CATERINA
She’ll kill me for calling him, but I don’t know what else to do. I’ve been knocking at the bedroom door in our suite for the past hour, and she won’t let me in. I could either call hotel security and have them unlock it, or call Gianni and hope he can get through to her.
“Tatiana?” I murmur while knocking for the millionth time. “Sweetie, at least make a sound and let me know you’re okay. I’m really scared and worried.”
Last night, she was hysterical over Luciano kidnapping me. Tonight, I’m talking to a locked door and hoping like hell she’s alive on the other side. I’ve never seen her like this before. She’s capable of anything, as painful as it is to think about.
“Just leave me alone.” It’s so soft I can hardly hear it, but her muffled voice at least tells me she’s alive in there.
Think, damn it. What set her off? She couldn’t have had more than two or three drinks at the bar, so she’s not wasted. I’ve seen her double–fist margaritas all night long. “Why won’t you let me in? Are you sure that guy didn’t hurt you?”
“Leave me alone!” Something hits the door, and I jump back, cringing. I have no idea what could’ve happened or why she’s keeping it from me.
Calling for help was the only thing I could do.
It’s not like I wanted to go through with this whole running away thing by the time the sun came up this morning. We hung around the suite all day, watching TV, ordering room service, soaking in the big tub, and napping while I tried and failed to forget the horrors of last night. Then, when we were both bored enough to scream, we figured we’d have a few drinks
downstairs.
Which was when everything fell apart.
A sharp knock at the door makes me run across the living room half of the suite. A look through the peephole shows Gianni and Roger out in the hall. Big surprise, Gianni looks ready to kill someone. Roger glances up and down the hall, always the protector.
I leave the chain in place and open the door a crack. Gianni pushes on it right away. “Let me in.”
“Shh.” I hold a finger to my lips, eyes wide.
“Open. The door.” His eyes are nearly black, burning with rage. “Now.”
“She’s too upset for you to come barging in here,” I whisper. “I mean, really upset. I’m scared. She needs us to be calm with her.”
When all he does is seethe, I add, “Please, Gianni. Don’t make me regret calling you.”
Little by little, his features soften. “Fine,” he replies, teeth gritted. “Tell me what happened.”
I have to trust him, I guess, for Tatiana’s sake. I’ll ignore the way my heart feels like it’s going to explode. This isn’t about me or how much I missed Gianni today. How I wished a hundred times I could call him and beg for forgiveness. I was feeling weak and lonely and regretting my decision. Seeing him now ready to bust a blood vessel reminds me why running seemed like a good
idea.
I close the door to remove the chain, then step aside and open it the rest of the way. Gianni looks around the spacious, tasteful room and sniffs the air before scowling deeper than before. The scent of cologne still hangs in the air.
He keeps his temper in check, maybe because of the closed bedroom door. He jerks a thumb toward it, and I nod. “What happened?” he mutters while Roger presses his ear to the door.
I gesture for them to follow me to the window at the opposite corner of the suite. He’s here as a father, not as the boyfriend I ran away from last night. I remind myself of that.
“I don’t know what happened,” I whisper while wrapping my arms around myself to keep from shaking.
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“Maybe start with why it smells like a bunch of frat boys were in here,” Gianni says. “It reeks of cheap cologne.”
“We were downstairs in the bar.” It’s easier to look at Roger since he doesn’t look like he wants to snap my neck. “We only had a couple of drinks. Three guys came in, and we started chatting, and…”
“And?” Gianni’s face hardens.
“And…” The words keep getting stuck in my throat. “And they said we should take the party upstairs, so we brought them up to the room.”
“You what?”
I will not cry. Even when I know how this must sound. “It was Tatiana who said yes,” I tell Roger. “I wasn’t interested. I sat out here with two of the guys. Tatiana took the third one into the bedroom.”
I squeeze my eyes shut when Gianni lets out a feral growl. This is more uncomfortable than I imagined it would be. “I swear, it couldn’t have been more than half a minute before she started screaming.”
That’s what it does. The thread he was still hanging onto snaps, and he rages. “Son of a bitch-”
Roger grabs him and holds him back while I blurt out, “No, no, the guy came out and swore all he did was try to kiss her. He had all his clothes on, and so did she. He was totally confused and freaked out. They left right after, and she locked me out of the bedroom.”
