Page 22 of Blossom in Shadows

It was in the way his jaw was set with determination. It was in the way his hazel eyes seemed to shimmer like gold when he made his demands. It was in the way his voice dropped to a command.

He’s not letting it go.

As if those weren’t big enough signs, I called Briar earlier today because my mind was a jumbled mess of uncertainty. I really didn’t know which way was up or down when I called her. My body knew what it wanted and that was to hop on the Elio train and ride it right into the sunset, no matter what blood stains were on the tracks. Hell, even my heart was pulsing with the desire to give itself over to the man, fueled by the memory of him touching me with so much care that I could melt into a puddle of goo on the floor.

My brain was the problem in the equation. It was having a problem processing everything and was unsure what the right course of action was. It was screaming danger at me and flashing big neon stop signs in my head.

I might not know what Jericho does, and I don’t want to, but I knew Briar’s man is dangerous. I figured she was the only person I know who could, maybe, give me some insight. Bestie code dictated and she did not disappoint when she answered quickly.

“Zin, what’s going on?” Her voice was so bright and hopeful, “Did you get the job?”

My heart sunk because I felt like a shitty friend. I hadn’t even called her to let her know I did get the job with a side of mafioso, apparently. Everything had been moving so fast and I was barely able to breathe, let alone call for a lifeline.

I should have though.

“I got the job,” my voice was hesitant, and I could almost feel her excitement pause.

“Okay, this sounds big,” she whooshed out, “I’m sitting down.”

“I didn’t just get the job. You know the owner, right, Constantino?”

“Yes,” there was wariness in her voice as if there was more to the story than her having met him a few times, but I brushed it aside.

“Well, it wasn’t Constantino at the audition. It was his brother, Elio?”

“Oh shit,” she murmured, more to herself than me. “Let me guess, because I’ve seen this play out, he took one look at you and claimed you.”

I gasped, “How the fuck did you know that?”

She giggled and it made my heart feel lighter and not on the brink of insanity. “Well,” she held out the word, “first, you’re gorgeous and it’s not inconceivable a man would take one look at you and fall head over heels. That being said, it would have to take a very special and unique man for you to fall in love with after one look.”

“I never said anything about being in love with him,” I shot back, almost tripping over my words.

“Uh huh,” she didn’t sound convinced. “Then why did you say his name like you were floating on a cloud and didn’t want to come back down to Earth?”

“I did no such thing,” I deadpanned.

“Elio,” she mocked me, and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. Did I really sound like that? She giggled again and then cleared her throat before speaking to someone near her. “I was just imitating Zin and the way she said it. I have no interest in Elio Agosti, Jericho,” I could hear the eye roll in her voice. “No,” she snapped, “don’t you dare come closer to me looking at me like that. I’m talking to my best friend. When I’m done, you can do your whole claim me again thing.”

I barked out a laugh and then we both were a mess on the phone with each other. It felt good, like I was being cleansed of some of the worry I had been living with since the day of the audition. There were moments when that felt like a lifetime ago, but also the blink of an eye.

“Well, that answers some of my questions,” I teased her when we had finally calmed down.

“Oh? Which ones?”

“If they’re always this intense. The claiming thing and the possessiveness.”

“Yeah,” she sighed dreamily, and it was something I felt down to my toes.

“He wants me to move in,” I blurted. “He didn’t ask. He demanded it and told me that the only way to keep me safe is to keep me close. Isn’t it,” I trailed off, “I don’t know, out there? Too fast? Too much?”

“Zin,” she sounded a little like she was scolding me, “Elio is one of the most powerful men in the city. He’s a man with enemies who are just as ruthless as him, but one thing I do know about the Agosti family is they have a code. Not everyone does. You are in danger by being with him. He will have a need to protect you. I don’t know if it’s too fast or not.” She took a breath and then asked the question I had been dreading because I knew it was the most important one. “What does your heart say?”

“My heart is on board with my body, because they are floozies,” I tried to make it sound light and joking, but there was a little bit of doom and gloom mixed in there.

“Does he make you feel special?” I nodded and I swear she knew it. “Does he make you happy?” I sucked in a breath. “Can you imagine walking away and never seeing him again? Because that’s what it would take. It’s all or nothing.”

“I don’t think he will allow it to be nothing,” I admitted even though my heart was trying to shred itself and abandon my body at the thought of never seeing Elio again, of never feeling his hands against my skin, of never looking into his hazel eyes.

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