But now, standing in my kitchen with him, the silence between us felt heavy.
Oppressive.
The adrenaline was draining, the high I had been riding in the diner every time his hand held mine. Every smile he gave me when I caught him watching me. It all felt like it was in another time, another place.
What happens now?
I watched Tony move through my kitchen like he’d done a dozen times before since he moved in here after my arraignment.It felt the same, as if nothing had changed.
He’s going to take it back.
He’s going to tell me he made a mistake.
That he got caught up in the moment.
That we can’t do this.
My stomach twisted, nausea rising in my throat. I couldn’t do this again. I couldn’t go back to being his secret. Not after today. Not after he...
“Have you heard from Keys?” I asked, my voice breaking the quiet, needing to say something, anything, to fill the silence before it suffocated me.
Tony glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “Yeah. He’s keeping an eye on Sadie.”
I nodded, relief washing over me. “Good. That’s... that’s good.”
“King also has a prospect keeping an eye on Rosalind,” Tony added, his tone flat. “Just in case she tries anything.”
“Do you think she will?” I asked.
Tony’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know. But I’m not taking any chances.”
Of course not. Tony never took chances. He never made a move without knowing all the possible outcomes.
Except today.
Today he took the biggest chance of his life.
And now he regretted it.
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “Okay.”
Tony moved toward me, his hand reaching out to take mine. His grip was firm, warm and grounding. “Come here,” he said quietly.
He led me to the couch, and I followed, my heart pounding in my chest.
This was it. This was where he told me it was all a mistake. Where, once again, I had to decide if I could live in the shadows. If Tony was worth the scraps he fed me.
We sat down, and he turned to face me, his hand still holding mine. His expression was serious, his eyes searching myface like he was trying to memorize every detail.
“We need to talk,” he said.
Oh God.
I closed my eyes, bracing for the heartbreak. My chest constricted, panic clawing at my throat. I tried to pull my hand away, but Tony’s grip tightened.
“Simon,” Tony said, his voice cutting through the spiral of panic in my head.
I forced myself to meet his eyes, my chest so tight I could barely breathe.
