Page 46 of Mine to Tease

Damon nods. “And who said you weren’t strong?”

He wraps his arm around me and I grab Brinkley, snuggling him close to my chest. The two of them are my safety nets as we step outside the bedroom door onto a balcony with a railing made of intricate ironwork. Jeez, this place is huge. There’s a large courtyard down below. It’s full of the sounds of male chatter, the soft trickle of water from the gorgeous fountain in the middle, and the enticing aroma of a brunch spread like I’ve never seen. It smells so good, I might actually work up an appetite by the time we make it downstairs.

“What is this place again?” I ask as we maneuver down the iron staircase.

“It’s our place of business mostly, but also my place of residence and a place to stay for any of the men of B&B who don’t have other accommodations. It’s also fortified with bulletproof glass, security cameras out of this world, and all the weapons needed to keep you safe. Not to mention, no one gets in who doesn’t belong here. It’s why I brought you here last night instead of your place. I wanted you to feel as safe as possible. Plus, we have plenty of medical supplies.”

I lean my head into Damon’s chest to show my appreciation. When we reach the end of the stairwell, the sounds filling the echoey space quieten. I meet the eyes of several men whose names I don’t know and yet they risked their lives for me. I know I should say thank you, but I don’t think I can without crying. So, instead, I just nod my head and try to muster a smile for them. They smile and nod then go about their conversations. I take a deep breath, feeling a bit more at ease without their eyes on me, when one comes up to Damon and me.

He seems a bit older than the rest and introduces himself as Gio. He has kind eyes and a gentle demeanor about him. Though something tells me he could kill a man in a matter of seconds and probably did just last night. He hands Damon and me each a plate, points us in the direction of the large wooden table covered with food, and offers to take Brinkley out for a potty break while we serve our plates. I look to Damon, surprised this stranger knows Brinkley’s name. But it’s clear Gio isn’t a stranger at all. “Thank you,” I say, handing Brink off to him. I know I should be the one to take him out, but I’m not ready to step outside the safety of this fortress yet. Nor am I ready for Damon to leave my side, even if it’s just for a moment. This is something I weirdly think Gio understands.

“Come on, let me get some food in you before Brinkley comes back and eats half your plate,” Damon says, moving us toward the brunch spread.

“Be nice,” I scold him. “Besides, he’s your son now too. So he’ll expect you to share as well.”

“He will? Or you will?” Damon asks, cocking his eyebrow. “Besides, if we both feed him, he’ll be thirty pounds and in a damn doggy wheelchair.”

“Well, as long as it’s Chanel or Louis Vuitton, he would have nothing less.” At that, Damon and I share a smile, one that lasts a little longer than the previous one. It’s nice, normal—hopeful.

47

I keep a close eye on Ana’s plate to see if she’s actually eating or just pushing her food around to appease me. She needs nourishment to heal her physical wounds and to help balance out the medications she took. Thankfully, she takes several hearty bites and I relax a little. Something tells me being a husband is also kind of like being a father. Both are caretakers, protectors, and providers. At least, they should be, and I plan to take my new role more seriously than I ever have anything in my life. Which is why when Gio returns with Brinkley in his arms and Aidan pressing a gun to his back, I immediately stand—my chair falling to the floor behind me—and move to stop him from getting anywhere near Ana.

As I approach, Aidan holsters the gun he used to force Gio to let him in. Stepping aside, Gio finally gives me the go-ahead to rip this asshole to shreds. Not that I’m asking for permission after everything that’s happened, everything he caused. “You’ve got some fucking nerve, Cross,” I say.

“I’m just here to see my sister, Damon.” He raises his hands in defeat.

“Yeah, I know what you’re here for and again, I say you’ve got some fucking nerve considering everything that happened yesterday is your fault!” Grabbing hold of his white button-down, I ball the fabric in my fists and toss him on the ground. Zane, Xander, and Milo stand from their seats and watch us at the ready.

“No, no. This is their fight,” I hear Gio say.

“No, it’s mine.” I turn to find Anastasia approaching the two of us. She looks at me and then her brother with a sadness in her eyes I’d just managed to rid her of. I bite the inside of my jaw and return my narrowed gaze to Aidan as he stands from where I threw him.

