26


    The souND  of Roper calling for the out in the hall is what breaks the resolve I’ve barely been able to hang onto once five thirty


    She led to me She fucking, lied to my face when she said she’de home after work. I’d get a phone call if there was traffic or


    Unless she was trying to avold me,


    Which means that’s exactly what she’s trying to do. She’s too responsible for this to be anything but deliberate.


    <b>I’m </b>already hallway to the door before I bellow in reply. “What the hell do you want?”


    He was on his way across the ball and now falls back a step. “I had a handful of contracts for you to look over. The new shipments?” He extends a handful of folders.


    Folders ignore. “I don’t have time for this shit right now.” The damn things could be written in Sanskrit, and I wouldn’t notice. I can’t care about anything but Caterina, Why isn’t she here? Why hasn’t she called?


    Did she make a fool out of me again? Because I believed her, I did. I was sure she’de back. Because she’s mine.


    she is, isn’t she?


    “Fuck!”


    “What?” Roger calls out after me, but I’m already halfway down the hall and pulling up Caterina’s contact details on my phone. I’m not waiting another minute to let her know this is uneptable. I’ll tie her to the bed from now on, the way I should’ve donest night. When will I listen to my instincts when ites to her?


    Her phone rings once, twice, while I march to her room. I don’t have the first idea what I’m looking for, though I can’t help wondering if she figured out the switch I pulled with her pills, No, that’s impossible. The packaging is identical. I didn’t leave anything out of ce, either.


    So why didn’t shee home when she said she would?


    The answer is obvious once I find the three packed bags she left in die bedroom closet. There’s nothing I can do but stare <b>at </b>them while the rushing of blood in my ears deafens me to everythigelse but the burning rage <b>that’s </b>about to make me burst into <b>mes</b>. The evidence of her plotting against me is sitting right there. She hardly tried to hide it.


    “Did you think it would be this easy?” 1 ask her voicemail since that’s the closest I’ve managed to get to speaking directly to her. “You think I won’t find you? Think again. And when I do, we’re going to have this out ”


    It isn’t good enough. I need her in front of me. Now


    M


    No more listening when she gives me her sob stories about wanting a life of her own. No more giving a shit about her satisfaction with her career or whatever the hell she thinks she’s building. She won’t have time for that once she’s pregnant,


    anyway.


    I


    I


    I should have listened to myself. What is it about her that makes me forget everything I know?


    On the way back to my office<b>, </b>I grab a trio of my guys hanging out to the kitchen<b>, </b>eating bs of chocte cake Sheryl lett out tonight. “Earn your money,” I grunt, waving for them <b>to </b>abandon their tes and follow me instead. “What, do I pay you to gorge yourselves?”


    “Sorry, boss,” one of them murmurs behind me. I don’t bother locking to see which one of them it was, it doesn’t matter. “The three of you are going hunting “I signal for Roger to join us once we reach his doorway, “And <b>you</b>, <b>I </b>want checking with the parkingpany that runs the garage attached to Caterina’s office building I’ll text you the address.”


    “What’s going on?” he asks, following me to myptop while the hands fall in step behind him.


    “I have reason to believe…” Itrail off when my excuse rings false even to me. “Caterina hasn’te home from work yet, and we’re going to find her and bring her back.”


    If it was just the two of us, he might make an excuse about traffic or overtime. It’s one thing to speak personally, but another to do it in front of the bodyguards.


    “You’ve all seen her car,” he says, turning to the men while i send him the information he needs. “The three of you will begin at her office building, then spread out.”


    Something else urs to me, something that makes my stomach churn “And Roger, I want you to head to another address.” Because I’m starting to believe she may have signed that lease today, after all. She could be there.


    She could <b>also </b>be at her father’s house. Should I send him there? Do I dare open that can of worms?


    One guy snorts while I’m still digging through contact information “I didn’t know we’d end up babysitting tonight.”


    I raise my eyes, staring daggers at him. Nathan has been with me long enough to know I don’t ept shit like that. “Excuse me? Did you just question an order I’ve given?”


    He knows he’s stepped in it–so do his buddies, both of whom ce space between themselves and him. Like they don’t want to get caught in the ssh zone when I blow his brains out. His face goes gray, and he moistens his lips with the tip of his tongue before choking out an apology. “Sorry, boss. I <b>was </b>only screwing around.”


