Page 161 of Safe and Sound

“What else did you expect me to do? Wait for you to be in the right state of mind for decision making and risk Christos’s men taking you and Piper from me?”

Deep down, I knew he was justified. Piper and I needed the protection. It wasn’t like I was Caterina who had been stolen out of a convent to marry a stranger. I knew Dare…I loved Dare. One day I’d wanted to marry him, but not like this. Not when I was fucking unconscious.

It just seemed everyone I loved made choices for me without my consent.

At the same time, I was too stubborn to admit I was wrong. “Where’s Piper?” I asked.

“In the playroom with Julianna.”

It was then I realized where I was. It was the guest bedroom at Callum and Caterina's. Dare and I had slept here a couple of times when we’d been over for parties and imbibed too much. I assumed he brought me here because it was the safest of their residences.

“I’d like to see her.”

With a nod, Dare said, “I’ll get her.”

When Dare started to the door, I asked, “Does she know about…” I pinched my eyes shut in pain.

“No. I wanted to wait for you to tell her.”

“Has she asked about him?”

“On the way here from Gloucester, Niall said she asked if he was still hiding.”

Pain ricocheted through my chest. “But she’s okay?”

“Yeah. Thankfully, she’s been distracted with Julianna and the twins.” The corners of Dare’s lips quirked up. “Isla almost had a heart attack this morning when she went to get Rian up from his nap, and he was missing. Come to find out, Julianna and Piper were pretending he was their baby.”

My eyes widened. “Was he okay?”

Dare chuckled. “Little wain was grand. Callum and I gave them a tough talk about not stealing other people’s kids.”

A laugh tumbled from my lips. The first one in two days. It felt so foreign but so good. “Isla and Quinn are here too?”

“Callum wanted everyone hunkering down together.”

“And my parents?”

“Under protection as well as your brothers.” At what must’ve been my questioning look, he shook his head. “The funeral is tomorrow.”

Nick’sfuneral.

A funeral meant he was really gone. “Oh God,” I murmured.

A knock at the door interrupted us. “Yes?” Dare called.

To my surprise, a grim-faced Callum stepped inside the room with a cell phone in his hand. “It’s Christos.”

My stomach clenched at the mention of his name. “What does he want?” Dare demanded.

“He wants to speak to Ava.”

Dare shook his head. “No fucking way. Whatever he needs to say, he can say to me.”

Callum winced. “I told him that. He insists on speaking to his niece, or he will give the order for the men outside Taverna by the Sea to start shooting.”

“Fucking hell!” Dare shouted.

“You said my parents were protected!”

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