Page 49 of Darkest Kiss

Silence fills the car. Rian's knuckles are white on the armrest.

“And then he grabbed you,” he spits out. “Fucking vulture.”

"I ran." Tears are pressing at my eyes now. He was my uncle. He was the last family I had besides Aunt Kathleen. And he died on the floor of my parents' bookshop. "Andreas saw me. He shot at me but missed. I got out the front door, but his guys caught me running away."

There's a part I don't say. The part where I got two pictures before I ran. It sits behind my teeth the whole time I'm talking.

I don't tell Rian. He bought me, and he's been kind to me, and he made my mother's salad. But I still don't hand a man like this the only thing I have. What if he wants it more than he wants me?

Rian unbuckles his seatbelt and slides across the back seat. He pulls me against his chest without asking. And I let him, because I'm too tired to pretend I don't want to be held. His heartbeat thumps against my ear, steady and hard, as his hand runs down my hair.

"I've got you," he murmurs.

I sniffle. "I guess I need to call my aunt and let her know that I’m okay. She must be going crazy, thinking I’ve disappeared. She hates the bookstore, but I don’t think she’d want anything bad to happen to me."

Maybe.

Something shifts in Rian's face. It's subtle, a tightening around his mouth, a flicker in his jaw. If I weren't sitting six inches from him, I'd miss it.

"Not right now." He says it carefully, like he's picking his way through broken glass.

"Why not?"

"Because I need you to stay hidden. Nobody can know where you are, Noemi. Not until the Vitelli situation is handled."

"But she's my aunt. She's not going to tell anyone."

His silence stretches a beat too long. I study his face, looking for the thing he isn't saying. There's something there, something he's holding back. My anxiety, which has been relatively quiet since the boutique, twitches to life.

"What aren't you telling me?" I ask.

"Nothing you need to worry about right now." He cups my jaw and tilts my face up. "I'll keep you safe. That's all that matters."

"Rian." I blow out a stream of breath.

"I promise I'll explain everything. Just not today." His thumb brushes my lower lip and I lose my train of thought for a second, which I'm sure is intentional. "Can you trust me?"

I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. He's a killer. He bought me like property, he's been stalking me for months, and he's definitely hiding something about my aunt. But his hand is warm on my face. And his eyes are full of something that I don't think he could fake even if he tried.

"I want to," I answer honestly.

He offers me a small smile. "That’s not a no."

Chapter Eleven

Rian

After a less than productive meeting with Ransom and Hale, I enter the penthouse with a sigh. We’re no closer to finding out who ratted on us. Hale has made it a personal mission to speedrun through potential moles, starting from the bottom and working his way up the ranks.

He’s officially scared two of our guys to death. But still, no name.

When I slip into the bedroom, the bedside lamp is still on. Noemi is asleep with a book folded neatly on her chest. I gently pull the book away from her, causing her to stir. “Rian?”

“Shh.” Pressing my lips together, I look at Noemi. Selfishly, I’d like to just crawl in bed completely naked and let her touch me.

But I might lose control. And I can’t ever, ever be out of control around her.

You can trust me, Beast says. You know I'd never hurt her.