Page 14 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
And he can shove his opinions up his ass. I’ve got enough of those to deal with as is. “I think we’ll survive,” I retort, keeping my gaze away from him as I move toward the stairs.
“Is Ras going to be around all week?” I ask once we’re inside Vale and Dem’s bedroom.
“Probably,” she says, disappearing inside the walk-in closet.
“Great,” I mutter to myself.
She comes out a few moments later with a white garment bag and hands it to me. “Why do you dislike him so much? I get you met him in less-than-ideal circumstances, but I thought you would have moved past that by now.”
Less than ideal circumstances? Ras accosted me in an empty change room and manhandled me with far more force than he should have used. He scared the shit out of me. I literally thought I was about to die. And he’s never even apologized for it.
He treats it like a funny joke.
I take the dress into the bathroom, not wanting to risk Vale seeing the bruise that’s most likely forming on my hip. “I don’t trust him.”
“He’s never been anything but loyal to Damiano,” Vale calls out.
Hanging the bag on a hook, I tug on the zipper. He might be loyal to Damiano, but what does that have to do with me?
The scene I witnessed the last time I was here flashes inside my mind, the memory of it as fresh as if it happened yesterday. I overheard Damiano and Ras talking in the office. Well, more like Damiano was listening to Ras run his mouth about me and my family. He joked I had a few screws loose, which didn’t wound me, but what he said next has stayed with me ever since.
“You don’t need to keep your word on that counterfeits deal, Dem. Garzolo is an asshole. Once we’ve gotten what we wanted from him, we should cut him off. It’ll be fun to watch him scramble.”
That told me everything I needed to know about him. Ras is a snake. His word means nothing. It’s a good thing my brother-in-law is different. I heard him rebuff his underboss and say he’d given his word.
To which Ras scoffed.
Even now, the memory makes me angry. He was ready to throw my family under the bus just to have a laugh.
I want nothing to do with him.
Quickly, I slip the dress on and come back out. “He’s rude.”
Vale arches a brow. “Rude? When has he ever been rude to you?”
“Constantly. He always has this mocking smile on his face when he speaks to me.”
Vale comes up behind me and starts buttoning up the dozen or so buttons at the back. “I think you’re reading too much into it. Ras can be rough around the edges, but he means well.”
I straighten the dress, examining it in the mirror.
It fits perfectly.
Should I tell Vale what I heard Ras say?
No, there’s no point. She probably wouldn’t even care. It’s clear she’s focused on her new life here and not our family.
She said she wanted a clean break from New York.
But me? I’m never getting out.
CHAPTER4
GEMMA
The next day,cocktail hour begins at four. We’re out behind the house on the meticulously landscaped lawn that overlooks the water. The breeze carries the smell of sea and salt. A waiter passes by me with a tray of canapés, and I steal a little piece of bread with prosciutto on top.
I’m starving.
