by Penelope Sky
“I wonder if my house is still standing.”
Bates shrugged. “The security team was still on site.”
“Or they were there…”
“I haven’t checked in.”
“What about Mother?”
“I got her out of there hours ago. The guys took her to Greece. I talked to her a while ago, and she’s fine. She’s worried about you. And Siena had me alert Landon to go into hiding.”
Everyone who mattered seemed to be safe and sound. “That could have been a lot worse.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.” Bates warned me that something was wrong, but I brushed it off. We could have taken care of this much sooner if I’d just valued his opinion.
“It’s okay. I shot your woman. We’re both idiots.”
“Yeah…I guess we are.”
Bates looked at the clock on the wall then turned back to me. “It’s getting late. You should get some sleep.”
“You don’t have to stay here with me, Bates.”
“Yes, I do. If an asshole walks through that door, I’m prepared. So just relax. I got your back.”
Days later, the doctor finally discharged me from the hospital.
My vitals had improved, and I was given pain medication for the road. I was stable, but I still hadn’t returned to my former strength. It would take me a long time to get back to where I used to be. My broken ribs would take the longest to heal—and they caused me the most pain.
I walked on my own two feet as I left the hospital and got into the car Bates brought to the entrance. I sat down in the passenger seat and then we drove through the streets. It took me a few seconds to figure out where we were. I knew we were in the UK, but I didn’t know exactly where. “London?”
“Yes.”
“One of my favorite cities.”
“Maybe the three of you can enjoy it another time.” Bates drove to the apartment and parked in the underground parking garage. We rode the elevator to his floor then stepped inside the apartment.
Siena clearly hadn’t been expecting me, judging by the shock on her face. She was on the floor with Martina, who lay on a blanket playing with some colorful toys. Tears sparkled in Siena’s eyes instantly, and she got up so quickly she almost fell forward. She righted herself and came to me, the tears freely streaming down her cheeks. “You’re out…” Her arms opened to hug me, but then she changed her mind and grabbed my wrists instead. “I don’t want to hurt you…”
“This doesn’t hurt.” My hand slid into her hair as I kissed her in the living room. My fingers felt the soft strands that I had gotten used to touching every single day of my life. I kissed her slowly on the lips, taking my time as I appreciated this woman’s love. Our mouths moved together slowly, and my heart ached for the sacrifices she’d made for me. I might be dead right now if it weren’t for her.
Her tears rolled over our mouths, but that didn’t stop her from continuing the kiss. She kept her hands on my wrists and refrained from touching my chest or my stomach. She was delicate with me when she used to be hard. “Cato, I love you. I love you so much.”
I rested my forehead against hers and didn’t hold back. I’d never wanted to tell her the truth for fear of what it would do to me. I couldn’t share my power. I couldn’t trust her. But now I knew I could trust her more than anyone else in the world. So I told her the truth…something I should have said a long time ago. “I love you too, baby. More than anything in this world.”
She pulled away so she could look into my eyes and see the emotion that matched hers. “Cato…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner.”
“You didn’t have to… I always knew.”
My private jet picked us up in London then took us back to Florence.
I experienced pain pretty much every moment of my existence now, even with the painkillers, but I tried to seem normal in front of Siena. She was heartbroken at the sight of me, and I didn’t want her to feel worse than she already did. She carried my pain the way I carried hers. When they’d dragged me away so she could give herself to Damien, my mind had snapped. She must have felt the same way when she saw me on the ground, weak like a corpse.
She sat beside me in the seat with Martina in her arms.
Martina was wrapped up in a blanket with her head supported by her mother. She looked up at me with the same fascination as always, like she knew exactly who I was. She didn’t understand what a father even was, but somehow, she knew I loved her and protected her. She was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me.
“Do you want to hold her?” Siena asked.
I would love to, but I was too weak. I’d have to use my core to hold her in my arms, and even the slight strain was extremely painful. “I would love to, but I think it’ll be a while before I can.”
“Of course…” She continued to keep Martina close. “Is the pain still bothering you?”
“A little,” I lied. “But looking at her makes me forget about all that.”
“Good. When I was in the apartment alone, she made me feel so much better. You weren’t there, but I felt like I still had a piece of you.”
“I know what you mean.” I rested my hand on her thigh, grateful I had these two back in my life. I’d almost lost them, and they’d almost lost me.
Bates walked over. “Can I talk to Cato for a second?”
“Sure.” She unbuckled her safety belt and moved to a different seat.
I was angry the second she was gone. She was the light of my life, and whenever I couldn’t see her, the world suddenly felt dark. “What’s up?”
“Micah has disappeared again. He’s either gone into hiding, or he’s under the hatch.”
“He can’t stay there for long.” I wasn’t concerned about it. He was like a rat in the sewer. If he didn’t want to drown, he’d have to come up for air. “I’d like to kill him now, but I can be patient. The second he makes his move, we’ll take him out.”
