Page 112 of One Last Rainy Day
“It’s not just me,” I snap, thinking of Sean and how the time here has altered him. I’m not even sure he recognizesthe changes in himself. “Sean’s...he’s not doing good, okay? I wonder if he even gives a fuck.”
“He does. It’s been all over him,” he assures.
Closing my eyes, I try to reason with myself to wait. What we’re doing fucking matters and matters a lot. We broke the rules. You can’t break the rules in our club. No exceptions. At the same time, my pockets are empty, and the price is getting too high.
“I need this, Tyler. I know what I’m asking, man. But I need this.”
“Name it.”
I grip the back of my neck in relief. “Get us the fuck out of here. Right now.”
“Dom, it’s a week.”
“And I’m calling it!” I snap. “Time served for good fucking behavior, but I’m telling you right now, if I’m not on a plane in the next few hours following him home, that will no longer be the case. It’s time to have this out with him and figure it out. I’m not asking him for permission anymore. You know we’ve done our part. Get us the fuck out of here.” Closing my eyes, I hear the guttural plea in my request. “Please.”
I feel it—the urgency, the crushing itch to get back to her. It’s been there, but it’s never been this strong. Even as I think it, my gut tells me it may already be too late.
“If he finds out...it won’t be good. You sure about this?”
“That’s where you come in. Just mute our watchdogs for enough time to get us home so we don’t have to deal with it. I need you to work your magic and make it quiet and painless. I’ll explain myself to my brother when the time comes—if I fucking feel like it—but I’m telling you, the longer I fucking stand here, the more I resent him for it. I honestlydon’t give a fuck what his reaction is anymore.” I man up in a way I never thought I would or be inclined to. “I fell in love, and it’s not a fucking crime, and you of all people know it’s nondiscriminatory about the fucking who...how is she?”
Silence.
“We’re fucking grown-ups, Tyler. Let’s stop with the bullshit. I don’t fault you, the same way you aren’t faulting me right now. How is Delphine?”
“She just got her last scan done, and we get the results tomorrow or the day after, but she’s gone almost eleven months without a sip,” he relays, pride clear in his voice.
“You’re fucking kidding me,” I rasp out, emotion getting the best of me.
Eleven months. Which means she was already sober when I took her to Pretty Place.Thatwas the change I noticed in her, andTylerwas the significant thing that happened.
Emotion burns in my chest, my eyes stinging. She was sober. “I...I don’t know what to say.”
“Shekicked it, Dom, not me, and she’s still fighting...she’s fucking happy.”
The back of my throat burns. “Good, you both deserve it, especially her,” I say honestly. “We all fucking do,” I tell him. “And my bill here is settled. I’m not paying for it another goddamn day for loving her. Do you hear me?”
Tyler’s lingering silence sends my mind racing. “What? What aren’t you telling me?”
“There’s a direct flight leaving in a few hours,” he offers.
Relief washes over me as my eyes catch on a woman taking her dog on a late-night walk. She’s carrying a Louis Vuitton umbrella and matching leash.
I decide I’m never coming back to France.
She draws closer on her heels, her mile-long legs encased by thigh-high shorts. Her thin top has a little bow that lies in the middle of the cut in the chest, showcasing ample cleavage. Primed and packaged. She looks buzzed as she passes me, her gaze lingering enough to know she’s fair game. When our eyes meet, she smiles in invitation as she passes, her frizzy dog leading her down the street. I can’t remember the last time I really looked at any woman—save one.
“Dom?”
“Book it.”
An hour later, Albert is hooded as Julien gives me the dip of his chin in farewell before he’s covered, just as Sean lands next to where I stand. Glock trained on those apprehending our babysitters as I bat his arm away before he can focus and fire.
“Little slow on the reaction time, brother,” I chuckle as I pull my duffle from beneath the bed as our babysitters are dragged from the room. Sean turns to me, eyes wide. “What the fuck is happening right now?”
“Get dressed and packed. We’re fucking going home.”
“I’m the man who would step in front of a bullet for either one of you, no questions asked, but I’m also the man who held your fucking hands before I shaped them into fists. I’m the same man—up until I met her—who put you both above everyone else. But right now, who am I right now? I’m the man who loves her enough to not let anyone or anything in front of her.”
