Page 102 of Between Us

Alessandra spoke first. She put down her book, refusing to be intimidated. She’d stayed up late on purpose, needing to talk to him about the recently imposed interdiction for her to see her parents. “You're home late.”

“And you're not sleeping.”

“Were you hoping that I was?”

He continued to undress quietly, not looking at her. Alessandra stared at his back, frustration eating away at the last precarious thread of her patience. She'd spent the entire day analyzing his reasons for not allowing her to meet up with her mother. And now that he was home, he was acting so cold and indifferent, it was downright maddening.

“Is this how it's going to be?”

“How is what going to be?” His voice was too calm, contrasting with the tension lingering behind every movement.

“You acting like this, and me having to accept it.”

He stopped working on his belt and turned to meet her eyes. “And how am I acting?”

“Like my father.”

It was a low blow, and she knew it.

His gaze clouded as a muscle ticked in his jaw. “I am nothing like your father.”

Unable to keep still for a second longer, Alessandra swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. She crossed her arms over her chest as she kept the eye contact. Had she been anyone else, she would have been intimidated by the dangerous storm looming behind deep-blue oceans. It was almost unsettling the way his eyes changed color so abruptly, depending on his mood.

But, maybe for the first time in her existence, Alessandra wasn't afraid of the man in charge of her life. Although she had just compared Roman with her father, they were nothing alike. Deep in her gut, her instinct told her that she could be herself around her husband, even in difficult times like the ones they were currently facing. For once, she didn't feel the need tocensor her thoughts or the things coming out of her mouth.

“Why can't I see my family?”

“It's a temporary thing until I can figure out some shit.”

“Figure out what, Roman?” she asked, already feeling a little exasperated. When his answer didn't come, a sudden realization hit her, and she wondered how she hadn’t seen it earlier. “Did my father have anything to do with the shooting?”

At this point, nothing seemed too far-fetched. The Outfit and the Bratva had been enemies for many years. Animosity still existed between the two organizations regardless of their recent truce.

Something cold trickled down Alessandra back. If her suspicions were right, more bad things were guaranteed to follow.

“I don't know.”

A lie.

She could read it on his face. Despite being in one hell of a mood, he was still an open book to her?had been for quite some time.

“You don't know, or you won't tell me?”

“I don't fuckingknow.”

“But you've heard something. Just because I'm not in the business, it doesn't mean I'm stupid.”

Across the room, Roman yanked at his belt, letting it fall on the floor with a loud clank. The sound grated on Alessandra's already frayed nerves.

“What do you want me to tell you, huh?”

“The truth,” she said more quietly. The beginning of a headache already pulsed at her temples, deepening the scowl on her face.

Roman shook his head. He looked precariously close to start a fight.

He answered in a clipped tone. “Someone saw a black Lincoln SUV leaving the club area shortly after the shooting. We still don't know who was driving it, but I'm working on finding out.”

After taking a moment to absorb the extent of his insinuation, Alessandra dismissed it with a flick of her hand. Was that all he had?second hand information about a car that maybe hundreds of people in the city drove? It was absurd.

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