The Mafia Boss's Good Girl

I was still pretty preoccupied when Xander asked me to have dinner, so all I did was nod.

I was about to confront him when the door swung open, and Quinn's voice filled the silence.

"Evening, Holly!" Quinn greeted, carrying her overnight bag.

What's with the bag? Is stopping by no longer enough for her?

Is she planning to stay over this time?

"Mind if I crash here for a bit?"

Yeah, I figured.

"Of course not," I replied, forcing a smile. "Make yourself at home."

With Quinn around, I felt an indescribable tension. Oddly enough, I felt like she wasn't here for Xander this time, but for me.

We do not talk much, but I could feel her watching my moves closely, and it scared the hell out of me.

By the time we all sat down for dinner, Quinn spoke up.

"So, Holly," she began, casually swirling her fork in her pasta, "how's Xander as a boyfriend?"

I nearly choked on my food.

I glanced at Xander, who seemed just as taken aback as I was.

"He's... fine," I replied cautiously. "Why do you ask?"

Quinn smiled. "Just curious. You two are an interesting pair. Anyway... what would you do if you found out he wasn’t as perfect as you thought?"

My heart skipped a beat.

Is her question random, or was she hinting at something?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Quinn shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, you know, like if he had secrets? Things he wasn’t telling you. How would you handle that?"

Xander shot Quinn a sharp look. "What are you getting at, Quinn?"

But Quinn only laughed and raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Relax, Xander. I’m just making conversation. It’s just that Holly seems so trusting. It makes me wonder if she ever questions anything."

I forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow even to my own ears. "Everyone has secrets. It’s part of being human."

"True," Quinn said, her gaze never leaving mine. "But some secrets are bigger than others, don’t you think? Like, what if he was involved in something dangerous?"

"That’s enough, Quinn," Xander said sharply. "You’re making Holly uncomfortable."

But Quinn’s smile only widened.

"Sorry, Holly. I didn’t mean to upset you. It was so quiet, so I thought something to think and talk about was good."

Dinner continued in silence. As soon as it was over, I excused myself and went to our room.

Quinn's questions troubled me, though. They kept replaying over and over in my mind.

Was it really nothing? Or was it intentional?

Just then, Xander came inside.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

I nodded, and we sat on the edge of the bed.

"I’m sorry about Quinn. She has a way of pushing buttons."

I looked at him, searching his face for answers. "Xander, is there something you’re not telling me? Something important?"

Xander sighed. "Holly, there are things about my life and my work that I can’t share."

"I'm your girlfriend, Xander. Why not?"

"Because the less you know, the—"

Before Xander could finish, someone knocked, and Quinn poked her head in.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if we could talk, Xander?"

Xander looked at me apologetically. "Can we finish this conversation later?"

Helpless, I nodded.

I'm the girlfriend, but I felt like I was the one borrowing his time.

I was making breakfast the next morning when Quinn walked into the kitchen with a broad smile.

"Guess what, Holly? I’ve decided to move in for a while. Xander and I talked about it last night."

My heart sank.

How could he decide without consulting me?

"Move in?" I echoed.

"Yeah," Quinn said brightly. "I hope you don’t mind. It’ll be fun having another girl around, don’t you think?"

I smiled—pretentiously.

"Sure. It’ll be... interesting."