Page 31 of Antonio Miles

I stood there, wrestling the fury back down where it belonged. Then I straightened, rolling my shoulders, squaring off the decision. “I’ll have Kass call Knight back. Tell him what you know, and he’ll pin down as many specifics as he can.” I stepped closer to Tessa, looking down at her with every ounce of mafia boss I had in me. “But when this is ready to go, we will do whatever we have to do. And you, Tessa, will stay here. You absolutely will not go back to that place. I don’t care what information you give Knight or if he says you’re the only person on the whole Goddamned planet who can get us in and out safely. You will stay here.” I raised an eyebrow. “Understand?”

“Tonio. You said that we go in together, we come out together. That’s what you said.”

I didn’t hesitate a second in the rebuttal. “I changed my fucking mind.”

“Tonio --”

“No, Tessa!” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I can’t… No.”

“Christ, Tonio. Use your words, for fuck’s sake.”

“Look. I can’t risk your life. Not for those women. Not for anyone. I thought I could, but I can’t. If it makes me a bastard for breaking my word to you, well. I’ve been called worse. And for a lot worse reasons.”

She met my gaze for a long moment, steady as stone. “Fine.”

When this all started, I’d wanted my whole family with me until we were done. It wouldn’t take long for Iron -- or anyone else -- to realize the Miles family was involved. If they did, uncovering Darby would be easy. No one knew about Tessa yet and Carrie was basically a ghost, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I’d brought both women and Veda, along with their men, to the compound here. There was more than enough room and I wanted my whole Goddamned family safe. So did Seth. I’d only wanted them safe, but I hadn’t realized the women might need to keep Tessa safe from me. I hoped they knew I’d never physically hurt Tessa and would do my best to never cause her emotional harm. But both my daughter and my niece recognized the protectiveness in me that could very well smother Tessa if I wasn’t careful.

I reached across the table and closed my hand over hers. I wasn’t backing down. Not ever. When she looked away, I knew that, maybe, I could bend for her. Not much, but I could let her help as much as I could and keep her physically safe. “You matter, Tessa,” I said softly. “To everyone at Haven. To the men and women of Kiss of Death.” I waited until she met my gaze once more. “To me.” I took a breath and squeezed her hand. “You matter to me.”

A heartbeat passed. Then I pulled my hand back and turned to Kass. “Get this going. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it now.”

Kass moved, Finch on his heels. Griffin and Hawk reappeared in the doorway, and Sully followed, tapping at his phone. Seth, who I hadn’t been aware of until that moment, took it all in, cool and silent, but there was a satisfaction in the tilt of his head.

I looked back at Tessa, then to Seth. He lifted one corner of his lips. Yeah. My old man knew. Somehow, he always knew when major things happened in my life. Right now, looking at the expression on Seth’s face, I knew I was finally doing the right thing. Jen’s ghost might haunt me forever, but what I’d started with Tessa was inevitable. And probably the best thing to happen to me in a very, very long while. Tessa was mine. But I was hers, too.

The world could burn around us, but I wouldn’t let her down. Not even for myself.

Chapter Ten

Tessa

In retrospect, this might not have been my brightest idea. The staging van reeked of gun oil and whatever onion laced sandwich the last person in here had chowed down on. I was already inside, my back against the wall, when Kass yanked the door open. I’d been surprised when no one had been in the van when I hid, but they’d all ridden in a different vehicle and parked a couple blocks away, if the chatter I’d heard from the driver and his passenger was any indication.

Kass paused when he saw me and just gaped for a second. I stared right back, refusing to move. Then Antonio rounded the back bumper, and his face went through a wild shuffle of emotions starting with furious. After that, I kind of quit keeping track. When he spoke to me, it was almost a growl.

“Tessa.” There might have been a warning to his growl but I didn’t let his displeasure sway me.

“Yep.”

“You told me you’d stay put.”

I didn’t look away. “Got me what I wanted.”

The tension in the van felt viscous. Behind him, Finch had gone statue-still. No doubt, he knew better than to weigh in. Hawk leaned against the wall, arms folded, gaze sliding anywhere but at us. Sully pretended real hard to focus on his phone.

“You gave me your word,” he said.

“I gave you what you needed to hear so you’d move.” I kept my voice even. “I meant to keep it. Then I thought about Mercy Raines and I knew I couldn’t.”

His jaw was tight enough to shatter. “If something happens to you in there --”

“Then something happens to me.” I met his eyes and didn’t flinch. “But you have a much better chance of success if I’m with you. Knight and I went over everything, but the possibility I missed something or misremembered something, I’ll know the second I see where we are.” I paused, then added, “You know I’m right.”

He looked at me for a long time. Long enough that Kass cleared his throat once, quietly. The muscle in Tonio’s jaw moved. He stepped back from the van door. “She stays with me. Every Goddamned step.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

“Oh, make no mistake, little girl. I could give a good Goddamn if you agree to that or not. If you try to take off on me, I will pull the Goddamned plug. I don’t care how many people I have to sacrifice, you will not be harmed in any way. Not even a Goddamned scratch.” He turned to Kass.