Page 41 of Promised Vows

There were still unanswered questions, but having my suspicions about Gabriele backed up was worth the trip. I suspected he was shot on purpose. Proving it would be impossible for now, and as much as I wanted to fall into that rabbit hole, I had the Georgiou family to sort out.

More importantly, what was Michael up to? Because he was up to something, and I was positive it had the potential to hurt Anna, which meant I would eventually have to meet him. Hopefully, we’d leave as friends; otherwise, I’d give him the same treatment I gave the mayor.

Chapter Eighteen

ARI

“That was delicious.” I tossed my napkin on the table and took a sip of wine. “And it was your first time cooking veal and risotto?” It was perfect.

Anna grinned. “I’m good with directions.”

I hiked an eyebrow, locking eyes with her. “Really?”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Romeo.”

With that sultry, flirty smile? “Not a chance.” I chuckled as we held eye contact. “Thank you for making me dinner.” She didn’t have to, and that meant something to me.

“You’re welcome.” She grinned as she brought her left thumb to her mouth, chewing on it.

Holding my ribs, I stood and held back the groan that fought to be unleashed. It’d been two weeks, and the bruising wasn’t as pronounced on my skin, but my ribs were still giving me trouble.

When I thought of Samantha and the hurt on her face, it was worth it. I’d received a text earlier in the week that she’d flown home and she and her mom were back together. To ease my mind, I had a few friends in the area keeping an eye on them until I was sure they’d be left alone. Samantha and her mom had taken me up on my offer and were scheduled to meet with a counselor in a week. I hoped it helped and that they both recovered.

My breath caught as I picked up the plate, and I set it down hard. One wrong move and a sharp pain would radiate through my chest and rib cage, ripping my breath away. I knew I had at least a few cracked ribs that would take several more weeks to fully heal.

Anna was next to me before I could take another breath. “You overdid it today.”

“I moved wrong. It’s okay. You cooked. I’ll clean up.”

“No,” she said and took my chin in her fingers. “Go sit down. I’ve got it. When you’re healed, I will be reminding you often of the sacrifices I made during this time.” She grinned.

The tender way she’d taken care of me had been amazing.

I’d barely been able to put one foot in front of the other. Ares had picked me up and brought me home, and I’d faked it long enough to get in the elevator. If I had to take one step farther than the door to my condo, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have been found passed out. I wasn’t literally shot, but as far as energy went, I was done for a few days.

At the time, I was pretty sure I needed stitches in a few places, but I didn’t care. I wanted a shower and my bed.

Seeing Anna’s face when I opened the door had done more to lift my spirits than I expected until I saw that her finger was still bare. I was too exhausted to mask my disappointment. I didn’t know what I was expecting. I’d basically waltzed into her life and then taken her freedom away. It hadn’t been fair. I didn’t see any other way to keep her safe. Not with her father in town, and I couldn’t concentrate on that until Gianna’s murderer was dealt with.

When we’d arrived at Lucas’s apartment, Franklin had his daughter by the throat. The second Dimitris had an opening, he’d fired off a round, hitting Franklin in the shoulder. My siblings and I had left with him while Lucas stayed with Claire. She’d been understandably shaken up, and needed the comfort of her husband.

Lucas had shown up hours later, and Franklin had suffered at our hands before the life finally left his eyes. We’d dumped his body in a trash bin because that’s what he was—garbage.

Information about Franklin’s less-than-admirable dealings had come to light, and the resulting news coverage had put a spotlight on Claire. To save her from all that attention and to celebrate her twenty-first birthday, Lucas had taken her to Brazil. The last update I had was that Claire was okay. She’d lived with a monster, and she seemed to be relieved that she was free.

Anna had come to my rescue after I’d taken it upon myself to rid the city of the scum who’d hurt Samantha and other little girls like her. My memory was fuzzy, but I had flashes. They played like scenes. Her helping me to the couch, then up the stairs, and one where we were in the shower together. Her hands on my head, soaping up my hair and body and gently cleaning my face. After that, the days had melted together. She’d made me stay in bed until I had no choice but to return to work that morning.

I still couldn’t tell her what I’d done. How would she look at me once she found out that I’d killed the mayor, the chief, and several others? I could justify it, but could she?

“Come on, you’re sitting down. I’ll get to the dishes in a little bit. There’s something I need to talk to you about anyway.”

I froze. I didn’t want her to move out. Coming home to her had been life-altering for me. My house was finally a home. Her scent was everywhere now. She hadn’t moved into the master yet, but she would let me hold her at night in my bed. I’d been sleeping through the night, deeply and restful. I woke up to her and went to sleep with her in my arms. I hadn’t experienced that sort of peace in years.

“Please don’t leave.” I wasn’t even trying to make this a funny volley of words.

Anna looked at me. We were both still, her eyes searching mine for so long that all I could hear was our breathing. If she said she was going back to her apartment, I wouldn’t stop her, but the next two weeks would be the longest of my life. Waiting to hold her again as I fell asleep.

After a long pause, her lips lifted. “I’m not. I’m worried you’ll be stupid and reinjure yourself.”

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