Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I poke him in the shoulder. “May I remind you that the only reason I returned to the States was to help your fiancée avoid marrying Miles McAllister. The only reason I met Raven was because I was trying to help my sister.” I sigh and lean away from Falcon. “I didn’t mean for anything to happen, Falcon. But you know just as well as I do that sometimes you can’t control how two people feel about each other.”
Falcon scratches the back of his neck. “Well, when you put it that way…”
I hold up a hand. “And I get what you’re trying to say. That you were behind bars and couldn’t protect her. But Falcon, there wasn’t anything you could’ve protected her from. Her illness… There was no way to reason with it. Beating it to death wouldn’t have helped. Trying to get it to see logic wouldn’t have helped.”
He rakes his fingers through his hair. “I know that. But still, I couldn’t be with her. Couldn’t come to her, comfort her…” He shuts his mouth.
“Protect her?”
He nods.
“Funny that I knew exactly what you were going to say. But didn’t we just have this discussion? You couldn’t have protected her from the illness.”
He narrows his gaze. “But the illness isn’t the problem anymore. I can protect her from you, Vinnie. From the life you lead.”
I hold up my hands. “Falcon, there’s nothing I’d like more than to protect her from myself. I mean her no harm, of course. I love her. I am completely and totally in love with her. Hopelessly in love with her. And because I love her, I’m trying to walk away.”
His eyes go wide.
“I’ve told her as much. In no uncertain terms. Apparently she hasn’t let you in on that.”
“No.” He meets my gaze. “But thank you.”
“I want you to think about something, though. Would you be able to leave Savannah? If it meant keeping her safe?”
“Christ, Gallo.” He closes his eyes, inhales slowly. “It would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but yes, I could do it.”
“Then you understand my feelings.” I stand, pace around the area. “I’ve done a lot in my life. And a lot of it was very difficult.” I stop and turn toward Falcon. “But nothing is more difficult than walking away from your sister, Falcon. Walking away from what may be my one great love. But I’ll do it. And I’ll do it gladly. Well, maybe not gladly. But I’ll do anything to keep her safe, even if it means letting her go.”
He sighs. “You’re a good man, Vinnie.”
I look down. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew everything I’ve done.”
“You don’t know everything I’ve done either,” Falcon says. “On the inside, you do what you have to in order to protect yourself. To protect your allies. Your cellmates. It wasn’t all pretty.” He takes another deep breath. “A lot of it I can’t think about. But you think I’m a good man, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t let you be with my sister otherwise,” I say.
“And I wish I could let you be with mine.” He frowns wistfully. “Maybe someday.”
I nod.
But I know the truth.
Raven will never be safe with me.
I used to think that maybe once I take my grandfather down, there’s hope for us to have a life together.
But now I can’t push a nagging thought out of my head.
I’ll do what has to be done. I’ll put an end to the family.
But that may mean putting an end to myself as well.
23
RAVEN
When I wake up the next morning, it’s time to tell my mother and father that I’m moving back to my own place.
I’m stunned when I find the police at our house, taking down the barriers to my room.
“What’s going on?” I ask my father.
“The investigation is being closed. The police have gotten all the evidence they can, and it’s not enough to continue,” Dad says. “So you can have your room back, Raven.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want it back.”
“I understand.”
I fold my arms. “How can it no longer be a crime scene? A man was murdered here.” I swallow down a fresh wave of nausea. “Or…murdered elsewhere and placed here.”
Dad takes a deep breath and sighs it out. “As I’ve told you, the police have determined that none of us are suspects, and because there’s no other evidence that they found in this room—fingerprints for anyone else—the investigation is currently closed.”
I drop my jaw. “But someone killed him,” I say. “How can they close the investigation?”
“Raven, this is a good thing for us. Trust me on that.”
“But an innocent man is dead—” I stop abruptly.
He says nothing.
Oh my God.
“You don’t think he was innocent, do you? You think Brick was involved in something…”
Dad looks down the hall. “I have no proof of anything, Raven. I don’t plan to look for proof. But I can only repeat what I told you. The attorneys at his firm were looking for an excuse to get rid of him.”