Chapter 20 - Elena
The night started perfectly fine before a sense of unease settled so deeply inside me that it now feels like a permanent thing.
I didn’t expect it to hit me as fast as it had, but it came armed with the reminder that this life, no matter how I try to dress it up and dismiss it, is built on a foundation of violence. One that none of us can escape.
The gunshot that came from Wyatt’s phone proves it.
I vouched for Wyatt even if it was in my own best interest to leave it alone and accept that I was back with my family.
I followed him back to his place while knowing I could’ve easily gone home and stayed there.
I went out with him, knowing this isn’t normal, and that none of this has ever been since that night I was taken by Vito.
Hell, it barely passed as normal before.
Before Wyatt checked his phone, everything felt fine. I felt fine, despite it all.
Music thrums through the floor of the club and vibrates up my legs as I stay seated beside him, focusing on sipping my drink and keeping my doubts just beneath the surface where he can’t see them.
For as calm as I acted after he admitted to what he saw, I feel a little less so now.
If I squint enough and pretend like he isn’t being stiff around me, this might almost pass for a date.
The lights are dim and warm, casting shadows across Wyatt’s face to make his features look even more appealing.
His presence is a constant at my side, and after what he just received from the Grimaldis, I doubt that will be changing anytime soon.
Despite the slight discomfort coursing through me, I remind myself that I chose this. That I walked back to him freely and even reassured him. I made it clear that I don’t want to be kept in the dark.
Yet, my chest feels tighter than usual.
I’ve spent so long around my brothers, listening to their business talks like they’re casual discussions about sports or worldly affairs.
I’ve become desensitised to the more gruesome aspects of their lives to a point where I let myself coast through this mess with complete, blind faith in them all.
They managed to keep it all just out of reach enough not to touch me, but with Wyatt, it’s like I’m right in the middle of it, with more at stake now.
I catch myself watching Wyatt rather than the crowd of people milling about the place, dancing and drinking without a care.
I see how his jaw clenches while he’s lost in thought, cataloguing everyone around us while he idly sips his drink.
He’s even quieter than usual, and something is unsettling about that, too.
This is the man I stuck my neck out for. The one I defended in front of my brothers, all while assuming he didn’t feel the way I did. That what happened between us was only physical, convenient, and temporary, even if it was one of the most profound moments of connection I’ve ever felt with anyone.
It was a bold move on my part, but even with the uncertainty looming around us, I don’t regret standing up for him. He would’ve been tortured at best, and killed at worst. The thought makes my stomach turn.
Regardless of how he feels, I won’t pretend to be blind to the little things he does. Like ordering my drinks and knowing exactly what I wanted without having to ask. Or the way his fingers have been absently tracing the inside of my wrist while we wait.
He isn’t one for big, loud displays of affection, and even to my surprise, I don’t mind it. I prefer it, knowing these small, quiet moments are for me.
It doesn’t help the way my heart has been swelling for him.
I enjoy his touch, regardless of how subtle, and that’s a problem in itself.
After a few more minutes of sitting there, sectioned off like royalty, I start to grow antsy between the quiet and almost troubled air between us. I know he’s lost in thought, considering his next moves as always, but that isn’t how I want to spend my night.
Then, I feel as Wyatt leans closer, speaking directly in my ear. “You look restless.”
Letting go of a breath, I drink through my straw tucked into the corner of my lip. “I am.”
A vaguely amused sound escapes him at that. “You could just say you’re bored. I know you aren’t one to sit still long.”
Glancing up at him, I cock a brow. “And what if I’m trying to be nice?”
At that, a small smile pulls at his lips, and his hand drifts down to my thigh, sending a spark of warmth and excitement through me. “If you’re nice for too long, I might start to miss your attitude.”
Pushing the uncertainty away for a moment, I grin. “As you should.”
Wyatt keeps his hand on me in a somewhat possessive yet gentle touch, and part of me leans into it, craving that heat again. The slow, careful brush of his thumb against my skin blends desire with danger.
Still, another part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop, almost like everything else is suspended in time and prepared to land at any moment.
