I love you.
Sure, he hadn’t finished the sentence, but that’s what he was about to say, and it had taken all my self-control not to reach for him and say it back. Because I did love him, and that’s what made this situation so impossible.
My brother wanted me to murder the only man I had ever loved, and he was using my daughter to make me do it.
The moment I heard the elevator doors whoosh closed, I had gone into the bathroom and taken the vial from the packet of sanitary products where I had hidden it.
Sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, I stared down at it nestled in my hand.
My brother wanted me to kill his best friend. He wanted me to cook him food and slip this clear liquid inside, and then he wanted me to watch as the life slipped out of Matteo’s eyes.
I would be hunted for the rest of my life if I did it, but more than that, I would be haunted by it. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
And at the same time, how was I going to ever be free of this world if I didn’t do it? What kind of life would Lily have?
Would I ever see my daughter again?
The threat to her life had been clear. I did this for Gio, or I would never see her again. He hadn’t said it outright, but that had been his message anyway.
My brother, whom I’d once idolized, was using my daughter as leverage, and I had to choose who to save.
Her or the man I loved.
There wasn’t even a decision to be made, not really, because I couldn’t tell Matteo. He would wipe Gio off the map, and I couldn’t live with that, either. He was my brother. I might not like him very much, but he was still family, and that had to mean something.
Groaning, I closed my hand around the vial, so the rounded edges cut into my palm.
It felt like enemies were pressing in on all sides, and I had no idea who I could trust.
Except Nat. I had always been able to trust Nat. Wrapping the vial in tissue paper, I shoved it back into the box and hid it in the back of the cupboard.
I could trust Nat, and she needed to know what was going on here. She needed to be warned that my brother might come after Lily so she could get her to safety,
If I could get a message to them, it would make it easier to think and decide what to do.
I’d gotten halfway across the bedroom before I remembered I didn’t have a phone. And there was no way I could make that call even if Matteo had given me one. He would be checking who I contacted, and any calls would be recorded. Just like he was probably recording everything I said and did in here.
A wave of unease swept through me. Were there cameras? Panic tightened my chest. Had he just watched me in the bathroom?
But no, I knew there had to be cameras, but he wouldn’t put them in my bathroom. I knew him well enough to know that.
I could ask to make a call to one of the guards downstairs, but that was even more of a stupid idea, so that left me with one choice. I could head into the city and try to sneakily make that call, or I could forget it completely and hope that my brother wasn’t actually threatening his niece’s life.
Turning on my heel, I flopped down onto the bed face first. My small hands beat at the covers. And once I started, I couldn’t stop.
A sob ripped its way out of my throat, a wet garbled sound of pure rage. I cried and I punched until there was nothing else for me to give.
I felt spent, completely void of anything but the lack of clarity.
WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO?
Nothing, I told myself and sucked in a deep breath. I wasn’t going to do anything yet. I needed to have a clear head to make such an important decision, and that was one thing I didn’t have.
I’d sleep, and in the morning, when I’d calmed down, I would make a decision.
It was like the moment I had decided I needed sleep, I was suddenly exhausted. All of the drama and emotions of the last few hours had taken their toll on me.
I stripped quickly, throwing my sweatpants and tee toward the hamper, and climbed into bed, nestling down into the thick, downy blankets.
