Page 129 of Say I Do

“I know you did it.”

My stomach tightened. “Did what?”

He sneered. “My brother hasn’t been home in days. It’s not like him. He’s got a wife and kids, people who are waiting for him to come back. Did you think he wouldn’t be missed? This is reckless and stupid, Benito. Even for you.”

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

I’d done nothing but make calculated moves. Except for the one error in judgment, which was letting someone infiltrate my family, I kept things close to my chest and tried to play my cards right. So what the hell did he mean by that?

I ignored it for now.

“Again, I have no idea what happened to your brother.”

That much was true. I hadn’t asked questions, and I still wasn’t totally sure what had gone down. I'd only wanted the information I needed to move on with cleanup.

Andre’s eyes narrowed. “That’s bullshit, but I won’t argue with you. There’d be no point.” He leaned toward my desk. “I know you killed Lee. I’m not going to let it stand. I’ve already gone to the heads.”

“I know,” I informed him. “They said there was no evidence that I’d done anything.”

“I don’t give a fuck what they said!” he snapped as he shot out of his chair. Tony stepped forward, and his eyes flickered to him before they landed on me again. “I’m not going to let this stand. I’ll take action.”

“Don’t threaten me," I said evenly. “That would be a mistake."

“You took my blood away from me. How would you react if someone took one of your brothers’ lives?”

My blood boiled as I shot out of my chair. “Get out. Now.”

Andre looked at me as if contemplating something stupid. I stared right back, ready for him. He turned and stormed from my office, his men on his heels. The door locked behind them. Slowly, I sank back into my seat.

“He was out of line,” Tony growled.

I waved a hand. “Out of line, but not wrong. If someone ever hurt one of my brothers, I’d rip them to pieces with my bare hands.” I shook my head. “The fucked up thing is I understand exactly where he’s coming from. I get why he’s so upset. He has every right to be.”

Tony laid a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“No,” I answered truthfully as I rubbed my temple with my fingertips. “Can you give me a moment alone?”

“Yeah. I’ll be outside.”

I nodded. Tony lingered for a minute before he frowned.

“What?” I asked.

“Is this about Harlow?”

I stiffened. “Why do you say that?”

“You haven’t been the same without him. Maybe you should go home tonight. Go see him.” He cleared his throat. “Honestly, he’s just as fucked up as you are right now.”

Was he? I tried not to stare too long or be around him for more time than I had to. There was so much on my plate. I needed to figure things out, fix what had been broken, and keep my distance from my husband. Getting too close to Harlow was dangerous. No, he wasn’t trying to betray me. He wasn’t a danger to my business or my family. But he was a potential disaster for my heart.

Even thinking about him made me think about Brycen. I glanced around as if I was being watched before I opened the top drawer of my desk. Buried beneath a stack of papers was the last photo I had of him. I carefully unfolded it and stared.

Brycen.

The man was a mess who was always in need of saving. Maybe I liked that about him as much as I hated it. My thumb brushed over his face. In the end, he'd abandoned me. One brief glimpse into my world and he'd fled to Enzo's arms. I’d seen all his ugliness and accepted it. How many times had I found him passed out with a needle in his arm? Or slumped over, about to crash to the floor? I’d accepted all of it, but when he saw my ugly? He’d run for the hills. And then he’d screwed everything up.

I wiped a hand down my face. Quickly, I shoved the photo back into the drawer before I slammed it shut and locked it. Brycen was long gone, yet he still had a noose wrapped around my neck. I couldn’t get free of him, no matter how hard I tried. I almost didn’t want to. Hating Brycen reminded me of why someone like me could never fall in love. My relationships didn’t just end amicably. They ended in disaster.

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