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But it would never be enough.
Nothing would ever be enough when it came to Romeo.
* * *
ROMEO
My cell beeped, then vibrated, alerting me to an incoming message. I didn’t want to move; I was way too warm and comfortable lying in my bed with Bailey at my side. My stomach flipped as I stared at her for a beat, taking in her small button nose, the splattering of freckles across the bridge of it, leading down to full lips that were parted, her soft breaths whispering through the opening.
She was perfection.My perfection.
Patches of darkness still marred her pale skin, her bruises starting to heal, but I knew deep down that the mental scars she was left with would never fully heal. Trauma was one of those things that once you thought it was gone, it would come back with full vengeance, smashing you into pieces at the most unexpected times.
The buzzing went off again, and a quick look at the time told me it was three in the morning. There was only one person who would be contacting me at that time: the boss.
So, I slowly unraveled my arm from beneath the woman who I didn’t want to move away from. The woman who had forgiven me. The woman who had more integrity in her pinky finger than I ever would have. She was the kind of woman you didn’t let go of, the kind who would change your life forever.
Too bad that I knew this was only temporary. Once Gio was dealt with, she could leave. She could go away with her uncle, and I would never see her again. It was a reality I didn’t want to admit, but it was there, hanging over me like a dark cloud, threatening to rain a thunderstorm down on me.
Which was why I’d locked myself away here with Bailey for the last few days. I hadn’t seen anyone but her and Raf who was currently sleeping on my sofa because…well…he’d had enough of being outside. He hadn’t been back at the mansion since we had our last meeting either.
“Romeo?” she murmured, rolling over and bringing her knees up, probably trying to ward off from the chill my body left behind when I moved to grab my cell.
“Shhh,” I told her, picking up my cell and squinting as the bright light caught me off guard. “Go back to—” I cut myself off as I saw the name on the screen. A name that had my entire body tensing.
“What’s wrong?” Bailey asked, moving closer behind me. The bed dipped a second before the warmth of her body wrapped around me from behind. Her small hands pressed against my chest and I couldn’t help but stare down at them. The paleness of her was so different to my tan, Italian skin.
“Nothing, angel.” I clicked the side of my cell and turned my face to plant a small kiss on her lips. “Lorenzo needs me. Go back to sleep.” I pressed my forehead to hers, breathing her in for a second, preparing myself to leave her. “Raf is downstairs asleep on the sofa.”
She frowned, biting down on her bottom lip. It was clear she wanted to say something, and any other time I may have told her to ask me, but I didn’t have the brain space right then. I couldn’t think of anything apart from the name that had flashed on my screen.
I’d reached out to him like Lorenzo had told me to, but for three days there was nothing but silence, and now this, at this time of the morning. Something was up for sure.
I counted to three in my head, trying to get motivated to leave Bailey. But fuck, it was the last thing I wanted to do. But I didn’t have a choice. So I unraveled myself from her, feeling her gaze on me the entire time that I sauntered around the bedroom, grabbing my things.
It wasn’t until I left the bathroom after a quick shower and brushing my teeth that I noticed she was once again wearing one of my shirts. A lightbulb went off in my head, one that should have blinked red the day I’d brought her here nearly two weeks ago.
“Here,” I told her, grabbing my laptop off of the vanity that I’d never used. I’d built it into my bedroom on instinct, and now…now I was hoping Bailey would use it. “Make a list of what you want clothes-wise.” I opened up the laptop, typing in the password and telling her as my fingers hit the keys. “Shoes too. You can’t keep wearing my clothes everywhere.” I paused, glancing up at her with a pull at my lips. “No matter how much I like seeing you in them.”
She fluttered her lashes, her cheeks reddening. Fuck. I loved it when that happened. Problem was, I wasn’t the only one that liked it, so did my cock. And I didnothave time for that right now.
“I can choose anything?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I placed the laptop on the bed next to her, leaning down and pressing one final kiss to her lips. “I don’t know when I’ll be back, angel, but as soon as I am, I want you back in this bed with me.” I paused, one more kiss, then, “Without the clothes this time.”
It was a promise I intended to stick to, just like I did with all my promises to her. And with that, I stood, turning around, not taking a look back at her, knowing that if I did, I wouldn’t leave the house to see the devil himself.
My boots pounded on the hardwood floors as I walked down the hallway toward the stairs. I opened up my messages, about to shoot off a text to Lorenzo, but at the last second, I stopped myself. I wouldn’t put it past Gio to monitor my communications. Lorenzo had told me there was no going it alone, but how could I not? I couldn’t risk Gio finding out this late in the game, so as I got to the bottom of the stairs, my gaze landing on Raf, I knew exactly what to do.
“Raf?” I shook his shoulder, hearing him gurgle, half asleep. “Raf, I’ve gotta head out.”
His eyes opened as he shot up, his panicked gaze staring around the room. “What? What’s going on?”
I pressed my fingers to his lips, pointing upstairs. “Gio.” One word as I held my cell up so that he could read the message.
“Why does he want you to meet?”
I shrugged, stowing my cell away. “I don’t know, but I can’t tell Lorenzo in case he’s monitoring my cell.”
