AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And Marco is now babysitting the Russian?”
“Petrov’s fucking niece,” he mutters. “He’s gonna have his hands full anyway until we work out all of the details with the Bratva. The last thing we want is another fucking war.”
“You think that’s possible?”
The last thing we need is a conflict with the Bratva. They have their side of Massachusetts, but they don’t have Boston; they never will as long as the Medicis are alive. I have no doubt they'll jump to conclusions, thinking we had something to do with Katiya’s kidnapping.
“Anything’s possible. But right now, my priority is Rayne and Mia. We will settle the girls in for a few days, and then we’ll attend to things back in the city.”
I nod. “Happy to help.”
Angelo glances at me. “Stay away from Mia.”
I raise my eyebrows. “I’m not Fynn.”
He grunts something incomprehensible and stares out the window at the darkening sky. “Storm’s coming in,” he says.
“I’ll check all the windows.”
He nods.
The storm does roll in, rain smattering against the windows like the world is mad at us. Maybe it is. Repenting is useless. No Hail Marys can get any of us out of this.
I use the time to catch up with work on my laptop, answering emails, and do all the other office work I never have time for.
I converse very little with Mia in those first few days. She seems to retreat even more into herself than I expected. After we had the conversation the other day at Fortress, I thought maybe there was a chance she’d be okay. That she’d get through the trauma. I hate not knowing how she is even though we’re under the same roof.
I know I want to talk to her, and make sure she’s doing okay. But I don’t want to push her.
I’m a stranger to her. Nothing more.But, if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t want to be a stranger, I want to be at the very least a friend.
* * *
Mia-
The house in Falmouth is more like a safe haven. It feels like somewhere that not even the devil himself could get to.
I wish I could take it all in, but an overwhelming sense of tiredness overcomes me. I sleep a lot. I just want to curl up into a ball and forget any of this ever happened.
I used to have a life. Now I don’t know what I have. Everything seems so messed up, and I don’t know which way to turn.
Angelo doesn’t want me to tell my friends what really happened. He says it’s to keep me safe. I don’t know what is going on at my job or if I still have one. Maybe if they knew I’d been kidnapped and held for ransom, they might pity me. I loved my job. Now I don’t know what I love anymore, aside from my freedom.
Then there’s Dante. Why am I thinking about him? Why is my mind whirling?
Is it because he’s so kind, calm and speaks to me softly, like whatever I say matters? He has obvious good looks, like a model, but that’s not even it. It’s how gracious he is. His kind eyes. The way he’s interested in my reply when he asks me a question. When he talks to you, you’re the only woman in the room that matters.
I looked him up. I know who he is now and how powerful this family is.
It scares me a little because now Rayne is in love with Angelo, and it seems that the feelings are mutual. I don’t want her to be in danger. I have questions, but right now they can wait.
All I want to do is sleep. I’m too tired to think straight.
The first night we arrived, I tried calming myself after going to bed. It’s plush and comfortable, and I can hear the waves crashing onto the shore as the storm truly begins to hammer home. To listen to the rain beating down, while I’m cozied up inside by the fire, would ordinarily soothe my soul. Except when I’m alone, the shock of everything begins to come crashing down, leaving me to lay in the dark, shaking and crying.
I know I need time. I’m safe now. I have to keep telling myself that.
Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on myself to be ‘okay’ because it’s only been a few days since I was rescued. My sister has been overly attentive, seeing that I have everything I need.
