I turn the engine off, but don’t get out. I simply stare at the vast property and wonder how Sara met a man with such wealth and stature. I can’t help but feel skeptical considering Sara’s background and everything that happened to her.
My hands curl into fists as a thought crosses my mind. Is this the man that bought her? Would she really have married the man that Ciccone sold her to? Baz didn’t tell me too many details; just that he found her and that she was married.
Perhaps sensing my tension, Victoria reaches over and places her hand over mine. “Are you okay?”
I nod and then shake my head, not knowing how to express my inner turmoil at the moment. “I’m nervous,” I tell Victoria. That’s only part of the truth, however. I’m a mixture of emotions that are colliding together and exploding.
“It’s okay. I’m sure she feels the same way,” she offers. “And you two have a lot to catch up on.”
“Yes, we do,” I agree. Victoria draws her hand away, and I instantly miss her touch. Closing my eyes, I try to calm myself down before opening the car door and stepping out. I round the car and open the trunk, grabbing our overnight bags.
Victoria and I walk to the front door where yet another guard is waiting. He’s dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses, and I watch him carefully as he opens the door for us.
Who the hell did my sister marry? This guy has as much security as I do.
As soon as we step foot inside the foyer, I’m immediately frisked by two awaiting guards. I drop our bags to the floor while two more men rummage through our belongings. I don’t fight them, even when they start patting me down, only to pull my Glock from behind my back and my wallet out of my pants pocket.
But when I see the same men reach for Victoria to give her the same treatment, I grab one, throwing him up against the wall in anger. “You don’t lay a fucking finger on her. You hear me?” I tell him through clenched teeth.
“That’s enough, gentlemen,” a deep voice calls from the other room. The man then enters, causing all of our attention to snap to him. He’s dressed in an impeccable dark blue suit, and his dark hair is coiffed. He looks like he just stepped out of a magazine cover shoot or something.
Yeah, this isn’t exactly the kind of guy I was expecting my sister to have married. When we were kids, she always hated the preppy boys at school.
His gray eyes find mine after he inspects the contents of my wallet. “Damon Romero?” he questions, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
“I haven’t been Arlo Rossi for a long time,” I start to explain.
But then the man is suddenly crossing the room, throwing me up against the wall and holding me in place with his forearm crushing my throat. “Who are you? Who sent you? How the fuck did you find Sara?” he snaps, the look in his eyes feral and unforgiving.
“Roman,” a small voice says from behind him.
And as if a switch has been flipped, Roman releases his hold on me and turns toward the voice. Coughing and gasping for air from having my windpipe practically crushed, I look up at the woman, who is standing only a few feet away.
She is pretty with long, dark hair. But it’s her eyes — the same dark green eyes that match mine — that have me gripping the wall for support. “Sara?”
Her gaze moves to me, and she stares at me for a few seconds, blinking away tears until she finally says, “Arlo.” Rushing forward, she throws herself into my open arms, and we hold each other as she weeps uncontrollably. “I’ve missed you,” she whispers into my chest.
“I never stopped looking for you,” I tell her. I want her to know that. “I never gave up.”
That makes her cry even harder, and I hold her a little tighter until she eventually calms down. Pulling back, her delicate hands grip my cheeks as she stares into my eyes. “You had to change your name?”
She must have been listening to the man’s accusations concerning my ID. “Yeah. I had to make a new identity so that Ciccone wouldn’t find me.”
At the mere mention of that name, Sara balks, and I can see the fear in her gaze. Leaning forward, I whisper into her ear, “I killed him. I killed him for mom and dad. For you.”
Pulling back, she stares up at me with tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispers. Turning, she finally sees Victoria standing a few feet away. “And this must be your girlfriend,” she says with a huge smile that lights up the whole damn room.
Victoria looks at me with a confused look on her face, but quickly schools her features as she simply nods in response.
Victoria looks absolutely stunning in her light purple dress and matching heels. But the tears shimmering in her blue eyes have my hand reaching for hers. Giving her the support she needs, Victoria blurts out, “Sara…I’m so sorry!”
Sara looks from her to me and then back again in confusion. It takes a few moments before understanding finally dawns on her beautiful face. “Victoria?” she asks, as if she can’t believe her eyes. “Oh my god, itisyou,” Sara cries before wrapping Victoria in a huge hug.
I step back and let the two most important women in my life have a tearful reunion. Meanwhile, I eye the man across the room. He’s watching all of us with a guarded expression. And when his gaze meets mine, his eyes narrow. He doesn’t trust me. But, hey, the feeling’s definitely mutual.
Sara wipes away her tears and steps towards the man. “I want you both to meet my husband.”
“Roman Trentino,” he offers, stepping forward and holding out his hand. I shake it, nearly crushing his bones in the process. He winces and quickly pulls his grip from mine. “I hope you don’t mind if I keep your Glock in my safe until you leave.”