Gianni’s breathing like a bull ready to charge. Roger’s gaze looks stormy, too, but he has a better grip on his self–control. “You believed him when he said nothing happened?”
“There wasn’t enough time for something to take place.”
Gianni shakes Roger off and shoots me a disdainful look before crossing the room. All I can do is hold my breath and hope he doesn’t make things worse by throwing his weight around and acting like a possessive asshole.
He raises his fist, and I brace myself. I’m afraid he’s going to pound on the door, but his knock is gentle. “Tatiana, sweetie? It’s Dad. I’m here. Unlock the door.” I’ve never heard him talk to her that way before. So tender and kind.
Please, listen to him.My insides are churning, and I’m breaking out in a cold sweat. Seconds tick by. Then the lock clicks, and the door slowly opens.
Tatiana’s face is tomato red and slick with tears. “Daddy.” She walks straight into the circle of his arms and presses her face to his chest before heaving out a sob.
“What did he do to you, baby?” He strokes her hair with one hand and even sways slightly from side to side. Like he’s rocking
her.
“It wasn’t… him…” She shakes her head, crying harder.
“Who was it?” Slowly, he walks her to the silk–covered sofa and sits her down before sitting beside her. He wraps a secure arm around her. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”
A glance at Roger tells me nothing. He’s so intense, staring at the two of them, barely blinking.
“I didn’t want you to know.” Her voice is thick, and she’s shaking so hard her teeth chatter. “I’m so ashamed. Please, Daddy, don’t kill him. Okay?”
“Who, baby?”
My throat is so tight, I can’t breathe, but I can mouth the name along with her. “Christopher.”
Damn it. I didn’t think. I didn’t put it together. Now everything is making sense.
Gianni’s nostrils flare, and his eyes narrow to slits, but he keeps it together enough to mutter, “What did he do to you?”
“He…” Her guilty gaze meets mine before darting away. “He hurt me. I didn’t want you to know. On the trip. In Europe.”
He closes his eyes and breathes slowly and deliberately. “How?”
“He…” She’s still weeping as she slides her shoulders out of her cardigan until her bare arms and their bruises are visible. The lamp on the end table shines bright on the ugly marks. Roger makes a choked sound while Gianni only stares at the bruises, wordless. I’ve seen the look in his eyes. He might not be speaking, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t raging inside.
“And…” She ducks her head, then covers her face with both hands. “One night, I didn’t want to… but he wouldn’t stop… and he… I couldn’t make himstop!” Gianni pulls her against his chest and closes his eyes, rocking her again. “It was so bad, and he hurt
me.”
I have to cover my mouth to stifle my sob. She didn’t tell me that part. No wonder she lost it when a stranger tried to touch her. No wonder there were bruises on her thighs. Why didn’t she tell me?
“Okay, baby,” Gianni murmurs, stroking her tangled blonde curls. He’s still holding on, but he could snap at any second.” Everything is going to be okay.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.” He kisses her sweaty forehead before brushing the hair away from her skin. “You don’t owe me an apology. I’m glad you told me. You shouldn’t have to keep something like that inside.”
“I’m ashamed of myself,” she admits in a whisper, running her hands under her eyes. “I lost it earlier, too. It wasn’t his fault. I just…”
“You don’t have to explain. And you never have to worry about telling me things. When you need help, I’ll be here to help you Always.”
“Dad.” She’s still shaking and sniffling, but looks him in the eye. I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid of what you’d do to him.”
Roger takes a step toward the sofa, his fists clenching. “You want to protect him after what he did?”
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“No. But I don’t want to cause trouble.” She squeezes Gianni’s hands. “Please, don’t do something stupid because of me.”
“All right, sweetheart.” He cups the back of her skull in one hand and kisses her forehead again while looking over her head at Roger.
Their eyes meet, and even though I’m not a mind reader, I know Christopher’s days are numbered. The thought of a murder being decided that easily, without using words, makes me shiver, but I can’t find it in me to care, not after what Christopher did to her. He doesn’t deserve to live. I wish I could kill him myself.
“Let’s get you home.” Gianni helps her to her feet but gently hands her off to Roger. “He’ll take you to the garage, and I’ll help Caterina get your things together.”
