My brow crumples as I mumble against his broad chest. “For what?”
He pulls back enough to look down into my eyes, and I’m immediately shocked at the storminess in his midnight gaze. When he speaks again, his voice is low and laced with dark intent. “I wanted to tear him limb from limb for speaking to you like that. Only the thought of what I plan to do when I get my fucking hands on him kept me from blowing up right there and then.”
I tighten my arms around his waist and press my face into the solid warmth of his chest. “All that matters is that he believed you. Did you manage to delay the trade?”
Rafe kisses to the top of my head. “No.” My entire body freezes, and time almost seems to come to a stop. “It’s scheduled for next weekend. He’s claiming he needs time to travel, which I know is bullshit, but it works for us.”
He rubs soothing circles on my back, putting some life back into my frozen body before I look up and palm his cheek. “What do we do now?”
Holding my gaze, Rafe breathes a heavy sigh. “Enzo found a paper trail, and he thinks one of our associates in Palermo may be able to help. It’s a start.”
I close my eyes as hope flows through me, and he drops a kiss to my nose that makes me smile. “And what happens when we do find Nico?”
Then his face changes, his eyes darkening as his jaw tightens. “We’ll take back my sister and massacre them all.”
RAFE
“We’ll confer againin the morning.”
I rise from my seat, striding around my desk as both Enzo and Emiliano stand too, leaving Antonio alone. As I leave my office, I heave a weary sigh, frustrated beyond measure at the fact that we can’t find that Conti motherfucker.
Each time we find something, it leads us directly into a dead end, including the one Enzo had chased earlier, to no avail. The four of us had exhausted every possibility, and following this latest update, I’m not entirely sure what path to take.
All I know is that I need to see Elodie. Three hours apart is three hours too long, and surely by now she’s finished with the special video call I’d organized for her.
I take the stairs two at a time, my long strides eating the hall floor until I come to a halt outside the slightly ajar door of her suite.
Elodie’s sweet laugh lands on my ears, and I push the door open a little more to find her stretched out on her bed, the cell still in her hands as her pint-sized mini-me chatters excitedly.
“And then Bastian said that the next time he goes home, I’ll get to gowithhim! That we’re all arealfamily now.” Her little voice is filled with such incredulity, it brings a lump to my throat.
I can hear the emotion in Elodie’s voice when she tremulously responds. “We are, Curly Fry. And I can’t wait until you can come here. There’s so much we need to catch up on?—”
Skye cuts her off when she squeals, “Rafe!” And I freeze, realizing I’m farther over the threshold than I’d thought, their happiness driving my feet closer.
Elodie spins about on the bed, her long hair whipping around her before a bright smile appears on her face, and she extends a hand. “We’ve been waiting for you, Handsome.”
Warmth blankets my chest as I edge closer, almost feeling like I’m intruding, until Skye claps her hands. “Ellie said you play piano and that you have a beautiful grand piano in your music room…” she trails off, quirking an eyebrow dramatically. “Do you confirm or deny?”
My lips part with a cheek-aching smile before I nod. “Si, Skye. I’ve played for as long as I can remember.”
Elodie tugs me down onto the bed, and I settle beside her. My heart suddenly feels light despite the war I’m waging on all fronts. Skye’s eyes are wide and filled with wonder as she whispers, “Can I please play it when I visit?”
As she squeezes my knee, Elodie shoots me an encouraging nod, and it takes a bare moment before I’ve launched into music talk with Elodie’s doppelganger. The conversation flows between the three of us until Skye’s dorm monitor swings by, announcing it’s time for lights out.
Having reassured Skye that these calls will take place every day or two, depending on her school schedule, she’s all smiles as she hangs up the call. Before the screen even turns black, Elodie launches herself into my arms, peppering kisses all over my face as she murmurs repeatedly, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
I catch her around the waist, neatly spinning us so she’s beneath me, and take her mouth in a languid kiss as though we have all the time in the world. When I break the kiss, I remain close, our breaths mingling as I tip my nose against hers.
My eyes are solemn as I stare deeply into her eyes, telling her the absolute truth. “You never need to thank me for giving you the life you deserve,Stellina.” Her eyes turn glassy when I press a chaste kiss to her lips. “The life youbothdeserve.”
CHAPTER 27
RAFE
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
