“As tempting as your offer is, I told you. I don’t know where the information is.”
“Oh, but I do.” Luca ran a tongue over his teeth and grinned. I inhaled a sharp breath and frantically patted my pocket, realizing it was empty. “You may be fast, Legs, but I’m quicker.” Luca held up the USB drive, giving me a wink.
“No,” I breathed, realizing the ass slap had been a pick-pocket.
Carter squeezed me, murmuring, “It’s alright.”
“Well, I guess that’s that.” Dante put away his gun, and I tipped my head against Carter’s back in frustration and relief. “We’ll send you a copy.” Then he turned his back and seemingly floated across the lawn, the group of men following after him like an army.
Did that mean my father was still in danger? I felt tears well up in my eyes because I was so incredibly frustrated. “I’m sorry.” I finally murmured. “I had it, right here.”
Carter watched the men load up and then finally turned, gripping me by the shoulders as he exhaled roughly, and I was startled by his sharp tone when he spoke. “You wanna tell mewhat the hellyou think you were doing?”
“What?” My lower lip wobbled as I stared up at him.
“Don’t youeverrisk your life for me again.” He scolded as I stood there dumbfounded. “Do you understand?” He brought his eyes down to mine, softening. “I am begging you, Sarafina.” His eyes shuddered. “Begging you.”
My lower lip wobbled as emotion got the better of me. “You don’t get to ask that of me! Not anymore.” I said, tears filling my eyes. “You don’t get to sacrifice yourself and not expect me to do the same—I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing while someone pointed a gun at youagain.” I sobbed, and his expression softened. “When I tried to escape, I thought you were dead, and I honestly didn’t even know if I had the will to go on.” I confessed shakily.
“Don’t say that.” He rasped, looking devastated as he tipped his forehead against mine.
“You don’t understand.” I sobbed, and he gripped me tighter. “I love you with every fiber of my being, with every breath that I take. You’re a part of me, you’re my safe haven, my landing place,you’re my home.I may have made you crawl for me, but the truth is, I never stopped loving you. Even when you made me mad ashell.” I laughed through my tears, and he did too. “You can’t expect me to stand by while someone is threatening to harm you. Carter, I have the lines that crinkle around your eyes when you smile memorized, the sound of your laugh memorized—the curve of your mouth when your lips are pressed against mine is like a beautiful shadow, haunting me during every waking hour and every sleeping one too. Even if I wanted to, I couldneverescape you.”
“Sara.” His words were an ache of devastation, and understanding all at once.
“Promise me.” I demanded adamantly, wiping my cheeks. “You said, anything that I needed, and what I need isyou.Alive, and in one piece preferably.”
“Okay.” He promised gently and pulled me against him to give me a soft, reverent kiss.
Finally I pulled back, shaking my head. “I’m so sorry I lost it—it was right there, and I just let it slip through my fingers.”
“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart, your safety is far more important than a piece of plastic.”
“Carter, it was way more than just a piece of plastic.” I lamented.
“It’s alright. It’s done, and I made a deal with Dante, anyway—honestly, it might even be better this way.”
“Who were those men? You knew them, one of them showed up at the hospital.”
“You don’t want to know.” Carter muttered, slipping his fingers between mine and pulling me towards the manor, but I stopped him.
“Actually, I do. No more secrets, no more doing things you think I shouldn’t know about, in the name of protecting me.” His eyes danced between mine, hesitating. “You said anything I needed.” I reminded him. Again.
Carter nodded slowly. “They run the mob, and whatever blackmail is in that file is damning enough to protect us.”
“So they’ll just leave us alone? What about my father?”
“If that USB contains what they think it does, it should be enough to clear his debtsand then some.”
“You don’t think they’ll come after you again?” I asked. “Us?”
“I don’t see why they would.” He admitted, watching me closely. “This whole time, it was never about you or me, or any of it. They were just desperate to retrieve the blackmail my father had collected. And now that it’s out in the wild—now that Dante has it, it doesn’t really have anything to do with us. I do have a whole host of security measures I’ll be putting in place, but Sara, I promise I’m going to keep you safe.” He shook his head with a heavy sigh. “Even if I have to dig a damn moat around this place.”
“Like the Belacourte Estates?” I quirked a brow.
He rolled his eyes. “Okay, maybe not a mote, just a really tall fence.”
“Yeah, okay.” I chuckled as I led him to the house. “I don’t know about you, but after all that, I could use another shower. How about a bubble bath for my fiancée?” I asked, raising a brow.
