Black

Of course he didn’t. “He won’t. He’s my family. He’ll protect me. But it doesn’t feel right to lie to him.”

“I know it doesn’t, but right now you have to think about his safety, and the less he knows, the better.”

I nod, knowing he’s right and that JJ won’t ask questions. He’ll take whatever I give him and let that be that.

“And what about your safety?” I look around, lowering my voice. “Your father is dead, Rex. What’s going to happen to you?”

“Don’t worry about me. It’s all being taken care of.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Shae—”

I place a hand on his cheek. “Please, Rex. You have to tell me. I need to know what happened.”

“The mafia runs on a tight set of rules, and when my father killed your father, he broke one of them. There’s a chain of command in place for a reason, and for a boss to kill a boss or put a hit out on another boss, it must go up in front of the commission. My father didn’t do that, which means your family was allowed to retaliate without question. As far as the commission is concerned, this feud is over.”

“Wow. So that’s it? No one is coming after me? I’m sorry, but I have a hard time believing they’re just going to let all of us walk away.”

“You’re right; it’s not quite that easy.” Rex runs the pad of his thumb over my knuckles. “You probably didn’t know this, but your Uncle Giovanni was the underboss when your father was murdered.”

“I had no idea.”

“I figured you didn’t. He took over as acting boss the day of your father’s funeral. Your family is still one of the most prominent mafia families in the country. We may not be an active part of their lifestyle, but we’re still protected.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

“I can’t imagine how overwhelming this must be for you.”

Nodding, I stare at our joined hands. Suddenly I remember the bank book in my name.

“It was him,” I whisper, looking up. “He’s the one who was putting money in an account for me.”

Rex shakes his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Rex, I don’t think I was in witness protection at all. I think it was a lie. I think Giovanni was trying to protect me, and the only way he knew how to do that was to send me away.”

“Why would you think that?”

“The Blacks hated me. They would never have willingly adopted me. Now that I look back, it’s obvious they were being forced.”

“Or threatened,” he adds.

“It’s possible. The day they left me, they also left a bank book on my bed. It was in my name, and there’s enough money in there for me to live out the rest of my life without working a day. It had to be him. He couldn’t keep me, so he was trying to support me the only way he knew how. I need to see him, Rex. I need to talk to him.”

Rex’s brows furrow. “No. Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”

“He’s my family.”

“I understand that, Shae, but it’s too dangerous. He’s had the go-ahead to kill my father since the day your father died, and he hasn’t. There’s much more going on here, and we’re not getting involved. We’re done, baby.”

I don’t like his answer, but I understand it. “Fine. We’re done. For now.”

“No, for good. We’re done for good. That life can’t touch us anymore. Got it?”

I breathe a sigh of relief, a sense of comfort settling in my chest. Rex killed his own father to save my life, and I know he’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe. I press a lingering kiss to his lips and when we pull apart I ask, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m good now that you’re awake.”