She sobbed a few times, lifting herself up off me so we could see her face clearly. “I had to leave the room because it was so devastating to watch him beg his mom to look at him. Beg her to stay alive. It broke me, and I really didn’t want to add to Rhett’s turmoil by bawling like a damn baby when he has so much other shit to deal with. I just went out for a five-minute cry. Swear to fuck. I have no idea how that old bastard knew I was in the stairwell.”
Angelo’s features tightened, and I wondered if he, too, was trying not to think about how fucking bad this could have gone for our girl. Our lives could have ended today.
“He knew it was you who gave the IRS the information they needed for their investigation,” Billie whispered, turning closer to Angelo. “He said he wanted to take your life.”
Angelo’s laughter was derisive. “Old bastard never did miss a trick. How did you manage to fight him off?”
She shuddered as if the sudden memory of what had happened was almost too much. “I tried to get down the stairs first, and he managed to grab me and yank me back.” She pressed a hand to her right ribs and winced. I made a mental note of these additional injuries that needed to be assessed. “I shoved him and got some space and went back up to try and go through that door, but he grabbed my hair. I think he expected me to fight against him, but for some fucking reason I decided to just go with the momentum and kick off from the wall to really send us flying. Giovanni was the unlucky bastard on the bottom of the pile, and I got a little knock to the head on my way down. That and my ribs is it. I’m fine.”
Yeah, I’d be the fucking judge of that.
Reaching for my phone, I dialed a number I hadn’t used in a long time. It was answered on the first ring. “Maker.”
Single word. She wasn’t much for small talk.
“I’m calling in my favor.”
Yeah, okay, small talk wasn’t for either of us. There was a brief pause, and then… “Where?”
I rattled off the address of the bed and breakfast that Rhett and Billie had stayed in while they were wading through the Townsend crap.
“I’ll be there soon.”
The line went dead.
“Who was that?” Billie asked, smiling and shaking her head. “You seriously both said about six words, but it was somehow an entire conversation.”
“An old acquaintance I trust to assess your injuries,” I told her, forcing a smile so she wouldn’t see the pure rage lurking beneath the surface of my skin. If Giovanni wasn’t already dead, I’d be cutting him into little pieces before this day was done.
“Head for that location?” Angelo asked, starting the car again.
I nodded, and when Billie made a move to get off my lap, I tightened my hold on her. “No,” I growled.
She tilted her head back to see me better, and I fought not to drag her closer to me and kiss those puffy lips. To fuck her senseless so I could pour all of my pain and love and worry into this one, perfect fucking human. But she didn’t need that from us right now. She needed comfort and support and medical attention.
All of which I’d provide, until she was ready for the monster inside me. The one who wouldn’t be sated until we tasted her, until we heard her screaming our name. Until the entire fucking world knew she was mine.
Well, mine and the rest of Bellerose’s.
Some forty minutes later we reached the accommodation, and it was lucky that they hadn’t canceled their room there yet. “I wasn’t sure if I might have to come back and stay here while Rhett was in the hospital,” she said as we entered the room. Angelo checked for danger as I carried her in, still refusing to let her out of my arms.
When it was safe, I placed her on the bed gently. “Strip,” I ordered.
She stared up at me, her eyes darkening as she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth.
Angelo let out a low chuckle beside me. “He wants to check you for injuries, Bella. No time for porn just yet.”
Her cheeks flushed pink as she let out a disappointed sigh. “I told you I’m fine. Just a little bump to the head.”
My control was hanging on by a thread, and she clearly saw that as she stared up at me. Without another word, she started stripping her clothes off. First the ragged, bloody shirt, and then Angelo helped her with the jeans, since I was still using all of my control to keep myself contained.
When she was just in a bra and panties, I allowed myself to move closer, taking my time to assess every inch of her body until I was satisfied that, at most, she had a cracked rib and a mild concussion. She did have some bleeding on the back of her head where some hair had been torn out, but otherwise, she was okay.
Some of my panic died off as I collapsed in a chair beside her bed. “Fuck, Prickles. You fucking scared me. Don’t ever do that again.”
Her smile was mischievous. “Maybe everyone who wants us dead is dealt with now. Right? Maybe we can just take vacations and watch porn like normal people.”
Angelo snorted in laughter, relaxing too, even though he was always armed. As was I.
