Semua Bab The Price Of Us: Bab 11 - Bab 20

LOUISMy new uniform itched.Black dress shirt, black pants, black vest— clean, starched, and nothing like the faded hand-me-downs from home.I tugged nervously at the collar as I stepped onto the casino floor for the first time.The place hummed around me like a living, breathing entity.Laughter. Clinking glasses. The sweet, intoxicating smell of whiskey and high-end perfume.I made my way carefully through the crowd, tray in hand, hyper-aware of every step.The bruises under my clothes throbbed with each shift of my weight, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.Don't screw this, Louis, my brain screamed at me."Lost, kid?"A pit boss—a mountain of a man with a crooked nose—barked out a laugh and jabbed a thumb toward the roulette tables.I muttered a thank you and headed in the direction he pointed.My face burned in embarrassment. I haven’t even started and I was already blowing it.But when I spotted a dark form propped against the far wall, observing—always observing—my heart fa

ELIASThe darkened glass of my office window overlooked the entire casino floor.From up here, everyone looked small and insignificant.Everyone except him.I leaned forward a bit, my elbows resting on the mahogany desk, eyes fixed on the security feed.There he was, moving slowly through the casino lobby, cleaning tables, stopping now and again to grimace at the limp he worked so diligently to hide.Louis.Christ, that limp was terrible today."You know," Cathan stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed, "this is becoming an obsession."I didn't turn. "I'm just making sure he lives.""You're making sure you lose your mind over another broken thing you think you can fix," he snapped, taking a step closer."You're not his savior, Don."My jaw tightened."I'm not trying to be," I lied.Cathan didn't push it further—he knew when he needed to back off.Still, his words dug under my skin.The truth was, I saw too much of myself in Louis.The battered look he tried to hide, the way he f

ELIASThe second the door closed behind me, I yearned to turn around.Longed to fling it open, drag Louis out of that room, and lock him away someplace safe where no one would ever touch him again.Where no one would be able to hurt him like I knew they already had.But I couldn't.Not yet.Not without sending him running off into God knows where. Not that I won’t be able to find him, but I’d rather avoid the stress and hassle of it all.I rubbed a hand through my hair, my fingers trembling a little.This was not me. I didn't lose control."Don," Azion, one of my older guards called, leaning in. "Aaron's men have been seen around the docks again."A muscle in my jaw flexed. Aaron.That craven bastard was like a nasty disease—always lurking, always waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But lately, he'd been getting more and more bold.And I didn’t like it.Anyone stupid enough to try to hurt my family had a death wish and I was going to make sure he won’t be around for much longer.

ELIASRegardless of the azure sky and the calm sea, there was a restlessness in me that grew wilder by the second.The hum of the private plane was barely audible over the storm raging in my head. Louis sat across from me, ankles crossed, eyes glued to the window as if the view was enough to anchor his frazzled nerves. He was trying to appear too calm.And I didn’t blame him.He obviously wasn’t comfortable with the impromptu flight, but as my personal assistant, I needed him with me. And maybe I just wanted him close.When I’d informed Cathan about Louis accompanying me, he narrowed his gaze and muttered, "You're playing a dangerous game, Eli and you know it." He just didn't understand. Hell, I didn't either.But all I knew was that I wanted him close. Closer than was safe."Comfortable?" I asked, breaking the silence.Louis gazed at me, taken aback. "Uh—yeah. This is… not what I expected."I gave a faint smile. "And what did you expect?"Not a jet, that's for sure." He looked out th

LOUISThat night, after Elias had dismissed me, I couldn't help but wonder if it was all coming apart. The villa was too quiet, too far from the mess that was my life, and my mind kept spinning in circles, trying to wrap around the fact thar I was in Italy. Maybe that was the reason for my sudden boldness.Whenever I thought of Elias, my heart leapt in a way that was too much for me to handle. Not the physical attraction anymore. It was the pull. And I’m getting tired of ignoring it. I know there’s a possibility that he might not even be gay but… I see something there. Something hidden in those deep chocolate browns that I feel an unusual need to cover.And by God, I want to uncover those secrets.The following day, we went over the final details of our meeting. Elias was aloof, as he always was, his mood chilly and ungiving. We spent the day dealing with logistics, and when the sun began to drop low over the horizon, I was alone again with him on the balcony overlooking the hills.A