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NERO
Thank fuck.
Watching Lily sobbing in her brother’s arms, I realize just how close I was to burning my whole world down: Ordering my guys to tear the Kovaks apart, truce be damned, just to see him safe again.
He’s her family—which means he’s mine, too. And there’s nothing I won’t do to keep my family safe.
“Where have you been?” Lily wails, finally releasing him. But her hands stay on his arms, clinging to them as if she’s afraid he might disappear again.
“Around,” Teddy looks baffled. Then he notices me and goes tense. He was just a kid before, but I can tell, he recognizes me. “Lily, what’s going on? Why is he here?”
Lily swallows. “Don’t duck the question,” she says, thumping his arm. “Do you realize how worried we’ve all been? You were gone for two days!”
Teddy turns to his roommate. “You ratted me out to my sister?”
“I just figured she might’ve heard from you,” Dustin says, wincing.
“We called.” Lily continues, her relief giving way to anger. “And texted. A hundred times.”
“My phone died!” Teddy protests. “Sorry, but… I met a girl at the party. We’ve been… Hanging out.”
He looks bashful, but pleased.
“Christ,” I mutter, overcome with relief. “All this, for a girl?”
“She’s a pretty great girl.” Teddy smiles again, looking like a proud kid. Because he is one. When I was his age, I was already deep in Barretti shit, doing my father’s dirty work, but Teddy is fresh-faced and carefree, here on campus with nothing to worry about but keeping his grades up and partying with cute chicks.
Because of Lily,I realize. Because she’s been sacrificing everything to keep him this way.
An innocent.
I think over the past few months, from the sleazy strip club in Vegas, to my brutal deal, and the FBI bullshit, too. All the fear, and anger, and pain she must have gone through—just to keep him safe. And she never said a word to him.
She faced me down—for him.
I feel a surge of protectiveness. I know I’m the one who used her brother as a bargaining chip, but that’s all in the past now. She shouldn’t have to bear the burden of his safety alone.
I’m here now. I can carry the load.
“So, nothing happened?” I interrogate him, just to be sure. “You haven’t had any fights, any weird encounters with unfamiliar faces the past couple of weeks?” I turn to the roommate. “Nobody hanging around here who shouldn’t be?”
The kid looks confused. “No.”
“Why?” Teddy narrows his eyes. “What’s been going on?”
“You know, I haven’t seen this place since orientation,” Lily pipes up. She links her arm through his and steers him to the door. “Why don’t you give us the full tour? I want to see everything you’ve been doing. And hear about this new girlfriend of yours.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Teddy says quickly. He follows Lily out, but not without shooting me another wary look.
Smart kid.
Lily pauses. “Coming?” she asks me.
I’m surprised. “Don’t you want some time alone?”
She shakes her head. “I want you to get to know each other. If you want.” She looks up at me from under her lashes, hopeful.
Damn. There’s nothing in the world I could deny her when she’s looking at me like that.
