“Piss, and then we need to talk,” Angelo says, scrubbing his jaw. Once again, my eyes drift south. Disrespectful, maybe, but meh.
This time he ignores my ogling. The door slams shut, and I’m left to empty my bladder in peace. When I hobble back out after washing my hands, he’s waiting for me. I’m picked up and cradled against his chest.
I could get used to this, I think. Only I can’t because although Angelo might be putting on his best knight-in-shining-armor act, we both know he’s the devil incarnate, and if I lower my guard, he’ll ruin me.
10
Chiara
My stomach’s full once again, thanks to a delicious meat stew cooked by Kane. He’s tidying up the remains of our meal while Angelo messes with his phone. When my husband senses me watching him, he sighs.
“Ready to tell me what happened?” he asks in a surprisingly gentle voice. I’m not ready to talk about it, but I don’t say that. Instead, I gather my thoughts while watching the flames dance in the fireplace.
Snow’s still falling outside. If it continues snowing this heavily, we’ll end up stuck here.
“I’d fallen asleep in the car on the way back from the office,” I say before describing what happened in the warehouse.
“We found the bodies,” Angelo confirms.
I relate the barest details of everything I saw and heard after I woke up in the castle. He doesn’t interrupt, but his mouth flattens in barely concealed rage.
“Who is that guy? Someone called him Barrington. And why did he kidnap me?”
“He’s English mafia, and as to why, I don’t know.” Logs crackle and spit while I think.
“Are Coco and Felix alright?”
“They’re fine,” Kane calls from the kitchen.
“And Luka?” I hate asking, but he’s on my mind.
“Don’t know about Luka, but I assume so.” Angelo grinds his teeth in annoyance that I’m asking, but I ignore him.
“How long are we stuck here?”
Kane strolls back in. “For a couple of days.”
The thought of being cooped up in this tiny cottage with these two hulking, dangerously attractive men makes my skin itch, so I change the subject to avoid thinking about it.
“What happened to the other women?”
“We don’t know. Our focus was on finding you.”
“So you did nothing to help the other women?” Kane and Angelo exchange looks, which tells me it’s not good news.
“Barrington has the local law enforcement on his payroll. They turn a blind eye to what goes on. There wasn’t time to mount a full-scale rescue mission, Chiara. We were lucky to find you on that massive estate. We killed a few guys but only came across one other woman still alive. Declan’s guy, Connor, got her out.”
“Someone needs to stop that man from hurting any more women,” I mutter.
“Yes, but that someone isn’t us.” I know he’s right. This isn’t our country, and Angelo can’t afford to get involved while the feds are on his case.Which reminds me…
“What’s happening with the investigation back home?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” The dismissive way Angelo brushes my question away irritates me.
“Excuse me? You’ve had me checking the accounts. I think I deserve to know what’s going on!”
“We’re being investigated, but as far as I know, the feds don’t have enough to charge me with anything yet.”