Bates nodded. “If he’s smart, he’ll leave the country.”
“Doesn’t matter. He could go all the way to the Arctic, and we would still find him. He knows he’s a dead man. He’s just too much of a coward to face that truth. Not yet, anyway.”
“You’re right,” he said in agreement. “The security team said the house is fine. Micah’s men came to the gates but quickly realized we weren’t there.”
“How?”
“They must have seen the chopper in the sky.”
That thing saved my life and my home. “So the place is intact?”
“Security said they left right away. There was a shootout, of course, but nothing to write home about. And you don’t need to worry about them hitting you there because they’re underground.”
I looked forward to sleeping in my own bed, to being surrounded by the walls that kept us safe.
“I’ll let you know if anything new pops up.” Bates left the seat and moved into the rear of the plane.
Siena returned to the seat beside me. “Everything okay?”
“Micah is underground. We’ll have to wait a while until he pops his head up.”
“He can’t stay like that forever. Even if he does, he’s practically imprisoning himself.”
“I agree. He’ll come out to play soon.”
She rested Martina in the crook of her arm and crossed her legs. “Bates said he was wrong about me.”
“It’s so obvious, he had to say it.”
“He apologized and said I was a badass.”
“Also obvious…”
She rested her head against the back of the chair and looked at me. “It seemed like he meant it. So I forgave him.”
“For shooting you in the head?” I asked incredulously. “That’s not something you forgive someone for.”
“By that logic, I shouldn’t forgive you for marching me outside and making me think you were really going to shoot me.” She looked at me with victory in her eyes, knowing h
er argument was sound.
It was irrefutable. “And maybe you shouldn’t forgive me either…”
“I already have, and I don’t regret it. I don’t regret forgiving him either. He and I are on good terms now.”
“Because you pulled off an incredible stunt. He was forced to admire you, to respect you.”
“And that’s created a new relationship. So maybe we should let the past go and move on. Not letting him hold Martina seems a bit cruel.”
“He was pretty bummed when I told him.”
“Then I can’t enforce that. He was just trying to protect you…and I understand that.”
Maybe she could forgive him for what he did, but I couldn’t. I would make good on my word someday. When he found the woman he loved, I would hurt her the way he’d hurt Siena. It was only fair. “I’m not ready to forgive him so easily, but I’m glad you are.”
“He sat at your hospital bed for four days.”
“And I would have done the same for him even if I was pissed at him. Doesn’t change anything.”
“What about—”
“This is between him and me, baby. If and when I’m ready to forgive him, I will. Until that time comes, let it go.”
She turned back to Martina and turned quiet. “Alright.”
I just got Siena back into my life, and I didn’t want to start it on bad terms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Let’s just forget it. We’re almost home, and I’m excited to be back. I miss my bed. I miss the way the hardwood smells. I miss the way the sheets feel against my skin. I miss us… I miss being together.”
I was relieved to see the estate in perfect shape. The gates hadn’t been breached, and the landscaping was exactly the same. We pulled up to the front of the house then stepped inside, surrounded by the sturdy walls of this fortress.
I moved slower than I normally did because my broken ribs inhibited almost all of my movements. Just a subtle turn was enough to make me writhe in pain. The doctor said it would take time for all the bones to heal so I should be patient.
Bates walked in with me. “I’ve already started hiring more security. It’ll take a while to get everything back in order, but for now, we still have half our men. That should be good enough for the time being. I doubt Micah will storm the gates, but if he does, we’ll be ready for him.”
“And the Skull Kings will be here in no time.”
“With eight hundred million in weapons.”
The house wasn’t quite as spotless as it used to be since Giovanni hadn’t been there to keep it in perfect condition. But now that he was back, he would restore it to its former glory.
“You want me to stay?” Bates asked. “Need me to do anything else?”
At a time like this, it was probably best if we stayed together. He had his own men at his property, but anytime we were apart, we were vulnerable. If he were captured, we’d have to do this whole thing all over again. “Stay. Pick whatever room you want.”
“Can I bring a guest?” He waggled his eyebrows.
My only response was a glare.
He shrugged. “It was worth a try. I’ll grab my stuff and return in an hour.”
“Hurry.”
“You worried about me?” he asked with a smile. “Good to know you don’t hate me anymore.”
“Who said I didn’t?”
He winked then walked out.
I looked at the three stories of stairs with dread. I used to be a strong man who could carry Siena all the way to the very top—and now I could barely carry myself. My body didn’t feel the same anymore. It was broken and aged behind repair. That hammer did immense damage to my frame, and I bit my tongue a few times when I refused to scream.
Siena stopped at the foot of the stairs. “There are rooms on the bottom floor, Cato.”
Now I looked weak in front of her—and I hated that. “I’ll be fine.” I sucked it up and walked all the way to the top floor, stifling the pain as best I could. Now that I was up there, I wouldn’t be returning to the entryway unless it was an emergency. No reason to put my body through that torment again.
