Page 14 of Broken
“You should get out of there. We don’t know what Theo’s planning, but you’re safer here with me. The Cobras will surround this club and no one will get to you.”
“But why would he even let me talk to you if this was his plan from the start? He had to know you’d find out about your mother’s will somehow.”
“To make you trust him and think that he’s not a threat. Doyou have any kind of a weapon with you? Can you get out of there without him seeing you?”
I looked at the locked door. Yeah, getting out of here without Theo knowing about it was probably impossible. He hadn’t left any of his guns lying around either. They were all under lock and key. “Did the guys track down Walter? Do you know where he is? How many contenders for the leadership are there?”
I supposed not every Rosa Nera member was interested in the position or even qualified for it, but if Theo was truly waiting to get rid of his opponents, then he wouldn’t do anything to me until everyone else was gone. Nothing stopped him from killing me and just keeping my head with him until the rest of the guys were down. A shiver ran down my spine. Maybe he couldn’t leave me to rot becauseit might be hard to recognize... Okay, I wasn’t going to imagine a horror movie now.
“Not yet. He’s good at hiding, but everyone’s searching for him, even some other gangs. People remember what it was like when the Rosa Nera tried to take control of our city and they aren’t interested in repeating that experience. It looks like all the other contenders are dead, but we’re still looking forways to confirm that.”
“Okay. Thanks for telling me.”
“Will you now tell me where you are so we can come for you? Is he there with you?”
“I need some time to think.”
“What is there to think about?” Vix said. “Even if Theo’s somehow innocent in all this and is only trying to protect you, you should still come here. There’s no reason for you to be around him at all. I know you wantto believe he’s not going to hurt you, but if he truly cares about you, he’ll let you go.”
“I’ll call you back, okay? Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” I ended the call before Vix could say anything else. I pretty much doubted everything now, especially my sanity. Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself pushing open the door to Theo’s room.
He was lying on the bed on his side,his back turned to me, the Rosa Nera tattoo visible on his shoulder blade. The first thing that came to my mind was that it was cold in here, and I grabbed a blanket that was folded on the other side of the king-size bed. But as soon as I stepped closer to him, his shoulders stiffened, and I knew that he was awake and probably waiting to see what I’d do.
I covered him with the blanket, thenclimbed onto the bed next to him. Settling myself on my side, I watched his face. He didn’t open his eyes or move.
“Vix just told me something,” I said quietly.
He finally looked at me, his eyes even darker under the dim light that was coming from the ceiling. I wasn’t sure if he’d left it on because of me or for some other reason.
“Is it true that you’re competing with Walter forthe leadership and that you want to kill him before you go for me?” I focused on his eyes, because if I couldn’t trust him to tell me the truth, then I might be able to see it.
“Maybe.”
“That’s not an acceptable answer. There’s only yes or no.”
He was hesitating. That was a good thing, wasn’t it? Or was it all just a part of his game? But wouldn’t he be at least a little upset thatI’d discovered the truth and that I might mess up his plans by running away? Or did he think he could keep me here forever?
“If you’re worried that I’ll never let you go,” he finally said, “you don’t have to be. I’ll keep my promise that I won’t hurt you while you’re here, and you’ll be free to go after Walter’s no longer a concern. But after that...”
I pressed my lips together. Why didhe have to be like this? Why wouldn’t he just give us a chance? I knew he wanted it too. He was looking at me as if he yearned to touch me but couldn’t, and I wanted to pull him to me and kiss him until we were both breathless. Why couldn’t we go back to the time when we’d watched movies together and Theo’s arm was around my waist while I rested my head on his shoulder? But maybe we could. Maybeall Theo needed was a little push.
“I have a promise for you too,” I said.
Surprise filled his eyes, and I slid my hand under the blanket toward him.
“You’ll be mine before this is all over.” A smile curved my lips. As soon as he caught my hand, I twisted it out of his grasp and closed my fingers around his wrist, guiding his hand toward my chest. A little gasp escaped his throatwhen I placed his palm over my breast, right above my heart. “I don’t care what you think of love or that you believe you’re not capable of it. I’ll prove you wrong. I swear it.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, then snatched his hand away and rolled over onto his back, his chest moving up and down faster than before. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Yes, I do,” I said.
“Go tosleep.” He turned his back to me, but I’d gotten what I’d wanted. Vix was going to be really mad at me, but I wasn’t about to leave Theo now. He might be fighting the attraction between us, but I believed him when he told me he wouldn’t hurt me until Walter was dead. I was safe here. Well, as safe as I could be. Glancing at Theo, I got under the blanket, then closed my eyes.
Chapter 9
“IS THAT APPLE PIE?” I asked as I walked out of the bathroom. My stomach rumbled immediately at the delicious smell. Theo must’ve gone out while I’d been in the shower.
“Yeah,” he said with a small smile on his face. “You told me once that you always wanted to have pie for breakfast.”