Page 61 of The Breaker
“I think it does.” She stopped eating altogether.
So did I. My appetite dropped out of my stomach like a stone. “No.”
“No, what?”
“You know what,” I said with a warning in my tone.
“I just ... that place means a lot to both of us.”
“You mean more to me than anything else ever could.”
“I know, but ... I could hide. You could hide me somewhere, and you could go—”
“No.”
“You act like you don’t care, but I know you, Constantine. I know how much this must be bothering you.”
“Do I look bothered?” I challenged, not wanting to have a fight the second she got home, but my temper got the best of me. “We’re having a baby, Aurelia. The single most important thing to both of us is our child. I’m sorry about what’s happening back in Rome, but it can burn to the ground for all I care. I’m not risking you or her or Medusa. Everything is different now, and I’ve moved on.”
“Just because you’ve moved on doesn’t change reality, Constantine.”
“You want me to go back and risk my neck?” I snapped.
“No. But I know it’s what you want.”
“It’s not.”
“You say that, but deep down, I know you want both—”
“I’m not going to tell you what Darius will do to you if I set foot in Rome. But trust me when I say you wouldn’t be able to sleep for three weeks if I did.”
She paused, her eyes dropping down to her food. “You forget that I was there, Constantine. I’ve seen what he’s like. I know what he did to your brother. I’m very aware of the monster that he is. But I believe you’re the only one who can take him down.”
I ignored the rush of pride I felt at her words. Ignored the way it made me feel to know she believed in me. That she didn’t think I was weak after sitting on my ass these last six weeks in Taormina. That she believed I was still the man she met. “I won’t change my answer, so let’s drop it.”
“I’m sure Rocco would help you.”
“Couldn’t care less.” I was relieved when Crow mentioned him. That meant he was still alive ... not that I should care.
“Constantine—”
My temper finally blew. “You just got home and I don’t want to fight, but you’re pushing me there.” I abruptly shoved back in my chair and got to my feet before I stormed off. I wanted to leave the house and check in to a hotel, but the idea of leaving her here alone didn’t sit right, not when she was pregnant, not when Medusa was still hurt.
So I went into the office that I didn’t use anymore and shut the door behind me. Sat in the hard chair behind the desk and stared at the wall across the room. There were paintings on the walls that I hadn’t picked out. An interior designer had made this place into a home after it was renovated. It was nothing like my home in Rome, and I missed it sometimes.
I tried not to think about the fact that Darius was sleeping, eating, and shitting in it.
I propped my elbow on the armrest and focused my stare, trying to mitigate all the anger that pounded in every vein. I could feel the throb in my muscles, even my face. Choosing Aurelia over the Republic was the easiest decision I’d ever made—but that didn’t mean the consequences didn’t kill me. They burned me alive from flesh to bone.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to glance at the screen, to see if Aurelia had sent me a text.
But it was Rocco.
Out of nowhere, without preamble or explanation, he said something that meant the world to me.
Congrats on the kid.
I inhaled a sharp breath when I read that message, hearing his voice in my head as I absorbed every word. I’d never expected to speak to him again, and if he reached out, it would be to tell me how much he despised me.
