I didn’t dare think that I might never see her again. I didn’t try to imagine my world without her in it, even if I must love her from a distance. Because she is my world. I could walk away from the Rinse in a heartbeat, but letting her go will be like standing on a deserted island and setting fire to my boat.
Remy stands between me and Cash and takes a hand in each of hers. “Isabella has a new proposal.”
Frown lines appear between Isabella’s brows.
“You need her on board,” Remy says. “She managed to make me disappear right in front of you. Imagine what she could do with a brand-new casino.”
“Remy.” Isabella shakes her head. “You’ve done enough. I already owe you a debt that I’ll never be able to repay.”
“Sounds good to me,” Cash says.
“Wait.” I don’t know where I’m going with this, but Remy has a point. Isabella gave us the slip after the alarm went off. She found Remy, in the Titan, and held us at bay until she’d gotten what she wanted. “Maybe we should talk more.”
Isabella arches an immaculate eyebrow at me. “You’re serious? After the way I used Remy to get to you?”
“Yeah, B.” Cash addresses me but speaks to Isabella. “Enough. She said she has what she wanted. I’d quit while we’re ahead.”
“Or,” Remy intervenes, “you could just hear what she has to say. What do you have to lose?”
I offer to give Isabella a ride back to a Manhattan address while Cash takes Remy to see our private doctor. It’s still the early hours of the morning. It’s been the longest night of my life, but when I roll down the window and watch the streets of New York passing by, I feel invigorated by the hazy pink sneaking above the horizon, the calm before the streets fill with people and traffic, the silence occasionally punctuated by a random blast of music.
“Why didn’t you go with them?” Isabella asks.
I turn away from the city and face her. “Did you see the way she looks at my brother?”
“Sure. But I also saw the way she looks at you.”
“Yeah, well, I made a deal with God while she was missing.”
She smiles. “Are you sure God was listening?”
“He brought her back.”
“No, Bash,Ibrought her back.” We drift into a comfortable silence. “I’m sorry for what George did. I never wanted anything bad to happen to her, truly.”
Maybe she has caught me in a reflective moment when I’m prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt. But I believe her. Thank fuck Cash isn’t here in the car with us.
“She was hiding behind a wall panel in the bathroom.”
My smile widens. I try to picture Remy playing a sinister version of hide-and-seek, one that involves fire in a bathtub, and a mask-wearing ex-boyfriend. It’s so bizarre that I can’t help chuckling.
There is so much more to Remy Jones than either me or my brother first gave her credit for. But this woman here, the woman with her own story to tell, recognized it, and it makes my heart ache a little harder with gratitude that she didn’t let any harm come to her.
One more reason why considering an alliance might benefit everyone involved.
All I need to do is convince Cash.
“Do you love her?” Isabella asks.
I could refuse to discuss it with her. Do I really want to give her more ammunition to use against me in the future? Isabella Leone could be the best actress to never make the big screen, and this is all part of the ongoing plan.
But I find myself saying, “Yes.” I look her directly in the eye and repeat it for good measure. “Yes, I love her.”
“Have you told her?”
I think about the intimate moments we’ve shared. On the sheepskin rug and the breakfast counter. So few when I add them up, so why does it feel as if I’ve known her for a lifetime? I whispered to her in Gaelic, but did I mention love?
No. Because love at first sight is a romantic concept that only happens… to my brothers.
