“I know that you believe that,” I say. “I also know that you know Europe and The Underground and the mobs in both France and Italy. But I know this man. He’s an insane monster. Please hear me, Kayden. I cannot lose you. And I can’t bear the idea of someone here dying because of me. You told me not to go to Paris and you were right: I was just desperate to protect everyone here. But now, I’m asking you to hear me out.”
His hands come down on my arms. “Easy, sweetheart. I hear you. I’m listening.”
My hands go to his forearms. “You can’t wait to maneuver his second-in-command out of the way before dealing with him. He will come for me, and if he gets the necklace, too—”
“He won’t. I’ll adjust my strategy going into this meeting, and I’ll assume Evil Eye doesn’t exist to him.”
“And that means what?”
“It means when you walk into this meeting, Ella, you’re going to understand how brutal I can be. And I’m not sure I want you to experience that right now.”
“I’m ready for you to stop doubting yourself with me.”
“I proposed, Ella.”
“And I made you doubt that decision, but it was about this. It was about him, not you or us.” His eyes are still guarded in a way I hope they’ll never be with me again. “I hate that I did this to us.”
His chest rises and falls, his face etched with shadows, his eyes shadowed as well. “Ella—”
There is a sudden pounding on the door. “Let me in!” It’s Sasha.
“Hurry!” she calls out.
In another instant, Kayden has his weapon drawn and is at the door ready to open it, and I’m really missing Annie right now.
eight
Kayden yanks open the door and Sasha bursts inside, water pouring down her black trench coat, a hood covering her head. “No threat,” she pants out. “No immediate threat.”
“What the hell happened?” Kayden demands, locking the door before holstering his weapon.
She tugs down the hood, waves of chestnut hair falling in a beautiful mess around her shoulders. “My God. It’s a nightmare out there. Hi, Ella.”
“Sasha,” Kayden bites out. “What the hell happened?”
“Gallo followed me when I left his apartment and I couldn’t take a risk by going directly to the castle. I parked nearly on the damn moon and ran in this cold rain.” She starts unbuttoning her coat. “I need out of this. I’m frozen to the core and it’s soaked.”
“Are you sure he didn’t follow you?” Kayden asks.
“If I didn’t lose him, he’s an Olympian,” she says, shrugging out of her coat, revealing black jeans and a black, low-cut sweater, before plopping the coat on the counter and rubbing her hands together. “You know me, Kayden—I’m good at what I do. I covered my tracks.”
“What made him follow you?” I ask, trying not to think about her entertaining him in bed. “Do you know?”
“He’s a paranoid, angry person,” she says. “Even when we’re fucking, he’s angry, but at least he lets go of the paranoia then. The man needs to have a week of me naked in his bed to let go of some shit, I swear.”
When she puts it that way her seducing him sounds a little better, because Gallo absolutely needs to let go of the past and his pain.
“He followed you, Sasha,” Kayden says. “You’re done. He’s suspicious.”
“He’s paranoid,” she repeats. “And believe me, that always leads to you. I don’t know the man well, yet he talks about you. We need me in there, watching out for him and you.”
Another point I hadn’t thought of, and suddenly I’m on her side. “Maybe if he just steps back from things for a while, he’ll check himself,” I say. “Maybe she can help him.”
Kayden’s jaw sets in a stubborn line. “I’m not sparing one of my best Hunters during a critical time like this to fuck Gallo night and day. Gallo is being dealt with.”
“If dealing with him includes Chief Donati transferring him,” she says, “he’ll turn in his badge.”
“And do what?”