Pretty Dirty (Dirty Bad Things Book 2)(36)

My body tenses as I pull Zoe close to me.

“There was no shoot, Gray. Never happened.” He whistles. “Listen, man, some shit just went down. I mean some real shit just went down. You should probably call Gino fucking now.

“What’s going on, Dylan?” I growl, every nerve in my body suddenly on edge.

“Everything,” he hisses. “The shit hit the fan hard, man.”

“What do you mean?”

“A coup, or at least an attempted one.”

Holy shit.

I sit bolt upright in bed, feeling Zoe’s hand tighten in mine.

“What?”

“Yeah, Nico tried to take Gino out, and it blew up in his face.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” Dylan laughs bitterly. “That asshole is done. A bunch of his guys got knocked out when the bullets started flying, too. Shit, apparently even Joey Luco skipped town.”

My jaw drops as Dylan keeps going.

“I mean, probably a smart move since he was Nico’s best buddy. Gino wants his balls on a platter now.”

I decide I’ll tell Dylan about Joey later.

“So, look, if you’re staying low right now, maybe just take the day off. The whole family is in an uproar, and this shit is spilling over into everything. I mean, call Gino and make sure he knows you’re on the right side of all this, but yeah, maybe just stay low.”

I nod, my head spinning as I turn and kiss the top of Zoe’s head.

“Oh, but I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything, man,” I growl back. “If you need money, wheels, a place to crash—”

Dylan laughs. “Nah, none of that. I do need a letter of recommendation, though.”

My brow cocks. “For?”

“Law school.”

I grin widely. “Atta boy.”

Dylan laughs. “I mean, shit man, I want my Audi and a two million dollar condo, too.”

I chuckle. “I don’t want to tell you the shit you’ve got do for that.”

“Deal with the fucking Morettis? Yeah, I’ve got previous experience,” he says grimly. “Look, we’ll touch base soon, but I wanted to let you know.”

“Thanks, man.” I whistle again. “Law school, huh?”

“Still want to get into private practice and leave this mob movie bullshit behind?”

“Absolutely,” I growl.

“Then I better get studying. Be well, Gray.”

I set the phone down, my whole body humming with it all as I slowly turn to Zoe.

“Okay, what was all that?”

“It’s over,” I say quietly.

“What?”

“Nico Moretti tried to off his uncle and take over the family, but it backfired and shit hit the fan.”

Her eyes go wide.

“So now Gino’s cleaning house, and the general impression with the Morettis is that our dear friend Joey Luco skipped town, seeing as he and Nico are close.”

Zoe whistles slowly.

“Wait, so we’re going to be okay?”

I swallow, slowly nodding. “I think we might be.”

And suddenly, I’m thinking of my thoughts from earlier, about packing it all up, taking her hand in mine, and just leaving. It’d be so easy to do, too. I pull her close, kissing the top of her head and letting the thought mull over in my head .

No.

I know we could run. And I know I could do it in a heartbeat. I know she could do it too, but then, Zoe’s been running her whole life.

She doesn’t deserve this. Yes, there’s the sunny idea of just living large on a beach somewhere, but eventually, we’d have to keep moving. Eventually, money would get tight, or we’d be recognized, or hell, we’d just get fucking tired of living a lie and always being on the run. And the more I think about it, the more I realize the idea sounds a lot better than the reality ever would be.

Zoe doesn’t deserve to have to run from bad shit anymore. She deserves stability, and peace, and a solid foundation under her feet.

She deserves a home.

“Stay here,” I say quietly.

She frowns, turning in my arms. “You going somewhere?”

I chuckle, shaking my head as my hands skim her body. “No, I just mean stay here. With me. Stay here forever.”

She bites her lip. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“I’m telling you that you deserve a place to call home, beautiful,” I say softly. “You deserve to stop running from the shadows that nip at your heels, and you deserve to just be, and be loved.”

“By you?” she whispers.

“By me. Zoe, I love you, and if you want to go on the run from all this, yeah, I’m right there with you. But, if we stay, and let this blow over, we can build a life here. A real life, together.”

I kiss her softly, tasting those sweet lips as I cup her face in my hands.

“So that’s a yes that you’re asking me to move in with you?” She giggles quietly, teasing me.

My heart thunders, and time slows, and right there, I know exactly what I’m going to say.

“I’m asking you to marry me, actually.”

Zoe’s jaw drops, and her eyes go wide.

“What?” she whispers. “Wait, are you fucking serious?”