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“I can’t tell Mom I saw you,” I say.
“No, you can’t.”
“I love you, Aaron.”
“I love you too, ‘Me.”
Our hug lasts forever, and yet it’s not enough. I need an infinity of hours with him, just to feel his arms around me and his heart beating in his chest.
“’Me,” he calls out just before I close the car door. “Will you…” he scratches his throat. “Will you tell Em I love her? Or at least that I haven’t forgotten our promise.”
I don’t know what that promise is, but I shake my head. “No, Aaron. I’m sorry, but if you’re not coming back, she’s allowed to move on.”
He nods. “Yeah,” he chuckles sadly “You’re right.”
“You should too,” I advise before closing the door.
He follows me with his car as I make my way to our house. When I reach the steps that lead to our small cottage, Jake is waiting for me, sitting on them.
“Hey,” he tells me in his newly broken voice as he gets up. It’s as broken as my heart.
I look behind me, Aaron’s car is already gone. I look back at Jake, trying to keep strong, but losing my brother a second time is not something I’m sure I can handle.
“He’s not coming back, is he?” Jake understands straight away.
I shake my head ‘no’ and fall into his arms. I hear his slight wince, but he holds me tight.
“I got you,” he whispers in my hair.
“Is it over now?” I sniffle.
He doesn’t reply. And that’s how I know that it doesn’t matter that he just almost died. It doesn’t matter that I know deep down in my heart I will never love someone else. This is too dangerous for both of us. And as long as Mateo Bianco is out there, as long as the Wolves could come after us, we aren’t meant to be together.
“Let’s get you inside,” he rasps in a tight voice.
“Will you stay with me?” I ask as soon as we’re inside. “Just tonight.”
“I can’t stay over, Jamie. I haven’t done it since we broke up and I won’t now. If anything, now is the time to protect you more than ever.”
“Do you love me?” I croak, tears still streaming down my face. “Can you at least tell me the truth?”
He shakes his head. “Does it matter?”
“It does to me.”
“I won’t put your life in danger,” he avoids the answer. “Tonight has proved that this is bigger than me, it’s bigger than us. I’m fighting against threats I didn’t even know existed. Volkov and Bianco are at war, and as much as I hate it, I will always be associated with Bianco.”
A loud knock on my front door makes us both jump in surprise.
It bangs again, more harshly.
“Stay here,” he orders low.
He walks to the door slowly, but when he opens it, Rose pushes inside with a strength I didn’t know she had.
“Your gun?” she pants. Did she just run?
“What?” Jake replies completely lost.
