Page 77

My heart shrinks. It’s my worst nightmare come true.
Finally, his eyes lift to mine. “I have to leave.”
Fuck.“When?”
“Today.”
“Why?”
He swallows, and his gaze falls away. Like me, he mindlessly pets Itty-bitty while Vizzini wriggles on the rug.
“Marina is missing.”
“Marina?” I can’t remember which crime family she belongs to.
“She’s the one who kidnapped me and Ainsley. She’s with the Morello family.”
“And her missing is a threat to you?” I hate this.
“Maybe.” His navy eyes find mine again. A heaviness shows in them that I’ve never seen. “It’s the timing that’s concerning. She left her estate in New York this morning, which is completely out of her usual routine.”
“And now she’s missing?” I don’t understand how this affects Riley.
“She’s MIA. She boarded her family’s private jet, headed for Santa Barbara Airport. That’s all the Feds know for now. Her flight path could change. She could be coming here for other reasons, but it’s suspicious. My former handler wants me to be safe, just in case.”
“And here isn’t safe enough?” Before he can answer, I blurt, “Gigi has the best security systems. We’d know if someone tried to break in. She could even hire extra protection.”
“That’s not what I want for you guys. It wouldn’t be fair. And if something happened to either of you, I’d never forgive myself.”
My chest aches, and tears burn my eyes. “I can’t believe this.” It’s a whisper.
“I know.” Riley stops petting Vizzini. “I’m going to miss these little guys.” He rubs behind Itty-bitty’s ears, and she purrs up at him from where she lies on the rug.
I swallow the emotions threatening to break free, urging myself not to ugly cry. There’ll be time for that later—once he’s gone. “Where will you go?”
“The less you know, the better.”
And I didn’t think I could hurt more. “Riley, I…I’m not ready for this. I know you need to do what’s best for you but I’m not ready to say goodbye.” I sniffle and wipe my nose.
When I glance at him, moisture glistens in his eyes. “Me neither.”
“I could go with you,” I blurt without thought.
He gives me a sad smile. “No, you can’t. You have a life filled with promise and a future here.” He pauses. “You and I are on—”
“Different paths.” I finish his sentence. “I know.” I watch the kittens through blurry eyes as they play on the rug, tackling and pawing each other. “How long will you have to go away for?”
“I won’t be coming back, Nova. I’d always planned to leave. It’s just sooner now.”
The heartache is near unbearable. I’m losing a friend, one of the nicest guys I’ve ever known, and the possibility of more in the future with him. As unlikely as it might have been, the hope of it is now dead. “This sucks.” I wipe a stray tear from my eyes and blink.
“Yeah.” Riley nods.
We sit in silence for a while.
“You could take one of the kittens if you want, so you don’t get lonely.” I pet Itty-bitty’s head since she chose Riley that first day.
He laughs, but it sounds more sad than happy. “I hadn’t thought about that.”