“Yes.”
“And what if I still marry Alberto Leone?”
“What if you do?”
Bright spots of color stain her cheeks. “That’s an extremely warped plan.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “You brought this on yourself.”
Her jaw drops. “What are you talking about?”
“No one whispers in my ear or calls me by my real name. No one grasps my arm when they pass by me. People back away. If you didn’t want a connection to me, that’s what you should’ve done.”
“Hasn’t anyone ever been nice to you?” she exclaims.
“Everyone wants something from me. Even my closest friends got that way because they needed me to do things, to back them up in a fight, to help build an empire. And women, the girls in the neighborhood, want a hard ride, or presents, preferably cash. They don’t know me, and they don’t try to.”
“You’re wrong. A lot of people would be interested in getting to know you if you didn’t scowl at them and always look like you’re ready to smash something. You scare people.”
“They’re smart to be scared. You should’ve been scared too.”
“Iwasafraid of you for a time.”
“So why didn’t you stay away from me?”
“Because—I didn’t want to.”
“All right. But then you get what you get. And what you got was that I don’t stay away from you either.”
“Saying hello to someone and taking care of them when they’re wounded is very different than stalking them and trying to ruin their marriage before it’s even started! You didn’t talk to me for three years. You never asked me out. Then you abduct me? And lay traps for my fiancé and father? And try to change my life permanently? What the fuck?”
It’s not a real question, so I don’t answer.
“How can you defend your actions?” she snaps.
“I don’t,” I say in a low voice. “They’re fucked up.”
She stares at me and shakes her head. “I don’t—how can I trust you?”
A knock on the door makes her jump.
When she doesn’t say anything else, I go over. I open the door, and it’s Zoe with a tray.
“Good morning, ‘Vil. Good morning, Rach,” she says with a wide smile. “Ready for coffee and some company?”
My gaze is on Rachel, who is still furious, but trying to cover it.
“I’m gonna set this here,” she says, then shrugs off her puffy coat and hugs Rachel. “How are you? Okay? I’m so glad you’re here.”
Rachel glares at me over Zoe’s shoulder.
“Z, goddammit!” C says, coming up the steps. His hair’s wet, so I guess he was in the shower when she took off. “I told you to fucking wait. Did you even text first?”
Zoe sits on the bench. “Rachel’s up. She’s ready for coffee and a scone.”
“Yes, I am,” she says, putting an arm around her friend’s shoulder before she sits down next to her on the bench.
Zoe lifts the lid from the tray, and there’s a whole spread. Scrambled eggs, scones, bacon, coffee. It’s what we would’ve gotten if we’d gone over to the castle’s kitchen, but Z obviously busted in to check on her friend.
