Chapter 184
Chapter 184
The silence stretched between us as we both stared at the letter that had fallen to the floor. Forty eight hours.
Victoria and Nico had given us forty–eight hours before they destroyed everything.
“We need information,” I said finally, my voice steadier than I felt. “About what they know, how they found out, what their real endgame
Dominic nodded, his mind already working. “I can have my men
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“No.” I cut him off gently. “Your men are too obvious. Victoria and Nico will see them coming from a mile away. But I have another idea. My idea that Luca told you about. Just hear me out okay”
His eyes sharpened with interest. “I’m listening.”
“Carmen.” I moved to pick up the letter, folding it carefully. “She works at the club where this all started. She hears everything, knows everyone. And more importantly, she’s invisible to people like Victoria.”
“You want to involve your friend in this?”
I heard the concern in his voice, the protective instinct that wanted to keep everyone I cared about safe. But this was bigger than safety now.
“Carmen’s already involved whether we like it or not. The moment Victoria decided to target me, she put everyone close to me at risk.” I met his gaze steadily. “But Carmen’s smart, and she’s survived in that world longer than I have. She knows how to gather information without making waves.”
Dominic was quiet for a moment, considering. Finally, he nodded. “What do you need?”
I pulled out my phone, surprised to find my hands weren’t shaking. “Five minutes to talk to her. And for you to trust me.”
“Aria.” He caught my hand before I could dial. “If this goes wrong-”
“It won’t.” I squeezed his fingers. “Partners, remember?”
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Partners.”
I dialed Carmen’s number, stepping slightly away from Dominic but not so far that he couldn’t hear the conversation. She answered on the second ring.
“Girl, how did it go? That man is scary. Did he cut your head off? I’ve been worried sick.”
“I’m okay, if he had cut my head off I wouldn’t be here.” I said quickly. “But I need your help now. Can we talk? Still here?”
“Hold on.” I heard voices in the background, then the sound of a door closing. “Okay, I’m in the back office. What’s going on?”
“Remember what we talked about before? About gathering information?”
There was a pause. “You mean about the blonde bitch who’s been asking questions about you?”
“Her name is Victoria Romano. And yes, exactly that. Carmen, I need you to find out everything you can about her recent activities. Who she’s been talking to, what she’s been asking, if she’s made any new friends.”
“Aria, gosh. I would have to go to the vips. They are scary.”
“It is dangerous. But it’s happening whether we get involved or not. At least this way, we have some control.”
I could practically hear Carmen thinking on the other end of the line. Finally, she sighed. “What do you need me to do?”
“Just listen. Watch. Use that network of girls you know at other clubs. Victoria’s been gathering information about me, and I need to know where she got it and what else she might know.”
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Chapter 184
“And if I find something?”
“Call me immediately. Don’t try to handle it yourself, don’t confront anyone. Just information.
“Okay.” Carmen’s voice was steady now, focused. “I can do that. But Aria?”
“Yeah?”
“Be careful. Whatever you’re mixed up in,
in, it’s bigger than just some jealous ex girlfriend, isn’t it?”
I glanced at Dominic, who was listening intently. “Much bigger.”
“I figured. You haven’t been yourself lately.”
There was something in her tone that made me pause. “Carmen, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest.”
“Always am with you, honey.”
“Can we talk privately later? Like, really privately?”
“Of course. You know my room is always open to you.”
“Thank you. I’ll call you in a few hours.”
I hung up and turned back to Dominic. “She’ll help.”
“Good. Now we wait.”
But I couldn’t wait. The letter had stirred up something inside me, a restlessness that had nothing to do with Victoria’s threats and everything to do with the conversation I needed to have with Carmen.
“I should go see her,” I said. “In person.”
Dominic’s expression immediately shuttered. “Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”
“Dominic-”
“Aria, they threatened to expose you to your biological family. That means they’re watching, waiting for you to make a move. The moment you step outside–”
“Then come with me. Besides the room is up above I would be fine but if you are worried.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. ” send Matthias. Or half your army. I don’t care. But I need to talk to Carmen face to face.”
“Why?”
Because I am dying, and I need to tell someone how I really feel about you before it’s too late. Because I’m scared and confused and I need my best friend. Because there are things I can’t say in front of you.
“Because some conversations can’t happen over the phone,” I said instead.
He studied my face for a long moment, and I wondered if he could read the turmoil I was trying to hide. Finally, he nodded.
“Two hours. Matthias will be with you, and you don’t go anywhere without him.”
“Thank you. And please get that hand treated/”
Carmen’s room was exactly as I expected it to be small, cluttered, but somehow managing to feel warm and safe despite the chaos. She pulled me into »
Chapter 184.
fierce hug the moment I walked through the door.
“God, so.glad he didn’t eat your head off,” she said, pulling back to study my face.
“Thanks. That’s exactly what every girl wants to hear.”
She guided me to her worn couch, settling beside me with two cups of coffee that were probably more whiskey than caffeine. “Okay, talk. And don’t give me any of that ‘I’m fine‘ bullshit. What’s really going on that you left daddy control?”
I took a sip of the coffee–whiskey mixture, feeling it burn down my throat. Where did I even start?
“How much do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
So I told her. Not everything–I couldn’t tell her about Dominic’s business, about the violence and the bloodshed that surrounded his world. But I told her about the threats, about Victoria, about feeling trapped between two impossible choices.
“Jesus, Aria.” Carmen shook her head. ”
“I know.”
“And this Dominic guy… he’s really trying to protect you?”
I thought about his hands on my face, about the vulnerability in his eyes when he’d admitted he didn’t know how to trust someone. “Yes. In his own messed–up way.”
Carmen was quiet for a moment, studying me with those sharp eyes that never missed anything. “You love him.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Carmen-”
“Don’t even try to deny it. I can see it all over your face.” She leaned forward, her expression serious. “The question is, does he love you back?”
“I don’t know.” The words came out as barely a whisper. “Maybe. But it doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it matters. Love always matters.”
I shook my head, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “No, you don’t understand. It doesn’t matter because…”
I couldn’t say it. Couldn’t voice the fear that had been growing in my chest for weeks now.
“Because what?” Carmen’s voice was gentle now, coaxing.
“Because I might not have much time left to figure it out. I mean he have said it but sometimes it just makes me feel…awful and as if I am nothing but his plaything.”
The words hung in the air between us like a death sentence. Carmen’s face went pale.
“What do you mean?”
I told her about the cancer. About the treatments that weren’t working as well as they should. About the blood tests that had been getting worse instead of better. About the fear that kept me awake at night, the knowledge that my body was betraying me even as I was finally finding something worth fighting for.
By the time I finished, Carmen was crying.
“How long have you known?” she whispered.
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Chapter 184
“A few weeks. Maybe longer. I’ve been trying not to think about it.”
“Does he know? Dominic?”
“No.” I wiped my own tears away with the back of my hand. “And you can’t tell him.”
“Aria-”
“Promise me.” I grabbed her hands, squeezing tightly. “Promise me you won’t tell him. He has enough to worry about right now, and if he knew… if he knew, he’d do something stupid and reckless to try to save me.”
Carmen stared at me for a long moment, then pulled me into another fierce hug.
“I promise,” she whispered against my hair. “But honey, you can’t keep this from him forever.”
“I know.” I closed my eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume and cigarettes. “I just need a little more time.”
Time to figure out how to tell the man I love him before my life goes.
Time to help him defeat his enemies before my body gave up the fight.
Time to memorize the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t watching.
“Okay,” Carmen said finally, pulling back to meet my eyes. “I will do my best for you guys and I hope those bad guys regret it big time.”
