“Thank you for finding me,” I rasp. “Let’s never do that again, okay? It still sucks.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he chuckles through his tears. “Ugh. I’m going to get myself together before I have you leaking too. I can tell you’re close.”
I nod, feeling the emotions bubbling up inside of me. Dario kisses my temple before he leaves, and Nico slips inside.
“Do you mind if I hang out with you for a little bit?” he asks.
“You never have to ask,” I admit, holding my hand out to him. “You don’t have to sneak in to sleep in here either.”
“You noticed that?” he asks, sitting on the ground as he links his fingers with mine.
“Why do you think I sleep so well at night?” I ask with a smile. Hell, I even laughed yesterday. Take that, Avery! Nomatter how hard she tried to kill me, I’m still standing and I always will be.
“Still no nightmares. I think you’re my hero, Rosa.”
“I’m not a hero, husband. I’m just a girl living from moment to moment still,” I admit.
“You’re still here,mia cara moglie. It’s so hard for me to believe sometimes because I felt so much of your pain,” he whispers.
“Sometimes, I wonder if I’m really here. Am I in a coma and dreaming all of this?” I ask.
“Dreams don’t come with this much physical therapy and personal growth,” he teases me. “It’s hard for me to be somewhere I can’t see you.”
“You did mention once that you’d be Velcro’d to my ass,” I remind him. “I don’t mind one bit. I promise. I want you around.”
“Good. Nothing feels right without you. We all felt it,” he says. His voice is deep, husky, and sweet despite the feral look on his face. “Do you think I’ll scare people when I have to speak to them now?”
“I think in your line of work that’s not a bad thing. Honey and sweetness only get you so far in life, as we both know. Your voice shows people you’ve experienced some of the worst shit life has to offer, and you’re still here.”
“I could say the same for you. I need to tell you something. Please don’t get upset,” he says with a wince.
“Nico,” I say, amusement heavy in my voice. “Honestly, you should just tell me with a delivery like that.”
“Your ring,” he murmurs, his finger running over mine. “There’s a tracker inside of it. Pablo has a ring too, and there’s one in his too. I thought I could keep you safe with it, but you disappeared on me anyway.”
“Avery…” My brow furrows as I try to remember something important. “She said she had a signal blocker. Cell phones and the like didn’t work well within a certain radius of the warehouse, creating a dead zone. I’m sure she had a work-around for herself, but it’s why you couldn’t track me.”
“She had help,” Nico grunts, knowing she did. I told my pack everything that happened, though I didn’t think to mention the dead zone. It didn’t seem important at the time.
“Tina the cunt,” I state.
“I’m calling her that from now on.” Nico glances toward the door, sighing as Verona appears with her phone. “I’ll see you once you’re done, baby. Here’s to getting past this, both inside and out.”
Indeed. I want to finally know I deserve a fucking future and believe good things.
Chapter Forty-Four
ONE WEEK LATER
ROSALIA
“Verona,”I groan, burying my head in my pillow. The skin grafts from my shoulder down to where my back meets my ass mean that I am bed bound, but I’m not fucking dead. “We’ve done as much decorating as I can stomach. I’m bored!”
“Ooh. She full named you,” Ciro grins from the ground. “You’re in trouble, Princess.”
“I may be, but Nico owes me a dollar. I told him this would happen.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nico chuckles, pulling out a dollar and handing it to Verona.
