“You’re done, but the end is close.”
“It is,” she agreed. “There’s something I need to tell you too.”
The look on my face urged her to go on.
“I’ve taken a position with the American Ballet Theater as Principal, in New York. They’ve wanted me since the beginning of my career. I can dance there, and occasionally in Italy, when I’m ready.”
“Congratulations, baby.” Though I felt like the congratulations should go to them—they were gettingher. “It will have to wait though.”
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
“You’re not going home for a while.”
“Why not?”
“Rocco was sent word. Ettore is in New York.”
“So?” She stared at me for a moment. “Oh. He’s going to try to…”
Ettore wanted me dead. The feeling was mutual.
I nodded. “It’s safer for you here, until Lothario can settle the score.”
Lothario had taken over directly after Marzio’s death. He called the shots but he didn’t feel as secure as Marzio had. It took heart and balls to lead a family as powerful as the Faustis. Time would only tell what he was made of, the spare to the heir, and doubt gripped at my guts when I thought of him ruling.
“You’re not going back to work,” she said. She wore a similar look on her face when she felt I was in too much danger for her comfort level. Most of the world would see determination, and that was part of it, but I sensed the fear.
“I have to, baby.”
The closer I was to Ettore, the fatter the chance of luring him out. Nemours next. Then we’d be free.
“No.” She shook her head, coming for me. She put two hands on my chest, taking my shirt in her hands, holding on. “I won’t be able to—no.” She shook her head again.
I set my hands over hers. “I’ll be out on a rig for two weeks. The other two weeks I’ll be here with you. When it’s time for you to dance. Ettore won’t even attempt to come back here. Too many people are out for his blood. Rocco will have men with you at all times.”
“I don’t want them!” she said, the panic below the surface disguising itself as anger.
“I don’t either, but our choices are slim right now.”
“You can stay with me,” she said, putting her head to my chest. “Please. Don’t leave me.”
She could shatter me like fucking glass. I had to steel myself.
“Maggie Beautiful is going to stay with you. She’ll claw their eyes out.” I tried to throw some humor in to lighten the moment, but she wasn’t having any of it. No matter how rare it was for me.
“What about you? Who’s going to watch over you? I won’t be close if—”
I touched her trembling lip. “Yes, you will. You’ve never let me down. You won’t now. I’m safe as long as I have you.”The world’s safe as long as you’re mine.
Her eyes widened when I removed my shirt and she caught sight of the patch over the center of my chest.
“Take it off for me,” I said.
Her fingers were as cool and as soft as satin, and after the bandage was removed, I wanted her to keep touching me. Turning my back, I told her to remove the second one.
“When did you get this?” she whispered, running her fingers along the cat-eye shape of the tattoo.
The air turned colder, and a slight shiver caused goosebumps to rise on my arms. Maggie Beautiful had once told me that meant a ghost had passed by. I made the sign of the cross.Keep going…“Yesterday, when you were at practice.”
