“Why isn’t she waking up?” I ask Natalia for the umpteenth time since she arrived last night. Perched on the side of my bed, I gently brush strands of dark hair off Sloane’s brow as she sleeps, oblivious to everything that’s happened in the past few hours or the torment I’m in, waiting for her to resume consciousness.
“She was given a strong sedative.” Natalia squeezes my shoulder. “Her vitals are all good. Try to relax, Cristian. She’ll wake when she’s ready.”
Thank fuck for John Angelo’s quick thinking. That prick Alvaro was seconds from shoving Sloane through the air vent when my men arrived. My fists twitch with an urge to beat the shit out of him and the other prisoners waiting in the interrogation center on Staten Island. No doubt Caleb is having fun, but he knows to keep them alive for me.
“You should sleep,” I tell her. “Take the spare guest room.”
“You should sleep too.”
“There’s no point even trying.” Lifting Sloane’s hand to my lips, I kiss her warm flesh. “I shouldn’t have left her. I almost lost her again. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to let her out of my sight.”
Compassion is etched upon her face. “I understand, but you can’t be everywhere for everyone all of the time, and you’re no good to anyone if you’re exhausted.”
“Watch me.” There is nothing I won’t do for Sloane and Elio. Nothing.
“I think it ends now.” Her features harden. “Gia and Joshua never trusted the Da Rosas.”
“I should’ve listened. Dug deeper. I think they must’ve been involved from the start, and they had help covering their tracks.”
“You wanted to see the good in them for Elio, and that’s not a flaw, Cristian.”
“It sure feels like one.”
“You have them now.” She fights a yawn. “After it’s handled, you can draw a line and move forward with your life.” She smiles at the woman fast asleep in my bed. “I’m happy you have her back, Cristian. Elio is thrilled too.”
“I only need to convince her to stay now.” She might want nothing to do with me when I tell her I’d been considering a marriage contract with the woman who tried to have her kidnapped again. I want to punch myself in the face for ever letting that bitch into our lives. Isa’s betrayal will hurt Elio so much. I don’t know how I’m going to explain it.
“At least get into the bed and try to rest a little,” Natalia says before slipping out of the room.
Following her advice, I strip down to my boxers, crawl into the bed, and position Sloane in my arms where she belongs. Cradling her to me, I dust kisses into her hair and promise her over and over again that this is the last time anyone tries to take her. If I have to bundle her in bubble wrap and hide her away to ensure she’s safe, I’ll do it so she doesn’t worry about anyone coming for her ever again.
Early-morning sunshine is trickling through the blinds in my room when I wake, conscious of fingers caressing my face and a pair of big blue eyes staring at me while I sleep. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I have questions,” Sloane says. “How did I get here? What happened?” she asks in a croaky tone.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask, tenderly touching the goose egg on her brow.
“My throat is dry. I have a bit of a headache, and my limbs feel tired, but otherwise, I’m fine. Where is Alvaro?”
A growl rips from my mouth unbidden. “In an interrogation cell waiting for me,” I confirm as I sit up straighter, resting my back against the headrest and settling her under my arm.
“You caught him?”
“We caught them all. It’s over, Sloane.”
“Until the cartel sends more men.”
“It wasn’t the cartel.”
She bolts upright, ripping out of my arms. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t have all the missing pieces yet, but I’ll tell you what I know.” I stretch my arm wide. “Now get back here. I almost died last night when I got the call. I was terrified I might lose you again, and I need to hold you. I’ll probably be stuck to you like glue from now on.”
“I won’t complain,” she says, snuggling into me. “I happen to love your arms around me. Now fill me in, and don’t hold anything back.”
“Isa was a diversion to enable Alvaro and another man to sneak into the building through the ventilation shaft. Alvaro went to get you while the other guy planned to hijack the system. They were going to use poison gas to knock everyone out so they could take you, but John Angelo foiled them. A group of men got the guy before he could inject that shit into the vents while a second team rescued you.” Holding her tighter, I press a lingering kiss to the top of her head. “If you hadn’t fought him, he might’ve gotten you into the vent before they arrived.”
“I will always fight back,” she says. “I swore to myself no one was ever taking me again, and I meant it, but they nearly had me.” Her fingers move to the tiny prick mark on the side of her neck.
“He didn’t get his hands on you, and there are no long-term side effects from the sedative. That’s all that matters.”
“So, Isa was working with the cartel all this time?” she asks, peering up at me.
“I believe her father is the mastermind.” Rage barrels through me. “En route to you, I got a call from Gia. The tech team got a hit on Alvaro from the facial recognition system. They caught footage of him meeting Rafaelo Da Rosa. I’ve since heard they have captured evidence of other meetings between the two.”
“Does she hate me so much her father would consort with the cartel to kidnap me?”
“Alvaro doesn’t work for the cartel any longer. Same with the other guy. Don Greco spoke to Rodrigo Fuentes. Alvaro went rogue when Rodrigo took control. They’re disgusted his actions have jeopardized the agreement in place between them and us. The cartel has washed its hands of them. Told us to handle it. Gia is working on the evidence now, but it looks like Isa’s father was bankrolling the two men. I think this is the piece of the puzzle we’ve been missing all along.”
Sloane sits up straighter, looking me straight in the eye. “I want in on the interrogation. Don’t even think of dissuading me. I deserve answers as much as you do.”
“I agree. If you want to be there, fine, but it’ll get bloody. Are you sure you want to witness that?”