    He gulps audibly when I crack my knuckles, rounding the desk What’s he going to do? Back away and make himself look like a pussy, or stand his ground and get the shit kicked out of him? Since he stays still, it’s clear he’s made his choice.


    “What about this situation makes you think it’s okay to screw around? Since when are my orders treated <b>as </b><b>a </b>joke?


    All he can do is stammer while his eyes sweep the area like he’s looking for a way out. There isn’t one.


    ΠΡ


    “Come on.” I roll up my sleeves without looking away from him. “Tell me. What was so funny? Who told you tough at my orders?


    A bead of sweat rolls down his temple. “L. I don’t know. I’m sorry, hoss


    Wrong answer.


    His knees buckle when I drive a fist into his midsection, so I haul thn up by the cor for <b>a </b>jab to his <b>nose</b>. Cartge crunches under my fist before blood flows.


    “Hey, boss.” Roger wasn’t able to stop me down at the harbor, but this time he won’t let go until Iy off the pathetic sack of shit now bent at the waist, clutching his broken nose.


    “Get him out of here before he bleeds all over my floor,” I warn the other <b>two</b>. “Then get the fuck behind the wheel and do what you’re told You’re bringing her home.”


    They waste no time dragging him out while he <b>groans </b>in pain.


    I have to turn away from Roger when I <b>catch </b>him staring at me like we’ve never met. It’s that or ask if he would like a little of the same treatment I just dished out. I’m not <b>in </b>the fucking mood for his concem. “Well? <b>What’s </b>stopping you from doing what you’re told?” demand.


    “I’ve never seen you <b>do </b>that before. Beating on one of your own L


    “Maybe I should do more of it, seeing as how they think it’s okay to make wiseass remarks when I’ve given an order”


    We both look down at the desk <b>when </b>my phone buzzes, and I might as well be jumping <b>on </b><b>a </b>live grenade. I’m desperate to answer when I find the one name I want to see written in capital leters across the screen. My heart’s fluttering, my stomach’s in knots, and I’ve never felt this relieved.


    She isn’t ignoring me.


    “Where the fuck are you? 1 demand, pushing aside the re of hope. She needs to learn this will not be tolerated. “What do you think you’re doing? Do you know I’m about to send guys out to look for you?”


    At first, I take her silence as guilt, and all it does is stoke the inferno already zing in my head. “Well?” bark. I hate Rogers witnessing this. I’m not proud of myself for letting her turn me into this person


    Finally, there’s a saft sniffle on her end “Can you pleasee get me?”


    The fragile tremor in her voice calms my rage like water drowning fire. She’s in pain, or scared, or both. “From where?”


    The emergency room.“


    26.1


    “I’m sorry. “She squeezes my hand, gruaning, and the sound threatens to break what’s left of my heart. Seeing her like this the WV in her arm, the bruising and scrapes along, the left side of her face, her arm, her leg. -is almost worse fortune than when 1 forced myself to stay away from her


    There’s nothing I can do to take the pain away. L’is helpless, and I’ve never been a man who handle helplessness well.


    “What are you apologizing for?” When she licks her dry lips, I pickup the Styrofoam cup of water from the wheeled table next to the bed and guide the straw in her monili


    She takes a sip and tries to smile, but it looks mure like a grimace. For not calling sooner. I was so out of it, and they had my parse. They didn’t give it back to me until I came up from getting at those tests done. I don’t even know what half of them


    Weir


    Tcould kick <b>myself </b>to death. There was<b>, </b>cursing her, prepared to her to my bed and leave her there until she rotted Wale she was alone here at the hospital, afraid, and probably half out of her senses from the pain.


    All because some asshole hit her with their car and left her for dent


    “Did you see who hit you?” It’s amazing that I can speak clearly when I’m barely hanging on to thest shreds of my sanity” Did you see the car? Did you see who was driving?”


    She shakes her head slightly, a tear rolling down her bruised cheek My perfect little bird, brused and swollen because some asshole ran <b>her </b>down. “I didn’t even see theming. One minute, Iwas crossing the street, and the next thing I remember was waking up in an ambnce. It was all my fault.” The monitor beside the bed beeps faster, thanks to the sensors stuck to her


    chest


    “You need to calm down,” I murmur, which is almost funnying from me. The way I feel right now, nothing short of beating someone to death would calm me down.


