Page 84 of Corrupted Memories
Her eyes grow wary, and they shift to my chest before coming back to my face. “From everything?”
“As much as I'm allowed. Christian prefers me on the outside,” I say, trying to convey that she has nothing to worry about. The tattoo we took is protection for everything involved. My father was only granted so much leeway with a son who wasn’t initiated before it made Christian look weak. The men already questioning his abilities defer to my father and me. It gives me men at my fingertips for protecting my hopefully growing family.
She swallows. “And my brother?”
My heart sinks for her. “I’m not holding a grudge against him, but I have no pull with the Italians. Ifhe continues to work with the FBI, it’s only a matter of time until they find out, and they will not be as forgiving as I was.”
Gianna nods, the worry still present. “I guess he knew the risks, though.”
I tuck some of her hair behind her ear. “You can still offer him to come with us.”
She squeezes her eyes shut briefly. “I’m not ready to forgive him. He lied my entire life.”
Rubbing my hands down her legs, I press a kiss on her forehead. “I understand why you’re so upset, but to play devil’s advocate, he did everything to try to protect you.”
Air blows out of her nostrils in an amused huff. “If only he could hear how hard you’re defending him, when he spent years tearing apart your name and image in my mind.”
My fingers tangle into her hair and I kiss her roughly. “But look what good it did in the end. No matter the amount of lies he spilled, your heart always knew it belongs to me.”
Chapter 29
Gianna
Feelingthe breeze on my face, I tilt my head back to soak in the sunshine. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen or heard from my brother. The first couple of days, he called and texted me constantly. Then nothing. While my heart isn’t ready to move on, the silence terrifies me.
The back door slides open, and I keep my eyes closed as Sebastian moves to sit next to me.
“How you feeling?” he asks, tucking pieces of my hair behind my ear.
I shrug, glancing at him. “I haven’t taken it yet.” My fingers clench around the box in my hand, the keeper of a small stick that has the power to change my life.
Sebastian sighs. “Are you afraid? Nervous? Talk to me.”
Licking my lips, I turn my attention to the lake, watching the sun glisten off the waves. “I feel like… life is moving forward, and I’m not ready to move with it yet.”
“Is this about your brother?”
I almost smile because he can read my mind so well. Nodding, I fiddle with the pregnancy test sitting in my lap. I’m over a week late, which could easily be from stress. But with the amount of sex Sebastian and I have been having, I’m leaning toward itnotbeing from the stress.
“Have you heard from him?” I ask.
Sebastian’s fingers trace down my spine. “Not recently.”
Something in his tone has me facing him again. “But?”
His icy eyes bore into mine, and the uncertainty in them that has my stomach twisting. “You know how Nico has been working as the head of Chicago before we leave for London?”
I nod.
He lets go of me, running his hand through his golden hair. “We found out some information. Ioffered the Italians and Irish an opportunity to right some wrongs.”
My heart starts to beat wildly. “What does this have to do with my brother?”
Sebastian’s jaw clenches, his eyes shifting away.
“He was one of those offerings?” I whisper, my voice cracking.
His shoulders slump. “Kind of? I gave him to the Italians, but I did ask them to find out if he actually worked with the FBI before hurting him.”
