"I have a couple more weeks."
"What does he want? Marriage?" Cora's parents clearly have no money, not enough that would interest him. She's not from a prominent criminal family, and aside from her connections to June and her men, she's not involved in the life. What could he possibly want other than...
My heart constricts, along with my stomach and fist. "He wants an heir, doesn't he?"
Cora blinks at me a few times and her lips part. "How did you?—?"
"It's the only thing that makes sense." I attempt to hide my anger but there's no telling how well I'm doing. The simple fact that Cora hasn't gotten up and fled is a potentially good sign that I'm holding it together decently well. "And he gave you a month?"
"I negotiated for it."
"You negotiated with Ricardo Gardella?"
Cora nods and I don't mean to, but a fucking grin slips its way across my face.
"Why are you smiling?" she asks me.
"Because if you were able to do that, maybe this isn't a lost cause after all." I run my hand over my beard. "Ricardo is not the negotiation type, Angel."
"He made that pretty clear when he did this." She turns her head to the side and tucks her hair behind her ear. Her finger traces the outline of a faint bruise showing through.
"He hit you?" I nearly jump from my seat to move closer to her, taking her face in my hand and examining it. "You covered it with makeup, didn't you?"
Cora pulls away. "It's fine."
I sigh and wonder if she's ever going to realize she doesn't have to do that with me—the constant fake act she puts on that she thinks everyone buys.
"Why did you call me last night?" I ask her, but the answer is more for her than for me.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."
"Angel." I attempt to get her to focus on me. "You called me for a reason."
She shrugs and avoids my glare. "I don't know, I was drunk."
"It was more than that and you and I both know it."
Cora scoots to the edge of the couch and tosses up her arms. "What do you want me to say?"
"The truth, for a change, Angel." I clear my throat. "You're scared."
She scoffs, glancing back before rolling her eyes. "Whatever."
"There's nothing wrong with being in over your head, Cora. I would be if I were in your shoes. I'd probably be doing the exact same thing. Internalizing and dealing with it on my own. I wouldn't want to involve anyone else, either. But the difference between us is that you actually have people willing to fight for you, with you." I pause and then add, "You aren't in this alone."
Cora drags her fingers through her hair and rests her head in her hands atop her elbows.
I inch toward her and place my hand on her back. "You aren't alone," I repeat and hope the second time actually settles into her stubborn head.
Cora breathes in deeply and exhales, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I'm not used to this."
"Having help?" I rub circles on her shoulders.
She turns toward me. "Yeah."
I extend my arms and drag her legs up and over and pull her into my lap. She didn't ask for it but it's safe to say we both need this. "I've got you," I tell her as I wrap myself around her.
Cora stiffens but resolves into me, her head nestling under my chin. "Thank you," she whispers into me.
