I shut it down and clear my throat.
“Spare me the bullshit, Connor.”
I push myself up just enough to feel the tug of every stitch and let the anger rush in to suffocate the hurt before it can take hold.
“He loves control,” I fire back. “And sex. That’s it. That’s all there is to him.”
Connor shakes his head and lowers his lashes.
“You saved the guy,” he says with a half-shrug. “And he’s in the waiting room, refusing to leave.”
My pulse stumbles, just once, but it’s enough to piss me off.
I make a face at my brother.
“You aren’t paying attention,” I snap. “Men like him don’t love. They take. They use. And when they’re done, they move on. He’s just pissed because I ended things. Not him. The powerful Bronx Viacava was jilted by his wife.”
My chest tightens as the sting behind my eyes threatens tears. I blink them back and take a steadying breath.
“I saved him once. That’s my debt to him paid in full.” I swipe a lock of hair away from my face. “But don’t think for one second I care about him. Whatever intel he needs, he can go straight to da. They can fight it outbetween them.”
Connor exhales, and I get the impression he wants to say more. Rather, he just nods.
“Alright,” he murmurs. “What will you do now? You can’t fly home yet.”
When I swing my legs off the bed, the walls seem to move. I pause, fingers digging into the mattress until it steadies.
“Give me your phone. You still have access to the credit card that Bronx let you use?”
He nods and hands me his phone.
“The PIN number is my birthday,” he says. “Where will you go?”
“I’ll stay in a hotel for a few days and then I’ll fly home.”
“Let me stay with you, Tier… please.”
I unlock his phone and check for the saved credit card details.
“I can’t trust you right now. If you want any chance of fixing this,” I say, not looking at him, “you’ll keep Bronx busy long enough for me to disappear.”
“And da?” he asks, hand already on the door.
“Fuck him too.” It comes out through clenched teeth. “He knew I’d never agree to an arranged marriage, so he boxed me in until I had no choice. That’s not something I’ll forgive. I’ve got enough money stashed at home.”
I pull up maps and start scrolling through hotels.
“Once I’m back, I’ll empty it out and disappear.”
My thumb keeps moving across the screen, even though I’m not taking anything in.
“I’m done with this. With all of you.”
“You don’t mean that,” Connor says, shoulders sagging.
I lock eyes with my brother and ignore the urge to hug him.
“Yeah, Connor, I do.”
