. “Don’t message Ricky, I’ll walk you up the hall.”
She looks me over, her brow raised.
“I’m armed if any fucker tries anything.”
“Of course you are.” She laughs. “Well, okay, but you can deal with Ricky when we get there.”
“I plan on it.” I grin back.
The two of us walk up the hall to her place, and she taps at the door. It swings open in a rush, Ricky looking pissed. “I thought…”
