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At least I’ll have Blake here, an ally. But Leo is blocking the way.
He says, “She never listens.”
Blake pushes past him just then, small, pretty, and glowing. Love, marriage, and motherhood suit her, and she pushes Christian away, wrapping me in a hug. “Thank goodness you’re all right.”
The air gets even heavier and tenser instead of lighter as Theo appears, that frozen demeanor of his dark and deadly. “Russo?”
“Shop talk later,” Blake says.
Theo melts. “Sure thing, Snowflake.”
“Are you okay?” My father looks from me to Christian, his gaze turning hard.
“I’m fine,” I say as Blake releases me, and my father hugs me. It’s a gruff hug, like he’s not sure what to do at that moment.
It drives me insane and makes me want to smile. He’s always a little at a loss when he isn’t sure if a female he loves is going to break or not.
Like the asshole Christian says, I’m strong. I’m not about to break. If I do, it’s letting the wrong people win, and dead or alive, they’re never winning. Ever.
My father looks at me and then at Christian, and his eyes narrow. “What’s this about you living with my daughter?”
“Protection,” I say. “Not that I need it.”
Blake rolls her eyes and grabs my hand, hauling me out of the foyer to her study. When we’re in the pretty room in blues and whites, she pours me a glass of wine and one for herself from the bottle on the desk, and we sit on the chaise longue.
Clinking her glass to mine, she says, “I prepared.”
“Thank goodness you’re here, or heads would roll.”
She laughs and takes a sip, flipping her long dark hair over one shoulder. “Rocco is sleeping and his nanny is upstairs, so I figured we could catch up.” Her eyes are kind but knowing. “How are you? Really?”
We have a shared past, from the kidnapping, and we both went through different nightmares. We’ve spent hours on the phone, and yeah, there were tears. But I’m past that now. I have therapy. She . . . she has my cousin, Theo, who is so in love with her. She and their son are the only things that can truly melt him. Who’s adorable.
“I’m good. I’d be better if everyone kept out of my life.”
Blake turns her glass between her hands. “They’re men. Big, strong men who don’t know what to do when someone they love gets hurt.”
I snort and take a swallow of the red wine. We don’t tend to drink white anymore when we’re together. That’s what we drank when they drugged us in the restaurant, but I don’t want to go there.
I’m so sick and tired of going there. Sick and tired of going to all those bad places.
“My brother and father can take their love and apply it to me living my life.”
“And Christian?”
“He doesn’t love me,” I say sharply.
“If you say so.”
“Blake, he’s your brother, but he likes to sleep around. If they’re worried about my so-called virtue, they’re too late.” I stop, heat streaking through me as the unintended meaning of my words rings out.
I meant I’m no virgin, but I know how it sounded.
Blake, bless her, doesn’t tease, but she does hide a smile behind her glass. “You know, Christian . . . I’ve never seen him like he is around you. The first time he insisted on staying with you, that made sense, but this is the second time, and he got his way. And you two?”
“I’m an idiot, but I’m aware of his reputation.” I breathe in. “And I’m not looking for anything.”
“Not looking or don’t think you deserve it?”
