“If that’s what it takes to get through that thick skull of yours. You are a good man who has done his very best to honor the people he loves. There is nothing to be ashamed of, and if you’d like to have a closer relationship with your parents going forward, then you make that happen. I’m sure they’d love it.”
“Fuck, my mom’s going to love you.”
Rina visibly melts in her chair. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, now eat your food. You’re going to need the energy.” I arch a brow at her, pleased when she hungrily takes another bite because I’m definitely not done with her. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get enough.
I want to make her mine in every way possible, but first, I have to make her safe. If that involves taking down the entire Russian operation, I’ll make it happen. Every. Last. One.
CHAPTER 53
TERINA
Present
Sunsetsbleed into sunrise as the world goes by outside our windows. One day. Two days. A week. Aside from the dog walker and deliveries, we exist for days on end in a timeless bubble. We eat when we’re hungry, sleep when we’re tired, have lots andlotsof sex, and talk about everything under the sun.
It’s the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.
I never imagined the risk I took in opening up to DiAngelo could yield such an incredible reward. I’d hoped it would be worthwhile, but the past week has been so much more than that. All because I chose to embrace D instead of fear.
I still get anxious, but I’m trying not to let it govern my decisions.
It helps enormously to know DiAngelo will catch me if I fall. He won’t judge or criticize me. I think this might be what it feels like to have a partner—something I never achieved with Craig. Not with all his secrets acting as a barrier between us. I can see that now.
D has been keeping me updated on the hunt for Pasha. He’s told me all about his time in prison and the years after when he tried to track down the man responsible for killing his brother. It’s the one target he was never able to identify, but those skills have helped him hunt down other monsters like Pasha.
He’s confident all of this will be over soon. In fact, he’s taking me to Renzo’s today so that he can follow up on leads. My job is not to panic that something awful will happen while he’s out. That possibility feels especially real when he has me wear a bulletproof vest on the way. Bonny helps, though. I decide to take her with me. She makes an excellent distraction, bounding around in the back seat while D grumbles at her to sit still.
When we arrive at Renzo’s brownstone home, Bonny puts on a good show of pretending to be all business. A real boss bitch, considering she still has her pink collar and nails. I’m totally smitten.
Mom is, too. She gives Bonny a leftover piece of sausage from breakfast. After that, all pretense of badassery is dropped.
D just shakes his head. “You’re the one who has to live with the consequences. She’ll be farting sausage the rest of the day.”
“Don’t be silly.” Mom waves him off. “She’ll be fine.”
“Who’s farting sausage all day?” Shae rounds the corner with sweet little Liora asleep in her arms.
“Hell, did we wake you?” D grimaces.
“Nope, I was just changing her. Ah, I see what’s going on. We get a furry visitor today, do we?” She lets Bonny sniff her, then scratches behind the dog’s ears.
“I think we’re both happy for a change of scenery,” I explain.
“I hear you,” Shae agrees. “Between the threats and the baby, I’m real close to going stir-crazy.”
Renzo pipes up in response. “Just be patient a little longer. This will all be over soon enough. I should be hearing from the Genoveses any time now. They’ve been doing what they can toget intel on Michael to see what’s happened on that front. And D, you’ve got a lead on Pasha, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll show you what I have before I head out.”
He nods, turning for the hall. “We can visit in my office.”
While his back is turned and the others are looking in his direction, D leans in and places a quick kiss on my temple. At the exact moment his lips make contact, Renzo freezes, then slowly swivels back around to gape at us.
“What the fuck was that?” he demands.
Mom and Shae look from him to us, blinking cluelessly.
