Page 167 of Guarding Grace

Terry turned to me and took my hand. “Remember how this started? The Russo family came after you to get to Elliot. This never ends until he faces them. If he runs now, you’ll never be safe.”

I shivered. “But they’ll kill him?—”

Winston stopped eating.

Constance sighed. “They might not. Lucas has some leverage with them.”

My tears erupted. “We can’t just let him die.”

Terry stood and pulled me up with him. “Let’s go outside for a minute.”

Winston and Constance started clearing the plates as a very obvious way to give us some space.

I walked with Terry out onto the terrace. “What do you think will happen to him?”

He closed the door and held me tight in the morning sun.

When he pulled my chin up, I braced for the bad news.

“I know he’s your cousin, but he’s brought this on himself.”

That’s what Terry always said about Elliot. “You mean you don’t think he’s worth saving.”

“No. What I mean is, he’s a grownup who has to make his own way in the world. He’s not a child you can protect completely.” He stroked my hair behind my ear. “But for you, I’d save him if there was any way I could.”

I sniffled a half smile.

“There’s no way to know,” Terry said, “how Tony will come down on this. I think it depends on what kind of story Elliot weaves. It’s going to be up to him to tell a story that doesn’t have Tony losing face.”

“That’s not good enough. I can’t throw him to the wolves and wait to see what happens. There has to be something you can do. What about Lucas?”

“We’re outsiders. I’ll talk to Lucas and see what influence he has.”

I nodded. I didn’t see anything else to hope for.

He took my shoulders and locked eyes with me. “For you, I’ll do everything I can.”

Nodding, I rested my head against his chest. I believed my man. “I really, really like you.” The words I’d been looking for the right time to say just wouldn’t come out. It had only been a week, and I felt it, but couldn’t use the L-word.

He squeezed me tighter and whispered in my ear, “I really like you too, Kitten.”

Sobbing into his chest, I admitted, “I think I’ll keep you.”

He rubbed my back with that soothing touch he had. “Then you admit you’ve been wrong about me for years?”

I laughed. “That’s not what I said. I only hated you because you’ve been a jerk to me forever.”

“Hated?”

“Okay. Disliked.”

It felt like the right thing and the wrong thing to be admitting my feelings for him with Elliot’s life hanging in the balance.

CHAPTER 40

Terry (Three dayslater)

For the third time,we walked up to the restaurant doors to meet with the Russo family.