“You look well,figlia. So much like your mother.” A bitter note crept into his voice, an echo of past grievances against the woman who’d birthed me. “She was a whore, too.”
Old me would have internalized his insult and believed it to be true, but the new me understood her self-worth.
How dare he insult the woman who’d given her life for me. I leaned forward and glared at him.
“My mother deserved so much better than a monster like you.” His face registered surprise at the vitriol in my voice. “You fully deserve to rot in this place for the rest of your miserable life.”
“Why you little bi--”
“Guard! I’m ready to leave now!” I knew the guards were listening to our conversation, and sure enough, the minute I called for them, the door behind me swung open.
Francesco’s gaze snagged on my pregnant belly when I stood, and then my ring finger. He sneered in disgust.
“Who’s the bastard’s father?”
I grinned. “Fathers, plural.” Any remaining color leeched from his face.
“Whore!” he screamed as the guard escorted me out of the room, a careful hand supporting my elbow. Nobody wanted to upset the Irish or Russian mafias, after all.
I turned at the very last second just as a second guard hit Francesco in the face, splitting his lip open.
“Have a nice life,stronzo!”
Damn, it felt good to say that. The monster from my nightmares had finally been vanquished. The boogeyman who’d cast such a long shadow over my childhood was now nothing more than a pathetic piece of shit. One who might not live much longer, judging by the state of him.
“Ciao, Signora Kelly.” My friendly guard smiled as he unlocked the last gate. He raised a hand in greeting at Ronan, who stood waiting for me, looking as edible as always.
“You OK, Pixie?” My husband scanned my face, searching for signs of trauma, before resting a hand on my belly. “And is my baby pixie alright?”
I rolled my eyes. “Our baby is fine!”
“Good.” I let him pull me into his arms, soaking up his strength and reassurance. Having paid Francesco one last visit, I felt lighter. Freer. Ready to move forward with my life.
“Are we flying back home now?”
“Not yet, no. Dec has a side-trip planned.”
“Oh?”
He brushed his lips across my forehead. “It’s a surprise, Pixie girl, so buckle up and let’s get going.”
I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes next, the ocean twinkled beyond the window.
“Where are we?” I yawned, wincing at the ache in my lower back. Firm fingers reached behind me and massaged the sore spot, and I groaned in relief.
“I’ll massage your back more thoroughly later,” Conal promised with a wink.
“Is that a euphemism for something dirty?” I asked somewhat hopefully. Since falling unexpectedly pregnant, just like my sister (Thea was currently expecting twins, much to her annoyance and her husbands’ delight), my libido was off the charts.
Ronan leaned in and brushed his lips over my neck. “Damn right it is.”
“When you two havequite finishedmolesting our wife in a public place, can we please get a fucking move on?”
“Fuck off, Declan,” Ronan scoffed. “There’s nobody out there and besides, the car has privacy glass between us, Ash, and anyone nosy trying to look in.”
I snorted in amusement. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d had fun in the back of a car. Declan was clearly less than amused, however. He threw Ronan a glacial look.
“Have you forgotten already why we drove out here?”