“If they’re as involved as you think, then fuck yes.” Sloane flings the covers off and slides out of my arms. “Come on.” She glances over her shoulder. “There’s no time like the present, and while we’re on our way, you can tell me what the fuck that wedding invite was all about.”
I’m officially in the doghouse. Sloane is furious with me for even briefly considering marrying Isa. Surprisingly, her biggest issue is the fact I had given up on love. That seems to have angered her more than anything. I have some major groveling to do, which I’ll happily concede to. I’m just grateful she believed me, and she’s still planning to stay.
“Wait a sec,” I say when we’ve stepped inside the interrogation building, halting at the stairs before we go down. “Drink this.” I thrust the bottle of water infused with electrolytes into her hand. Natalia checked her over before we left. She’d have preferred Sloane to stay in bed and rest today, but there aren’t any major reasons to deny her this. She is owed answers more than anyone.
“Stop fussing, Cristian. I already drank a bottle in the car on the way here.”
“Natalia said you need lots of fluids and to eat well.” My men are packing up the rest of Sloane’s things and transporting them to Glencoe later. Even though it seems like the threat is over now we’ve captured Rafaelo, Isa, and the two ex-cartel men, I’d still rather get Sloane behind the secure compound until we’ve finalized the investigation and confirmed there are no other loose ends or threats.
“And I will. After we get answers.”
“I love you,” I remind her before kissing her, uncaring that the soldati on duty can see and hear everything.
“I love you too.” She bites my lower lip, and it stings a little. “I’m still mad though.”
“I deserve it.”
“You so do.” She presses her mouth against mine, and her tongue darts out, licking the little bead of blood her teeth drew. “But I forgive you only because you’d already decided not to go through with it. That was your saving grace, Don DiPietro.”
“I thought you’d make me grovel for ages,” I admit, hauling her against my body.
She barks out a laugh. “I said I forgave you, Cristian, because life is too short to hold stupid grudges, but I said nothing about you not groveling.” Her hands slide under my jacket and land on my ass. “You will grovel to the ends of time if I command it.”
“I will do anything you bid, my queen.”
She’s giggling as we descend the stairs, and I’ll take that as a win.
Neither of us is laughing when we enter the cell a few minutes later. The three men are stripped to their boxers and tied to chairs by their hands and feet. All of them have been worked over, but they’re still breathing.
“Cris!” Isa wails, fighting the restraints tying her to the end chair. “Tell them I had nothing to do with this!” She’s fully dressed—because none of us wants to see her in her underwear—and her face and body are free of marks, except for the busted nose Sloane gave her. I’m probably sick, but watching the footage of Sloane laying Isa out made my dick hard.
No honorable made man is comfortable hitting a woman, though I might change my mind after I discover the full extent of Isa’s manipulation.
“She’s protesting her innocence nonstop,” Caleb says, walking toward us shirtless. Blood splatters coat his bare chest in jagged streaks, and his knuckles are torn. “I’ve been tempted to kill her at least ten times already.”
Isa continues crying and calling out my name, but I ignore her while her father hisses at her to shut up. Dano arches a brow from his position by the wall. I asked my underboss to personally watch over them in my absence, not thinking Caleb would still be here.
Caleb’s brows climb to his hairline when he looks at Sloane. “I didn’t realize you’d be joining us.”
“I want to know what they did,” she says. Despite her bravado, she’s nervous, clutching my hand in a death grip.
“Of course.” Caleb nods solemnly before lowering his voice. “I’m glad you are safe, Sloane. You had everyone worried, but it seems you were smarter than some of the best tech brains, and you managed to keep yourself safe and hidden all this time. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks, Caleb. I had to learn on my feet and constantly move around, but I managed okay.”
“I’m really glad you’re back, and I hope you’re staying because this guy has been unbearable in your absence.”
She looks at me and smiles. “I’m staying.”
My arm goes around her, and I tuck her in tight to my side. Isa’s sobs grow louder, and Caleb smirks, his gaze bouncing between me and Sloane. I know he’s pleased for me. Everyone at dinner was thrilled when I told them she’s back safe and sound.
“They’re all yours, Don DiPietro.” Dano slaps me on the back. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
“I’m sticking around to hear this.” Caleb presses his mouth to my ear. “Ben and Massimo went at Rafaelo earlier, but he refused to talk. Said he’d only talk to you.”
I stand in front of Rafaelo Da Rosa with Sloane on one side and Caleb on the other. Isa is quietly sobbing, but she’s stopped appealing to me because she knows I won’t help her. She made her bed, and now she can lie in it.
“You only want to talk to me, so talk,” I tell the old man.
“I want your word that my family won’t be harmed. None of them were involved. This is all on me, and I’ll tell you everything if you swear you won’t touch them.”
“Lying is not a good way to start, Rafaelo,” I reply, leveling a dark look at his youngest daughter. “We know Isa is involved.”
“Isotta was a pawn. She didn’t know anything about my plan or how I used her. The fool loves you. She’d never agree to help me kill you.”
“What?” Isa’s sobbing completely stops. “What are you talking about?” Her confusion seems genuine, but I’m reserving judgment until I’ve heard it all.
Rafaelo turns his head to look at her. “The DiPietro famiglia is scum, and they needed to pay the price for what they did to our family. His brother killed my Bettina, and then he took her son away from us.” Rafaelo snarls at me. “You had no right to take Elio. He belongs with us.”
