“You don’t have to do this.”
“I don’t do anything because I have to.”
I cup his face. “I love you so much.” I kiss him and he cups my head, holding me to him for a long, drugging kiss that has Drago yelling at us.
I laugh as a sense of rightness comes over me. Everything I have ever been has been leading me here, to this man. And I would die for him, but I know him enough to know those aren’t words he wants to hear from me.
Kayden closes his eyes as Drago goes to work, and unbidden, Neuville’s voice is in my head. I own you. You are mine. I will find you. I don’t even remember when he said those words, but I believe them.
He will find me. He will come for me. And I fear that he will come for Kayden. And I can’t let that happen.
twenty
By the time we finish up at the tattoo parlor the bond between us seems to expand with every look, touch, and word, and I decide to simply enjoy this time with him, and bring up Neuville tomorrow. Arm in arm, we exit the shop into a chilly night, and the streets have transformed from the calm of earlier to walkways filled with tourists, street vendors, and a few performers.
More and more the neighborhood has become like hands to me, with side streets that are many fingers. We cut down one of them now, cafés and outdoor seating lining our path.
“I can’t believe there are people eating outside in this weather,” I say, eyeing the busy tables.
“You should see it during the warmer months,” he says. “Italians like their outdoor dining, and for the most part that’s because there’s no air-conditioning.” He pulls me a little closer. “How’s your wrist feeling?”
“Just a dull throb,” I say. “It turned out beautifully, so I’m excited about it. How’s your back?”
“Nothing some wine won’t cure.” He stops us at the door to a place that looks rather busy. “This is one of the more modern restaurants in Trastevere. Very American in its size and atmosphere. Very Italian when it comes to the food.”
We enter the main dining area with pale wood floors, and modern-looking steel-and-glass steps up the center, and a hostess seats us in a corner booth in the back. Fifteen minutes later we are drinking wine, eating bread, and, at my urging, Kayden has ordered his recommendations for us.
We laugh and talk, the way we have all day, in spite of Neuville, Niccolo, and even Donati. Once our plates are gone, Kayden laces his hand with mine, leaning in close and turning somber. “Do you know how few people could go from where you were on that bathroom floor last night to where you are right now? You are brave.”
That memory of my father calling me brave comes back to me and guts me just a little. “Which means I’m scared, but I do it anyway. I am scared, Kayden. I didn’t want to talk about this tonight, but Garner . . .” I cringe. “I just called him by his first name, as if I actually had a relationship with that man.”
“You did, sweetheart, and he might be a dark spot on your life, but it’s the way we deal with those dark spots that makes us who we are. And they made you special.”
“I’m not special, but they brought me to you, and I’d live them again to be here now.” I sit back and drink some wine. “I didn’t want to bring this up tonight, but he’s coming for me and the necklace—and that means you.”
“He hasn’t come for you because he doesn’t know where you are.”
“He’ll find me.”
“But we’ve found him first, Ella. That’s what matters. We’ve found him, and we will hurt him in ways he’s never imagined.”
“Translate that.”
“Evil Eye will be evoked. You are mine and they are yours. The attacks will come hard, fast, and vicious. His people will doubt him. His world will crumble.”
“When?”
“I have key members flying in for a meeting in a week for the vote.”
“So it’s not guaranteed that they’ll take him down.”
“The meeting is more about planning than approval. I lead Evil Eye—and if I can confirm that Niccolo is dying, that makes the dynamics of this interesting,” he says. “A shift of power from both mafia leaders has to be handled with care, but if done right, it could weaken both organizations.”
I study him closely. “Why haven’t you sent them after Niccolo, Kayden?”
“I set this organization up based on order and honor. Not an easy thing to do, when not every Hawk is about honor. There are rules and a burden of proof. If I step around that, then everyone will expect to do the same, and that can lead to dangerous places.”
“What proof do you have of what happened to me?”