more night to himself, holding her in his arms even as she cried herself to sleep. He didn’t get angry with her. He accepted her pain because he felt it himself. Allowing her to leave, even though it was for her own good, it didn’t make him feel better. If anything, it only served to make him feel worse.
In the morning, there was no laughter over breakfast, just the impending trip. He’d woken her early, packed away all of the clothes he’d given her, along with the books she’d gotten.
She didn’t say a word.
The few times he looked at her, she’d been wiping away tears. He felt like a fucking monster. What other word could be given to him? He’d … hurt her.
He’d given her hope and now he was tearing it away.
In the cold of the morning, he snuck her down to his car. He didn’t force her into the trunk, he let her ride in the front seat. She was so unused to cars she didn’t even know how to strap herself in. He took over, sliding the strap across her body and putting it into the catch.
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded but she wasn’t looking at him. It shouldn’t hurt this much. He’d never felt this way about anyone.
Pulling out of his parking space, he drove all the way to Timothy’s. The radio wasn’t on. No sound came from either of them.
Say something to her, dickhead.
He wanted to tell her he loved her, that he was going to fight to do everything he could to make it back to her.
No sound came out.
He had nothing to say.
He was … blank.
The tail his father had put on him had been left behind and as he came to Timothy’s place, he typed in the secure code and drove down to where his friend was already waiting.
He really didn’t want to have her here with Timothy. This was a last resort for the both of them. This was where he brought the men Timothy liked to torture.
After climbing out of the car, he went to the trunk as Elenore got out of the passenger side. She came toward the trunk and he held out the case. She took it from him without another word.
“Have you fallen out?” Timothy asked.
“I didn’t give her a choice. I told her I was bringing her here. She didn’t want to come. She’d rather stay with me.”
“You’re doing the right thing,” Timothy said. “If you want her to live.”
“You know I do. You better take care of her as if your life depended on it. I don’t want her to be afraid or scared. Let her go for walks. Your place is secure. My apartment didn’t offer me much of a chance to get her outside.”
“I’ll treat her right. You’ve got no problem with that.” Timothy slapped his shoulder. They walked over to where Elenore stood, waiting, staring down at the ground, looking pitiful.
Timothy took her bag. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
Elenore looked like she wanted to argue.
“I know you’re pissed at me.”
She turned to him. “I’m not pissed at you. I’m afraid for you.”
“This will protect you. I trust Timothy.”
“I trust you. No one is going to have your back. I need to be with you.”
He cupped her face and kissed her lips. “You will always be with me. Not a single moment will go by when I don’t think about you. I can’t win against my father if you’re there as a pawn.” He wiped the tears away. “Please, do this for me.”
“I am doing it for you but you’ve got to come back to me, yes?”
“Yes.” He didn’t know if he’d told her a lie or not at that moment. They walked into Timothy’s home, and he waited as his friend showed her where she’d be staying.
As he waited, he got a call from Antonio. He wanted to meet.
He needed to wrap this up so he could figure out what his friend wanted and if he was friend or foe. Antonio had known about him taking Elenore but he hadn’t reported him, at least not that he was aware of.
Timothy came back. “She’s settling in. I’ll call you with updates and let you know she’s fine.”
“Good.”
“Did you tell her you loved her?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I’m not an idiot, Raphael. You can treat me like one sure, but it’s not going to change the fact you could die. Your father is a powerful man. You’ve got to be willing to make a