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He barks out a sharp laugh. “You realize what you're asking?”
“All I'm asking you to do is let go of what you thought you knew. That's it.”
Gripping the edge of the sink with both hands, he releases a pained groan. “If only it were that simple.”
“I understand, but I believe you can do it, especially when you remind yourself that this is what I want.”
I hate the way he lowers his shoulders and hangs his head in defeat. The last thing I want is to hurt him. “Right. This is what you want.”
None of this is my fault. That’s all I can tell myself as I kiss his cheek before carrying my bags to the car. None of this is my fault; I’m trying to do what’s best for my baby. Our baby. Right now, Callum is what’s best.
Callum will always be what’s best. For both of us.
CALLUM
“Anything else you want to discuss with Costello when he comes in?”
“Hmm?” I barely heard Romero’s question. He asked one; I know that much, though the substance was lost on me.
He only shakes his head, sighing softly as we emerge from the stairwell leading up from the gym. We're both showered and dressed after our morning workout. I can't pretend getting back into my routine hasn't done wonders for my mental state. I lost sight of the important things for a minute there, but I'm back on track. No more heavy drinking, no more feeling sorry for myself. The only way out of a mess is through action, not wallowing.
Though it seems my thoughts are still wandering, and of course, there's only one person to blame. The girl currently out to brunch with my daughter. I’d much rather have her in bed with me, the way she was when I woke up. By the time I was dressed for the gym, she was just beginning to stir after sleeping in on this fine Saturday morning.
“Costello,” I mutter once I've caught up to his train of thought, abandoning memories of Bianca’s sun-kissed skin for a moment. “No, I think we're good. We'll be able to tell him things have been quiet lately.”
“I wonder if he dropped a hint somewhere that he'd clued you in,” Romero muses on our way down the hall. “That would explain why there’s been no more trouble on our barges.”
“Either that or Jack figures the message was sent. Let's face it, he doesn't have the manpower to defend what's his if I decide to declare war. There’s only so far he can go. So long as we got the shipment back, that's what matters.”
“And Sebastian Costello gets his piece,” Romero adds with no small amount of bitterness, nodding to a pair of guards as we pass them in the hall.
“If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have anything.” He holds his tongue, his jaw working like it's a fight to keep his mouth shut. I understand why, whether he believes it or not. It was his quick thinking and the few well-timed phone calls that ended up finding those missing crates. I have no idea how he manages to hold so much information and so many contacts in his brain. The only thing I know is that he knew who to call once Costello confirmed it was Moroni behind the hijackings.
“Don't worry,” I tell him once we enter my office. “You'll get what's coming to you. I don't forget the people who do right by me.”
“You know I wasn't asking for anything special.”
“No, but you deserve it.” I groan and roll my eyes under his surprised stare. “Give me a break, would you? I'm trying to give credit where it's due.”
“Then I guess I can't get on your case for spacing out in the middle of a conversation.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It's noticeable that the person you keep thinking about is the one who has you in this generous mood.”
“No comment.” He's right, of course, but we're not talking about my personal life right now.
The fact is, having Bianca here, under my roof has gone a long way toward helping me focus on what's been evading my attention lately. Nothing else matters more than my little bird, so knowing she's coming home to me at the end of the day goes a long way toward soothing the insatiable obsession. With my worries over her out of the way, I can steer my attention back to business.
“Which brings me to my next point.” Before he says another word, he holds up a hand and goes to the door, glancing both ways up and down the hall before closing it to give us privacy. “I installed the software on all devices on the network yesterday, excluding Bianca and Tatum, as per your instructions.”
“You’re sure the girls weren’t included?”
“I’m sure.” I blow out a relieved sigh. No way am I dealing with the whole invasion of privacy and wrath of shit. “Only the men using the network got the download automatically pushed to their device.”