There goes the pit in my stomach. For Tatiana’s sake, I put on a brave face until she’s out of the suite, and I can let out the breath I was holding. Now it’s just the two of us. Nobody’s here to protect me. Nobody to keep me from throwing myself into his arms and begging him to love me. Having him this close has stripped away every reason I had for running. I can’t afford to forget what staying with him means, no matter how my heart wants to.
His stormy eyes threaten to knock me on my ass, but I hold my ground. “I didn’t know it was like that,” I whisper before he can ask. “I didn’t know he did that to her.”
“I believe you.” He folds his arms, looking me up and down. “What? No argument?”
“About…?”
“About killing that bastard for what he did to somebody I love. You’re not going to tell me how wrong it is or run away again?” “Gianni.” I sink into an armchair close to the window overlooking the city. It’s a beautiful suite in a beautiful hotel, and I’ve spent a miserable day in it. All I want is to go home and forget this happened, but he’s not going to make it that easy.
“Well?”
“You tracked my phone without me knowing about it.” His face is stony. He doesn’t even have the decency to look sorry. “I’ve been living in a cage most of my life. When my mom died, my dad doubled down on protection. I couldn’t make a move without him hovering over my shoulder. Over the years, I grew to resent him, and at times, I’ve even hated him. It ruined my relationship with him, and when I got my own place, I promised I wouldn’t go back to living like that.”
I sigh. “I don’t want to grow to resent or hate you. You have to let me live.”
“What about my cruel protectiveness saving your life?” he counters with a sneer. “It came in handy last night. I’m a bad man. I warned you of that and won’t apologize for what I did to him.”
“I’m not asking you to. But I’m asking you to apologize for violating my privacy–again.”
He clasps his hands behind his back and paces in front of the sofa. can’t take my eyes off those hands, cienching and relaxing rhythmically. Hands that could snap a neck with no problem. Hands that have brought me great pleasure.
“If you’re wondering,” I add in a soft voice, “it’s comforting, knowing I have you to defend me. It’s a little scary too, but it’s comforting.”
He snorts, shaking his head while wearing a groove in the throw rug under his feet. “Glad I have your approval.”
“I’m trying, Gianni. Meet me halfway?”
“That’s not how I work. I won’t compromise.”
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“Then that’s it.” My chest aches. It hurts more than I can stand. He might as well tear out my beating heart and stomp on it. This is where we end. Because I’m not living in a dictatorship. If you want me with you–where I want to be, so much—you have to give me space. I’m yours, but I don’t belong to you. I belong to the. I love you… but I love myself too.”
I can’t believe the words slipped from my mouth so easily. I’m almost shocked. Not by the meaning. I’ve been falling for fil
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for awhile, but the impact they have on us, ifweeven exist anymore
Seconds tick by, and I almost wonder if he heard me. “You love me?” His voice is a sharp jagged whisper. All I can do is nod, the lump in my throat making it hard for me to speak. He crosses the space between us stopping in front of me. “I want you to come home. With me. To stay.”
“That’s what I want too.”
“I can’t change the man I am. I’m always going to want to own you I’ll always want you at my side–and when you aren’t there, I’ll want to know where you are. I’ll always want to know who you’re with or what you’re doing. I can’t loosen my grip all at once.”
His gaze locks with mine, and now I’m seeing another side of him I never knew existed. He’s worried. Anxious. Almost pleading with his eyes. “I can’t promise I’ll always do the right thing, but I need you to remember I’m trying. All I want is you. If it means learning to lessen my grasp, I’ll do my best. I’ll fucking try, but I can’t lose you.”
“Really?” A tear rolls down my cheek, then another one.
“Just come home. Let’s get the hell out of here and start over again.” Finally, he allows himself to reach for me, and as soon as his palms press against my cheeks my entire body bursts into flames. “Because if I have to go another minute without being inside of you, I might lose my mind. I need you, Caterina.”
That’s all I needed to hear to launch me out of the chair and into his arms. All the doubt and regret I wrestled with today melts away and leaves nothing but relief. “I want to come home.”
“Thank God.” He pulls me close enough that I can feel the rapid beating of his heart against my chest. He can be as stoic as he wants, but the thumping of his heart gives away what’s going on inside, and that’s enough for me.
