Page 130 of Revere: A Legacy Novel

He didn’t doubt her.

“Yeah, start in the bedroom, babe.” Cross moved toward the stairs leading to the upper deck, but hesitated on the first one. “Catty.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

He found her staring at him.

Catherine nodded once. “I am.”

“You’re sure?”

“I promise, Cross.”

“I want to go back to Cancun,” Catherine said. “You know, without the whole shooting people, burning boats, and all that mess.”

Cross laughed. “Yeah, let’s hope not all our vacations turn into that.”

“We could have stayed on the island for a while, though.”

“It couldn’t be forever. I told you that before we left, babe. It was just one run. Besides, after what happened on this run, I’m not sure I want you going on another one just in case.”

“It was a nice thought.”

It was, but that just wasn’t how it worked. Nothing good would come from Cross taking Catherine away, even if it had only been for two weeks, given how delicate things had been with her family. Sure, Catherine was an adult, and she was given more freedom than most, but he didn’t think that would factor into Dante’s rage at all.

It was only a little about Catty, after all. It was a lot about how much Dante hated Cross.

The jet began to taxi on the private strip toward the hangar, and already, Cross could see the cars waiting. Some he recognized; most he did not know. He’d told his father he was coming back, that the run had failed, and gave Calisto the date and time when the plane would land.

It was too many vehicles to be only Calisto’s, though.

“Oh,” Catherine said lowly.

She’d seen the cars, too, it seemed.

“Probably a little pissed you forgot to call for two weeks,” Cross joked.

His attempt at light humor did little to shake the nervousness from Catherine’s face.

“It’ll be fine,” Cross said.

Catherine only sighed in response, but she did hold his hand against her cheek before kissing the inside of his palm. “He’ll be angry with me—I lied again. Only because I didn’t want to fight that I was going with you, though. I’m tired of fighting.”

“Dante loves you, my girl.”

Just in a different way than how Cross loved her.

The thing was, Dante would never admit that Cross did love Catherine; that he cared enough for her to protect and provide and adore her the way her father had for all these years. Cross was not good enough in Dante’s opinion; he would never be.

But what could he do?

“Just do as he wants,” Cross told Catherine, “and give me a call when you have time. Or give me what I want, and what you want, and come home. Where you belong, Catherine.”

“Cross—”

“You know what I want, Catty. You. With me. Always.”