Our eyes flew open.
"Andro wants to see us now? For what?” I asked. “It’s still early. I didn’t even know he was awake.”
“Sweetheart. I think it's time we figured out what the future is for us."
I swallowed thickly. "They won't?—"
Dom shook his head. "They're not gonna kill us, not after yesterday. We—Andro, Cord, Felik, and I—were actually starting to talk about the fact that we're mates when all the ruckus happened. I don't know what this meeting is, but I don't think it's bad."
"I'll run if I have to," I said.
"I know, and I'll go with you. Let's see what they have to say before we start making plans to sneak off into the sunset."
Dom and I got dressed, both in a casual pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I went to put my holster on, and Dom helped me with it. Next, I helped him with his. I doubted Andro would let us into his office armed to the teeth, but that was all right.
15
CARMINE
Andro was already in his office wearing a suit, with his hair perfectly styled, when Dom and I walked in. Given the early hour, I expected Dom and I would be kept waiting. Then again, this world operated on Andro’s time, and we were lucky enough to live in it.
"Good morning, boss. You are up early," Dom said, as if getting pulled in for a five-thirty meeting was totally normal.
"I had an associate to meet."
"Oh." Dom sat down, and I sat next to him.
The door clicked open, and my uncle, Lorenzo, came into the room with Felik.
"Uncle." As much as I was supposed to be unfazed and prepared for anything, I wasn’t prepared for this. Playing defense wasn’t my style.
Uncle Lorenzo was dressed impeccably, like he was meeting us for drinks before dinner rather than a pre-dawn interrogation.He must’ve traveled through the night to get here, and I wasn’t sure what that meant for me.
"Carmine. Mr. Ferrini." He turned his gaze toward my mate and narrowed his eyes for just a moment. “Dom.” He held out his hand, and Dom stood up to shake it. "I've heard a lot about you."
Dom held his gaze and didn’t miss a beat. "You as well, sir."
The only thing I could think of was why Lorenzo was here and what that meant for Dom and me. That, and whether Andro had spoken to his mate that morning and knew what sort of test I had to take…
I’d never been this unprepared in my life, and I was kicking myself for putting off this conversation for so long. We gave Andro no choice but to take actions into his own hands, and now we had to ride it out.
"We're gonna cut right to the chase." Andro clasped his hands on his desk and leaned forward. "Because I have other things to attend to, I didn’t actually want to get up at five a.m. to deal with any of this nonsense.” He glared at Dom but didn’t seem too pissed. “I’d much rather be in my suite with my family. But here we are."
"Andro—" Dom tried to apologize, but Andro held up a hand to silence his words.
"You two should have come to us the minute you knew what you were to one another. None of this, 'Oh, he's just gonna stay in the territory for a week' bullshit. I expect a higher level of trust out of my employees." His stare leveled on Dom, and I wanted to reach out to give my mate support, but it wasn’t the right time for that.
A weaker man would have flinched under Andro’s gaze, but Dom simply nodded. “Understood.”
“I wasn't sure how I wanted to deal with your lies, and honestly, I don't have time for this shit. Besides, it was kinda hilarious watching the two of you skirt around the issue every chance you met with myself or Cord. But alas, here we are, and a decision has been made.”
I swallowed as Andro's stare landed on me, but I kept quiet, prepared for whatever punishment he decided to dish out. If I had to run, I would.
"The thing about trust is that it’s earned. It can take a lifetime to earn it and just a split second to lose it. Just one decision could mean a lifetime of work is gone with no hope of earning it back.”
A new lump had gathered in my throat, and I had to swallow again. “Yes, sir.”
Dom reached over and put his hand on mine. His warm skin was like a balm to the anxiety that threatened to overtake me.