Siena put Martina in the crib before she helped me undress in our bedroom. She peeled my shirt off gently, doing her best not to react to the scars and stitches. As much as she tried to fight it, the emotion was impossible to deny when it danced across her face like that. She took care of my jeans next then helped me into bed.
I sat up against the pillows and felt my entire body ache. Never in my life had I felt this terrible. Good thing the doctor was generous with the pain medication.
Siena sat at my side and ran her fingers through my hair. “I’ll take care of you. Whatever you need, I’m here.”
“I should be the one taking care of you…” I looked into her green eyes and treasured the sight. I could have lost her for good, and it would have haunted me every single second until I got her back. This woman had proved her love a million times, and I was too stupid to see it. Now I couldn’t unsee it.
“You will—one day.” She smiled at me as she continued to run her fingers through my short hair. “We’ll take turns taking care of each other. Then when we’re a hundred, Martina will take care of us.”
“And our other kids.”
Her hand stilled at my words, her eyes crinkling at the corners in emotion. “Our other kids?”
“You said you want two kids, right?”
“Yes. But do you?”
I nodded. “Maybe more than two.”
She released a deep laugh, her eyes sparkling in happiness. “Ambitious.”
“You know me, baby. I’m a very ambitious man.”
“Well, let’s get you better first. So that’s step one.”
“I want to make another baby as soon as you’re ready.”
“Two babies in diapers…that sounds like a handful.”
I shrugged. “Nothing we can’t handle. And if it is too much, we can make Giovanni take care of them.”
She laughed. “Poor Giovanni. We dump everything on that sweet man.”
“That’s what I pay him for.” I smiled as I looked at her, the woman who sacrificed herself to save me. The only other woman who would have done that was my mother. I didn’t want Siena to do that, but her loyalty touched me. Loyalty had always been important to me, along with trust. She’d earned both those things. “I’m sorry…for everything.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Cato.” She grabbed my hand and held it on her thigh.
“You were right. I was too scared to tell you how I really felt. I was a coward.”
“Coward is a strong word.”
“And it suits me.” I squeezed her hand. “You’ve had so much power over me since the beginning, and I hated that. Then when you tricked me…I felt foolish. I felt stupid and foolish. I was afraid to give you that power again.”
“Understandable.”
“But a real man shouldn’t be a coward. A real man should wear his heart on his sleeve. I’m sorry I didn’t do that sooner.”
Her eyes softened with emotion. “I always knew, Cato. So there’s no need to apologize. I saw it in the way you looked at me, the way you took care of me, the way you made love to me. You wore your heart on your sleeve…even if you didn’t realize it.”
16
Siena
Six weeks had come and gone, and Cato had improved significantly. He had the strength to move around again. He didn’t hit the gym or exert himself too much, but he was able to shower on his own and stand for long periods of time.
Even though he felt better, I forced him to stay in bed.
“Baby, I’m fine—”
“Stay.” I placed the sheets over his lap.
He rolled his eyes. “Come on—”
“No. Just because you’re feeling better doesn’t mean you should run around. You could reinjure yourself and make it a million times worse. So you’re going to stay in bed until you’re completely healed.” I placed Martina in bed beside him with her
favorite colored plastic keys to play with. “And you have your daughter for company.”
“As much as I enjoy hanging out with her, I have other things to do.”
“Yes,” I said in agreement. “Like get better.”
He sighed under his breath.
“I’m gonna go get you some lunch. Keep an eye on her.”
“You’re just trying to make me feel useful.”
“You are useful.” I leaned down and kissed him. “Take advantage of this time you have with her. Before you know it, she’s going to be all grown up.”
“Don’t talk like that,” he said coldly. “I want her to stay like this forever.”
“I don’t,” I said with a laugh. “My nipples are raw because she sucks on them so much.”
“Even when she stops, they’re still going to be raw.” He gave me a playful look.
I left the bedroom and headed downstairs, trying to forget that last comment. Six weeks of convalescence was a long time to go without much action. Sometimes we kissed and touched each other in bed, but it’d been so long since we’d actually made love. It’d been about three months.
I missed it so much.
I went downstairs and found Bates in the conference room. He’d pretty much moved in to the space since he lived in the house with us. He handled the business remotely, rarely going to the office in Florence. “I’m gonna get some lunch for Cato. You want anything?”
“A salad is fine.” He finished typing on his laptop then looked up to meet my gaze. “How is he?”
“Restless. Annoyed. Eager.”
“Can’t blame him.”
“I’m having him watch Martina so he has something to do.”
“He goes from running the biggest bank in Europe to watching a baby… Anticlimactic.”
“At least it gives him something to do.” I stepped farther into the office. “No sign of Micah?”
He shook his head. “Still underground. He hasn’t fled to another country. My men have been watching the building, and the only thing that goes in and out are supply trucks. So I suspect he’s willing to live underground long enough for us to forget about him…not that we ever could.”