Page 69 of His to Have
“Go head, doc. Finish looking her over,” he stood, giving the doctor room to continue his exam.
Before Teo could step too far away, one of his men appeared in the doorway. He was young, maybe mid-twenties, and still wearing the tux from the wedding.
“Boss,” he said, his voice low but urgent. “There’s someone here who needs to talk to you. Says they have information about the champagne.”
Teo’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Where?”
“Hallway. One of the wedding staff. She’s pretty shaken up, but she insisted on speaking to you directly.”
“Give me a minute.” Teo turned back to me, his hand brushing my cheek. “I’ll be right back. Stay put.”
I wanted to go. I wanted to hear about this champagne but I didn’t want to add to the already growing tension in the room.
So, I settled on, “Okay.”
He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before following his guy out into the hallway. The door didn’t close all the way, and I could hear muffled voices—still tense, clipped, and full of urgency.
I couldn’t quite make out everything they were saying but managed to hear.
“The Dom Pérignon, sir. Miss Vitale arranged for the premium bottles. She gifted the champagne for the reception.”
Isabella.
I could only imagine the heat radiating from my husband. By the time Teo entered back into the room, the physician was done with me. He had poked and prodded until he gave me a clean bill of health. Meanwhile, Teo was in full boss mode, reviewing every angle of the wedding, tracking down when Isabella actually slipped away from the reception. He was now in full hunt mode. However, he did slow down long enough to let the doctor examine him as well. Once cleared, we were escorted off the property under a heavy security detail.
Once we were in the privacy of a sleek, blacked-out SUV, Teo said, “Call your brother.”
Dialing Bash, he answered on the first ring. “You’re alright,” he said with a sigh of relief, but not void of tension. “Good. Teo will put you in a safe house. Take you off the grid. Shit is getting a little too dangerous right now.”
“No, I’m coming to see daddy first.”
The silence at the other end of the phone was deafening. Not because he didn’t hear me, but because he was trying to find a nicer way to tell me no. As if he controlled me. Underdifferent circumstances, he wouldn’t have been so… delicate. He most likely would’ve gone with his first instinct of “hell no.” But because this was daddy, and a sensitive situation, he hesitated.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Maybe after we get him moved to somewhere more secure and offsite.”
I was already shaking my head as if he could see me.
“No... What if something happens? What if he... dies, Sebastian?” I whispered, the cry getting caught in my throat. “You can’t stop me. Someone needs to be there for Mama. Someone needs to be there for you. We need to be together as a family. Besides, what’s going to happen? Between the army I’m sure it is with you and the men with us, who would try something tonight.”
He sighed.
“I didn’t call to argue or ask permission,” I finally told him.
“I know. Your call was for me to make sure my sister was safe. I had to hear for myself... and to see if I could talk you out of coming. But I guess I should’ve known better.” he said with a resigned chuckle. “Put that nigga on the phone. I know he’s right there with his eyes on you.”
When I looked up, Bash was in fact right. Teo’s sharp gaze was fixed on me. Handing him the phone, I listened intently to a one-sided conversation. Every so often he would nod. I heard Isabella’s name, then Gianni’s. I wasn’t sure what to make of the exchange, but the seriousness in Teo’s voice was unmistakable. He kept his answers short and to the point until, out of nowhere, he said, “Nigga, I told you this,” looking up at me with a hint of a smirk. “She has to be handled with care. Barking orders at her won’t work.”
Their conversation was no longer about the deaths or other families. They were talking about me. “I’ve been getting her to meet me halfway since we were kids. Gotta give a little to get a little,” Teo added with a wink in my direction. “Gotta talk to hernicely. Anyway, we’ll be there in fifteen.” He flipped the phone closed and looked back at me. “I knew you wouldn’t go without seeing your father.”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t have.” I rubbed my hands together absently. “And what’s the plan afterwards? You’re just gonna put me in some house and leave me there? You, Bash, and Keem going to burn the world down?”
“If I have to. Yes,” he deadpanned.
I exhaled, agitated. I knew just as much about him as he knew about me. If I didn’t want to be stored in some safe house like some fragile piece of glass, I would have to approach this differently.
“What exactly happened tonight?” I asked changing the subject to something that might give me some clarity.
“Someone tampered with the champagne. Confirmed... Ricin. A slow-acting poison. Targeted the Reed family, the Vitale family, and the Ricci’s.”
