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I pointed to the two handguns I had dragged out of the bag. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. Gianni knows to have the plane ready.” I stood up, looking Dmitri dead in the eye. I knew he’d agree with me but I still had to say it. “If things go south, Gianni is taking Rhys and the kids back to America.”
There was no hesitation in Dmitri’s response, “Of course. Now, let’s go finish whatever the fuck this is so we can get back to our family.” I couldn’t agree more.
Chapter thirty-three
RHYS
I curled a little tighter into Gianni’s chest as I woke up, his lips finding a bruise on my shoulder, fingers toying with the edge of my shirt. He wasn’t pushing, each touch just light enough to let me know that I was safe and Dmitri was alive and that somehow we were going to come out of all this on top. He smiled at me, pulling away before gesturing to the bedroom.
“They’re alright. Sleeping like babies.”
He knew I needed more than that, slowly rising from the chair and setting me on my feet. I tried to hold back the reaction to the pain that throbbed through my body but the moment I winced, Gianni had me in his arms. He gently tucked me against his chest as he walked across the living room before setting me down by the edge of the bed.
“See? Tia and Paval are okay.”
I leaned against Gianni, trying to calculate the repercussions of all this shit. Even after everything with Hawk Internationalwas over, it wouldn’t beover. My men had told me that they wanted me to stay with them but what about Tia? There was no family left that I trusted and the system was not an option.
“We’ll figure it out, babe,” Gianni whispered into my ear as he picked me up and transported me back to the living room. “Tia will not suffer because of her mother’s actions.”
“And Paval? He’s hurting too, Gianni. I hate that all of this uprooted the lives they know so well.”
Gianni let out a deep breath as he settled back into the armchair. His hand returned to running little circles on my hip. Instead of turning me on, it soothed my weary body as I curled into his chest. “Neither one will suffer, Rhys. We… it’s never gotten this close to home before. We’ve talked about it briefly but this might be the last job.”
My eyes widened as I twisted up to meet his gaze. “Because of me?”
“Because it’s getting harder to hide this from Paval. The bruises, the late nights, the hospital visits. The made-up stories that Paval readily accepts because he wants to but he clearly knows that’s not the case. He’s not asking questions because he’s scared and we put that look there. This life is not made for a kid, by proxy or otherwise.”
Gianni cocked his head to the side, pausing a moment before a small smile tugged at his lips. “I think the other two are finished packing up.” He helped me to my feet again and this time I fought his hold when he tried to carry me.
I followed Gianni to the door, slowly, still aching, staring at two of my men dressed in more gear than I had ever seen them as they approached from the hallway. A whimper left my lips at the sheer number of guns that were attached to them as well as the duffle bags that had to be holding heat I wanted to be nowhere near.
Dmitri’s shoulders fell as he met my gaze, my heart beating out of my chest. He was leaving again and I couldn’t think of anything else but the moment I took off and couldn’t see him anymore.
The blood pouring from his wound.
The way he was slumped over.
The way-
Someone pinched my chin as he pressed me against the wall, his free hand flat against the wall beside my head. “Hey, Love. I’m not going far. Just a few hours.” Dmitri leaned in to kiss me but I shied away, unable to separate this incident. The last time he kissed me like that…
Eyes wide and struggling to breathe, Dmitri wrapped himself around me, waiting for me to calm down. I clung to him, hating my reaction. He waited for the little demons in my head to disperse before pulling away. “Sorry, I forgot that that’s what happened last time.” My other men remained quiet as Dmitri dug into his pocket and handed me an earpiece.
I stared at it.
“Love, you need to hear my voice or just hear me breathe, just press the ear plug, alright?” He lifted the piece into my ear and fit it into the canal and this time when he spoke, I could hear the echo of his voice. “It’ll be like I never left.”
And this time when he kissed me, I didn’t flinch or scream or freak out. I clung to him, hoping that it wasn’t going to be the last time I saw him.
Valentyn gave me the same treatment before they disappeared out the front door, leaving this space just a little bit emptier. I hated it.
Chapter thirty-four
GIANNI
I set a plate in front of Rhys, handing him a knife to start chopping the peppers for a scrambled egg breakfast. He stared at the sharp edge warily before taking it from me and going to work. I couldn’t imagine the fucking terror he went through. All through breakfast and even the cuddle session on the couch, he was tense and quiet, constantly pressing on that earpiece to hear Dmitri. It was actually quite sweet, even if it was dangerous as fuck to let Rhys have access to that channel.
If anything went sideways, Rhys would be the first to hear it. It’s why I also had one in my ear and was currently holding back a chuckle as Dmitri hummed along with some tune in the car. His voice fucking sucked but the smile on Rhys’ face made me want to tell Dmitri to sing louder.
