“Yousaid.”
“I know what I said, but what I told Vitali is also—”
“No, Luca. Yousaid.” He was actually shaking his finger at me, so mad at me that he could barely get the words out. I knew if I smiled it would only make the time bomb of his temper explode, but he looked like a pissed-off toddler. “Youpromisedme you would talk to Vitali about getting me a new security detail.”
“Baby bird, I know I did, but—”
“I can’t do this anymore.”
Suddenly his anger was not amusing at all. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I can’t have you keeping me wrapped up like fine china, Luca. I love you, but I’ve got my own shit to do.”
By our current arrangement,Iwas his security. On the nights I really couldn’t do it, I made sure Carlucci and Vitali were both with him, along with a few of Finch’s own Kismet staff whom I knew, without a doubt, to be loyal. But Carlucci and Vitali were running themselves down between guarding Finch and their other jobs for the Family, and I…
Between my insomnia and my work and my watching over Finch, I was surviving on a couple of hours’ sleep a night, and worse, he knew it.
“I did promise I would find an alternate arrangement,” I agreed slowly. “And I’m sorry I didn’t speak to Vitali about it tonight.”
Finch, standing in front of me then, crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow. “And?”
“And I’ll talk to him at the next meeting.”
“No, you fucking won’t. You’ll call him up tomorrow and get him into your study and talk to him then.”
He was no longer angry enough to combust. Still annoyed, still exasperated, but I’d been forgiven for tonight at least. It was difficult not to smile about that, too, but it would only earn me another tongue-lashing. Finch was never more adorable to me than when he was bossing me around. “Alright, angel. I’ll do that, just as you say.” I moved forward to hug him, but he took a step back, face still mutinous.
“Imeanit, Luca. I love the hell out of you, but I can’t have you standing over me like you have been the last few weeks. It’s not…” He sighed, dropping his arms.
“It’s not what?” I demanded, irritated now. I’d promised to talk to Vitali, hadn’t I? What more did he want?
“It’s nothealthy,” he murmured, his eyes searching my face. “You know that, right?”
I took a deep breath before I replied, because Vitali had annoyed me and now Finch was doubting me. “I’m fulfilling my duty as your husband. I’mprotectingyou. It doesn’t matter if I miss a few hours’ sleep.”
“It’s not a few hours, and it’s not your sleep that I’m worried about—not primarily, anyway.” He took my hand and pressed it to his cheek. “Luca. It’s not good for your mental health to try and take total responsibility for me…and it’s not good for us as acouple, either.” He kissed my palm and then added bluntly, “I’m your partner, not your pet. I might be your ‘baby bird,’ but you can’t lock me up in a cage. You feel me?”
“I feel you,” I said automatically.
But it was a lie. I had no intention of standing down.
Chapter Nine
LUCA
Five Days Ago
Finch was quiet in the car on the way back from our dinner at Nick Fontana’s place—a bad sign. “Alright,” I sighed at last. “What did I do wrong?”
Finch just shook his head and kept staring out the window.
“I was polite and I didn’t kill anyone,” I pointed out. “I feel like I should get some credit for that.” I wasn’t even joking. I had completely refused at first when Finch told me we were going to Fontana’s for dinner. Finch was the one who’d insisted, and he’d had to work on me over a few days until I gave in.
He was lucky I’d even deigned to speak to that traitor tonight. As far as I was concerned, Fontana had broken my trust beyond repair. Hehadbeen one of my closest friends. Now he was a business associate and nothing more. If I needed to sacrifice him, I would, without hesitation. He was already dead to me, anyway.
“Luca, you—” Finch began, but then he cut himself off. He turned in the seat to look at me, which wasn’t fair, becauseIhad to keep my eyes on the road. I was driving us tonight. I drove us every night these days. I didn’t trust anyone else to keep Finch safe.
“What?” I prodded. “Maybe, ‘Luca, you aresoright and I should never have insisted we go tonight’?”