“Ana, I am so sor—” he starts, but is quickly silenced as Ana rears back and slaps him hard across the face. My eyes widen in surprise yet my cheeks glow with pride. I quickly give the guys a glance and they give me a nod of approval.

“Sorry?” Ana says, finishing Aidan’s sentence for him. She shakes her head. “I know you are.” She’s quiet then as she thinks to herself. “But Damon is right. It’s your actions that brought on the attack last night that almost cost me everything. Me, Aidan, your sister.” She presses her finger into her chest.

“Ana, I know. I was there.” Aidan’s voice cracks and his normally arrogant demeanor gives way to something resembling humility and shame. His shoulders slump and his cheeks tighten with emotion. For a moment, I feel sorry for him. The images Gio showed me and the sight of Ana’s beaten and bruised body as I scooped her into my arms last night will forever haunt me. But Aidan witnessed it. He had to watch his sister be brutally raped. He was responsible for it and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Putting myself in his shoes, I think maybe he’s suffered enough. Then again, the fury still pulsing through my veins lets me know I’m incapable of forgiving him or anyone, for that matter, responsible for hurting the woman I love.

“Then, tell me, what are you going to do to make sure you never put me in that position again? What are you going to do to make peace in this city and end this feud once and for all? Because you were there, Aidan. You saw the effort that went into saving us, and it was a joint effort between these men who owe us nothing and men who’ve pledged their life to you. In order for there to be peace, you, we”—Ana looks at me then—“have to find a way to work together, and not just for one night or one year—permanently.” She takes a step back and crosses her arms over her chest. “That’s the only way I’ll forgive you for what happened.”

Aidan lowers his head as the consequences of his actions weigh heavy on him. I cross my arms over my chest as Gio makes his way to stand beside me once more, and Aidan shifts his attention to the two of us. He extends his hand to Gio first, probably because he knows I’m not yet ready to take it.

“Thank you for coming to our rescue, for risking your lives, but, most of all, for saving my sister.”

Gio shakes his hand on behalf of himself and the men of B&B. “Anastasia is right, we don’t owe you anything after everything you’ve done since you’ve got here. But we do owe each other. We stand by each other. We do what’s best for each other. So there was no hesitation to come for Anastasia, given how much she means to Damon and the contract the two of you have.” Aidan’s brows crinkle as he looks between Ana and me. “But had it only been you who was taken, something tells me we still would’ve thrown something together, because this alliance is important to all of us for more reasons than one, all of which have to do with protecting the people we love.”

Gio lets go of Aidan’s hand and he shifts his attention to me. “The alliance is important to you all?” Aidan asks me.

Six months ago I would’ve said fuck this alliance and fuck you. In fact, I probably did say it. But everything is different now. And last night made it more clear than ever that showing a unified front is the only way to keep the peace in this city. There can’t be anymore your people, my people. We have to find a way to do better—for Alister, for Ariana, for each other, but, mostly, for Anastasia. At that, I uncross my arms and shake Aidan’s hand. Giving him a nod, I say, “Anastasia asked you what you were going to do to bring peace to this city. Well, I have a plan that you, Gio, and I should discuss. But right now, I’m not leaving my fiancée’s side, so unless you’re hungry, I think it’s time for you to take your leave.”

“Fiancée?” Aidan scoffs, and I move to Anastasia’s side. Wrapping my arm around her, she leans into me. As she fidgets with her ring, Aidan finally notices it. His lips press into a flat line and the muscles in his neck strain. I know this wasn’t how Ana wanted to tell him. Hell, it’s not even how I wanted to tell him. But there’s no more dancing around it. He takes a deep breath and shakes out his arms as if to rid them of tension. “Well, then, I suppose I will stay and take the time to get to know my new brother-in-law better and celebrate my sister for finding her happiness.”

Ana smiles then and leaves my side to give her brother a hug. It’s a nice embrace between the two of them and it reminds me of how this whole thing started. She wanted a moment alone with her brother, one last moment to be his little sister before becoming my wife. Maybe now they can finally have it.

“I got to say, he handled it a lot better than I thought,” Gio whispers, coming up beside me to hand me a bourbon.

“Yeah, only because he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. He knows he’s lost—her and this city.”

---