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“Names Franco. I work for your husband. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
“Where is he?” For some reason I can't explain, at this very moment, he’s the only one of these men I trust.
“He’ll be with you soon.” That shouldn’t make me feel better but somehow it does. I stop fighting and let Franco carry me through the eerily empty halls. He shoulders through a rear door at the back of the hotel and places me into the backseat of a waiting SUV.
The engine is running and there’s a man sitting in the driver's seat, his eyes scanning in all directions on high alert. The act makes my nerves crawl even more. “We will leave as soon as Mr. Delgado is here.”
I turn to face the window and watch for Dominic. It’s odd that the idea of him being close by brings me comfort. Franco is standing outside the passenger door with his back to the window. The windows are tinted so I assume it’s to prevent me from seeing out more than someone seeing in.
Another minute or so passes and the door yanks open. Dominic slides into the seat next to me. I don’t wait to ask the question that’s been driving me out of my mind, “Where’s my father?”
“He’s fine, I promise.” His finger swipes across my check, smearing my tears with it.
Impulsively, I wrap my arms around him leaning my head against his chest. His arms circle my back, and his hand soothingly runs up and down my spine. “Who did this?”
“I have a lot of enemies; it could be any number of them. That includes Xander but I promised you, I protect what's mine and you’re mine now.”
Chapter 5
Dominic
My arms are still wrapped around Callie when Franco climbs in the front passenger seat and my driver pulls away from the curb. After an attack of thismagnitude, I need to get in front of it. I need to hunt this mother fucker down and put a silver bullet between their eyes, without any distractions. Yet, I can’t let her go as she sobs in my arms.
I run my hands up and down her back and my body aches to touch her more. This arrangement wasn’t supposed to come with an emotional attachment and in a few short hours that’s what she’s become. The ringing of my phone has her pulling away. I immediately miss her warmth, but I resist the need to draw her back to me. Instead, I retrieve my phone from my inside jacket pocket.
“What do we know?” I ask Dixon through the phone.
“Two dead, Luca and Nikolas.” A grumble escapes my dry throat. I’m pissed as all hell that I lost two men today but on the grand scale of things, they were soldiers. Low men on the totem pole. Easily replaceable. Had it been Manny, Carlos, or Dixon for that matter, my reaction would be much different. My anger more suited to their station in my organization. “It looks like a hired hit. No bodies, no evidence. Not even a single bullet casing to indicate who orchestrated it.”
“Stay on it, somebody’s going to want the credit. Sooner or later, someone will run their mouth and when they do, they’re going to be deep throating the barrel of my gun.” I disconnect the call and shove the phone back into my pocket.
There’s no point in reaching for Callie again, she’s already rocketed herself to the farthest end of the seat, her body turned away from me. I can’t see her face, but I can tell her shoulders are shuddering. She’s clearly terrified. She’s my wife now, I won’t spend my life tip toeing around while I handle business to ease her delicate sensibilities. She’s going to need to toughen up if she's going to survive in my world and this marriage.
“We’re here.” Franco informs me from the front seat as we turn into the dark parking garage of my building. A beat later, the driver pulls into my personal parking spot. Franco quickly gets out of the SUV and opens the rear door.
“Callie, we need to move,” but she doesn’t budge. “Now.” I bark and she jolts around. Her makeup smudged around her eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks. The heartbreak on her face tugs at something inside of me but when her lips part to speak something more sinister takes hold. I instantly imagine those thick lips on mine.
Fear flickers over her face, “Where are we?”
I soften the expression on my face. “Home.”
This isn’t how I pictured this moment. Even though I never intended to carry her over the threshold like a sappy romance movie, I didn’t want to have to force her either. It is what it is. There’s no time for this nonsense. I wrap my hand around her wrist and pull her out of the SUV with me. I’m practically dragging her along the pavement as she stumbles to keep up with my stride in her dress and heels. Until I know who's behind the hit on my life, I must be extra cautious. We finally make it to the elevator. With Callie behind me and Franco at my side, the doors slowly close and I press the code to the penthouse suite. When the elevator doors open again, I grab her hand and lead her out of the elevator and down the long hall toward my suite.
My home.
Her home now.
The idea is as foreign to me as it is to her but it’s our reality now. I make a mental note to send someone for her things tomorrow. Stepping inside, I shrug out of my suit jacket and toss it over the back of the couch and yank at the tie around my neck. When I turn back around, Callie is still standing in the doorway frozen in place. Her wide eyes watching me. Something about the look she’s giving me, is stirring my cock to life. A mix of fear and desire.
Is she battling with herself to see which emotion wins out?
Never taking my eyes off her, I tug at the buttons of my shirt until it falls open and I can slip my arms out. I toss it aside, like my jacket and smile. “Are you going to just stand there or are you coming inside?”
“I… I don’t know.” She lowers her eyes toward the floor. Sweet and innocent and yet already submissive. I close the distance between us. My body inches from hers, she shoots her eyes up to meet mine. I grin at her nervousness and reach my arm around her, slamming the door closed behind her. It echoes through the room, and she jolts forward smashing into my chest. I catch her and circle her in my arms.
“Now, isn’t that better?” I tease but she just looks at me with the wide-eyed doe look. She’s not ready for my games. I’m a stranger to her, there’s no connection between us except unspoken sexual tension. I lick my lips and spin around, hunting for my discarded suit jacket. When I find it, I reach into the pocket and pull out a diamond ring that fits into the band on Callie’s hand. A simple band would have been enough but for this marriage to appear legit, I can’t cut corners.
She’s made progress, taking a few steps forward into the spacious living area of her new home. She’s taking it all in, glancing around from the furniture to the walls, to the doors and windows. She’s fidgeting with her hands, like she did in the elevator buying her time until the doors opened, and she could escape the tension hanging over us. The door won’t be opening any time soon. There’s nowhere for her to run this time, no matter how nervous she might be.
