Page 95 of Filthy Little Lies
“You’re ordering lunch.”
I laugh. “Thirty minutes; don’t make me come find you.”
I brush a soft kiss across her lips, pausing just long enough to feel her desire kick up a notch; then I turn on my heel and leave her in the nonfiction aisle.
There’s a chance she won’t show up, but I get our sandwiches, some chips, and bottled water and head to the park. It’s warm again today, but school’s still in session so there’re no kids on the playground. Just a few people on their walks or having their own lunch at one of the empty park benches.
I’m just about to check my watch when I catch her turning the corner at the intersection. She spots me, pauses a second like she’s unsure if she’s doing the right thing, but continues toward me.
“Meatball sub for us both.” I put out the sandwich for her and place her chips next to it.
“How’d you know I wanted meatball?”
“Mrs. Neville told me. She’s happy, by the way, that you’re safe. She’s been worried sick about you since you left.” I take a bite of the sub, wiping away the tomato sauce from the corner of my mouth.
“Is that your move, make me feel guilty?” She takes a small bite, licking away the sauce from her lips.
“No guilt. You did what you thought you needed to do.” I take another bite. “And I’m doing what I need to.”
“What is that, exactly? What is all this?” She gestures to the makeshift picnic. “This isn’t you. A picnic in the park? You went and got sandwiches from a deli?”
“I’d rather be taking you to dinner at the Italian restaurant near my penthouse, but you left all the clothes I bought you in Chicago. We could go shopping if you want. Atlanta has just as much to offer as Chicago.”
She takes a larger bite and chews slowly while staring at me. Her eyes pierce through me, like she’s trying to figure out my angle. So I help her out.
“I could order you back to Chicago. I could threaten Tony’s health, or Cassie’s, or I could simply drag you back there. But I’m not going to.”
“You bought my building, Gabriel. Are you trying to tell me you’re not trying to influence my life?”
“I’m keeping you safe while you decide what you want to do.”
“And you’ll just hang out here in Atlanta until I do what you want.”
“No, I’ll hang here until you do what you want; you just don’t understand what you want yet.”
“Is that right?” She scoffs. “Maybe I don’t want to be with a mafia boss. Maybe I don’t want to make forged IDs anymore. Maybe I want a calm, drama-free life.”
There it is again; something slightly off with her tone. There’s something she’s not telling me. But I’ve decided not to push too hard.
My patience only goes so far, though. At some point, I’m probably going to have to throw her over my knee and spank the truth out of her.
And then fuck her until she understands I can’t breathe if she’s not with me.
“You never have to do any of that again if you don’t want. No fake IDs, no passports, no forged shipping inventories. None of that.”
She chews quietly.
“As far as my work goes.” I put my sandwich down and wipe the sauce from my fingers. “Roman can handle the family. The men respect him as much as me, so there’d be no problems there. I can step aside.”
Her eyes widen. “You’d just hand over all that power to your brother like that? You’d give it up?”
My father spent thirty years building walls so nothing could get through them. Not my mother, not Roman, sure as hell not me. The oldest, being primed for the big seat. He called it strength, but I see it for what it actually was—fear.
I swore I’d never let myself be like him and then became him anyway. It was the only blueprint I had to follow in order to survive this life, to help my brother, my mother, my family survive it with me.
Control became the only way I knew how to keep everyone safe. So long as I held the reins everything would be perfect. I could make things perfect. But trusting Roman and Lucian to run things will take more strength than holding onto the power ever took. And Savvy gives me that strength.
To keep her, love her, make her mine forever, I can let it all go.
