Redeemed (Dirty Air Series Book 4)

Her boyfriend? What. The. Fuck. That’s all my brain can come up with as Chloe pats my hand covering her hip. Is this how she felt when I did the same? I’ve got to give it to her—this round of payback is a whole other level of crazy.

Matteo’s phone rings from some back room and he frowns as he rushes to answer it.

I move to take back my hand but Chloe’s palm presses against mine. “Don’t.”

One word has me freezing. Does she understand what she just did?

Of course, she doesn’t. You didn’t bother telling her who you were last night and now this is karma. 

Yeah, karma, well fuck you. No one likes the asshole who says, “I told you so.”

Matteo rushes back into the main dining area. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go pick up my friend. I hate to leave.” He frowns at me.

Chloe’s face brightens. “Oh! That’s okay! What if we invite you over for dinner next week?”

I grind my teeth together. Now she’s inviting random people over to my house? I want to interrupt and cancel these plans before they have a chance to flourish, but the smile on Chloe’s face has me second-guessing myself. Maybe playing her fake boyfriend for a couple of occasions in front of her boss isn’t the worst thing ever. It’s not like I have much else to do once Marko leaves. Plus, I don’t mind her brand of positivity. It beats living by myself, counting the days from my bed.

Matteo’s frown morphs into a smile. “Really?”

Chloe nods. “Sure. I’d love to spend time with you.”

I raise my brows. Something about the way Chloe trips over her words throws me off. No one acts that excited about dinner with their boss.

Matteo’s enthusiasm makes him blind to the meaning behind Chloe’s words. “Great. We can set a date when you come in for tomorrow’s shift. I can’t wait. Here’s the spare key for you to lock up the shop.” He places it on the counter. “Santiago Alatorre! Wow!” He beams at me before walking out the front door of his shop.

When Matteo disappears, she steps away from me.

“Who the hell are you?” The happiness she had toward Matteo slips away as she stares at me with narrowed eyes and reddened cheeks.

I’m desperate to have her smile at me again. Anything but this angry version of her would do.

“How badly do you want to know the truth?”

“More than I want to hear a lie,” she bites.

I look up at the ceiling, praying for the right words. “Remember when you thought Noah was an actor?”

“Yes.”

“Well…he’s not.”

“You don’t say,” she spits out with heavy sarcasm.

“Have you heard of Formula 1?” I can’t believe I’m asking someone this question. This is most definitely a first for me.

“Kind of? Is that the one where they drive around in circles like the movie Cars?”

A laugh bursts out of me. “No. That’s NASCAR. Please don’t insult me again by comparing F1 to that.”

Her scowl deepens.

Okay… “Why don’t we take a seat?” I point to an empty table across from Marko. The kid hasn’t bothered looking up since we got here because he’s immersed in whatever movie is playing on his iPad.

I fumble, pulling out a chair for Chloe. “So, my brother-in-law is probably the best Formula 1 racer of the decade. Hell, maybe the whole sport.”

“Okay…” She sits. “And you are?”

I take a seat across from her. “…I was his teammate.” My eyes drop to my lap. “Before my injury.”

Her mouth pops open at the same time as her eyes widen. “You mean to tell me that you’re some famous race car driver, and you kept that a secret from me this entire time?”

I lift my hands up in submission. “To be fair, I didn’t have much of a chance to tell you. Between pretending we were in a relationship—”

“Oh, you mean the lie of a relationship you started?”

I swallow, hoping to ease the dryness in my throat. “Right…between that and everything else, I kept going with it.”

“Don’t give me some half-assed excuse. Own up to what you did because you had plenty of time after to explain who you were.”

Damn. I enjoy her form of bluntness. I’m not one for reading between the lines anyway.

“I’m sorry that I lied. It’s my fault, and I’m not excusing that part. But you have to believe me when I say I didn’t do it from a malicious place. Not at all.”

“Then why do it in the first place? Why not come clean once your sister left? You pretended to be someone you’re not in front of me for two weeks.”

“Because you didn’t look at me like I was that guy. You treat me like the man I am now, rather than the one I once was. And that was something special to me that I wanted to hold on to for a bit longer. My reasoning was purely selfish, but I didn’t mean to hurt you. I came here today to admit the truth to you because I couldn’t stand lying to you anymore about it. Because you value honesty, and I value the way you act around me.” The words pour out of me, raw and earnest.

