Page 12 of The Breaker
“What?” he asked.
“Considering you’re the greatest man I’ve ever known.”
He stared at me endlessly, like he didn’t understand if that compliment was genuine ... or if he deserved it.
“Considering how you’ve spent your life protecting innocent people, women in particular, how you’ve treated me ...”
“Let’s not forget that I chop off hands and kill people.”
“Men who deserve it. You make the hard decisions that no one else wants to make. You fight crime with crime. It’s a fine line to walk, and you do it beautifully.”
“Ididit beautifully. But that’s over now.”
“Doesn’t erase everything you did. How you served the Roman Republic.”
He moved onto his back and looked at the high ceiling. “I’m done talking about this, sweetheart.”
I noticed the way he used my nickname to lighten the blow, but his dismissal still stung anyway. Like someone had died, he grieved for the person he’d lost—himself. He’d taken so much pride in what he did, said he wouldn’t sacrifice it for anything because nothing was more important than his service.
But then he fell in love with me ... and that all changed.
Chapter 4
Aurelia
I went to Rosticceria Da Cristina the next morning. It was impossible to drive in the little village of Taormina and parking was also a bitch, so Constantine dropped me off at the edge of town before he headed back home to do his morning workout. He wasn’t quite himself after last night, but he didn’t seem distant with me either.
He was just lost.
The village was empty this early in the morning, so I walked to the restaurant alone. The door was unlocked when I got there, so I let myself inside. No one was in the front kitchen, so I called out, “Anyone here?”
A woman’s voice came from somewhere in the rear. “Back here.”
I headed farther into the back of the restaurant to the second kitchen. When I rounded the corner, I saw Beatrice, her hair up and flour on the front of her black apron. Her eyes were lively until the moment she saw me, and then they dimmed.
She couldn’t even pretend.
In another situation with another person, I’d probably just address it head-on. Cut the shit, rip off the bandage, talk about the issue. But I wanted to marry her brother someday, so I had to play the game by her rules. Needed to give her time to warm up to me, to like me on herown terms instead of forcing her to accept mine. “Good morning.” I forced a smile and stepped farther into her workplace, trying to act like I belonged there, when I was definitely encroaching on her turf.
She gave a slight smile, then focused on the dough in the bowl, working to mix it with the flour with her gloved hand. Her eyes were on her hand as she pretended I wasn’t still there.
Bitch, we’re going to be friends whether you like it or not.“Need a hand?”
“No.”
I walked to the sink and looked at the dirty dishes that were piled up. I started to wash them to help her out.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said from behind me.
“It’s no problem. I’d rather be productive while I wait for Antonio.” I hadn’t done the dishes in weeks, not since I moved in with Constantine. I didn’t do anything domestic at all because he had someone do all that for us.
She continued to work on her dough. Didn’t try to make conversation. Just let the tension fester.
“You have two boys?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Nothing else. She gave me literally nothing to work with.
“What are their names?”
