Page 46 of Hostile Cravings
“I’m on my way. Tirenti is en route. Why?”
I sat, staring out at the beach. “Because I fucked up…I’m not really sure how, but I lost her.”
“You what?” he yelled into the phone. “How did you lose her on an island that small?”
“Not like that, asshole. She left. Something upset her and we had a fight, and she walked out.”
“And you just let her go?” I could hear the anger in his voice, his teeth grinding while he awaited my answer.
“I may have kicked her out, but in my defense, she was packing when I returned to the room.”
“Shit, Ty. I thought you were in love. What happened to that in the short time since we talked?”
I leaned on my knees, wishing I had the answer. “I don’t know. I seriously don’t.”
There was a knock on the door, so I rose, saying to Mason, “Let Donelli know. She doesn’t want my protection anymore. She made that clear. The sham is up and I’m out.”
“That means Tirenti is his problem to deal with,” he said. “Without us in the middle, it’s a territory thing, and Donelli isn’t in the position to keep Angie safe without starting a war.”
I opened the door to Finch and ushered him in. I could see he was still eager to tell me something.
“And if it’s a war, Donelli will lose,” I said.
“Exactly. I’ll warn Donelli before Tirenti comes and we’ll come up with something.”
“For Angie’s sake, I hope you do,” I said, hanging up. The thought of Joey Tirenti getting his hands on her was enough to make me see red.
Finch had been waiting patiently for me, and I signaled for him to talk.
“I delivered the package. The governor took her.”
“Thanks, Finch.”
I expected him to leave, but he lingered.
“Don’t take this the wrong way…” My jaw ticked just at his words, and I waited for him to continue. “…but you have a tendency to leap before you look.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve worked with you and Mason long enough to know how you two behave. I’m just saying, I don’t think you listened to what she was telling you.”
“And how do you know that? Were you in here when she was packing her bags and telling me she hated me?”
He snorted. “No, but I heard it all. Besides, she tells you she hates you all the time. Since when does that bother you?”
I shoved my phone in my pocket and looked away, knowing he was right. It had bothered me this time when it never had before because I’d expected to pull her into my arms and tell her how I felt, to kiss her and spend the day with her. But her reaction when I’d entered put me on the defensive and once I was there, it was difficult to pull me back.
“She made it clear she wanted to leave and never see me again. It’s over and it should never have begun.”
“It’s over because you didn’t stop to ask her why she was upset. I don’t think she heard your entire conversation, boss.”
My eyes shot up at him as the memory of her words returned, the way they’d focused on only certain words I’d told Mason. That I was tired of pretending, that she was a brat, and it was killing me to be with her.
“Fuck,” I muttered, a sense of defeat making my shoulders slump. She wasn’t leaving because I’d gotten too close, she was leaving because she had, and she thought none of it was real to me. That I’d used her. “Get me a car.”
He raised a brow.
“Get me a car now and get me to the airport!” An urgency took over my body, a need to get to her before she got on that plane because if I didn’t, there was no getting her back. I thought about calling Mason while Finch called about a car, but I needed to talk to Angie first. If I couldn’t convince her to listen to me, then it wouldn’t matter that I’d discovered the miscommunication.
