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GIANNI
“Where the fuck is he?” The asshole’s voice carries down the hall and directly into my ears. Fucking Charles. Only he would come storming into the hospital like the fucking Calvary at a time like this. What a sanctimonious prick.
I’m barely out of Tatiana’s room, when I find Charles Cole matching down the hall, his cheeks red, his gaze murderous, looking like he just stepped out of the shower when I called–ils dark hair wet and raked away from his forehead. I notice he’s wearing sweats and a pair of slides on his otherwise bare feet. Two nurses make the mistake of crossing the hall at the same time and are nearly steamrolled in his attempt to reach me. Of course, the man too busy glaring at me with rage to notice.
He’s my last concern once I catch sight of the taller man walking behind him. His officer badge gleams treacherously back at me from the lanyard hanging around his neck.
Yeah, fuck no.
“Absolutely fucking not,” I warn, holding up both hands before pointing at the stranger. “I will not have cops involved in this.”
Charles stops short, his scowl deepening, “I didn’t have him come to be a cop. He’s a friend.”
“Apologies, I came right from work,” the man offers a tight–lipped smile. “Ken Miller.”
“I don’t give a shit what your name is,” I snap. “And I don’t care if you didn’t call him to act as a cop. I don’t want the cops involved, on duty or off duty. This could have horrible ramifications for everyone involved.” I’m incredibly close to reaching my breaking point and can’t be held liable for the blood that will be spilled if I end up going on a murderous killing spree.
“Where is she?” Charles demands, as if suddenly realizing why I called again.
“If I knew, I would tell you, wouldn’t I?”
“I could have ten cars out there looking for her right now,” Ken offers, clamping a hand on Charles’s shoulder. I have to wonder if these two idiots heard a single word I said.
“No,” I growl, shaking my head. “Going to the police isn’t an option.”
Charles’s eyes bulge out of his head, “How can you say you give a shit about my daughter but refuse to get the authorities involved? They could be looking for her instead of standing around like you are right now.”
I take a threatening step forward, barely remembering who he is and what he means to Caterina. All I can think about is how I should kill him for speaking in such a disrespectful manner to me. He doesn’t have even the slightest understanding of how deep my love for her goes and that the only reason he’s still breathing at this point is because of her love for him.
“He could be right.” Ken holds Charles back when it looks like he’s going to be stupid enough to lunge at me. “It might complicate things if we go to the authorities.”
“This is your fault.” Charles spits, his eyes are red–rimmed, and fresh tears fill them. “I told her what to expect being with a man like you, but she went ahead anyway, didn’t she? She let you destroy her. Being with you puts her in danger, possibly costing her life.”
The thing is, there’s nothing I can say to defend myself. He’s absolutely right. This is my fault. If Caterina wasn’t involved with me, she’d be living a carefree normal life. Living with a boyfriend who works at a nine–to–five job, looking forward to spending time with friends over the weekend. Maybe planning a vacation somewhere or saving up to buy a house. She could have a simple, quiet life free from the danger our involvement keeps putting her in. None of those thoughts really matter thou because, damn it, she’s mine and I’m not letting her go.
She belongs to me, with me. I can’t accept the idea of us not being together, not even now, when Roger has done nothing since Tatiana went down for scans except to call in every favor owed to him by everyone in his extensive network of colleagues.
“Okay, let’s take this one step at a time,” Ken suggests. “Start at the beginning. What happened?”
Though my instincts tell me to brush him off, this is not the time when I can afford to alienate anyone who might be able to
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help. And if he’s going to calm Charles down and keep him thinking rationally, he’s someone I need to have on my side. Even as I find myself grinding my molars, I do my best to provide a clear, honest answer to his question. “A text I received–we received,” I amend, jerking my head toward Roger, He’s pacing the large room, muttering instructions into his phone. He’s every bit his cold self, except there’s a little more worry in his features now.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I show the men the text.
“I would ask who you pissed off “les sueers, “but I’m sure we don’t have the time to go through the entire list.”
My fist involuntarily becomes a ball that I want to smash against his nose.Asshole.“It might surprise you, but there aren’t many people I consider my enemy. The
t of people that are stupid enough to go to those lengths has become less and less over time.”
“Is there anyone in partic
who
ad a falling out
with recently?” Ken asks.
“Are you kidding? Somebody like him? This could be anyone,” Charles groans, holding his head in his hands as he turns away. I watch along with Ken as his entire body shudders with rage, his clenched fist raising as tre slams it into the wall hard enough to leave an indent.
“Pull yourself together,” Ken urges him. “You won’t be of any help if you hurt yourself.”
“This is because of you!” Like a light switch being turned off and on, Charles loses it. He lunges at me, throwing a punch before Ken can stop him. He’s too worked up, and the swing is wild, only making contact with my shoulder before I drive him backwards into the wall he just dented.-
The breath leaves his lungs all at once, but he recovers quickly and snarls in my face, spit flying. “All you’ll ever be is a fucking cancer that destroys everything it touches! Why couldn’t you leave her alone? She might be too young to understand, but damn it, you’re not! You know better!!”
“I know that,” I agree, my voice low as I back away. Ken takes my place, and good thing, because I might have to break the bastard’s neck if there isn’t space between us. Caterina loves him. have to remember that.
“If you truly cared about her, you would’ve pushed her away! There’s no hope of her ever being safe or happy when she’s with you!” Charles shoves Ken out of his way almost violently. Apparently he’s still itching to wrap his fingers around my throat and squeeze the life right out of me.
“Do you honestly think I haven’t told myself those same things? That I should’ve walked away and denied our attraction. That she would be better off without me. Do you know how much guilt a man can heap on himself in a heartbeat? As soon as I knew she was gone, I told myself all of the things you’ve said and
more.
“Then how the hell are you still breathing?” his lip curls into a snarl. “How? How can you live with yourself? How are you still standing here? I would have thrown myself out of a fucking window by now if I was you. What if she dies? Can you carry that on your conscience? Huh? Knowing that you’re the reason she’s dead.
Similar to a rubber band pulled to its limits, I snap. I’ve tried to be strong for her sake, but I can’t be strong anymore. Charles’s eyes bulge when I pin him to the wall and close my hands around his throat. With gritted teeth, I snarl, “If she dies, then you might as well put a bullet in my fucking heart because I’ll die, too. It might be difficult for you to believe, but I love her, too. I don’t care if you’re her father or not. My love for her doesn’t change. I know that what I do and who I am puts her life at risk. Once I have her safely back in my arms, I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure this doesn’t happen again, so don’t assume you know anything about my feelings for your daughter–because you don’t. I’m here because she needs me, and I won’t stop searching for her until she’s back in my arms.”
“That’s enough, both of you,” Ken scolds us as he somehow manages to pry me off his friend. “This isn’t helping.”
“You’re right about one thing,” I tell him while he rubs his neck, glaring at me. “I deserve it all, every lick of pain and Every broken bone, bruise, and bullet. I deserve all of the bad, but caterina and Tatiana.” My voice cracks with raw emotion, They don’t deserve it, and neither does your grandchild.”
ess.
His face becomes ghostly white, and the haunted look in his eyes reappears. I ponder for a moment if the confession shocked him too severely. I understand the feeling. I went through the same thing back at the warehouse when I first found the contents
of that crate.
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“I don’t think I heard you…”
“No, you did, I said your grandchild. Calerina is pregnant.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
