“You don’t even need to ask me that,” I say fiercely. “I’ll do it…” For her. If anyone touches her, I’ll wring their necks and shatter every bone in their bodies. “For you, Julian. Come on, man.” I lower my gaze. Emotional confessions aren’t exactly my strong suit. “I’d do anything for you, brother.”
He claps me on the arm. “Thanks, man.”
He won’t meet my eyes.
Perhaps Celine told him something else as well. About the kiss. Is that why he’s acting so weird?
CHAPTER 8
CELINE
The next day, Jackie and I leave work at the same time and decide to go to the Christmas market. It’s just what I need after the blowout with Julian yesterday. He wouldn’t tell me who that man was or what his sinister words meant. He wouldn’t tell me anything, but there were tears in his eyes.
“I’m not an idiot, Julian,”I screamed.“I know what you are.”
“You don’t know anything,”he said.“Dammit, Celine.”
The way he said ‘dammit’ was like:We’ve been living in this false reality for so long. Why do you feel the need to change that now? Just go along with this show for a while longer. Keep pretending.
“Are you okay?” Jackie asks.
She’s only a couple of years older than me, but with that extra nursing experience, she’s acted somewhat as a mentor as I find my feet on the ward. Tall, thin, with a hooked nose that gives her character and startlingly bright and beautiful green eyes.
I loop my arm through hers. “How could I feel depressed in a place like this?”
She grins as we walk past a stall selling custom-made snow globes and walk toward a kiosk dishing out hot drinks. We order some hot cocoa in giant paper cups and then find a spot on a picnic table beside a big statue of Santa, his red suit glittering with lights from inside, aho ho hocoming electronically from his mouth every so often.
Jackie talks about the trip she’s planning with her boyfriend for the spring. Malta, somewhere they’ve always wanted to go. I do my best to listen, to be a good friend.
But then I spot him.
The same man, with the same loose leather jacket, is now wearing a wool cap to cover his bald head. He leans against the wall next to the small ice rink. When he sees me looking, he raises his paper cup as though in a toast.
Jackie taps my hand to get my attention.
“Huh? Sorry?”
She smiles. “You need to get more sleep, Celine. Your head is in the clouds.”
“Sleep? In our profession? When would we have time todoanything if we ever slept?”
“Don’t get caught in that trap,” she says gently. “Life has to come first.”
“You’re right.” I try not to look at him.
Without a body…
When I demanded to know what Rico meant by that, Julian pretended to be confused. It was like he thought I didn’t know him… like he’d forgotten I’m his sister and can read his cues, even if I’ve spent years pretending I can’t.
Jackie checks her phone. “I should get going.”
I should go with her. But something hot is gathering inside me, like a ball of energy waiting to be released.
Why should I be afraid of this man? What’s he going to do in front of all these people? Why does he think he has the right to intimidate me?
“Celine,” Jackie says. “Are you coming?”
“I’m going to hang around for a little while,” I say, knowing it’s probably a mistake. But screw it. I won’t let this asshole scare me.
