Chapter 8
Michael
Why the fuck did I kiss her?Granted, it was just a kiss on the cheek, but damn, I still shouldn’t have done it. Even though she is not quite herself and the only reason she is here is because of her injury, I couldn’t be happier she is here in my home, sleeping down the hall from me. Just the thought of her makes my dick hard, and I take a minute to get my head back on track.
I remember Jude saying Pop was waiting for me. As I run back down the stairs, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and look. Vince. Fuck. I knew he’d be calling. I hit the ignore button. He can wait. I’ll talk to Pop and then I will give him a call. And in the meantime, I’ll think of a good reason to keep Zaira here indefinitely.
My phones beeps again.What the fuck!I look again and see a text from Serena. I definitely don’t have time to deal with her right now, so I ignore it too. I wish she would just go away. Some women don’t truly understand the meaning of no.
Rounding the corner at the bottom of the stairs, I head for Pop’s office. When I get to the door, I knock.
“Come in,” Pop says.
I open the door and walk in.
“Michael, sit down.” No smile, nothing. Oh, fuck. He’s pissed, and I know exactly why. Ricco was right when he tried to stop me from leaving. I should’ve listened and let Dr. Siegel handle everything with Zaira, but I just couldn’t. Now it’s time to answer for it.
“Pop, wait, before you—”
“Silence!” he bellows, cutting me off.
I have learned to not say another word. When my father is this mad, the best thing to do is listen to every word he says as if I were a mute. “Michael Vincenzo Vitali, what the fuck were you thinking!” he hollers. “Not even thirty minutes from when I told you this family was on a high-security alert, you take it upon yourself to leave the grounds, causing Ricco to go with you to protect you. You not only put yourself at risk, you put this entire family at risk leaving us one bodyguard short.” He pauses. “Oh wait, let me correct myself. It wasn’t just one bodyguard. No, you had to occupy two bodyguards because you insisted on driving that damn Harley death machine. Two fucking bodyguards, Michael! You took two men away from the family to take a woman home from the hospital when Dr. Siegel could have handled it by himself. What’s wrong with you, boy?”
I’m not sure if he is expecting an answer from me or not, so I wait. It’s better to err on the cautious side when my father is like this.
“Answer me, Michael!”
Okay, so it was the wrong decision. “Pop, I was worried about her. I wanted to protect her,” I reply. “And I was more than prepared to go alone. Ricco insisted that he go with me.”
“It’s a good thing! Ricco did his fucking job. You put him in an awkward position, Michael, and he made the right decision to protect you. You’re the heir to all of this”—he gestures around himself—“the next Don, and it’s Ricco’s job to make sure you live to fill that role.”
I know I am not going to win this argument, and it’s pointless to try. My father is right. I was careless and stupid. As Don, I know I won’t be able to be so reactive and have to think of all the angles before I act. “I’m sorry, Pop,” I say in reply.
“I know you care for her. Hell, at one time, she was like another daughter to me, and I had high hopes of her being my daughter-in-law. But Michael, you can’t let your heart dictate over your head. You are responsible for so many people, son. If you really want to keep her safe, think with your brain. I expect this behavior from your brother but not you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you won’t pull another stunt like this again?” he asks.
“No, sir. I’ll think before I react.”
He walks back to his desk and sits down. “Good. Now tell me, how is she?”
And just like that, his anger subsides, and all is well. I’ve always admired how my father managed to do this, to be able to just let his anger go. I look at the man before me, and I realize that if I can be a fraction of who my father is, then I’m gonna be okay. “She’s awake and for the most part—physically that is—healthy. But she has some swelling in her head, a concussion, and amnesia.”
“Amnesia?” he asks.
“Yeah, Dr. Siegel says she remembers things she has been taught but has no recollection of who she is or where she’s from. No memories of family, friends, nothing.”
“Does she know her name?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Just her first name and only because we told her what it is.”
“Damn, that poor girl. She’s been through enough and now this.” He pauses. “What are you gonna do now?”
“I don’t know, Pop. She is like this fragile child. I have no clue what she knows and what she doesn’t. She seems to trust me though; I mean, she left the hospital with me without a fight. She questioned at first, but once I told her she could trust me, she was fine.”
“Trust is a good start,” he says.
