Page 78 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire
Theo looked up when Angel leaned out the bedroom window the two women were escaping from.
“Inside is neutralized. Cole’s contacted the police. There was only one hostile inside.”
Allegra tilted her head back. “If it is a snotty little runt wearing a black jacket, I hope you knocked him good,” she snapped.
Angel chuckled. “Let’s just say he’ll have a bit of a headache when he wakes up.”
Theo slung his weapon over his shoulder and reached up, gripping Rose around her waist once she had slid down far enough for him to reach her.
The moment her feet touched down, his hands skimmed over her like he had to memorize her all over again.
“You’re insane,” he said quietly.
“But you love me anyway,” she countered, breathless.
He kissed her—quick, fierce—before looking up at Allegra, still dangling like an overpriced chandelier.
“You’re on your own.”
“Wait—what?!Theo!Don’t leave me here!” Allegra wailed, distraught.
Markos sighed, stepped forward, and motioned his hand at Allegra, muttering about “the things I do.”
As the police swept inside to secure the property, Theo kept Rose tucked against him, his hand possessive at the small of her back. He was still burning with fury—but she was here, alive, safe. And that, for now, was enough.
He was done taking chances with Rose.
The second they’d cleared the property, Theo instructed Angel to fly them straight to Syros, to his family’s villa. He hadn’t let go of her since—his arm anchored around her shoulders, as if loosening his grip might give fate a chance to steal her away again.
“How’s Christian?” Rose asked as the helicopter cut across the blue expanse of the Aegean.
“Fine,” Theo said, his voice gruff with stress and leftover adrenaline. “A little disgruntled about being caught off-guard, but he’s made a full recovery.”
She hesitated before asking, “What will happen to Allegra and Vito?”
His jaw worked. “Honestly, I don’t care.” Then, grudgingly when she elbowed him, “But the Rossi family has influence. They’ll probably end up with a slap on the wrist. Vito wasn’t there, he tried to stop the kidnapping, and he helped us find you. And Allegra was being held herself, so…” He exhaled slowly. “There’ll be a large enough scandal to clip their wings for a while.”
Rose shifted against him. “She told me her parents were almost bankrupt.”
Theo scoffed. “The Rossi family is far from bankrupt. Apollo and Dorothea are well-invested. They just put their three adult children on a ‘budget’ after discovering their recent… massive spending spree.” His tone sharpened. “This should be a wake-up call for all of them.”
A soft smile curved Rose’s lips. “Allegra wasn’t so bad once you got to know her. She just needs different friends—and possibly different siblings.”
Theo couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. Shaking his head, he bent to kiss the top of her hair. “Only you could find something good out of this.”
But when he closed his eyes, the humor bled into something heavier. He couldn’t help imagining if they’d been too late…
He shoved the thought away, fighting the shudder that still threatened to break free.
Forty minutes later, the helicopter settled on the villa’s helipad. Theo helped Rose down, his hand firm at her waist. He raised a hand to Angel in thanks, knowing the man would return to pick up Markos and Cole, who had stayed behind to debrief Homerus.
They walked slowly through the garden, the patio tiles smooth underfoot, the air rich with the scent of bougainvillea and salt from the nearby sea. Ahead, Alexandros, Dani, and their parents waited. One look at their faces—relief written in every line—and Theo’s throat tightened. His fingers tightened around Rose’s hand until his knuckles ached.
Dani descended the steps, one hand resting on her baby bump with Alexandros right behind her. She wrapped Rose in a warm hug, and within moments the two women were trading stories—Dani calling Rose’s ordeal ‘more like a Big Bang episode’ as they laughed over Allegra’s nail preservation efforts.
His mother threaded her arm through Rose’s. “Are you hungry, dear?”
Theo barely registered their voices. The sharp press of his brother’s arms around him brought him back.
