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My grip didn’t loosen on the gun even as I measured his sincerity Cristian hadn’t spoken about him I hadn’t asked But if Cristian had even suspected that Lorenzo was thinking of hurtinghere Felix was around here somewhere too I’d felt his eyes when I walked in, sensed his presence in the shadows But he didn’t exactly have a good track record with damsels in distress

Then again, I wasn’t exactly a damsel

I watched Lorenzo carefully He wasn’t arlint in his eye, wasn’t cloaked in anger and bitterness as he had been

“I won’t hurt you” He watched as I took stock of him

“No,” I agreed “You won’t I won’t let you”

Lorenzo grinned “Cristian has truly found his lad”

I scowled “Glad? Youour last encounter The one where you forced yourself on me and punched me”

Lorenzo flinched visibly, and I was glad He deserved for that to haunt him

“I hated myself,” he admitted, almost meekly “Have for many years It’s much easier to project that hate instead of face it Cristian was easy to hate” He exhaled a long breath “It is much harder to admit I love him”

“He cut off your hand, yet you love him?” My tone was saturated with disbelief

He chuckled The sound was light Pleasing al about him was a stark departure froo

“When you put it like that, it sounds insane” He looked down at the hook in place of his hand “But I was insane before Driven by greed, jealousy, grief I hated everyone,to kill ht to kill me It would not have been his fault Just ood people The best What they’ve gone through to build this, what they have lost” He trailed off as his eyes turned glassy

The emotion in his voice was palpable The shame