Coco wags her stubby tail and woofs. Felix comes closer and sniffs her, his tail still puffed up and his body language cautious.
“You two better be friends,” I warn them. “No fighting or the bad mafia man will evict you.” Fina snorts.
“I’d be more concerned about Horatio if I were you,” she laughs. “He’s already annoyed about the cat.”
“Horatio needs an attitude adjustment.” The man has a stick so far up his ass it'll take surgery to remove it. “Thank you,” I tell Fina once I’m sure Coco and Felix aren’t going to kill each other.
She pats my shoulder. “You’re welcome, but it was Angelo who made finding her a priority when I told him what happened.”
“He did?” My heart softens.
“I fully understand why you hate him, Chiara, but he’s not the demon you’ve painted him as.” The more I get to know my husband, the more I suspect she’s right.
But I’m worried that if I let go of my anger, I may grow attached. And if my life has taught me anything, attachments are dangerous because when the things you love are taken away from you, the pain is almost too much to bear.
“Hmm.”
Fina just smiles at my noncommittal response. She and I both know I don’t hate Angelo half as much as I did when I first arrived here. Yes, he’s arrogant, entitled, and fucking annoying, but he can also be sweet and thoughtful.
The man is a complete contradiction at times.
When I look up, my husband is busy staring at me from the sliding door. He’s still wearing his suit, but the tie is missing, and his hair is a mess.
Coco spots him and her hackles rise along her back. She growls in warning, which causes Felix to hiss in surprise.
“Shhh, he’s not going to hurt you,” I reprimand my dog. She woofs as Felix trots over to Angelo for a pet.
“See?” Fina laughs under her breath. “He’s a softy at heart.”
Once Angelo has finished fussing with the cat, he nods at me and Fina and then disappears. I’m a little disappointed he hasn’t bothered to ask if I’m alright, but I suppose he has a lot on his plate. An attack on me and Kane is an attack on him and the Di Rossi family; there will inevitably be some kind of retribution.
I can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I hear the screech of tires and feel the impact as the truck hit our car. My neck and spine ache, and my eyes scratch like someone poured sand into them.
Felix and Coco have decided they don’t hate each other. Felix lies at the foot of the bed while Coco sits on my chest, her dark eyes boring into mine.
She won’t sleep until I sleep, but I’m thirsty. I need a drink. Not water, which I can get from the bathroom. Something hot and soothing, like chamomile tea.
With a sigh, I climb out of bed and pull a loose sweater over my vest and shorts. It’s one Luka left in the living room a while back, and I’ve never bothered returning it to him.
It still smells of him, and I like the way it swamps my much smaller frame.
He’s not been back to the house. I had hoped he would appear to check up on me because surely Angelo would have told him about the car incident. But no, he hasn’t been in touch or come to the house.
Angelo disappeared after talking to Kane. I expected Kane to go with him, but when I headed to bed, he was still around, drinking coffee and talking to the men outside.
The house is quiet downstairs. There are a few lamps on here and there, but the kitchen is empty. I root through the cupboards searching for chamomile tea while waiting for the water to boil.
Eventually, I find a small box of tea bags stuffed at the back of the pantry. Coco hovers at my heels, terrified I might vanish again. I have a feeling she’ll be my shadow for the next few weeks and months, but I don’t mind.
“Can’t sleep, kitten?” Kane’s gravelly voice startles me. Tea bags scatter all over the floor, making me curse. I know the floor isn’t filthy, but still.
“I needed a hot drink,” I mutter, relieved not all the bags fell from the box. Kane watches as I pop a clean one into a mug and pour hot water over it.
“How’s your neck?” he asks, correctly surmising I’m sore and achy.
“Not great,” I admit. “But I’ve had worse.”
“Want some painkillers?”
