to speak, the men all but shut me out as they contemplated Hunter's loyalty.
I couldn't contribute an answer, because I didn't know myself. I wanted... God. I so badly wanted to believe that he was loyal to me, because he was one of the few people in the family who knew the truth about the Romano bloodline. I wanted to believe that deep inside the monster my father had created, a little piece of my Hunter hung on.
I wanted to believe that the reason he didn't shoot yesterday was because he truly cared about me, not because he was shocked I knew who he was just by his eyes.
That really was his first mistake, of course. Not many people had silver eyes. Especially not ones like his. His eyes were like diamonds, set in the flawless roughness of his face.
I hoped his heart was the same; a diamond in the rough of his existence. I wasn't much of a prayer, but I prayed then that it wasn't a misplaced hope.
I didn't know if my heart could take it if he truly was an assassin right down to the depths of his soul.
“Excuse me,” I said when there was a quiet moment in the conversation. “I'm gonna find Gaige.”
Darien nodded at me with a slight smile, and I got up and left the dining room. The constantly questions and contemplating was driving me crazy. I needed to get out of there, and finding Gaige seemed like the best thing to do.
I searched the house downstairs but couldn't find him. I noticed the back door was ajar, so I reasoned he'd probably headed out into the yard. I walked outside, barefoot, and stepped off the path onto the grass. The bright green blades tickled between my toes as I made my way through the yard toward the pool. I knew exactly where I'd find him, and I was right.
He was sitting on the side of the pool, his pants rolled up over his knees and his feet in the water. I grabbed the bottom of my dress and sat next to him, dipping my legs into the water. I kicked them slowly, whereas Gaige sat completely still, watching the ripples in the pool.
“Wanna talk?” I asked him, my eyes following the reflection of the sun on the moving water.
“What is there to talk about? Papa made it perfectly clear that my opinion isn't welcomed.”
“I care about your opinion.” I nudged him with my elbow and turned my face toward him. The sun glanced off of his strong features, casting shadows across his face. “And as much as I respect your father, the outcome of the discussion is ultimately my choice.”
“Must be nice to be queen,” Gaige muttered, getting up.
I stared at him, my mouth dropping open. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Gee, I don't know, Addy. Why don't I think about it and call you later just so you can ignore my calls?” He took several steps away from me.
I got up and followed him. “Why don't you tell me how you really feel, Gaige? Stop acting like a damn five year old who isn't getting his own way. This isn't a game!”
“You think I don't know that?” He spun, and I could almost see the frustration coming off of him. He ran his fingers through his hair and met my eyes. “This guy came to kill you, Addy. Fucking kill you . And they're in there discussing whether or not the Romano assassin is a fucking danger to you?”
“He's not just the assassin,” I said, my voice quieter than his. “He was my best friend. Do you get that? We did everything together for as long as I could remember. He's not a hired hitman whose sole purpose is to kill me because he doesn't know me. Hunter knows me. At least... he did. Once.”
“You're crazy if you think he won't kill you. Your life or his. Do you really think your life matters more to him than his own?”
I looked away. I didn't want to answer that. The thirteen year old girl inside me wanted to tell him that yes, it did, because he'd told me so. He'd said a hundred times that he'd take a bullet before he saw it hit me. He'd told me a hundred times that his life was nothing compared to mine.
“You've lost your damn mind,
I couldn't contribute an answer, because I didn't know myself. I wanted... God. I so badly wanted to believe that he was loyal to me, because he was one of the few people in the family who knew the truth about the Romano bloodline. I wanted to believe that deep inside the monster my father had created, a little piece of my Hunter hung on.
I wanted to believe that the reason he didn't shoot yesterday was because he truly cared about me, not because he was shocked I knew who he was just by his eyes.
That really was his first mistake, of course. Not many people had silver eyes. Especially not ones like his. His eyes were like diamonds, set in the flawless roughness of his face.
I hoped his heart was the same; a diamond in the rough of his existence. I wasn't much of a prayer, but I prayed then that it wasn't a misplaced hope.
I didn't know if my heart could take it if he truly was an assassin right down to the depths of his soul.
“Excuse me,” I said when there was a quiet moment in the conversation. “I'm gonna find Gaige.”
Darien nodded at me with a slight smile, and I got up and left the dining room. The constantly questions and contemplating was driving me crazy. I needed to get out of there, and finding Gaige seemed like the best thing to do.
I searched the house downstairs but couldn't find him. I noticed the back door was ajar, so I reasoned he'd probably headed out into the yard. I walked outside, barefoot, and stepped off the path onto the grass. The bright green blades tickled between my toes as I made my way through the yard toward the pool. I knew exactly where I'd find him, and I was right.
He was sitting on the side of the pool, his pants rolled up over his knees and his feet in the water. I grabbed the bottom of my dress and sat next to him, dipping my legs into the water. I kicked them slowly, whereas Gaige sat completely still, watching the ripples in the pool.
“Wanna talk?” I asked him, my eyes following the reflection of the sun on the moving water.
“What is there to talk about? Papa made it perfectly clear that my opinion isn't welcomed.”
“I care about your opinion.” I nudged him with my elbow and turned my face toward him. The sun glanced off of his strong features, casting shadows across his face. “And as much as I respect your father, the outcome of the discussion is ultimately my choice.”
“Must be nice to be queen,” Gaige muttered, getting up.
I stared at him, my mouth dropping open. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Gee, I don't know, Addy. Why don't I think about it and call you later just so you can ignore my calls?” He took several steps away from me.
I got up and followed him. “Why don't you tell me how you really feel, Gaige? Stop acting like a damn five year old who isn't getting his own way. This isn't a game!”
“You think I don't know that?” He spun, and I could almost see the frustration coming off of him. He ran his fingers through his hair and met my eyes. “This guy came to kill you, Addy. Fucking kill you . And they're in there discussing whether or not the Romano assassin is a fucking danger to you?”
“He's not just the assassin,” I said, my voice quieter than his. “He was my best friend. Do you get that? We did everything together for as long as I could remember. He's not a hired hitman whose sole purpose is to kill me because he doesn't know me. Hunter knows me. At least... he did. Once.”
“You're crazy if you think he won't kill you. Your life or his. Do you really think your life matters more to him than his own?”
I looked away. I didn't want to answer that. The thirteen year old girl inside me wanted to tell him that yes, it did, because he'd told me so. He'd said a hundred times that he'd take a bullet before he saw it hit me. He'd told me a hundred times that his life was nothing compared to mine.
“You've lost your damn mind,
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