Page 20 of His Deadly Devotion
When we get to Aurora’s door, she opens it and tries to drag me inside. “I can’t go in there,” I tell her, planting my feet firmly on the ground.
“Seriously? Why?” she asks.
“Because it’s your brother’s house. We should respect his rules,” I explain, and I mean it. We should. I also don’t want to get my fucking head blown off.
“Your loss,” she says with a pout. “Actually, no, it’s my loss. Connor, you can’t expect me to just… go without.”
“While we’re in this house, we can survive, babe.”
“You might,” Aurora groans.
It’s not exactly going to be a piece of cake for me either.My dick gets hard every time I look at her. “It’s not forever,” I say.
“Just… you’re not going to leave, right?” she asks me.
My brows draw down. She’s really fucking stressed, thinking that I’m going to leave her. Why? Did our time apart fuck her up that much?
“I’m not leaving,” I say. “If you want, I’ll sit right outside this door all night while you sleep.”
“You need to sleep too. I don’t want that. What I want is you in the bed next to me.” She pouts again.
“I just think we shouldn’t rock the boat.”
“I don’t like it, but you’re running out of time. If you don’t go see him, he’ll come looking for you. He’s not going to kill you. Just so you know. Ignore whatever he says. Trust me, he’s way more scared of me than I am of him.”
“I have no doubt,” I grunt. It actually pisses me off how casually everyone throws around the fact that they think Aurora is crazy or unhinged. She’s neither. “Go get some rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up. I love you.”
“I love you.” Aurora leans forward and presses her lips against mine. I pull back before either of us gets carried away.
Then I turn and walk in the opposite direction. I have to before I say:Fuck it, getting shot in the head wouldn’t be so bad.
Shaking all thoughts of a naked Aurora from my mind, I run over what I’ve just learned. I have a ten-million- dollar bounty on my head and so does my girlfriend. I honestly thought I would have been worth more, but you can never tell with my parents. I’m currently the biggest risk to their operation, the one person who could bring it all crumbling down around them. I might not have known everything they were planning in New York, but I know enough from before then to bring them down if I wanted to.
The thing is, they are still my parents, and that’s a hard line to cross. I don’t regret choosing Aurora. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just wish I could do it without having to destroy everyone I know in the process.
For the first time since Kenny’s death, I’m glad he’s not here to see this fallout. He’d be rooting for me, of course—well, before Aurora did what she did. Maybe not so much now.
I need to find out what my parents are up to. I have one in, and that’s through my best friend. I need to get my hands on a burner phone so I can contact Patty. Easier said than done when I’m stuck in this house.
I find my way to Lorenzo’s office. Raise my fist and knock twice.
“Come in,” his voice barks through the door.
I roll my eyes. I get it. He’s the big, scary brother. But seriously, I’m far from fucking scared. “You summoned me,” I say, opening the door and walking into the lion’s den.
“Close it,” Lorenzo replies, without moving to get out of his chair.
I shut the door, gently, because I’m Irish. Not a heathen. I look around the office. It’s decorated in your typical Italian mafia shit. Dark woods, while books that I know they’re not reading line the wall. Huge, ugly-ass paintings that probably cost more than the Rolls we arrived here in.
“I don’t like you, and I think my sister could do a hell of a lot better than you,” Lorenzo says.
“She could, but I hear Jesus wasn’t available.” I smirk. Because, let’s face it, other than the man himself, no one is good enough for Aurora. “Actually, come to think of it, not even the son of God is good enough for my girl,” I add. “Rumor is he hung out with prostitutes.”
“The only reason you’re still breathing is because your life seems to be attached to my sister’s heart. And I am not going to be the one to break it. Which means I have to do whatever it takes to keep your ass alive.” Lorenzo waves a hand at the chair in front of him.
“You have to do whatever it takes to keepheralive. I don’t need any favors,” I tell him.
“It’s not a favor. And if it were, I wouldn’t be doing it for you. Now, tell me what your parents next move is going to be.”