There it is. The god-honest truth that made me desperate to keep my secret from Chloe.

Her eyes soften, and her grimace turns into a flat line. “And how do I act around you?”

“Like you want to get to know who I am without the fame, fortune, and baggage associated with my name. And that’s something that doesn’t happen to me anymore.”

“That’s because I didn’t know it existed in the first place.”

I shake my head. “No. After spending time with you, I know you wouldn’t have cared about it either way. It was stupid of me to think you’d change by knowing what I did before.”

“I honestly still have no idea who you are.” Her laugh comes out a bit panicked.

“You know more than I’ve shared with anyone since my accident. How many people do you think I’ve let see me with my iWalk?”

“Umm…a handful?”

“None. Besides you and Marko, that is.”

Her brows raise. “Really? Not even your family?”

I shake my head from side to side.

She rears back. “Why?”

“Because I don’t like showing any kind of weakness. Especially to my family.”

Chloe frowns. “It’s not a weakness to need something like that. Iron Man would agree.” She nods her head towards Marko.

My lips twitch, fighting a smile. Seriously, she has this ability to erase the ice in my veins whenever I speak about my injury. “I’m sorry about lying and taking advantage of the situation.”

“I’m sorry too. It’s not like I’m completely innocent either. I went along with it all and lied to your family. And I just lied to my”—she stares off into the distance—“to Matteo.”

“Who is he to you anyway?”

“Someone important.”

“Does he know that?”

“No.” She looks down at her hands. “He doesn’t.”

“Why?” I speak low, without judgment.

Her head lifts. “He’s my dad. But he doesn’t know that I exist in the first place.” She goes off, explaining her ancestry kit experiment and how she ended up in Lake Como.

She wrings her hands together. “After I saw how he reacted around you, I kind of freaked out and said the first thing I thought would keep him interested in seeing me outside of here.” She waves a hand around the coffee shop. “I’ve tried multiple times to get him to go to lunch after my shift and he always has something else to do. I was getting desperate. But I’m sorry for using you like that. I wouldn’t have done it if I had known you’re actually some celebrity.”

No wonder she pretended I was her boyfriend. He practically tripped over his feet to meet me, and she took advantage of the opportunity. I can’t blame her when I basically did the same with my sister.

“It shouldn’t matter who I am. You told him I’m your boyfriend, and I doubt you can go and take that back. Plus, there’s no reason to.”

“Why? I’ll just pretend we broke up.” Her eyes drift away from mine. “Honestly, it’s probably for the best. I don’t want to lie to him either. That makes me a big hypocrite.”

“Do you feel ready to tell him who you are?”

She shakes her head from side to side. “Not at all. Today was honestly the first time I saw him animated like that. He’s nice and all, don’t get me wrong, but he treats me like an employee.”

I feel like shit. Here she is trying to connect with her dad, and I’m stealing his attention after a few minutes. An instantaneous flood of guilt hits me, wanting to make amends. “Then no. You can’t tell him the truth yet. Lying be damned, you should spend some time around him,” I blurt out.

“Why don’t you want me to tell him the truth?”

“Because you can spend some more time with him, using me as a way to keep his interest.” God, I hope that’s not the case. It’s sad enough that she traveled all this way to find him, only to be hiding. It must be lonely for her.

Just like it is for me. 

Her brows lift. “Why on earth would you want me to use you?”

“Let’s say I have my own selfish reasons for wanting you around.”

And in all honesty, I do. I like the way Chloe makes me feel normal again. It’s something I need more of, and this sacrifice seems like a small price to pay. I can build my confidence around her while she uses me as a prop.

“I feel like I’m getting the better end of the deal here.”

I shake my head from side to side. “I can assure you that you’re most definitely not.”

“Well…If you insist, I suppose it’s not the worst idea out there.” Her blue eyes brighten as they land on me.

I sit taller in my chair and lean in. “I’ll only ask for one favor in return.”

“What?”

“Join Marko and me for dinner tomorrow. It’s his last night before he leaves, and he hasn’t stopped talking about you since he first met you.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s about time we get to know each other. The real us.”

“For consistency. Smart.”

She wants consistency, I want someone to ease the loneliness I’ll feel once Marko leaves. This solution is the best of both worlds.

And with a nod of her head, I know I’ve got her trapped. She gets to spend time with her dad because of me, and I get to feel like a better version of myself.

It’s a win-fucking-win.