The hustle of the city greets me with relief as I step out from behind the doors of the precinct. I rub my hand across my forehead and breathe in the fresh air. As fresh as the air in New York City gets. I check around me, making sure I haven’t been seen by anyone I might know and take off down the sidewalk. Lucio still has a habit of having me followed and if I’ve been seen in a precinct, I’m going to be in for questions and a hell of a lot more. A hand clamps down on my shoulder a second later and I spin around, pulling myself free. A hand flies to my chest as I slow my rapid breathing.
“God. Way to scare a girl, jackass.”
I shouldn’t have been rude, but he’s frightened the fuck out of me. For a moment, I thought it was Lucio. That and I’m hurt, angry and upset because I know I should tell the truth and give them what I know, but how will that help Silver’s grieving family? How will it help me? It won’t. Nothing can bring Silver back to her parents and it was the truth what I told Roamyn before. They should be glad she’s gone. Now she doesn’t have to endure the rest of her life stuck in a hell she’d eventually die in any way.
Roamyn steps forward and his hands come to my face. A thumb rubs against my bottom lip, the sting of it being touched a reminder of the cut Lucio put there last night.
“What happened?” he growls, no softness to his tone. No care in his voice, yet he demands to know what happened. The cut throbs and Lucio’s face appears before my eyes again and I shudder. When I had gotten home from having dinner with Lindsey—
who I hadn’t seen in months—he’d been waiting for me wondering where I’d been. When I told him I went out for late night dinner, he believed me. But he still clocked me one not being home when his drunk ass got there. Apparently, now I have to be home when he is.
I twist my head and pull away, not wanting to get into it. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
I only get a step and freeze. I’m halted. I can’t move, even if I wanted to because words cement me in place.
“They didn’t break you.”
I turn around keeping my head low to hide my face as his words bring the pieces of our past down around me, taking me back to the night I’ll never forget. Tears build behind my eyes and my body shakes. He steps toward me and my heart thumps so hard it’s almost painful. He’s so close. His cologne invades my senses and it’s the same smell that comforted me through a few hours that changed the course of my life. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. I inhale his deliciousness in and it spirals lust through my veins. I lift my gaze slowly, taking in the thickness of his arms, arms I don’t think I’ll ever not want to be wrapped around me. My body heats up and my cheeks warm. I grew infatuated with him over the past four years, and a few weeks ago I found my chance when he walked into my work. I transfixed on his memory, imagined my very own fairytale. His intentions back then were so innocent and sweet, not intended as anything else. He was kind and thoughtful when all I was used to was cruel and heartless. He’s right, they didn’t break me. Then. But two months later, I was on the way to hell with a one-way ticket.
I swallow my nerves and stare deep into the hazel eyes I could get lost in forever.
“You never came back,” he says.
Pain swallows my words. I shake my head. “I couldn’t.”
God, did I want to. He had no idea what happened.
He runs a hand through his hair and anger laces his features. “This conversation is going to have to wait. We can’t really be seen talking. But it’s not over, Ali. I don’t want to see you here again. Things will get so much worse than you know. We’re building a solid case and if you don’t get out soon you’re going to be in the firing line and I’m not going to be able to stop it.”