    “But I wasn’t looking Why didn’t I look?<b>” </b>


    “These things happen all the time. That’s not your fault. Whoever was behind the wheel should’ve been paying attention.” And they should have fucking stopped. Who the fuck hits somebody and leaves them in the street–in broad daylight. Someone who wants to kill someone.


    I stroke her hair as gently as <b>1 </b><b>can</b>. ording to the doctor, her injuries are superficial, but she’s in an understandable amount of pain, and I don’t want to make things worse. They can pretty much every test known <b>to </b>man while I ranted and raved and nearly bumed my house down. We’ve been at the hospital for hours, but Caterina was here for a few hours before I got the call. The whole time, I was unaware of where she was or that something had happened. She could have been dead, and I wouldn’t have known. It never urred to me she could’ve had <b>an </b>ident.


    There’s no choice but to swallow back my self–loathing for <b>her </b>sake. “The doctor said you’ll be fine, just <b>sore </b><b>for </b>a few days. I’m going <b>to </b><b>take </b><b>good </b>care of you. And don’t worry about the bill from this ce. I’ll take care of that, too.”


    “You shouldn’t do that. I can ___”


    “I told you I would take care of you, and I mean it. You’re only wasting your breath by arguing.” I have to force a smile I don’t feel for her sale.


    Her eyes <b>close</b>. “I’m so sleepy,” she mumbles,


    “That’s the pain meds. As soon as the nursees back with your scripts, I’ll take you home. Get some rest now.” I press my Lips to her mmy forehead and close my eyes<b>, </b>reminding myself <b>she’s </b>all right. It <b>could’ve </b>been much worse.


    Her mouth moves wordlessly before a soft whisper reaches my ears. “I wasing <b>back</b>, I wasn’t going to sign the lease.” She <b>forces </b>her eyes open and finds mine. “I wasing back to you I swear.”


    “Just get some rest. I believe her. And it makes my rage that much more potent. Someone nearly took her from me and didn’t have the balls <b>to </b>stop and help her.


    Roger cars his throat from beyond the doorway of the entire by 21 join, hypothe


    “I spoke to the cop who took her statement,” people needing help and too many rm bettaj


    They don’t have anything yet. She never


    get a good loo


    oking around to be sure sliding in These at on


    have anything to tell the


    The woman who called


    At least somebody bothered to help. “I figured Here’s what I want you to do Gall all the businesses on that block and 1


    they have


    whoever did this ”


    “Will do “He looks into the room, his lips drew in a thin line or is she?


    “Pretty damn locky. Henry bruising to her left side.“Which meant, as she said, the was walking away from the side of the street the apartment she viewed sits on. If she’d been walking toward the building, they would have struck her on her right. “When I talked to the doctor, he said the car couldn’t have done more than dipped her in persing”


    “I’ll start making those calls”


    I grip his arm before he can walk away, when another idea urs to me


    Calls. She called me. Not her father. I can’t put into words how gratifying that is, so I won’t bother trying


    But thinking of him gets me thinking about the future and what a pain in the ass he could end up being if I don’t <b>cut </b>him off. “1 want you to call your contact down at headquarters. Whoever you that the most. If she spoke to the police, they filed a report. I want that report stricken from the record.”


    When he frowns, Tadd, “Her father”


    Understanding dawns on his face before he gives me a tight nod and heads for the exit, raising his phone to his ear. Thes thing I need is a detective with a personal stake in the matter, finding out and blowing it all up. It would create too many problems Complications I can’t afford.


    Not to mention I need to get my hands on whoever did this. I’m not going throughw enforcement, the so called legal way. I won’t risk somebody getting off with nothing more than <b>a </b>p on the wrist


    They almost took her from me and had the audacity to drive away.


    No. A plea deal isn’t enough. They’re going to pay in blood for what they’ve done


    Staring


    1 the small, fragile body in the bed, it’s clear even that won’t be enough. I can’t risk this happening again. I’ll have to install a tracking app on her phone. At the very least, for her protection


    And if it means being able to tell where she is at all times, even better


    I <b>made </b>the mistake of giving my little bird too much room to fly


    I won’t exactly clip her wings, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let her fly free, either.