Page 81 of Pietro

"I didn't betray you," I whisper, unable to keep silent. "I swear I didn't."

"Two hours," he says, his voice deadly quiet. "Then we'll see what your uncle has to say."

He peels away from the motel, tires screeching on asphalt, leaving behind my father, my uncle, and whatever twisted family secrets they've been keeping from me my entire life.

PIETRO

I grip the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white, trying to make sense of what just happened. Nora sits beside me, clutching that damn towel like a shield, her hair still dripping water.

My mind races through a thousand possibilities at once. If Connor had planted her to spy on us, why would she accuse him of abandoning her? The pain in her voice when she confronted him sounded real. Too real to fake.

But if she wasn't working for her father, why the hell did she end up in my office? Out of all the places in Chicago, she just happened to apply for a job with her family's enemy?

I slam my palm against the steering wheel. "None of this makes any fucking sense."

Nora flinches beside me but says nothing. If she opens her mouth right now, I might lose what little control I have left.

I take a sharp turn, cutting off another driver who blares his horn. I don't care. My head is a battlefield of contradicting thoughts.

Her skills with the shipping manifests. Her ability to spot the discrepancies. Her composure when that Irish bastard held a gun to her head. All of it points to someone trained, someone planted.

But then I remember how she looked at me last night, the way she came apart in my arms, the vulnerability in her eyes when she whispered my name.

Was all of that a lie too?

"Pietro," she says quietly, "I can explain?—"

"Don't." The word comes out like a gunshot. "Don't feed me more lies. I won't be able to see straight if you start talking."

She falls silent again, and I can feel her eyes on me. What a fucking joke.

I pull out my phone and dial Nico.

"Did you find her?" he answers immediately.

"I have her," I say, my voice cold. "I'm heading to warehouse one."

"Why the hell is she still breathing?" Nico demands, and something in his tone makes my blood boil.

"Shut the fuck up," I snarl, hanging up before he can say another word.

I toss the phone onto the dashboard, my thoughts still a chaotic mess. If Nora's been playing me this whole time, she deserves whatever's coming.

The memory of Finn shooting his own brother in the foot plays through my mind. Family turning on family. There's something bigger happening here, something I'm missing.

I glance at Nora, who stares straight ahead, her jaw set. Water drips from her hair onto her bare shoulders, making her shiver. Despite everything, I have the insane urge to wrap my jacket around her.

"Put your clothes on," I order instead, keeping my eyes on the road. "I'm not dragging you into the warehouse half-naked."

From the corner of my eye, I see her reach for the clothes at her feet. She hesitates, then looks at me.

"I'm not changing in the car with you watching," she says, her voice steadier than I expected.

I let out a harsh laugh. "After last night, you're suddenly modest?"

Her cheeks flush, but her eyes harden. "Pull over somewhere I can change."

"You don't get to make demands," I snap. "Two minutes."