Instead, I sigh and scrub a hand down my face. “It was a video from the Grimaldis.”
Her curiosity and disbelief settle into the crease between her brows, and she leans a bit closer. “Of what?”
“Vito was executed, and they used my real name. They know.”
To my surprise, Elena’s hand brushes against my arm, pulling my gaze back to her. It’s almost instinctive, and more comforting than it should be.
“Another escalation?”
I nod.
Her eyes narrow. “And you weren’t going to tell me…why?”
As much as I want to shield her and take in the way she sits there so bravely, willing to be informed about it all, I can’t do it. She’s been brought into something she never asked to be pulled into, and yet, she isn’t unnerved. She’s used to the bad, perhaps more than I give her credit for.
“Because the more you know, the more dangerous this gets,” I tell her, well aware of the irritation burning inside my chest at the thought. I’ve only ever wanted to protect her. “You don’t need to bear the stress of it too.”
Elena scoffs, partly amused and annoyed. “That ship sailed a while ago, don’t you think?”
She’s absolutely right.
With another exhale, I nod and rub at my temple. “It certainly has. And if you must know, this means things are ramping up.”
For a fraction of a second, fear flickers in her eyes, but just as quickly, she controls it again. Despite it, her resolve snuffs it out.
“Then we’ll face what comes. You have my family backing you now, remember,” she says simply, as if it’s truly that straightforward. Then, her gaze turns a bit sharper and more expectant. “And you don’t need to keep these things from me.”
Unconsciously, I reach for her hand, savouring the heat in her palm. I give her a brief nod, both an acknowledgment and a silent promise, even if bringing someone else into the fold feels foreign to me.
As I stare at her a moment longer, able to feel the comfort that comes with her baffling allegiance to me, I know that trouble is coming. But for the first time, I don’t have to tackle it alone.
Chapter 20 - Elena
The night started perfectly fine before a sense of unease settled so deeply inside me that it now feels like a permanent thing. I didn’t expect it to hit me as fast as it had, but it came armed with the reminder that this life, no matter how I try to dress it up and dismiss it, is built on a foundation of violence. One that none of us can escape.
The gunshot that came from Wyatt’s phone proves it.
I vouched for Wyatt even if it was in my own best interest to leave it alone and accept that I was back with my family. I followed him back to his place while knowing I could’ve easily gone home and stayed there. I went out with him, knowing this isn’t normal, and that none of this has ever been since that night I was taken by Vito. Hell, it barely passed as normal before.
Before Wyatt checked his phone, everything felt fine. I felt fine, despite it all.
Music thrums through the floor of the club and vibrates up my legs as I stay seated beside him, focusing on sipping my drink and keeping my doubts just beneath the surface where he can’t see them.
For as calm as I acted after he admitted to what he saw, I feel a little less so now.
If I squint enough and pretend like he isn’t being stiff around me, this might almost pass for a date. The lights are dim and warm, casting shadows across Wyatt’s face to make his features look even more appealing. His presence is a constant at my side, and after what he just received from the Grimaldis, I doubt that will be changing anytime soon.
Despite the slight discomfort coursing through me, I remind myself that I chose this. That I walked back to him freely and even reassured him. I made it clear that I don’t want to be kept in the dark.
Yet, my chest feels tighter than usual.
I’ve spent so long around my brothers, listening to their business talks like they’re casual discussions about sports or worldly affairs. I’ve become desensitised to the more gruesome aspects of their lives to a point where I let myself coast through this mess with complete, blind faith in them all. They managed to keep it all just out of reach enough not to touch me, but with Wyatt, it’s like I’m right in the middle of it, with more at stake now.
I catch myself watching Wyatt rather than the crowd of people milling about the place, dancing and drinking without a care. I see how his jaw clenches while he’s lost in thought, cataloguing everyone around us while he idly sips his drink. He’s even quieter than usual, and something is unsettling about that, too.
This is the man I stuck my neck out for. The one I defended in front of my brothers, all while assuming he didn’t feel the way I did. That what happened between us was only physical, convenient, and temporary, even if it was one of the most profound moments of connection I’ve ever felt with anyone.
It was a bold move on my part, but even with the uncertainty looming around us, I don’t regret standing up for him. He would’ve been tortured at best, and killed at worst. The thought makes my stomach turn.
