Page 109 of Trapped

I clenched my jaw. “He shoved a freaking ring on my finger andtoldme we were getting married. He didn’t even ask. He wouldn’t let it go, so I kicked him out.”

“He doesn’t do things halfway. You should know that by now.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Yeah, I do.”

“You’re important to him,” Kill said, his baritone surprisingly gentle. “Maybe more than you realize.”

His words stung because I wanted to believe them. It’d be nice if Santino’s obsession with control was rooted in love, but every step forward felt like falling more into a trap.

“He’s just so… intense. Like he’s trying to control everything.”

Kill studied me for a long moment. “Santino’s not like your dad, and he’s not Dimitri. He’s got his own demons, sure, but he’ll never hurt you. He’s protective. Sometimes, he just goes about it in a fucked-up way.”

“He’s unhinged.”

“We all are.”

“Yeah, but he’s done a lot of messed up things.”

Kill used to murder people for a living. He wouldn’t bat an eye if I told him about the kidnapping, the birth control pills going mysteriously missing, or the man at the fighting ring he’d probably beaten to death.

“If he’s done some bad shit, it’s because he likes you so much.”

“You’re just here to help out your brother.”

“Santino isn’t the type to fly off the handle for a girl, but with you, he’s different. He’s…” He shook his head, smiling. “Whipped.”

“He sure has a funny way of showing it.”

“He’s never been good with feelings. Doesn’t mean they’re not there. And I’ve never seen him like this.”

I swallowed, my throat tight. “Then why doesn’t he just say it? Why does everything have to be about control?”

Kill shrugged. “Because that’s how we protect the people we love.”

I looked up at Kill, searching his face for any sign of deceit. I wasn’t angry anymore, just confused. Could it really be that simple? That all of this intensity was because Santino felt something deeper than he could admit?

“You think he loves me?”

Kill nodded. “I’ve never seen him this tortured over a woman in my life. And I’ve never seen him leave when things get tough. Not until today. And that’s only because you asked him to.”

All this time, I’d been so focused on my own fears. I hadn’t seen what was right in front of me.

“He’s scared,” Kill continued, his tone softening. “He’s terrified of losing you. And that makes him do stupid things. But it’s because he wants to make sure you’re with him. Always.”

I swallowed hard. “What if I’m too broken for him?”

“We’re all broken. That doesn’t mean we’re not worth fighting for.”

That settled over me like a warm blanket. Maybe he was right.

“I don’t want to lose him,” I whispered.

“Then don’t. Talk to him.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s at the fighting ring.”

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