Gian (Trassato Crime Family #1)(64)

I wanted to take back my words. I wanted to run after him and tell him I lied. Tell him I loved him. Tell him I wanted him. Only I couldn’t. Not now, not ever. He had already sacrificed enough for me. I wouldn’t let him sacrifice his family and honor too. While I might not like what his life entailed, I wouldn’t let him throw it away for me.

Likewise, I refused to play into my father’s twisted logic and hand him the Trassato territories on a silver platter so Gian could be with me, a woman who he’d only known for a couple of months. I’d rather spend the rest of my life missing him than lining Alix’s pockets.

I swiped away my tears and strode out of the kitchen with my head held high. My shoes hammered against the floor like detonating bombs.

“Where are you going?” Konstantin asked.

I kept going, not meeting any of the stares searing into my flesh. “It’s none of your business.”

“Don’t walk away from me, girl.” Alix caught my arm the second I stepped over the threshold of the door.

Shivering with disgust, I broke his grip. “Gian and I are over. You’ll have to find another way to get what you want.”





CHAPTER





THIRTY-SIX


Evangeline



One Week Later…



“Evie, you were great up there. They’d be crazy not to give you a part. I’m so proud of you. You’re so much better than Mom ever was.”

I spun around. “Kon, what are you doing here?”

My brother shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans. A yellowing bruise circled one of his eyes, and he had a scab on his lower lip. “We need to talk.”

“That’s funny. I’m pretty sure we don’t have anything to talk about.”

I slung my dance bag over my shoulder and pushed open the door to the outside. Wind whipped my hair around my face. The smell of an impending rainstorm mixed with grease from the burger joint next door hung in the air. I pulled my hood over my head and darted down the clogged sidewalk.

Halfway down the block, Kon tugged on the back of my jacket, stopping my retreat. All pretenses of humor had disappeared from his face. “I’m not done talking to you.”

I sighed. “You know what? I don’t care.”

“Why aren’t you answering Mom’s calls? She’s worried about you.”

I ripped my hand out of his hold. “Because I don’t have anything to say to her, just like I don’t have anything say to you or my sperm donor.”

“Don’t be like that.” He frowned. “We’re your family, and you need us. Especially now.”

“No, I really don’t. Quite honestly, if I never see any of you again, it’ll be too soon.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

I curled my hands into fists, my fingernails digging into my palms. “You guys lied to me about everything.”

“Come on, Evie. Don’t be like this. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

“Seriously?” My voice was low and accusing. “My entire childhood was a lie. Do you have any idea how many hours I’ve wasted combing over every conversation and event in my head, searching for missed clues and hidden meanings?”

“We did what we had to.”

Squeezing my eyes closed, I shook my head. They had dangled the truth right in front of my face my entire life, and I’d been too trusting to follow the breadcrumbs. Every time I thought about it, I felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my skull.

“Those summer camps on the East Coast weren’t really summer camps, were they? You spent the summers with Dad. You lied about joining the Army. When I questioned Mom about our dad, you never said a word to contradict her.”

My attempts to stay calm failed. Childhood memories banged around in my head, and they no longer seemed sweet. They were tainted with betrayal and lies.

I yanked on the emerald necklace Kon gave me for my sixteenth birthday and crumpled it into a ball. Its sharp angles bit into my palm, but it was better than letting it hang around my neck like a noose. “This necklace.” I shoved my fist into the center of his chest, and he grunted. “It wasn’t from you. It was from him. You didn’t save all your money from shoveling snow off our neighbor’s walks. He gave it to you to pass along to me. And those stupid Russian classes Mom made us take.” I ground my teeth together. “Ugh. I can’t even go there.”

He pushed my hand away. “Get a f*cking grip, Evie. Don’t jump to conclusions. There are two sides to every story.”

I flung my hands into the air, the chain of the necklace slipping like sand through my fingers. “Then please, by all means, tell me yours. I'm dying to hear what compelled my entire family to keep me in the dark about the fact that my sperm donor is a lying, murderous criminal.”

A bolt of lightning flashed through the sky followed by a rumble of thunder. A few drops of rain slapped against the gray sidewalk.

“Don’t make this into something bigger than it is. We did what we had to do to keep you safe. Mom and Dad didn’t want you to get caught up in Dad’s life.” His lips pursed into a tight line. “It’s dangerous.”

“So their solution was to let me fumble around in the dark like an idiot?”