“I understand, sweetheart,” he said, touching her cheek. “Young ladies need their privacy. Your great-uncle isn’t going to take that away from you.”
The Don let go of her cheek and started to turn away. But just as Emma had begun to let her arms fall to her side, one of the men huffed and snorted through his nostrils. The same man then ripped the curtain back, sending her tumbling backward slightly.
Emma’s first thought was of death when the curtain flew open, wondering if they would just shoot her in her apartment and find some sad, stinky river to dump her body in. Or if they would make her plead for her life, make another screwy deal, and let her live the rest of her life in fear. Either one sounded horrible, so she would take whatever she was given. She had done something terrible, and they had covered it up for her. She owed them, and they felt justified in whatever they did to her from then on.
But Emma was able to turn around and find her bed completely empty. Her eyes wandered the space briefly but turned to the henchmen, pretending to be more outraged rather than relieved.
“How dare you!” she screamed.
The Don moved back across the room like a great white shark, coming forth with an open hand. He proceeded to clap the man across the face who had violated her trust, first on both cheeks, then the back of the head. He spoke in Italian as he berated him, and Emma was able to pick up the general gist of it.
“Did I tell you to rip the curtain down?” the Don yelled. “Did I tell you to get in there no matter the fucking costs? Hmm? Answer me, Santiago, you fucker!”
The henchman was at the same height as the Don but cowered inward like a little boy getting in trouble.
“No, Don, no, I’m sorry,” Santiago replied in Italian. “I am sorry, please, stop.”
The Don gave him a final cuff on the back of the head, then grabbed him by the shoulders. They returned to speaking English as Santiago spoke, staring down at his feet.
“I apologize, Miss Emma,” he said, forlorn. “That was not my place.”
“Damn right it wasn’t,” the Don said.
The Don shoved the man toward the door, and the other henchmen followed. He held his hands out to her again, looking like the host of a restaurant who was trying to patronize a complaining customer.
“I am deeply sorry, my darling,” he said. “It won't happen again.”
Emma nodded, smiling but doing her best to maintain some kind of assertiveness. “Thank you, Uncle.”
He kissed both her cheeks, then returned to the front door. They said their goodbyes, and Emma listened to make sure their footfalls were long gone before she locked the door, then ran to the bed.
She stood there for a moment, looking around, her heart racing. She spoke quietly, hoping wherever Ace was, he would hear her.
“They’re gone,” she said softly.
The window beside her bed slowly opened, and a strong, sleek cheetah slipped inside. It was a profound sight in the light of day to see the way his muscles rippled, as well as the stealthy nature of his movements.
She sat on the side of the bed and reached her hand out toward the cheetah. “You are so beautiful. I have watched you, but I haven’t had the chance to pet you and let you get to know me.”
The cheetah showed no fear or hesitation as he walked to her and put his chin in her outstretched hand. Emma slid to the floor and began petting his soft head as she let him continue to rest his head in her other hand.
“You are a protective thing, but you have to know I won’t ever hurt you, and I will take care of you as long as Ace stays.” Before she could blink her eyes, Ace appeared, and the cheetah was gone. His face held a war of emotions, sadness, love, safety, and wildness. She knew if she and Ace were to make it, it was going to be a roller coaster ride, but she was ready to get on board.
Emma was beyond impressed with him. She brought her hands to her heart as he shifted back into his human form, which was another magnificent sight to observe in the flesh.
“Ace,” she said softly.
He grinned at her, looking more handsome than ever, as he found his underwear on the floor.
“You didn’t sell me out,” he said, still smiling.
Emma’s first response was to frown. Why would she rat him out? It had been her first instinct to protect him, despite the fact that it would likely come back and bite her in the ass.
“Well, of course not,” she said, helping him find his clothes. “Why on earth would I do that? Besides, I would only get in more shit if I revealed what we had done.”
Ace picked up his clothing, and they had a brief moment of catching each other’s eyes. His were big and round, light flickers of amber moving through the sea of his irises. She forced herself to turn away, then stepped aside.
He cleared his throat and made his way toward the bathroom.