Page 79 of Bitter Queen (Advantage Play 4)

Another sigh.

“You will,” I promise.

He stays motionless, making me feel like I’m hugging a freaking statue, but I refuse to let him go. “I missed you.”

The seconds tick by in silence as my reservations begin whispering in the back of my mind.

He doesn’t care about you. Not in a forever kind of way.

You’re only here to pass the time.

He wouldn’t want you to stay, anyway. Why do you think he’s searching so hard for Sei?

The heat from his palm warms my bare back as it dances along my spine and makes my insecurities scatter like sand in the wind. “I missed you too.”

I swallow back the tears that are lodged in my throat.

After a few more minutes of silence, his deep voice breaks it. “Did he…?”

“Did he what?” I whisper.

He pulls the towel off my head and lets it drop to the floor. As my damp hair kisses the back of my neck, he tangles his fingers into it then pulls me back into his chest like I’m his lifeline. “Did he ever talk to you about where he likes to go? What he would do if Burlone died?”

“We didn’t talk much,” I mutter while trying to rein in my galloping heart.

Sensing my anxiety, he starts, “You don’t have to—”

“I know.” I peek up at him. “But I want to help. Let me think for a second.” The silence is suffocating as I search through my memories for an inkling as to where he might be hiding. Then I purse my lips. “He never really considered the possibility that Burlone would fail at anything. He was adamant that he’d take over the Allegretti family once Burlone retired and that I’d be his”—my mouth fills with acid, but I swallow it down—“queen. I don’t really think he had a backup plan. He didn’t feel like he needed one. Did you try talking to Will? He was with him….”

“Yeah, we tried. Just said he was in an old apartment. Didn’t say much more and was blindfolded whenever they left the house. Hell, even if he wasn’t blindfolded, he’s a kid. It’s not like he looks at street signs and shit.”

Good point.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I can’t think of anything else.”

“Don’t be sorry. We’ll find him.”

“I know.”

The real question is…what then? What happens after Sei’s off the streets? What happens to us? I wish I had the courage to ask him, but the words get lodged in my throat.

Diece rubs his hands up and down my bare arms before leaning back to examine me closer. “It’s late. You should get some sleep.” Untangling himself from my grasp, he takes a step toward the exit before I can even understand what’s going on.

“Wait!” I call out. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to shower then go to bed.”

“The shower is right here.” I motion to the still steamy glass enclosure in the white marble bathroom.

He studies it for a few seconds, then picks up the towel at our feet and wraps it around my bare chest. “I figured I’d use a different one. I don’t want to keep you up.”

I can’t decide if he’s being thoughtful or distant, and I catch myself squeezing my hands into fists.

With the last of my self-control, I release all the pent up oxygen in my lungs. “You should stay. I won’t be able to sleep without you, anyway.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he deflects with that same icy tone as before.

“Excuse me?”