“He left?”
Is that why he was reported missing?
“Yeah, after he killed his dad,” Nero answers. “He didn’t tell you? I thought you guys were together.”
I don’t answer. I’m still in shock after hearing what Cain did.
Did he really kill his dad?
“I never thought I’d see him again,” Nero adds. “But I’m glad. I’m glad I was able to fight him. Sure, he beat me, but I put up a good fight, I think. It was fun.”
Fun?
Right. I’m talking to someone crazy. Why should I believe him?
Besides, it’s not Cain’s past I came to ask about. It’s his present whereabouts.
“Since you know him well, maybe you know where he lives,” I say.
He gives me a puzzled look. “What? Did you lose him?”
I frown. “Or maybe you’re actually angry he beat you and you asked one of your friends to return the favor?”
Nero shakes his head. “I have no friends.”
Unfortunately, I believe him.
“And even if I did, I wouldn’t ask any of them to do that. I’ll repay Cain myself when I get out of here.”
“Which is never,” I tell him.
He looks at me and chuckles.
“What?”
Does he think I’m joking?
“You’re worried about Cain, aren’t you?” Nero asks.
I don’t answer.
He grins. “That’s sweet, but Cain can take care of himself. You should worry about yourself.”
“Because there’s someone else after me?” I ask him.
“No.” Nero places his arms on top of the table and looks into my eyes. “Because Cain Archer is a very dangerous man. In fact, if I were you, I’d forget about him.”
~
“Maybe I should forget about him,” I tell Taylor as the bartender pours me another glass of tequila. “I mean, it’s not like he’s my boyfriend. I’ve only known him for like two weeks and I still barely know him. I don’t know where he lives. I don’t know anything about his family or his childhood. So why am I looking for him? Why should I care if he’s dead or alive? I shouldn’t, right? I should just forget about him, right?”
I look at Taylor.
“What do you think?”
“I think…” Taylor meets my gaze. “That you’ve had enough tequila.”
He tries to get my glass. I put my hand on his wrist.
“I should forget about him. He’s too good to be true anyway. Maybe he was never real. Maybe I just imagined him.”
“Um, I saw him, too,” Taylor reminds me.
“Right. You saw how perfect he is.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say…”
“Why did he have to be so perfect?”
I grab the glass from between his fingers and gulp its contents down. The bitter taste makes me grimace. The alcohol lights a fire in my stomach and sends a buzz inside my head, causing it to spin for a second. I blink and steady myself. I flip the empty glass onto the counter beside the others and lift my hand to ask for another drink. Before I can catch the bartender’s attention, though, Taylor puts my hand down.
“Enough, Allie.”
His voice is stern, his gaze serious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this before. It’s kind of hot. But not as hot as the look on Cain’s face when he’s inside me.
“Have you ever had sex, Taylor?” I ask him.
He pulls his hand away and averts his gaze. “That’s an awfully personal question.”
One I believe his answer to is no.
“Well, Cain and I had sex,” I confess.
His eyebrows arch. “You did?”
“Two times.” I put up one finger, then two. “I mean three. And it wasn’t just sex. It was amazing, out-of-this world sex.”
Taylor puts a hand up. “Okay. I don’t really want to hear…”
“And then he left.” I put arms on the counter and rest my chin on my hands. “He just up and left. Without telling me why or where he’s gone or if I’ll ever see him again. Without even saying goodbye.”
That’s the worst part – no closure. All the balls are just hanging mysteriously in the air. It makes no sense.
Taylor takes my hand and looks into my eyes. “Then you should forget about him. He’s not worth any space in your memory or in your thoughts. I don’t care who he is or what he’s been through. No man should ever make a woman feel like she isn’t worth anything.”
I just stare at Taylor, speechless. Wow. For a man who’s not supposed to know anything about women, that’s surprising. And touching.
“And for what it’s worth…” He squeezes my hand. “I think you are… not worth anything. I mean not not worth anything. I mean you’re special. You’re incredible. Nothing anyone else says or does is going to change that.”
My lips curve into a smile. Now, that’s probably the best compliment I’ve ever heard.
It’s so good, in fact, I suddenly feel like kissing him. I place my other hand over his and move closer to him.
“You’re right. I should just forget about…”