Realistically, he’s right. But there are way too many possibilities—way too many risks and variables that could go wrong, and I’m not willing to risk it.

“Or,” Aiden continues, “you can always just tell Anna.”

My head snaps up and I all but shove him away from me. “Are you serious?”

He holds up his hands in defense. “Hey, just thinking of all angles. If you tell Anna about Tony she’ll tell Luke to stop looking.”

“I cannot just go around telling everyone about my secret identity!” I throw a pillow at him. “It’s supposed to be a secret, remember?” Even if Agent Dylan apparently wants it not to be.

He catches the pillow as it harmlessly hits his chest and sets it down. “I know. It was just a suggestion. We should consider all options.”

“I can’t tell her that her biological dad’s a psychopath.”

“Why not? My dad’s a psychopath and I’m nothing like him.”

“I know that, and I know she’s nothing like Tony. But her brother’s in jail for murder. If we tell her about how her biological father actually has killed people and is hunting me down, she’s really going to start believing the gossip at school and think that she’s from a . . .”

I drift off, knowing that Aiden knows I mean a “family of killers,” like everyone’s saying.

“So.” I stand up. “That brings us back to the whole what are we going to do about Luke situation.”

Aiden studies me seriously. “Like I said, he can’t do anything from jail.”

“And we’re working to prove that he’s innocent. If we’re successful, he won’t be there for long.”

“But what if he’s not innocent?”

“Are you saying that we should stop looking?” Annalisa’s destroyed over this, and she’s put all her trust in me to help her out. We really couldn’t do that to her.

Aiden shrugs a single shoulder. “He probably did it, anyway.”

“But we promised Anna we’d help free him.” I promised Annalisa we’d help free him.

Aiden gets off the bed to stand in front of me, his full height forcing me to look up at him. “If they have no intention of relocating you to keep you close to Anna, then the answer seems clear to me. Keep Luke in jail, keep Tony away from you, and keep you here, with me. I don’t care what happens or what promises we have to break, as long as you’re always still here, with me.”

Those words erupt like millions of butterflies in my chest. Is he right about them wanting me to be here because of Annalisa? Can we really be that selfish? Can I really just live happily ever after with Aiden, everyone else be damned?

Annalisa’s broken face pops into my mind. She’s always so strong and fierce and has always had my back, no matter what threats I’ve faced. Can I really sabotage her only chance to reunite with her brother?

“Do you have a better solution than to just let the legal system find him guilty and keep him in there?” Aiden asks, sensing my hesitance.