Page 98 of Tempting Little Thief

Hayze must read my mind because his hand clamps on my shoulder, aligning my eyes to his.

A silent promise passes between us.

We will get out of the dirt.

We will bury our shit.

Wewillcome out on top.

The two of us might not have been able to control our pasts, but the future is ours to find.

And we’ll take it if we have to.

God help a motherfucker who stands in the way …

Chapter 17

Rocklin

“I don’t understand what you’re thinking.” Damiano follows me down the hall, his words from two nights ago annoyingly on repeat yet again.

“I don’t need you to.”

“This affects all of us.”

“Keep your voice down, or Sai will hear you.”

Damiano glances around until he spots my guardian several feet away. “I’m just saying it’s not just you in this. You have to see that.”

“It’s not a marriage proposal, Damiano.”

“I would hope not! Your father would—”

I’m done.

I whip around and his mouth clamps shut. “I know what my father would do. I know I’m lucky I wasn’t killed, and I’m lucky the people at The Enterprise are under contract and I’m lucky the employees are our people, not our parents’. I know I put the girls at risk, and I know you don’t like it, but here’s somethingyoushould know.” I step closer to him. “I am going to do it again, and about something you might be questioning … I still need you on my side. We are what comes next in this world. I will take my father’s seat one day, you yours, and we will need each other, so stop acting like a hurt puppy when you’re not. You literally fucked Jess Morgan three days ago. You’re taking Mia Calder to the Gala, and you’re going on a little trip this summer overseas to meet with a man about his daughter and her possible place beside you.”

Damiano’s eyes are sharp, his nostrils flaring, but as my words set in, his shoulders ease and he blows out a long breath, scrubbing his hands down his face. “I’m worried, all right?”

“I know.”

“You have been groomed for your role all your life, and you’ve never stepped out of it. Not like this.”

Anger builds in my gut. “I am aware of my father’s hooks and how deep they are in me, thank you.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”

“He wouldn’t hurt me.”

“You don’t know—”

“He willnothurt me, Damiano.”

“Maybe not on purpose,” he relents. “But this is dangerous, and you know it. Especially for him, and with the Enzo issue? They could come for any of you at any time.”

“Still no movement from him?”

He shakes his head, glancing around, but we’re the only ones in the hall. “It makes no sense. Bronx showed me what she found, and it seems he’s content in Costa Rica. No sign he has any idea his fiancée is gone.”

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