What if she was in the middle of defending herself and the surprise gave someone else the upper hand? What if she was silently working her way through the house, about to shoot someone, and my noise alerted her away? Finding her hurt or worse would break me, but if I found out I'd been the cause? I'd take my life without a moment's hesitation.
I unlocked the door and opened it slowly.
Nothing.
I moved inside, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. A sliver of light flew toward me and I ducked at the last second, the knife embedding itself in the wall.
I never saw the person move until they were right in front of me.
They kicked at my head.
I ducked again and roared. "What the fuck did you do withmyCatalina?"
The person stilled, long enough for me to pick them up and throw them against the wall.
The gasp at the impact was feminine, but I didn't fully register the sound.
"Where is she? Who are you?" I growled, shaking them. "If you touched one hair on her head, I swear it'll be the last?—"
They elbowed me in the side of my arm, causing my grip to loosen.
"Marco, it's me."
My brain stopped, then skittered to life. My body responded before I even realized it had. I loosened my grip as the woman of my dreams, the owner of my heart, the master of my every desire, and the core of my being stood in front of me, confused with a glare on her gorgeous face.
"Catalina?"
She felt along a wall, then turned on the switch, bathing her house in light. Strands of her hair had escaped the bun on top of her head. Blood smeared her clothes, arms, neck, and face. She was beautiful, the perfect vision of a vengeful goddess that I'd pray to every day and night.
"Catalina." I brushed her hair back, checked her cheek, her neck. "Catalina, are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you hurt? Did you get stabbed? Shot?"
Her voice was soft, but curious. "I'm fine, but what are you doing here?"
Fuck. She'd never told me where she lived. She'd never invited me to her house. Showing up at the shooting range was one thing, but this? She could see it as an invasion, as a line where I'd gone too far.
"I've been watching you for a long time," I murmured. It scared me that this might be the moment she put more distance between us, and I couldn't blame her. In my rush to protect her, I'd made a mistake, but her safety was worth it.
I braced myself for her anger and fury as her dark brown eyes searched mine. Then her body relaxed slightly between me and the wall.
My eyes widened and for a moment I didn't move, barely even breathed. Was she really not going to go off? Curse at me? Nothing?
"Are you sure you’re okay?"
She nodded, even as her body trembled slightly.
"Where are the men from the van?"
She motioned past her, and when I turned, I saw their lifeless bodies scattered around her home. I was proud and terrified. I admired her strength, but pure, unfiltered rage bubbled within me because she'd had to use it.
If I could, I'd resurrect the motherfuckers and kill them slowly. I'd torture them, pull their nails, their teeth, one by one. I'd take their eyeballs, slowly carve into their skin with a dull, rusted blade. I'd keep them that way for days until they told me everything they knew. By the time I was done, they would have regretted ever being born.
I clenched my teeth. "What happened?"
Catalina's gaze hardened. "They're my father's men. He sent them because I kept ignoring him. They were supposed to kidnap me and take me to a secure location where he'd pick me up."
She said the words flatly, like they were nothing, when they wereeverythingto me.
I raised my head to the ceiling and took a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check.
