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There she goes. Theretheygo. She’s taking part of my heart with her, I doubt I could live through sending her away with anyone else. Roger, maybe, but that’s as far as it goes. Charles better hope he hasn’t gotten rusty during his time away from the job, because if anything happens to her, I will paint this town in blood.
A cold breeze blows over me, chilling my skin. Tatiana shivers in my arms. “Dad?” Her soft voice brings my thoughts back to her. “What should I do?”
She needs me to pull my shit together. I can’t upset her by blowing up now. As calmly as possible, I respond, “I want you to go to your room and pack a few things while Roger and I make plans. Okay? Can you do that for me?”
“Okay. Is it safe in there?”
I turn to the pair of men exiting the house, my brows lifting in a silent question. “All clear,” one of them announces. “We got what was left of the device out through the back.”
“Go ahead–but don’t waste any time.” With a kiss on her forehead, I send her inside with one of them while Roger mutters into his phone. I haven’t seen him this intense since our time at the hospital. He ends the call and turns to me. “I just sent out word that we want Moroni. Both of them.”
Hearing the name twists my guts until I’m sure I’ll be sick. Sick with rage, disgust, and disbelief. “A fucking bomb. Just when I think he can’t stoop any lower.”
“He’s a fucking animal.” Roger’s face is a mask of rage once we enter the house, and he gets a good look at the damage. “He’s going to find out how fucking animals die.”
I still can’t make sense of it. “There was no way of knowing who would pick up that package,”
I muse. There are bits of cardboard on the floor, most of it charred. At least the alarm has been silenced, allowing me to hear myself think. “How long do you think it would take to get an idea of the sort of device they used?”
((
“I’m sure I know somebody.” He looks at his phone again, scrolling through his contacts. Though I have to say, I don’t know how much good it will do. I doubt we could track whoever manufactured it, and it isn’t like we have any doubt of who’s responsible.” He checks the time, grunting in frustration. “She needs to hurry. I’ll feel better once she’s out of here. For all we know, they’re planning to send guys in here now while we’re all running around like chickens with our heads cut off.”
And there I was, prepared to propose. Ready to eat dessert, drink some coffee, and bid my future father–in–law goodnight before taking his daughter upstairs. I was going to spend the rest of the night basking in the warmth of her love.
1/3
་
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The thought stirs my memory, and I dart to the kitchen, where I dropped the ring box when the bomb went off. A short search reveals it’s lying under the table. To think, I had been moments away from placing the ring on her finger. The symbol of my devotion to her.
Now she’s on her way to a safe house, because being too close to me is a liability, and I let Moroni go too far. I underestimated him, thinking he was nothing more than a useful idiot. I’ve done some unforgivable things in my life, but that underestimation has to be the worst.
“Boss? I have Costello on the phone.”
Sliding the box into my pocket, I join him in the hall. Sebastian’s voice filters through the speaker loud and clear. “A bomb? Was anyone hurt?”
I exchange a look with Roger, that tells me he believes the concern is real. “No, everyone’s fine. There’s damage to the house but nothing severe.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It’s a good thing Moroni’s a fuck up, or else it might have been worse.”
“If you know anything…”
“I swear, I didn’t know a thing. I would’ve warned you immediately if I had. I assumed it was Moroni because, you know. Everything that’s been going on.”
I’m going to have to take his word for it. “Does he still consider you a friend?” I can’t bring myself to say the bastard’s name.
“He’s dragging his feet on the deal, but we’re cordial.‘
“Call him up. Tell him you heard there was an explosion, but you don’t have any details on the extent of the damage. I want confirmation, and I want to know where the fuck we can pick them up and yank their beating hearts from their chests.”
“Got it. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something.”
Roger locks eyes with me upon ending the call. “Do you trust him?”
“You heard him. He was ready to piss his pants.” My answer seems to be sufficient enough, as he nods before moving on to the next phone call.
It’s only been a few minutes since I watched Caterina drive away. The fear in her eyes, the worry flashing at the forefront of my thoughts when I need to focus on ending this shit.Ending them, both of them, father and son. All the while, though, I receive updates from my men and wonder what the hell is taking Tatiana so long.
My thoughts keep returning to my little bird. Is Caterina glad she didn’t have the chance to give me an official answer before the bomb went off? I can’t afford to think that way, yet I can’t help it. She has the baby to think about now as do I.
But while I want nothing more than to keep her close, she could very well decide this is the
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final straw. I believe she loves me, that she knows as well as I do that there’s no killing what’s
between us.
However, she’s also a realist.
Get it together. Whatever she’s thinking, we can work it out, but not until I know both Moroni men are dead and buried six feet deep. I won’t be taking chances with my family again.
“Where’s Tatiana?” Roger mutters between phone calls. “I would like to get out of here with her like five minutes ago.”
“I’ll light a fire under her.” I have no doubt she understands how crucial it is to leave now. If I were in her shoes, I’d be packed and out the door by now. This is not the time for her stubbornness.
“Tatiana! Let’s go!” Her bedroom door is open, and I hear the argument going on inside as I approach. “What is taking you so long?” I demand, entering the room.
“I’m not leaving without her.”
Craig scratches his head, groaning. “I don’t know if you can keep it safe. It’s better to leave something important like that here for now.”
He reaches for her, and she jerks herself away. “I’ll cut your fucking hands off.”
“What the hell is going on?” I bark, startling them both. “We don’t have time for this, Tatiana.”
She whirls on me, holding Amalia’s urn, clutching it to her chest like a shield. “I’m bringing this.”
For fuck’s sake. Nobody has ever less deserved this level of devotion.
My jaw aches from the effort of grinding my teeth. “Honey. He’s right. What if something happened to it? It’s safer to leave it here. And it isn’t like you’ll never return.”
I shouldn’t be surprised when she barks out a disbelieving laugh. “How do you know? There’s no such thing as protection.”
I need this like I need a hole in the head. “Fine,” grit through my teeth. “Take it with you.” The moment Craig grimaces, the look I give him clears it up on the spot. This is not the time for him to be squeamish.
“Where am I going?” she asks, trotting beside me down the hall. With her bag slung over one shoulder and Amalia’s ashes still clutched like a teddy bear, she’s never looked so much like a little girl. A lost, confused little girl.
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.
