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When I walked into my room, which had been screened for cameras and microphones, I made the call to Max. “It’s done.”
“Where are you now?”
“In the room. I have six hours to kill before the flight. Thought I would get some sleep.”
“You can fall asleep that quickly after killing someone?”
I never felt remorse for the things I did. My target was known for his fortune in jewelry, but the public didn’t know they he had starving kids searching for diamonds in the most dangerous situations. Sometimes they made a few pennies for the day. He was a proponent of slave labor, pocketing millions in profit. Disgusting. “Yes.”
Max didn’t make another comment on the matter. “I think you should head to the airport now.”
“Why?”
“I’ve already detected a lot of communications. His men are talking about him, and the police are looking for the killer because of his presence as a public figure. His brother is the one leading the hunt, and judging by their closeness, he’s going to grab every lead he can find. If I were you, I wouldn’t take any chances, not when you have a woman waiting for you.”
“Is the threat that serious?”
“As far as I can tell, they have no idea who’s behind it. But like I said, don’t take the chance.”
I hadn’t slept in so long that I almost didn’t care. But the mention of Vanessa, the woman who cried as she said goodbye, was heavy on my heart. I owed it to her to be overly cautious. If I died, she would die too. “Alright. I’ll leave now.” I grabbed my bag again and prepared to walk out.
“I checked on Vanessa the other day. Nothing to report. But she wanted me to pass on a message to you.”
I halted in front of the door, thinking about the woman who filled my dreams. With that dark hair, beautiful skin, and soft-as-a-rose-petal lips, she was all I ever wanted. “What?”
“She said she loves you.”
I already knew that, but the words touched me anyway. She wanted me to know how much she loved me, even if she couldn’t hear me say it back. She was thinking about me every moment we were apart, desperate for me to come home. I told her not to ask me to quit…but knowing I was hurting her this much made me realize how impractical it was. I couldn’t put my woman through this terror every time I left. I couldn’t leave her unguarded while I was gone. She shouldn’t have to stay with her parents because her man wasn’t there to keep her safe. “Anything else?”
“Yeah. She said if you don’t come back to her, she’ll shoot you like she did last time.”
I heard her sass and attitude even though Max was the one talking. That was the woman I fell in love with, bossy and aggressive. “Tell her I’m heading to the airport. I’ll be back there in about twenty-four hours.”
“Alright.”
“And tell her I love her…and I won’t leave her again.” I didn’t know what would happen with her parents, but for as long as we were together, I couldn’t do this anymore. I couldn’t watch my woman cry every time I left. She’d turned me into a more compassionate man, made me feel emotions I’d turned off so long ago. I felt human again, felt vulnerable again.
Max was quiet, but he obviously knew the meaning behind my words. “I guess we’ll have to talk about this in more detail when you get back…”
“Yeah. We will.”
It was morning when I arrived in Florence. My plane landed, and I took a cab to the house I shared with her. I didn’t expect her to be there since she was probably at the winery for the day. As much as I wanted to see her, I was exhausted.
I needed sleep.
The cab pulled up to the gravel road, and I walked to the front door with my bag over my shoulder. My hand hadn’t reached the doorknob before the front door was flung open and Vanessa stood there in a sexy ensemble—deep blue lingerie that was so sheer it was practically see-through.
Now I didn’t feel so tired.
I shut the door behind me, dropped my bag on the hardwood floor, and then cupped her face with both my hands. My fingers dug into her hair as I kissed her, as I cherished the woman I’d left behind. I felt like less of a man for leaving her alone, for not doing my job and keeping her safe.
“I’m here.” I spoke against her mouth as I guided her backward down the hall. I wanted her on any piece of furniture I could find, whether it was the kitchen island or the couch. I settled for the wall and lifted her up, pinning her back against the plaster wall with her legs wrapped around my waist.
