Chapter 52
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Drago
“So… are we going to talk about what went down with you and Lily, or are we avoiding that topic?” Rowan says from the backseat.
I glance at his twin beside me and arch a brow. “We are not, Rowan.”
“Bella has been asking a lot of questions about you, Drago. We’ve done our detective work and are confident Lily is falling for you, and Bella is doing research on you to make sure you’re good enough for her best friend,” Rowan rambles.
I suck in a deep breath, fingers tightening on the steering wheel. I’m not good enough. I’ve proved that.
Still, my chest pulls painfully at the idea of Lily confiding in Bella about me. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s done,” I say, keeping my voice blunt.
“Nooo. Why?” Rowan whines.
“Reggie, please do something about this before I reverse into a tree and take him out.”
Reggie lets out a low chuckle. “Rowan. Shut it.”
“Wow. I’m sure that’ll do it,” I mutter, half joking.
“For what it’s worth, Drago,” Reggie says after a beat, more serious now, “and what you’ve told us before… Maybe it is a good idea not to get too involved. You’re her protection and her father’s. That sounds…” He trails off.
“Messy,” I finish for him.
“Is she worth it?” Reggie asks. “The fallout with Lev? And does she know how closely you’ve been watching her?”
Fuck.
“Yes, she’s worth it. No, she doesn’t know.”
My jaw locks. I’ve thought about this nonstop since we got back. How to tell her without sounding like a fucking creep.
“Could you lie to her for the rest of your life?”
“No,” I grit out. “No, I couldn’t. Is it selfish of me to love her?”
“Love?” Rowan gasps, scandalized.
“There is no other reasonable explanation,” I snap, the words tearing out of me, “other than love, that would explain why I’m so fucking obsessed with Lily. And why I’m willing to kill anyone who hurts her. Why I’m ready to ruin my friendship with her father for just a chance to make her mine.”
Silence crashes down inside the car.
Maybe I should talk to Charlotte instead. She might actually kick my brain back into working order.
“Fuck, Drago,” Reggie mutters. “I didn’t realize it was this deep…”
“Tatiana fucked it all up,” I tell him.
The air shifts instantly.
“What? How?” Reggie asks.
“I reached out for contact,” I say, scrubbing a hand down my face. “She appeared in the middle of the night in my lockdown fucking penthouse dressed as Lily.”
The words taste vile.
“She kissed me. And I’m certain Lily saw it. And instead of fighting for her to listen to the truth, I let her push me away.”
“Fucking hell, Drago,” Reggie hisses.
That’s when I know it’s bad. When Reggie thinks you’ve fucked up, you really have.
“And Tatiana’s name won’t mean shit to Lily,” Reggie adds. “She doesn’t know.”
“Yep. Except Lily doesn’t care for any explanation. She called us a fling and shut me down.” I pull into the Inferno parking lot and cut the engine.
“A fling,” Rowan says quietly. “Man, that’s harsh.”
I grunt, staring straight ahead. “Maybe she’s right,” I admit. “Maybe it’s safer for her this way. I can focus on taking down the Preacher and keeping everyone alive.”
Reggie chews on his lip like he’s holding something back. As Rowan gets out of the car, Reggie stays put, turning to face me. His dark eyes hold mine.
“As a man who has spent most of his life protecting the ones he loves instead of looking for his own happiness,” he says carefully, “just remember you deserve a life too, Drago. This fucking world is not all death and destruction. We can carve out some light for ourselves.”
I nod slowly. “I thought I found that in Monaco. It was the first time I’ve ever really felt alive. Like I’d found my real purpose rather than my duty.”
“So don’t let her go,” Reggie says firmly. “Tell her who Tatiana is. Tell her how you feel, before it’s too late. You never fucking know when your time’s up.”
“Wow. That took a turn.”
He shrugs. “Ya don’t know. You’ve come close to death before. Our clocks are ticking a lot fuckin’ faster than most people.” He gets out of the car, leaving me alone in the silence.
He’s right.
It hasn’t even been a day, and I can’t live without her.
I pull out my phone. An email notification flashes across the screen.
Russian encrypted.
Fuck.
I open it. A passcode prompt stares back at me—one I haven’t been sent.
Great. Tatiana and her fucking games.
“Reggie,” I call out, leaning out of the car.
He stops and looks back.
“Tell Declan to hold the meeting. I gotta do some coding, Tatiana has made contact again. I’ll head to the office here.”
He nods. “No problem.”
I sink back into my seat. I’m too fucking tired to be hacking encrypted messages. But this is the next step toward the end.
We want the Preacher.
And however we fucking get him… It’s in here.