Page 68 of In My Blood
I was almost to the lobby of the office building when my phone started to ring in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw it was Rafe. I knew he was impatient for any information I could gather.
“I don’t have anything yet,” I told him as soon as I picked up the call.
“You’re there now?” Rafe asked.
“Yep. Worked him over pretty well. Now I’m leaving him to mull over his options while I grab breakfast. How’s Cara?” I asked.
“She’s fine, Dante. I told you not to worry so much. What happened yesterday was not your fault.”
“Yes it was. I was guarding her.”
“Yes, and you did that. You got her home in one piece. She’s safe, and we’ll make sure she stays that way,” he assured me. It did make me feel a little better. I trusted Rafe more than I trusted anyone else in my life. He had proven to have my back again and again, without fail.
“She needs to eat. She’s too thin and weak.”
“She ate breakfast with me earlier. Terza made her poached eggs and bacon on toast, and she ate it all. She’s fine, Dante,” he sighed. I didn’t worry about him knowing how much I cared for Cara, because he knew the way I was. I was overly protective with everyone I cared for, so my questions were not unusual. It was just the way I was wired. Growing up I had only had my mother to love me, and she had been taken from me when I was young. Now I coveted the people and things I cared for, because I couldn’t stand the thought of losing them. Rafe understood this. So did Dario, Arran, and Callan, but I worried my overbearing ways would scare Cara off. That was why I was trying to keep some distance from her, and why I was driving not just Rafe mad, but all of the others too, asking questions about her and her welfare constantly. But I had to. I needed the answers to reassure the beast within that she was safe, and healthy.
“Good. Make sure she eats lunch too, and rests. Arran said she wasn’t sleeping well, and Dario had to stay with her last night in her room so she wouldn’t be afraid. She needs to rest.”
“How do you know Dario stayed with her last night?”
“He told me. We crossed paths in the gym. He said Cara is too afraid to sleep in her bedroom alone. Asked me to keep an eye on her and make sure someone was with her if he wasn’t home tonight.”
“Damn. I didn’t know that,” Rafe uttered quietly.
“Talk to Dario, but I don’t mind staying with her if she needs me, Rafe. We will all take care of her,” I tried to reassure him. It wasn’t really my strong suit, but I could hear the concern in his voice and I wanted to soothe it. He was doing the best he could to help Cara, but she was in a bad place.
“Thanks. I’ll speak to Dario about it,” he agreed. “Do you think you’ll get anything from the guy in holding?”
“Yes. I’ll get whatever he knows from him, but we already know he’s Russian, and we also know the Russians want us to ease up on our rules at the port. It’s obvious why they want to get their hands on Cara, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but I need confirmation, and it would help to know their exact plans if we can. I plan to prove to Kozlov that we are not a family to be trifled with, but to do that I need proof so the other families don’t turn on us for breaking the peace.”
“I’ll get you the proof. This needs to end before they try to get to Cara again.”
“Let me know when you get something,” he ordered and I agreed. “And Dante…” he said just as I was about to end the call.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for caring about Cara. I really think she needs people around her right now, and she seems to like you and the others.”
“Don’t thank me for that. I like her too. I’ll be home later.” With that I ended the call. I had work to do. The sooner I got those answers for Rafe, the sooner I could get home tomy Cara.
CARA
I was still gawping at the gym, which was housed on the basement level of Rafe’s house, and I had been working out in it already for the last thirty minutes. It was just a lot though.
It was a vast room, just like all of the others in that place. It took up almost all of the basement level and reached out into a glass extension that filled part of the small lawned garden. It was light and modern and very spacious. The floors and walls were tiled in slightly glossy white tiles, with a wide, navy border that circled the centre of the room. In the centre of the room there was a large open space, filled with some kind of soft cushioned flooring that felt like the mats I had trained on previously, only this was built into the floor seamlessly.
All around the central area was a wide border filled with every single work out machine you could imagine. There were state of the art treadmills, rowing machines, cross strainers, stationary bikes, and so much more. There was even a bloody Stair Master, or whatever it was called nowadays! Closest to the door, one long side was dedicated to lifting weights, with benches and an array of machines I had never used, all with weights attached to them. Obviously, the guys who lived there liked to lift weights, not that you needed to see the gym to work that out. Just seeing their muscles was the only clue that you needed.
I had just come down to try and do some cardio in a desperate bid to up my fitness. I hadn’t thought I was that unfit with all of the walking I used to do, and the hours I spent on my feet inthe club, but as soon as I stepped on the treadmill my legs had ached and it wasn’t getting any better, despite the fact I had now slowed to a fast walk, my ribs hurting too much to run or even jog.
Dio had shown the gym to me the night before, just as I had asked him to, then he followed me up to my room and told me he was staying the night with me in there. When I tried to argue, he shot me down, determined to stay close if it would help me sleep. Eventually, I had given in and we’d both spent the night fast asleep inside my closet, Dio sleeping on one of the duvet’s from my pile, close to the door, while I huddled in my corner. It had helped and I had slept almost through the night, only waking from one nightmare in the early hours of the morning.
Luckily, I hadn’t awoken Dio when I jolted awake gasping and panting, but knowing he was there with me had helped me to calm down, and after minimal drama, I had fallen back asleep. He’d been gone when I woke early that morning, but he’d left me a note telling me he had gone to the gym if I needed him. It was such a small gesture, but it had filled me with emotion and excitement. I had stashed the note under my socks in one of the drawers of the dresser, determined to hold on to it. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for me.
I hadn’t seen him since, but the decent sleep I got, and the pep in my step, which that tiny note gave me, had spurred me on to have a better day. That was how I found myself in the gym, trying – and failing – to do something positive. The huge breakfast Terza had served me as I sat with Rafe and Arran that morning had urged me on to start some kind of fitness routine, knowing I would need to if Terza planned to continue feeding me up like a turkey on the run up to Christmas.
