“Seven.”
“Helena, you wouldn’t.”
“Try me.Six.”
“He made me swear on my life.”
“What a waste that was. Five.”
He hung his head in resignation. “Helena, if you go, there’s a possibility you’ll die. And I can’t have that.”
“You don’t give a fuck about my life, so miss me with that bullshit.”
“Silas is my brother. He cares for you, and that’s enough.”
My throat felt hot, but I fought back tears. “Three.” I hated the way my voice had betrayed me. Filling my lungs with air, I stepped closer, hand trembling but still trained on the man who held in his hand the only piece of sunshine I’d known in a while.
“Please, I gave him my word.”
“Yourbrotheris on a suicide mission. You let him go. Instead of helping him or sending your men or whatever goddamn connections you have, you let him go to be slaughtered.”
“Don’t you think I tried? He refused to wait, refused to get you involved. He told me to stay in case you had any questions or needed anything.”
My eyes drifted to the suitcase by the door. “Doesn’t look like you were planning to follow that promise, huh?”
“Helena, that’s not—”
“Fucking two. I get the feeling you’re not taking me seriously. Do you know how many men I’ve killed in the last decade?”
He shook his head. “No,” he whispered. Santino had balls. I’d give him that. Nothing about his demeanor screamed fear. He was just loyal to a fault.
“Neither do I. Lost count a long time ago.One.”
“Helena, even if I tell you, you can’t go. Cillian will kill you on principle.”
“If you try to stop me, only one of us will leave this room alive. And I assure you, the odds are currently in my favor.” I cocked my head to the side and aimed center mass. “You’re out of time.”
“If you shoot me, how will that help you find Silas any faster?”
The whirring of a suppressed bullet filled the ample space, shattering the leg of a wooden stool just inches from Santino’s knee. “FYI, that was intentional. Next one won’t miss.”
“Fuck, Leni.”
“You don’t get to call me that.” My voice broke as the nickname brought with it memories of Silas. “You’re betraying him, Santino. I can help him.Youcan help. But alone, he’ll die, and you know it. And neither one of us wants that.” I tossed the gun on the couch, arms out to my sides. “Please! I’m fucking begging you.”
I wasn’t sure when my feelings for him had shifted so drastically. We were just two people who indulged in sex, destined to walk away from one another once all was said and done. But now I knew better. Our paths had crossed for a reason, and I wasn’t willing to walk anymore. I’d accept whatever that meant without question. But he needed to be in my life. In what capacity, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I would tear the world apart until I found him.
“There’s a property in Cotswolds. I did some digging and discovered it’s in the name of a distant cousin, who’s now deceased. My connect also informed me about a possible trip to the region. We don’t know for certain, but it would be logical for him to travel to that particular destination. I was also informed there would be minimal security.”
My heart sank, and I let my body fall on the sofa, head in my hands. “How long has he been gone?”
“Three hours.”
Three hours. He hadn’t even slept a whole night, meaning he had waited for me to drift off before slipping away. Even if we left now, we wouldn’t make it until three more hours after his arrival. We’d be far too late.
“That son of a bitch.” He’d given me hell last night for wanting to confront Cillian, just to turn around and do that very thing himself. I’d kill him. The moment he was in front of me again, I’d put my foot so far up his ass…
“Helena, I can have a plane ready in two hours.”
