Page 254 of Rosetti Family New York
"You needed cash, so you sold your sister's name to the Callahans."
He shakes his head, a shiver seeming to pass through him. Lucas flinches.
"I didn't think they'd kill her."
Rafe's voice sharpens.
"You let her confront them without telling her the truth. You let her walk into the lion's den, and you stood there."
Rafe's jaw is tight, his fists clenched. I watch his knuckles turn white and place a hand gently on his arm. Not to restrain him, just to remind him I'm still here.
"I thought they'd scare her. Maybe threaten her job. I never—" Lucas's voice is choked with regret.
Rafe advances, cutting him off.
"You never thought. Period."
In a flash, Rafe grabs Lucas by the collar and slams him into the brick ledge. Lucas doesn't fight back. His hands remain at his sides.
"Rafe," I say, my voice hoarse.
Through gritted teeth, his nose inches from Lucas's, Rafe seethes.
"You don't get to play the victim here," he snarls.
Lucas barely breathes.
"I'm not. I know what I did. I know I—"
"You killed her, Lucas," I interject sharply.
Those words halt everything. The wind moves around us, but we remain frozen. Just the hum of traffic from way down below and the sound of a dried-out potted plant tipping over in a gust.
"She trusted you. And you let them use her. Like she was nothing," I add softly, my voice hollow.
The moment I met Maddy is burned into my mind, bright and forever. She sat down beside me one day in the insanely crowded high school cafeteria, plunked her tray next to mine with a clatter, and announced with absolute certainty that she was my new best friend. Just like that. I still remember the way she grinned, that mischievous spark in her eyes as if she already knew she would change my life.
She was right. It wasn't long before it was the two of us, inseparable, working our way through school and everything else that came with it, from late-night study sessions to movies and heartbreaks and ice cream benders. I think of all those years with her by my side, her laughter like music in my ears, her loyalty so fierce and unbreakable. My new best friend. Until she was gone.
Lucas doesn't respond because there's nothing to say. He takes it all, each word like a bullet he expected. His eyes are hollow, filled with the devastation he can't put into words. It's the first time I've seen him look like he might cry. He runs a hand through his hair, grabs a fistful and tugs.
"I didn't want any of this," he finally says. "I didn't want her dead."
"Then what the fuck did you want?" I shout.
His shoulders hunch, his whole body pulling in on itself.
"I wanted to keep you safe, Sloane."
His words hang between us, full of guilt and grief.
Rafe lets go of Lucas roughly, shoving him away as if the very touch of him is poison. Lucas stumbles back against the ledge, a gasp escaping his lips, chest heaving like it might burst. A shiver runs through him, his eyes wild and frantic, like a hunted animal backed into a corner.
"You didn't want her dead, but she's dead, Lucas," I say, my voice low. "And now you want to play the hero?"
I feel my blood pounding, a rush in my ears.
Rafe is silent. His jaw is hard, his eyes harder.
