“Very.”
Gretzky doesn’t exaggerate. I pull myself from January’s mouth and swipe a thumb over her swollen lips. Her face is paper pale.
“Take Miss Whitehall to my bedroom and lock the door.”
“Yes, sir.”
I stroke January’s tear-stained cheek. “Be ready. When I return, you will do your duty by me. And if the others come back alive, you will do your duty by them, too.”
Chapter Sixteen
January Whitehall
I’m running througha burning house, grabbing paintings and vases for mom. I’m the only one who can do it. Mom said the fire can’t touch me. But maybe she was lying because flames are crowding in, licking my heels, and turning my hair to straw. I run faster, stacking things on top of each other, trying not to drop anything…
“Tesorina?”
A cold hand shakes my shoulder and I gasp. I smell whiskey and cigarettes. “Domenico?”
A low chuckle. “Yeah, baby. Basher’s here, too. And Morelli.”
I rise and see dark shapes moving at the foot of Eli’s bed. It’s twice the size of mine, big as an ocean. Doc’s icy hand closes on my shoulder. “Did you miss us?”
I want to say no but as his weight sinks into the mattress, I smile. There’s a sense of rightness in him being here at odds with everything else. “You’re all okay? None of you are hurt?”
“We’re fine, Tesorina. Kiss me.”
Before I can protest, Doc’s mouth descends on mine. I fight for a second then give in. He’s such a good kisser. There’s no urgency, just a slow exploration like we’ve got all the time in the world. A bedside lamp flicks on and color rushes at me. I see the bright gold of Doc’s hair, the dark tattoos on his forearms.
Another weight settles at my back. “JJ…”
A warmer hand cups my jaw, breaking my kiss with Doc. Bobby. He kisses me, fast and rough. I feel Doc slide beneath the covers, putting his cold knee between my legs. I’m still wearing my white dress and Eli’s rubies are heavy around my throat. I tried to take them off but the clasp is impossible to undo alone.
Bobby moans into my mouth, his hands winding through my hair. There’s a sound of something being dragged across the floor and I pull away. Eli is settling into a chair at the foot of the bed, his dark eyes gleaming. “Hello,bella.”
I recall the feel of him in my mouth, his promise before he left that they would all take me. A sizzle of fear runs down my body.
“Bobby’s been a brave boy,” Eli says. “He was stabbed.”
I gasp. “What?”
Bobby glares at Eli. “You had to tell her?”
Doc laughs into my neck. “Show her your war wound, tough guy.”
With a scowl, Bobby leans back and I see a bandage where his t-shirt meets his collarbone.
“Oh my God!”
“It’s nothing, JJ. Just a graze.”
Eli laughs. “You’re going to have to make Bobby feel better,bella. Give him another kiss.”
He says it lightly but it’s an order. I press my lips to Bobby’s and heat surges between my legs.
Doc licks a line across my cleavage. “What about me, Tesorina? I’ve been brave too.”
Bobby releases me. “Go on, Jay. Kiss him.”
