Page 137 of Beautiful Ruins
“You’re being protective.”
I wasn’t used to her being gone.For most of our lives, Tone had always been somewhere nearby.Maybe not in the same room, but close enough that if something went wrong I could reach her.Close enough that the world couldn’t swallow her without me noticing.
The idea of her being on the other side of Europe—even temporarily—sat badly in my chest.
“Two weeks,” she repeated, softer this time.“And I’ll be working.Not wandering through dark alleys.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“It should.”
Izzy reached across the table then and placed a hand lightly on my arm.
“She’ll be fine, Raze.”
I glanced at her.
She was smiling, but there was understanding in her eyes too.She knew exactly where this was coming from.Family wasn’t something I took lightly.
“You’re not used to being away from her,” Izzy added.
“No,” I admitted.
Tone softened slightly at that.
It wasn’t often I confessed things like that out loud.
“For long stretches,” I finished.
Tone leaned back again, exhaling.
“Well, you’re going to have to get used to it eventually.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
“Because,” she stated dryly, “I do have a life outside of this house.”
I stared at her.
“That sounds suspicious.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I’m a grown woman.”
“Debatable.”
Izzy laughed softly into her coffee.
Tone pointed a finger at me.
“You survived wars, assassins, and Russian crime families, but a two-week nursing contract is what pushes you over the edge?”
“Guilty.”
She shook her head.
