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I sighed at the tension in her voice. She was opening herself up completely. The fact she trusted me enough to ask, filled me with hope. I would gladly hold her, all night and for days more if that’s what it took to give her the comfort she needed. “Open the door, Becka,” I said softly.
There was movement on the other side then the handle clicked and the door opened to an exhausted Becka still waring my coat, staring down at me. As I picked myself off the floor I swept her into my arms. She felt so frail; nothing compared to the strong woman she normally embodied.
As soon as she settled into my arms, Becka melted against my chest. Putting her arms around my neck, burying her face into the crease of my shoulder, the long sigh of her breath tickled my skin. Nothing had ever felt so rewarding.
I carried her to the bed, through the dark room bathed in moonlight. Setting her lightly on the floor, I removed my coat from her shoulders. Her dark hair cascaded down her back, shimmering in the blue light. She didn’t look at me but seemed to stand as close as possible.
After picking her back up I laid her gently in the bed. Removing my shoulder holsters I set them on the night stand, slipped off my shoes and crawled in bed with her, pulling the sheets and comforter over us. I scooted in close, spooning her from behind, feeling her cool skin through my clothes. Then settled my arm around her.
The instant my arm embraced her, Becka grabbed hold of it and pulled it around her tighter, snuggling closer. She sighed in contentment. I held her for long moments thinking she might have already fallen asleep.
“Luca.” Not asleep.
“Yes, Becka,” I whispered.
“What did Matteo say to you? When Lorenzo was… checking me.”
I frowned. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Please.”
Taking a deep breath I pulled her in tighter, she answered by pressing closer. Her bottom pressed tight against my groin. I concentrated on the question to keep from getting hard. “He said Lorenzo was using you to punish me, just as much as he was checking you for wires. We have scanners for that. There was no need to have you strip.” My jaw tighten at the memory of his hands on her. In that moment I wanted to cause him extreme harm. “He wanted to punish you for the outburst and punish me for my defiance. He did that by making you suffer, and making me watch.”
“I’m sorry you had to do that. Take punishment for something I did.”
My arm tightened around her. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Do you hear me?” My voice was firm, borderline angry. “Nothing. Nod so I know you understand that.”
Her hair swished on the pillow as she answered. Then she reached for my hand, held it in hers and pressed it to her chest between her breasts, as if she was scared I would leave before she fell asleep. The gesture had my heart pounding. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“This is the safest I’ve felt in days.”
Her answer had me smiling into her neck. “Go to sleep Becka. I’ve got you.”
Within minutes she laid peacefully sleeping in my arms.
* * *
Morning came much too soon. I hadn’t returned home from being out with Matteo until six in the morning, the clock now showed just after ten.
Last night had been a shit show on more levels that I could count. The only redeeming part was the hour I spent curled around Becka as she slept. After carefully and reluctantly exiting from the bed, I left to track down the men who attempted to take her from me.
Entering my bathroom I stared at myself in the mirror thinking about the events that went on the last few hours of my night. Or should I say, early morning?
After Matteo picked me up we met with one of the street hustlers we regularly used for information. The man always had good info; as long as you paid well.
Jasper made the mistake once of trying to recruit some of the strippers and escorts in Lorenzo’s employ to give him information on the Russos. Matteo beat him to within an inch of his life, then paid for the hospital bills. He’d learned his lesson, we wanted him back out on the street. And we became his top priority.
Where he had ears open for other syndicates, he was on constant high alert for the Russos. There was no denying Jasper was the best, but Matteo never let him forget that in the end, he was expendable.
Jasper, preferred to be paid in drugs, and wasn’t picky on the type, as long as the amount covered his fee. Although, the better the drug, the better the information turned out. He would break it down and use it to pay informants or sell. Matteo had thrown a bag of pure coke the size of his fist on the table. Sparing no expense. They had gone after his fiancé; he would have paid ten times that much if necessary.
I closed my eyes, remembering the conversation.
“What have you got?” Matteo asked.
Jasper’s tall lengthy form shifted casually while his sharp features flicked between the payment and Matteo. “One of my most reliable sources says she went as a group to some warehouse to entertain a bunch of Russians looking to blow off some steam.” Prostitutes and strippers were Jaspers greatest sources. “She knows a bit of Russian and overheard them talking.”