Wyatt moves subtly closer, lips grazing my jaw as he murmurs, “Then it seems I still have to tame you yet.”
The notion makes my stomach squirm, and my thighs part a small fraction. He notices, and the heat between us intensifies as his fingers drift closer. Tempted.
Some reckless whisper in the back of my mind tells me to forget about everything else. To dive into this and take what I want, even if it’s just lust. He’s right here, after all…practically nudging me in that direction anyway.
Just as his lips brush against my neck, stirring so much more than just need in me, a familiar laugh pulls me out of it.
Glancing over, several voices cut through the music. Recognition fills me once I spot them properly, and relief tempers those desires for now.
The girls. Victoria, Kat, and Lily, all walking together through the club with my brothers in tow, letting their wives lead the way as easily as anything.
Normalcy.
Wyatt pulls back with a breath that doesn’t fly beneath my radar, shifting his hand to the small of my back.
“Your family’s here at last…” he murmurs, sounding a little more dejected than I expect.
I smile as the girls wave at me, then I return my attention to him. “Promise there won’t be any problems tonight?”
Wyatt sighs as if I’m asking too much, but the faint tug at his lip gives him away. “I promise. Go have fun.”
Something in me softens a bit, somewhat guilty at the idea of leaving him despite the intimate bubble he tried to make for us. I linger a beat longer before nodding and getting up. “I won’t be far.”
Before I can second-guess myself any further, I get up, peeling away from him with a touch of reluctance. My brother's approach before I can get too far.
I throw them a look of subtle warning and teasing as I pass by them. “Be nice, please.”
Despite his usual stoicism, Roman’s smile sharpens. “No promises.”
Scoffing while they continue on, heading straight for the reserved section to join Wyatt, a funny twist in my gut makes itself known at the thought of him having to endure my brothers and their obnoxiousness on his own.
“Elena!” Victoria says over the music while she approaches, reaching for me with a smile.
As her face fills my vision, the worry seeps away with ease, and I meet her halfway, sharing a deep, necessary hug. Her perfume and the smell of champagne surround me at once, reminding me of all the other times we’ve done this. Back when I had less to fret over, and when things were simple.
“God, I missed this,” I catch myself murmuring, slipping back into my old self.
“We’ve all missed you more. It feels like forever since we’ve been out like this,” she says, tone warm and understanding as she pulls me along with her, gesturing to where the others are waiting by the bar. “Come on, join us!”
Without needing to be told twice, I let the prospect of a night well spent with the girls guide me forward, lifting the heaviness that has been following me lately.
Before long, I’m enmeshed in the group again while Lily and Kat greet me too, pulling me back into the fold without hesitation. It happens so naturally that I almost forget how my evening started. I almost forgot that I didn’t come here with them.
But even as we drink and talk, I can still feel it.
From across the space full of moving bodies and flashing lights, I feel Wyatt’s eyes on me. Even now, surrounded by my brothers, trapped in a quiet standoff, he finds me. He watches.
I know this has to be a foreign thing to him…being witnessed and known to my family, caught in their scrutiny, whether he likes it or not.
While sipping my drink, I glance back at him, catching his eyes already on me, and even from there, something passes between us. It’s unspoken, like a question, or maybe reassurance.
Well aware that he’s biding his time, I can’t help but lift my glass in an ironic toast.
He almost smiles. It’s a slight movement of his lips, but my heart pulses twice as hard anyway.
Turning back to the girls again, I force myself to stay as present as possible. I spent far too long wearing disguises and hiding behind Wyatt just to avoid any kind of nuclear fallout, but here and now, I just want to enjoy whatever I can of this moment.
Remembering all the ways I used to have fun before, I find myself dancing with the girls, letting the more chaotic atmosphere free me from the danger circling overhead.
Tonight might feel borrowed, but after it, I’ll eventually have no choice but to acknowledge the fact that Wyatt’s world isn’t too different from the one I’ve brushed against my entire life.
And despite the risks, I chose him.
With Roman’s demands being met, I don’t know if this will lead to more freedom or ruin. But for now, I don’t care to think about either.