I rushed to him, relief flooding me. He winced as I hugged him and I pulled back immediately. “Are you okay? What happened?”
He shook his head. “I’m exhausted,” he said. “Need a fucking bath.”
“A bath?” I blinked, surprised.
“Helps relax me after shit like this.” He gestured with his head. “Come on.”
I followed him down the hall and up the steps. He moved slow, like he was in pain. We reached the very top and went into his room. The master bathroom had a marble floor, marble vanity, and a large jacuzzi tub with a huge standing shower stall next to it. I figured the tub didn’t get used much, but he turned it on and sat down on the edge for a long moment.
I hesitated then knelt down in front of him.
He looked at me and his hand touched my cheek. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?” I started to unbutton his shirt, gently and slowly.
“I put you in danger again. All because I felt bad.”
“That wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.” I bit my lip and shook my head with a sigh. “Honestly, Dante. It wasn’t your fault.”
He looked away as I got his shirt open. I sucked in a little breath as I looked at the bandage on his side. He followed my gaze. “It’s not as bad as I thought,” he said. “Only a few stitches.”
“You’re a mess.”
“Yeah.” He laughed then winced. “I am. How about you?”
“Ears aren’t ringing this time.”
He nodded. “Good. Getting used to it.”
I smiled and ran my fingers down his chest. “Not sure if it’s a good thing to getting used to hearing gunshots, you know.”
“This isn’t what I wanted for you.” His voice was low and heavy with exhaustion. I helped him up and helped him get his belt off, his slacks off. He threw the clothes on the floor then took off his boxer briefs. I stared at his muscular body, at the tattoos on his skin, at his long, thick cock.
“What did you want then?”
“I don’t know,” he said with a sigh and stepped into the tub. He sank down and let the water fill in around him. I stared at his body and felt a thrill. I sat on the edge and ran my fingers through his hair. “I know what it means to be with a man like me.”
“I don’t think I do,” I said.
“It means danger. It’s exciting, it feels good, but it might get you killed. You know it as well as I do. You’ve seen it twice now.”
“This just… it’s a bad time. It won’t always be like this, right?”
He smiled a little, his eyes on the water as it rose up around him. His bandage got wet, soaked through, but he didn’t seem to mind. I slowed the water down to a trickle, but didn’t turn it off.
“Maybe,” he said. “Depends. Leone Family hasn’t been at war for years, not seriously. But things change, and the Russians are getting stronger. If this doesn’t end soon, it might escalate into something more as the other Capos get involved. I don’t know what the Don’s thinking or where this will end.”
I nodded slowly and leaned on the ledge of the tub behind him. I ran my hands down his chest and he took them in his own. I kissed his hair and breathed his smell deep into my nose. “I don’t know what I want,” I admitted. “I don’t know if I want to run away or stay.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“But I had fun tonight. And I felt…” I trailed off.
“You looked perfect,” he said.
“I felt beautiful.”
“You should have.” He squeezed my hands. “That’s what I wanted for you.”
We sat in silence for a long moment. He closed his eyes and seemed to relax as my fingers pressed against the muscles on his chest. I kissed his cheek and he let out a low grunt.
“Dante?”
“Yeah.”
“What happened? After I left.”
He didn’t open his eyes. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do. I think… I think if I’m going to stay here, I have to know what I’m involved with.”
He let out a breath. “Killed the other two,” he said. “Threw all three into the river. Cops showed up, saw the blood, but had no bodies and no witnesses were talking. We’ll straighten that out. I bet the family’s lawyers are already descending.”
I dug my fingers into his chest. “You killed them?”
“Had to. Couldn’t let what they did stand. Just doesn’t work that way.”
I nodded once, biting back tears. I knew he was right, but it was horrible all the same.
“Yeah. Okay. Sure.”
He turned his head and looked into my eyes. “If you want to leave, I’ll give you money. I’ll have one of my guys drive you as far as you want, or we can book you on the first flight out. I can even get you fake documents if you want, send you abroad. You can start over, Aida.”
I leaned back, pulling my hands away. He didn’t move, just looked at me. I thought about that for a long moment and pictured what it would be like to have a new life. I could be whoever I wanted, choose my own name, make up my own backstory. I could be an entirely different person.
But I knew life didn’t work that way. No matter what, I’d be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life, wondering when Vlas would catch up with me, just to prove he could. I’d be living in fear, away from the city I knew and loved, away from the place I was meant to be.
“No,” I said. “That’s okay.”
“Think about it.” He looked back at the water.
I stood up and walked over to the clothes he’d thrown on the floor. I bent over, picked them up, and straightened them out. “I’ll have these dry cleaned,” I said.
“Thank you.”
I nodded, lingered at the door. His eyes flicked to mine, and he looked so tired. “Don’t fall asleep in there.”
“I won’t.
