Chapter Thirty Eight
Gio
We needed to step up the search for whoever was stalking my girl. Carly was putting on a brave face, but I knew she was scared. She had every reason to be. It was my experience that, if a woman is being stalked, it often ended badly. I refused to let that happen.
Nothing could be done with the florist until morning. Chances were, the bastard paid in cash, but on the off chance we got lucky, I would be questioning them myself.
I kept an eye on anyone who got too close to Carly as she moved around the club. She didn't make keeping her safe easy, but I'd expect nothing less from her. She'd grown up in a bad neighborhood—she knew how dangerous this could be—yet she refused to cower and hide. I could admire her strength even if it frustrated me.
By the time the doors were closed, I was completely on edge. "Come,Bella, let's go get your son."
"Are you sure this is necessary? Why don't I sleep at my place tonight and pack a bag in the morning."
"Fine. But I will be staying." The look on her face made me smirk. "You didn't think I would let you be there alone, did you?"
"Dio! You're insufferable. Fine. You can stay, but you have to be out of my bed before Eli wakes up. I'm not ready to explain this," and she motioned between us, "whatever this is, to him."
"As you wish,Tesoro."
I watched the shadows as we made our way to my car. Was her stalker out there? I couldn't help but wonder, too, if Chablis was behind it. If she was pissed enough, would she resort to such a thing?
I didn’t relax until Carly and I were finally in her apartment. I’d waited for her to bid her sitter, Risa, goodnight, then pulled her into my arms. “We will get to the bottom of this,Bella. I have contacts in security. They are already searching for anything that will tell us who your stalker is.”
“I’m scared, Gio. What if he goes after Eli to get to me?”
“I won’t let that happen. I will arrange a ride to and from school for him.”
“I can’t keep him a prisoner, Gio. He has friends. He has a birthday party to go to this weekend.”
I took her face in my hands and kissed her to stop her words. “Shh. Let me take care of this. Let me take care of both of you,Tesoro. Trust me to keep you both safe.”
“I do trust you, Gio, but you can’t be everywhere.”
Oh, she had no idea just how far my reach could be. “Come, let’s get some sleep. We can discuss this more in the morning. Don’t worry,Bella, I will be out of your bed before Eli awakens.”
I waited for her to get dressed for bed before I joined her in her bedroom. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, to keep it out of the way while she slept, and my fingers itched to undo so they could feel the silken threads between them. At her bedside, I removed my shoes and shirt, then slid into bed with her. As her small, soft body curled against me, I slid my hand down to rest on her hip. “Sleep, Carly. I’ll keep you safe.” It was a promise I intended to keep.
“Goodnight, Gio.” Her voice was already slurred with sleep.
“Goodnight,Amore.” The words were whispered in the darkness of her bedroom while her body relaxed against me and her breathing evened out.
I was awake before the sun began to lighten the sky. I spent the time waiting for Carly and Eli to awaken by making phone calls. I had a man waiting for the florist to open, I had two more on call to watch the club, and I’d ordered security cameras to be placed around the perimeter. The photo of the delivery guy who’d left in a hurry yesterday was circulated to my men. If he was our stalker, we’d find him.
By the time my woman stirred, I’d fixed breakfast for the three of us. I expected Carly to make it to the living room first but Eli beat her to it.
“How come you’re here so early?”
“Good morning to you, too. Your Mama let me sleep on the couch because it was very late when I brought her home form work, and she didn’t want me to fall asleep behind the wheel.”
“Oh. Okay.”
I saw Carly watching us and winked at her over her son's head. I would let her be the one to explain the plan to him. “Good morning,Bella.”
“Good morning. Something smells good.”
“I fixed breakfast. Come. Let’s eat. We have a busy day today, do we not?”
A glare shouldn't turn a person on as much as hers did me. I wanted to pin her against her kitchen counter and have my way with her.
I ushered them both to her small table and dished up the omelets, sausage, and toast I'd fixed. For Carly and I, I poured coffee while Eli got orange juice. The three of us sitting down for breakfast together was perfect. It felt right.
