Page 95 of Forever Mine

“Who are they?” I whisper against her ear.

“My dad and brothers,” she responds. “Put me down,tesoro.”

I immediately set her on her feet, and she stands in front of me. It takes me a moment to realize my little spitfire, my five-foot-nothing Italian princess, is protectingmefrom her family. I chuckle as I gently move her to the side so that we are equally in the line of fire. If I attempt to stand in front of her, she will be totally pissed off, so this is my way of compromising.

“Monica, please introduce us to your beau,” one of the brothers says. “Is he Italian? Doesn’t look Italian.”

Monica growls next to me.

“Well, the last Italian man beat the shit out of me and was apparently hired to kill me, so pardon me for not worrying about his heritage,” she seethes.

“Do not speak to me that way, Monica Rose,” her dad booms. “Introduce us, now.”

Liam has stepped to the side as more police infiltrate the warehouse and nods his head to the side. “Let’s move aside,querida, let the police do their job.”

“Querida? What the fuck? You’re with a Portuguese guy?” a brother teases.

“Watch your fucking mouth, Giovanni. I havenoproblem laying you out like I just did to those three losers back there,” Monica growls. God, I’m so fucking proud of her. She may have acted nonchalant about her dad disowning her, but I know it ate away at her. Having an opportunity to let the animosity out must be incredibly cathartic.

“You did this to those guys?Youdid this?” another brother asks incredulously. Monica nods.

“I’m not a damsel in distress. So while I knew Gabriel would come for me, I was prepared to handle it myself. Liam gave me a taser, and then I found the rope. Figured I’d just wait until they got here and hand the bad guys over,” Monica shrugs.

“Who’s Liam?” her father asks as he glares at me.

“I’m her brother,” Liam answers as he stands on the other side of her. “Her chosen brother. Sometimes we choose our own family. Monica chose me.”

“And you are?” her father asks me. Before I can answer, Monica speaks up.

“This is Gabriel. My beloved.Meu coração. Love of my life,” she says softly as she wraps her arms around me.Meu coração.My heart.

“I love you too,anjinho,” I whisper before looking at her father. “My name is Gabriel Campos. My parents emigrated from Brazil when I was two years old. I spent twenty-five years in the Army before retiring here. From the first moment I saw Monica, I knew she was different. I felt a pull toward her like I’d never felt before. So while it’s nice to meet you, sir, I’m not giving her back to you.”

Monica’s father smirks as he looks between the two of us.

“As if she’d ever come back willingly,” he finally says as he approaches me. “Paul Russo. Those are my sons Alessio, Marco, Dante, and Giovanni.” All four brothers give me a head nod.

“Have you really been keeping an eye on me, Dad?” Monica asks. “You’ve known where I was the entire time? When I was struggling, barely making ends meet, you just watched and let it happen? What the fuck?”

Paul sighs.

“I have a lot of explaining to do, Monica. I’d like to take you and Gabriel to dinner and explain everything. There’s a lot you don’t know. A lot you missed. A lot you, thankfully, didn’t have to experience.” I notice one of the brother’s wince, and I’m immediately alert for what’s coming.

“We need Monica and Gabriel to file police reports with the city before anyone can leave. In fact, I’m sure they’ll want to speak to you and your sons as well, Mr. Russo. Dinner will have to wait. Monica, I’ll send Gabriel the substation address, and I’ll meet you both there,” Liam says as he pushes us toward the door.

We walk quietly to my car. I round the car to open the passenger door for Monica. I’m in a daze. Monica is shell-shocked. The drive to the police station is a blur that I don’t remember.

We’re at the police station for three hours. Question after question. I refuse to leave Monica’s side, angry that they want to separate the two of us to ask us questions apart. I know we have nothing to worry about, but it still seems fishy to separate us when we can answer together. Hearing Monica tell her side of things makes my heart break for her.

She was leaving the office when two men abducted her and threw her into a blacked-out van. She said she knew immediately they were from the Angelino family. The biggest guy bragged about strangling Nicolas before cutting off his dick and shoving it in his mouth. They threatened all the different ways they could kill Monica. They became so invested in their imaginative murders they didn’t realize she had rummaged in her bag and grabbed her taser. That would ultimately save her life.

Monica assumed she’d just continuously tase them once they were in the warehouse, but then saw the rope and decided to improvise. She said she didn’t know how to tie anyone up but did her best. She broke two nails, which is why she was sitting on the one guy filing her nails when Liam and I walked in.

“I’m so fucking proud of you.Puta merda, querida. So fucking proud,” I whisper as I press a kiss against her temple. Monica gives me a shaky smile. I know she’s struggling to hold it together. “I’ve got you,anjinho. I’ve always got you.”

“I know,” she whispers.

As we wait for the police to finish processing the information we’ve given them, my phone buzzes with a text.

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