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The others nod, and I can tell from their exhausted, shell-shocked expressions that they mean it. No one wants a do-over of tonight ever again.
“Good. Thank you.” I settle back in Cassius’ arms and rest against his bare chest.
“What did you all find out tonight?” he asks the others as they collapse onto the sofas around us.
“Fuck all,” Salvatore tells us. “De Luca must be scared of us and he’s gone to ground.”
“There was nothing in that van,” Vinicius adds. “It’s probably stolen and won’t tell us anything.”
Salvatore shakes his head with troubled eyes. “There were men working with the Black Orchid Killer. He had a team and they grabbed Lorenzo. Doesn’t that seem crazy to anyone else?”
Lorenzo’s expression darkens. “Crazy, but we’ve seen this before. Sienna was dragged into a black car. There needed to be at least a driver and a kidnapper working together.”
I feel Cassius tense against my side. “It was the same when Evelina was taken.”
Salvatore stares across the room as if trying to make sense of this. “It makes me wonder if the killer is involved in organized crime somehow, or if he’s in some position of power.”
Vinicius darts an apologetic glance at me. “I’ve wondered once or twice if the killer is the mayor.”
Salvatore shakes his head. “The man I saw wasn’t Romano. The mayor is stocky. This man was lean.”
I can understand why Vinicius would wonder about that. Dad is obsessed with power, and he’s a killer, but he’s also the most pragmatic man I know. He wouldn’t waste time dropping flowers on sidewalks and setting up recording equipment.
“It doesn’t seem like something Dad would do. When he killed Mom he was quick, like a butcher. This psycho thinks he’s some kind of artist.” There’s an unpleasant silence as we all remember the sadistic and grandiose ways their sisters were murdered.
Vinicius sighs. “You’re probably right. I can’t believe we were all so close to him and then he escaped. But we’ll keep looking. There are a few things I plan on asking Thane.”
Salvatore’s expression turns murderous, and I can tell he’s remembering the red ropes.
“What can Thane help you with?” I ask, trying to muffle a yawn, but failing. Outside the window, the sky is just beginning to lighten.
Vinicius smiles at me fighting to stay awake. “That’s for later. You can barely keep your eyes open, kitten, and neither can I. Let’s all get some sleep.”
“Is everyone staying here at the compound?” I ask.
They all exchange glances and Vinicius nods. “We’ll sleep here and talk more when we wake up.”
I reach up and cup Cassius’ cheek. I haven’t had my fill of his body against mine, yet. “Will you come and sleep in my room?”
He kisses my forehead. “Of course,bambina.”
We head upstairs and I strip off my clothes and get into bed naked. So does Cassius, and he wraps his big, warm body around me. I run my finger down the black bristles on his cheek. He’s so handsome, and I imagine what he’ll look like in five, maybe ten years’ time when there will be silver bristles among the black. He’ll be even more handsome, and sexy as hell.
“I haven’t dared to think about the future too much,” I whisper. “Do you think that one day this will all be over and we’ll be free to be completely happy?”
“After what you told me tonight, that you love me? I know we will. All of us.”
I’m bathed in the warmth from his chest. His love for me burns even hotter, and I feel it surrounding us. “Suddenly finding that you were all gone was awful. I never want to feel that way again.”
Cassius has his eyes closed and he holds me tighter. “Nothing like that will ever happen again.”
I wrap my arm around him and snuggle closer. As exhaustion sweeps over me and I melt into his arms, I whisper, “Good. I don’t think I can handle any more surprises.”
6
Vinicius
Iopen Chiara’s door just after midday and she’s fast asleep in Cassius’ arms. Cassius opens his eyes, but he stays still apart from raising one questioning black brow at me.
