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“He’s a nice guy,” I say with a smile. Only a nice guy would have arranged a meeting with my ex, simply because he knew it matters to me.
“He is, but he’s still in the early stages of his recovery, so don’t do anything to jeopardise that,” Miles responds, sounding protective.
“I won’t.” I keep my voice steady, so he knows how much I mean it.
Just as I’m saying it, Jake drops into his seat, and shortly after, the server brings our drinks. We sit in silence for a few minutes, each enjoying our own drink before Jake’s long sigh breaks through the growing tension.
“Who wants to start?” he asks.
I look over at Miles and find him staring at me, both of us waiting for the other to go first. After a deafening stretch of silence, Miles asks, “Why are you using a fake name?”
I shuffle around in my seat, already feeling uncomfortable about this conversation. I may have to put my trust in someone, but telling a secret I’ve kept to myself for years is hard.
Miles misinterprets my discomfort and silence, turning to Jake with anger dripping from his words. “See, I told you this was a bad idea.”
Jake holds his hand out, as if to calm him down, but before Jake can say anything, I address Miles. “You’re asking me to talk about something I’ve kept hidden for almost ten years. Something that puts my life in danger every fucking day, so I’m sorry if I’m finding it hard. If I tell you my story, it will place youboth in harm’s way, and I’m not sure I can be responsible for that.”
My voice becomes panicked as more words tumble out, and Jake lays his hand on top of mine, to help calm me down. Feeling his touch is grounding, and I focus on my breathing to keep from feeling overwhelmed.
Jake gives me a small, reassuring smile. “But if you tell us, and we can help, you can finally stop running.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and imagine a world where I don’t have to keep moving around, never letting people in. “How did you know I…”
I never told Jake about my constant moving, but I’m not surprised he worked it out. “I can tell you move around a lot. No friends, no commitments. You don’t tell anyone where you live. You use different names for new places, and if I had to guess, I’m sure some of the paperwork you used to get your job at Caged is high-quality fakes. Plus, you walk like you think someone is following you. All signs of someone who is on the run.”
Before I can respond, Miles cuts in, looking furiously at Jake. “You thought some of her paperwork was fake, and you never said anything. I now have several people I need to fire.”
Jake chuckles, shaking his head. “No, you don’t. They spotted the fakes, but I told your men that you and Marcus knew, and we're hiring her anyway.”
“You did what?” Both Miles and I shout at the same time.
Jake just shrugs his shoulders, like it’s not a big deal. “It obviously took a lot for you to come back, knowing you may not be given a warm welcome. I figured it was important, so I helped.”
Miles glares at Jake, not relenting. “We will have a serious talk about you interfering with my security team later. But, for now, we’ll deal with this.” He then turns to face me, his gaze softening slightly. “Is he right? Did you come back to see me?”
I nod, my lips pulled into a thin line. “I never forgot about you. I was working in a club called Belle’s Rose in London. Although it’s not a mafia-run club, it’s sort of known that the owner, Declan, has mafia ties.
“One night, I hear him talking to his best friend, Kian, about a meeting they’d had in Blackthorn. Hearing the town’s name caught my attention. Kian was laughing because Blackthorn’s leader, Marcus, and his Head of Security, Miles, had been terrified when they first met Bree, who rules over all the mafia families.
“At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, then I heard Marcus’ surname is Morelli, and I knew it was the guy you were best friends with. I did a bit of discreet digging, spoke to some of the other girls that work there, and I found out you weretheMiles from the story. The boy I knew is now part of the mafia.”
“I wouldn’t say Bree terrified me,” Miles grumbles, and Jake throws his head back and laughs.
Out of everything I just told him, that’s the part he focuses on?
Jake wipes at his eyes as his laughter dies down. “She should terrify you. She scares the shit out of me.”
Miles glares at Jake before he turns back to meet my gaze, his face softening more this time. “So you came because you found out about my connections?”
I let out a long sigh, suddenly feeling really bloody tired. “Honestly, Jake is right. I’ve been running for as long as I can remember, and I’m exhausted. I can’t get close to people, as I know it won’t be long before I need to leave them.
“I broke all the rules with you, and leaving almost killed me. I thought about coming back so many times, about telling you the truth, but I loved you too much to put you in danger, particularly as you were caring for Courtney, too.
“I’m sick of running, and I’ve been hoping that soon there’ll be a way for all of this to end. So, when I heard about your connections, I thought this might finally be my chance to get free, to stop hiding.
“I want to live a normal life. I know it’s too late for us, and you have every right to walk away right now, but I’m really hoping you won’t. I think you might be my last hope.”
As each word spills out, I feel a little freer. I’m finally telling him all the things I hid from him when we were together, and even though it’s far too late, I’m still glad I’ve got it out.