Page 241 of Rosetti Family New York
"Keep going," I say instead. "We have to know."
"It’s just a start," Rafe says. "You don’t have to... It’s a lead. That’s all."
"But what if it’s true?" I say, each word sharper, harsher than the last. "What if it means... What if she was in danger because of this? Because of Lucas?"
The more I talk, the more it sounds like betrayal.
I feel Rafe’s hand tighten on mine.
"You think he’s involved?" he asks.
I don’t know what to think. My mind is a storm, a whirlpool. Maddy and Lucas. Lucas and the money. Lucas and the guilt I thought was grief.
"He’s one of my oldest friends," I say. "Him and Maddy. He would never... But the money... And his name on the account... I didn’t know. I didn’t fucking know."
Rafe’s eyes are locked on mine, steady and sure. It should calm me, but it doesn’t. It just makes everything feel more real.
"It’s a lot to take in," he says softly. "We can wait on it."
"I’m sick of waiting," I snap, the words like bullets, fast and uncontrolled.
"Sloane," he says.
The anger fizzles out, leaving me hollow.
"You can take the time to figure it out," he adds.
I shake my head, trying to clear it, trying to think.
I hear Maddy’s laugh, her teasing voice when I bailed on another night out. The way she joked that she had her own secrets, that maybe one day she’d let me in on them. But she never did. She never fucking did.
"I don’t want to wait," I say. "I can’t. Not when this could be it. Not when we’re this close."
"It’ll take some time to figure out what it all means," Rafe says.
"I have to know," I repeat.
My voice is raw now, stripped bare of any defenses.
"Then we’ll find out," Rafe promises.
"You think this Lucas guy is hiding something?" Emilio asks.
"I don’t know," I say. "But I have to find out. Even if it means... Even if Maddy... "
The words stick in my throat. They cut deep, leaving me breathless. I don’t want to say them. I don’t want to believe them.
"What if she wasn’t who I thought?" I manage to ask.
I barely recognize my own voice.
"Keep looking," Rafe says to Emilio.
His voice is steel. Unwavering. A rock in the chaos of my spinning mind. Emilio nods, fingers already flying over the keys, eyes intent and unblinking.
“We’ll pay Lucas a visit and figure out what he’s up to,” Rafe says. "It’s going to be okay."
He reaches for me again, his touch warm and reassuring. But it feels like a lie. Like something he can’t promise.
