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“I said for now since he didn’t seem to want to kill you. He can protect you from Dad and the Abates. I didn’t mean forever.”
I sigh. “Back at the compound, Rosa said that Niko can be hard, but he knows love. I believe that too. I see it?—”
“You think he loves you?” She arches a brow.
“I don’t know if he loves me, but I believe I’m more than just a pawn.”
“Do you love him?” Lucia’s voice is softer.
I nod. “I think I do.” For the first time, I feel solid in my decision. I'm ready to face whatever comes, with Niko, with our children, in a world filled with danger and uncertainty.
29
NIKO
The weight of urgency presses down on my chest as I sit in my office preparing to take my revenge, not just for my mother and brother, but for Elena as well. Donovan stands across from me, his eyes hard as flint, absorbing my vengeance as his own.
"Timing's everything," he murmurs. “That and hoping Tiberius’s mistress doesn’t double-cross us.”
“She’s smart enough to take the money and run,” I say. There’s no doubt in my mind that she knows the world Tiberius lives in and she wants out. I think of Elena. She wants out too. And I promised it to her. It’s a promise I’m more inclined to keep after what happened today. But God, do I want her to stay. The way she clung to me, I never want her to let go. I’m a selfish man. Selfish enough to force her to stay. But if something happened to her, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Freeing her is the only way to ensure her safety.
“Liam will meet us after he delivers Kate to the wit-pro guys,” Donovan says regarding Kate’s entry into Witness Protection. I feel sorry for her as she was completely clueless to our world. I imagine Elena is going to feel guilt at having involved her friend.However, I’m not convinced that her father, Chief Emerson, doesn't have ties to a Family.
“She’ll be safe now,” he finished.
"None of us are safe until those bastards are dead." I glance down at the plans for tonight’s mission. “So, we’re set.”
He nods.
“What about Giovanni? Any clue where he's hiding?” When I’ve killed Tiberius, I’ll move on to Giovanni, although he’s proving more elusive to find. I imagine him in some sewer, hiding after Romeo’s death and my taking Elena back from them again.
“No, but we’ve got eyes and ears everywhere.”
A knock at the door interrupts our focus. “Come in.”
Doc enters, and immediately, my plans vanish, replaced with concerns for Elena. “Is she okay?” I rise and go to him, thinking Donovan doesn’t need to hear the details of Elena’s condition or the depth of my concern.
He nods as we step just outside my office door. "Ms. Fiori is stable. Her injuries are mostly superficial and will heal with time and rest. I don’t see any sign of concussion. The fetuses have strong heartbeats. I recommended that she see her OB/GYN.”
For a moment, I stare at him wondering who we’re talking about. Fetuses? A baby? No. Fetuses is plural.
"Thank you, Doctor." My voice doesn't betray my complete shock at the news.
"Of course. I’ll find my way out.”
I stand outside my office, paralyzed. Elena is pregnant? Did she know before now? Is this why she wants to leave? To protect them from this life? From me?
I remember fantasizing about filling her belly with my child. Even now, I can see it. Her and me, and a child… no… more than one. But she didn’t tell me.
Anger simmers, but it's doused by the cold realization of Tiberius's threat. Our children would be targets from their first breath. Maybe Elena's silence was from that knowledge.
"Boss?" Donovan's voice slices through my reverie. "You good?"
I pull it together. "Better than ever. Let’s get going. We end this tonight."
“We should go.”
“Hate to keep death waiting,”I quip as I grab my coat and gun.
