The words should discourage me. They should make me back off and give her space, accept that she's made her choice. But all I hear is the uncertainty in her voice. The way she says "I'm going to marry him" like she's trying to convince herself.
"You don't love him," I say quietly. “You told me that yourself.”
"That's not—" She stops, and I can see the conflict in her eyes. "Love isn't the only thing that matters. There's duty, and family, and?—"
I should understand that more than anything. But she broke something loose inside of me the first day that I saw her, and now it feels like I’d burn anything down to keep feeling it. To not lose her.
"And what about what you want? What about your dreams, your career, your life?"
She swallows hard, looking back down at her papers. "My life is with Thad. That's what I chose."
"Did you? Or did your father choose for you?"
She stands abruptly, gathering her things with shaking hands. "I need to go."
I’ve pushed her too far. "Savannah?—"
"Please." She looks at me, and there are tears in her eyes. "Please just leave me alone. I can't—I can't do this. Whatever this is, I can't."
She leaves, and I let her go this time. But I don't leave the library. Instead, I sit there for a long time, thinking about the fear in her eyes and the desperation in her voice.
She's not afraid of me. She's afraid of what I represent. The possibility of choice. The idea that she could want something different.
She’s afraid of how much she wants me, too, and what it would take to have what we both want.
That evening, I call Vince. Vince Santini is one of my father's people—a private investigator who specializes in finding information that people want to keep hidden. He's discreet, thorough, and expensive. But money is no object to me, especially when it comes to this.
"I need you to look into someone," I tell him. "Thaddeus Whitmore III. Charleston, South Carolina. He works for Edgar Beauregard. I’ve got someone on it, but I need someone to go deeper. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, anyway.”
"What am I looking for?"
"Everything. Financials, shady trading, if he has so much as a traffic ticket. But especially anything involving women. Past relationships, complaints, incidents that might have been covered up."
There's a pause. "This is personal."
"Yes."
"Your father knows about this?"
"No. And he doesn't need to."
Another pause. "It'll take a few days. Maybe a week. And if you want me to keep it quiet, I’ll need a bonus."
My jaw tightens. "I need it faster."
"Romeo—"
"I'll pay double your usual rate. Just get me the information."
He sighs. "I'll see what I can do."
While I wait for Vince's report, I don't stay away from Savannah. I can't. The next morning, I'm at the coffee shop again. Same table, same two cups. She sees me when she walks in, and I watch her consider turning around and leaving. But she doesn't. She comes to the table, and this time she sits down without being asked.
"You're persistent," she says. There’s no smile on her face, but she doesn’t look angry, either.
I give her my most charming smile. "I prefer 'dedicated.'"
She almost smiles in return. Almost. "This has to stop, Romeo. Thad is—he's getting suspicious. He's asking questions about you. About how much time we spend together."
