Page 17 of The Burnt Heart

“I don’t like being manipulated. Why would I help him at all when he caused this chaos I’m in?”

Ray tensed, anticipating my refusal as he sat there waiting.

“But I am also a vindictive bitch. I’m proud and the people I trusted mutilated that pride. They didn’t have to take the deal with your papa. There were a million other options that could have worked. They wanted a legacy so badly they threw me over for it. Filled with arrogance, they believed a few apologies would fix it. I am petty enough to want to make them pay.”

An ache that wouldn’t subside radiated out of my chest. I didn’t mention the other lies and secrets I’d uncovered. Those I couldn’t reconcile. The baby, the moving, and Briar unhappy with our arrangement. Replays of their confessions ran over my mind. I was bleeding internally from the hurtful blindside they’d foisted at me. The vindictive part of me wanted them to be hurting as badly as I was.

“I saw one of your little boyfriends yesterday, ex-boyfriend rather. He was looking like death warmed up.”

Ray admitted, looking hopeful. I stiffened, a jolt of agony displacing the juice in my stomach.

“Who?” I asked, weak, despite dodging their calls all weekend. They’d even resorted to phoning Lara until she blocked them.

“Jesse,” Ray said, tapping the bench. “He tracked me down, told me to stay the hell away from you. So, I couldn’t let that stand, you see.” He winked at me. “Not to mention papa is desperate for me to swoop in now that he successfully broke you all up. Faking something between us will enrage those guys and get him off my back.”

I imagined Jesse grappling with his rage, it had served him when he was younger and took on the mantle of protectinghis brothers. But his issues weren’t my problem anymore. I motioned with my chin, indicating he could continue. My phone was buzzing insistently in my pocket.

“You don’t owe me anything. But we could work well together, and both get something we want.”

I pushed my juice away, not able to stomach anything else. My exes would be at my work today and I knew we had to talk. The idea of them seeing me moving on so quickly appealed to me. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, methodically checking the myriad of notifications that had popped up. One had my eyebrows bunching together. A clear photo of three motorbikes, cruising down the wharf.

Crimson Claw Riders. What was the notorious motorcycle club doing in the city? I pushed the photo over to Ray. This concerned him as well. He pinched the photo and frowned. Perhaps it was time to work a little closer with him.

“Call your papa. If he’s so eager, he can make time to meet me at my office this morning. I won’t tell him about our plans, but I need to set some boundaries.”

Ray’s face brightened, and his body squirmed in anticipation. I cautioned him with a raised finger.

“I’ll help rehabilitate your reputation. If you help me make those three men, the sorriest they’ve ever been.”

My throat seared with bitterness, but I swallowed the acrid burn. I wanted them to be as brittle and breakable as I was right now.

“Pleased to be in business with you, Adelaide,” Ray smiled.

9

Logan

The Orazio Foundation was nestled high in a tall, sleek building in downtown Greenich Bay. Flanked by an accountant and lawyers’ offices, all of whom were on Orazios payroll. I let out a sigh, looking up at the glossy windows. The object of our obsession was in there somewhere. An itch I couldn’t dispel ran under my skin. Two days. For two days Adelaide had dodged every call, text and effort we’d made to reach her.

To explain.

Short of scaling a secure building, we realized there was nothing we could do but wait. Each second that passed was another deep mark against me. Another minute that my soul mate was hurting, and I couldn’t do anything to solve it. Now shewas in reach and doubt had stolen my ability to move. I looked at the stately glass entry, my forehead pounding.

“This isn’t going to work,” I folded my arms. I looked at Jesse and Briar, noting their weariness and knowing I looked the same. It had taken effort to shower this morning, to swallow something other than coffee. We had no choice but to salvage the mess we’d made of everything. Jesse paced on the pavement, throwing his hands up. His lip curled at Briar slightly as he passed by his slumped form pressed against the side of the building.

“We have to try. She can’t avoid seeing us forever,” he argued.

Briar was silent, which was ironic considering how his words had got us in even deeper shit with Adelaide.

He’d been impossible to rouse the night of the awards. A dead weight we had to drag home. He’d woken in the middle of the night and gone straight to retching in the toilet. By the time the early sunlight rays of Saturday had made an appearance, he was nursing a violent hangover. We gave him no mercy, though, or time to recuperate. Pressing him about what Nicole had said to Adelaide. Aside from the few shots he’d started the night with, he had no memory. When we filled him in on the details, he’d crumpled to the floor. Turned pasty white and vomited again.

He admitted he’d confessed to Nicole about the private conversations we’d had. She’d always been a good listening board for him and slipping back into that teenage role had seemed natural. Flimsy excuses. When asked about whether he had gotten sick of our arrangement, like Nicole had alleged. He vehemently denied, looking like a corpse. The realization of what he’d done sank in and sucked the life out of him. It didn’t stop Jesse from planting his fist in Briar’s face. He’d wanted to do more, rage boiling out of him that needed an outlet. I had to haul Jesse off Briar and he’d left in a whirl of fury. To find RayDonato and pour his anger into threatening him. There was a pit of desperation that churned in my stomach.

Briar looked up from where he had been studiously cataloguing the cracks on the sidewalk. His under eye was puffy and purple. Vision slightly impaired from the swelling. If regret was a physical weight, Briar wore it with silence. His shoulders dragged, face long and tormented. His right eye was glassy, pinned on the bustling street.

Jesse tired of pacing and made for the door. “Let’s go,” he ordered gruffly. His dark skin was ashen, lips chapped from being gnawed on. Briar and I followed, trailing behind, and I scrubbed my hand over my face. Orazio hired men dotted the reception area, recognizable by their militant stance and almost violent aura. They masqueraded as security. But anyone looking closely would know they would do anything to protect their boss. I had always been grateful Adelaide was so heavily guarded. The offices were a recent addition, something Adelaide had fought hard for. Instead of lurking in the shadows, her foundation was bold. It commanded attention, legitimacy. Her father had conceded as long as she allowed the guards. There was a wordless change in their manner as they recognized us. Openly sneering as we moved toward the receptionist. My skin prickled knowing that news of our breakup had trickled through the ranks so quickly. I guess everyone knew by now how well we’d fucked up. Antoni Orazio had never liked us for his little girl, and he obviously wasted no time in letting everyone know our actions. We stood behind a plain clothed man who was arguing with the receptionist. He fidgeted with a metal badge on the counter.

“I only want to speak with her for a moment,” The man said through gritted teeth. Jenny, the receptionist, fluttered wide eyes at him, humming in understanding.

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