Page 52 of A Murder of Crows

“It’s just a few cuts. I don’t need it.”

It’s not the physical damage I’m struggling with.

Dante gets to his feet. “I’ll be outside, if you need anything.”

My mouth opens as he leaves. “You can stay. In the apartment, I mean.”

He looks at me over his shoulder. I don’t know what he sees in my face, but his own softens. “Alright.”

He’s in the living room when I emerge a while later, seated across from Domenico. Their low voices pause as they both look at me. My wet hair trails down my back, and I double check the knot on my robe before I take a seat next to Dom on the couch.

“What happened?” I ask Dante. “When I… when I left.”

I shouldn’t be surprised. My father… he stopped protecting me a long time ago. But the hurt still creeps in when he tells me. “I see.”

When he clears his throat, my eyes flash to him. “What else?”

“I… smashed his face into the table. Asante, I mean. Knocked him out.”

Beside me, Dom stirs, begrudging approval in his voice. “Good.”

But my lips press together. “You shouldn’t have done that, Dante.”

I’m already in enough shit with my father, without trying to explain why an heir would take it upon himself to defend me in any way. Dante’s lips twist. “I know.”

He doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t apologize. And maybe I don’t want him to. Because at least hedidsomething.

But it makes things complicated.

Resting my head back against the leather, I turn it to look at Dom. He’s frowning at the floor, and I reach out to nudgehim with my foot. “You’re going to have more wrinkles than an elephant if you keep frowning like that, Domenico.”

His lips move into an approximation of a smile, but it’s forced as hell. We should talk about his trip home, but Dante’s presence makes that more complicated.

Chewing on my lip, I contemplate the strangeness of having them both here, in the same space. Acting civil. “Should we… swap some memes or something?”

Dom looks at me like I’ve grown a third head, but Dante’s eyes narrow at me. Shrugging, I reach for the remote.

“Or not. A movie it is, then.”

I flick through the options, settling on a big-budget action film with lots of guns. Dom shifts, dragging a cushion down onto his lap. “Lie down.”

I pull my damp hair into a braid before I settle down. Dom’s fingers trace over my forehead, soft, gentle strokes, and I blink drowsily.

I doubt I’ll sleep much tonight either, but maybe I can get an hour now. My eyes land on Dante’s face, and just for a second, I see the envy as he watches Dom. The yearning.

When I wake up a few hours later, Dom is asleep, his hand tangled in my hair. But my feet are propped up on Dante’s lap, his hand curled around my ankle. An old comedy show plays on low volume in the background but his eyes aren’t on it. They’re on my door. Alert. Watching.

It doesn’t take much for my eyes to close again.

And this time, I don’t wake up until morning.

Chapter twenty-six Caterina

Today is not going to be a good day.

I can feel it in the way my head throbs as I emerge from the bedroom, Dom handing me a coffee. I glance around, but the room is otherwise empty.

“He had to go.” Dom watches me from under lowered brows. “Said he’ll check in later.”