“I’m not sure I believe that, but now isn’t the time to discuss it.” I had to stay focused. “You owe me information.” I got out of bed. “I already know it was Medina that came after you, but he didn’t deliver the message himself. Do you know who hurt you?”
She nodded.
“Bello.” His name came out in a raw growl from some place deep inside my chest. “Was it Bello?”
“Yes.” She sat up, taking the comforter with her to shield her chest. “I was on my way home from a job interview and he grabbed me and forced me into an alley. I told him I couldn’t help him, but he insisted that I give you a message.”
“Fuck.” The thought of her being alone and afraid enraged me. “You shouldn't have been in that position.”
I swiped my clothes off the floor, trying to keep my rage in check. Medina didn’t need to come at me through Sable. That was a fatal mistake on his part.
“Medina wants to meet with you.” She moved to the edge of the bed. “Do you know what he wants?”
“I do.” As I got dressed, I quickly assessed the situation. Coming after Sable was a bold strategy. One that Medina knew would set me off. “I need you to pack a bag. Just enough to hold you over until I can send for your things in the morning.”
“Where am I going?”
“Back to the main house.” I put my socks and shoes on. “Ax is downstairs. He’ll take you there.”
“Where are you going?”
“To take care of business.”
“Why don’t we stay here?” She held out her hand, but I couldn’t give her what she wanted right now. “Just the two of us tonight.”
“Baby, it doesn’t work that way.” I finished getting dressed, ignoring the urge to touch her. “Ax will keep you safe until I get home.”
“You’re just going to go and find Bello? And what? Kill him?”
“Get dressed.” I shoved my gun into the back of my pants.
“This isn’t normal.” She hopped off the bed, taking the sheet with her. “You have to know that.”
“This is my normal.” I wouldn’t apologize for who I was or where I came from.
She yanked open a drawer from a worn dresser and slammed it shut after she took out a few clothes. When she finished throwing on some faded black sweats, she piled her wild locks into a messy bun on top of her head.
“You’re hot when you’re mad.” I trapped her against the wall. “I know you don't agree with my tactics, but Bello isn’t your brother. He doesn’t get another chance.”
“Your whole way of life unsettles me.”
“I know it does.” The disgust built in my chest when I traced the welt under her eye. “That’s why I understand if you can’t be with me, but I’m not going to compromise your safety for another second.”
“What’s the alternative?”
I didn’t like the option I was about to present, but if she couldn’t handle being with me, I wasn’t going to force her. What kind of life would that be for either of us? I would end up resenting her and she would eventually hate me. That would be a far worse fate for us.
“I can give you options.”
“What kind of options?” she asked.
“I can send you to a safe house with Ax. If you’re not with me, at least I’ll know you’re out of danger.”
“You would send me away?” Her voice cracked. “Just like that? Even after sharing what we just did?”
“Do you think I want to do that?” My chest tightened at the thought of being away from her again. “If you don’t want to be with me, I’ll accept that. I would hate it, but I’m not going to force you to be with me.”
“Milo.”
