Chapter 13: Betrayal

I composed myself as best I could and hurried to Brodo. Now I was really late, and I was hoping that it wouldn't draw too much scrutiny. The front was pretty much empty when I got there, but the doors to the back were closed, which meant they were probably having a meeting. I could hear voices on the side--definitely at least Alex and Steven, the other two I didn't recognize.

I took my jacket off quickly and put it underneath the bar with my purse. Alex always requested whiskey for his meetings so I quickly grabbed some off the shelf and a few empty glasses. It caught me off guard when I walked in to see Brandon sitting at the table. When I didn't hear his voice, I assumed he wasn't there. The other two were men I recognized from working with my father.

I tried not to make eye contact with anyone as set the tray down in front of Alex. I felt every eye in the room on me, especially Brandon's red-hot stare, but I did my best to avoid him. I needed to get out here as fast as I could.

"I want everything moved from Sampson Hill to Sparrow Street." Steven said, continuing to operate as if I wasn't in the room. My stomach about lurched when I heard the words come out of his mouth, and I made a beeline for the door.

I shut it sharply behind me and immediately collapsed onto a bar stool with my head in my hands. I would have given just about anything to go back in time and not hear what I heard. Steven had pretty much just handed me the ammunition I needed to get Herrera off my back. All I had to do was pick up the phone, let him know and that would be the end of this. He could raid their warehouses and I could go home and Adam and I would move on with our lives from this whole mess.

In my heart, I hated the very idea of it. I was still angry with the Avenettis, especially with Steven, but this was a whole new level of revenge. Could I really derail their entire lives, most likely sending them to prison in my place? What choice did I have? Herrera was threatening my brother's life if I didn't give him something viable. I was so nauseous I felt like I could throw up at any second. If someone had asked me before I actually came here, I would have said it wasn't even a choice. I wanted revenge on the Avenettis and would have turned them in in a heartbeat. But it only took a few days back here for all of that to change. They weren't the horrible monsters I had made them out to be in my mind, they were the same people I had known my entire life. They loved and cared about me, and I was betraying them.

How could I choose between these two evils? No matter what I did, someone I loved was going to get hurt. I couldn't put Adam's life in danger though. I had given up my entire life to get him out of trouble, and if something happened to him because I got too attached to Brandon again, I'd never forgive myself.

I took my phone out and fumbled over the buttons, typing out a text to Herrera. I had no choice. They may hate me in the end, but I had to protect the only family I had left.

"Ehm." Brandon cleared his throat from behind me, startling me so badly that I jumped, dropping my phone to the ground.

"Jesus Brandon, you scared me." I shrieked, clutching my chest.

Brandon eyed me carefully, and a small smile tugged at his lips. "I didn't mean to scare you, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I sighed, bending down to pick up my phone. "I haven't seen you for a few days." I stood up slowly, turning my phone off and setting it on the counter. "Been busy?"

"I have, but if I'm being honest, I was keeping my distance from you." Brandon smirked, leaning against the bar with his arms crossed over his chest.

I arched my eyebrow at him, not exactly sure what he meant. Maybe I had read the signs wrong and he didn't still care about me like I thought he did.

"But not for the reasons you think." Brandon put his finger to my chin, forcing my eyes to his. "I had to stay away from you because I can't control myself when you're involved. You make me question everything Sadie--all of this shit. You always have. I start thinking about things I haven't thought about in years, and wishing for things that have been out of my reach for a long time. But I have to prepare myself for when you leave again, that's why I had to keep my distance from you."

"But you're here today." I whispered, the words rolling off of my tongue as smooth as honey. For the first time since I had been here, I felt like I was being sincere with him. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Brandon smirked, closing the distance between us until our lips were only millimeters apart. "I know you're lying to me, princess, but I don't care. I'm going to ride this out for however long I can." He pressed his lips to my forehead gently, and I could feel his smile. "Now how about that pizza date I owe you? Can I pick you up at eight?"

A soft blush rushed to my cheeks as I smiled. "Sure."

I had no idea what the fuck I was doing, but right now I didn't care. With one breath I had betrayed Brandon and his family, and the next, I was agreeing to a date with him. I had to stop playing both sides of the fence and figure out where my loyalties were.