Page 41 of Fortress of the Brave

I have to admit, I enjoy it. I love seeing the end product, but I equally enjoy the process, even if it can sometimes be frustrating.

Plus, we have the added bonus of having our sister, Valentina, do all the interior design and decorating. Between her and Bianca, her assistant, they will make it beautiful and state-of-the-art.

Having work to get on with takes my mind off being locked up in Fortress while the dust settles and off being even closer to Mia than normal. Angelo also calls a family meeting before any of us can leave.

I know for a fact he won’t let Rayne or Mia out of his sight until everything settles.

I like the fact she isn’t afraid to show she’s vulnerable. She may think I see weakness, but all I see is her courage and determination to move forward. She’s strong, so much stronger than she thinks.

I admire that about her.

I can’t deny my heart was constricted in more ways than one when the tears spilled last night. I felt that by being a Medici, I am somehow responsible.

It would have been better for her own interests, as well as Rayne’s, if they stayed well away from us. The trouble that it’s already caused has disrupted everything. Mia can’t even go back to New York if she wants to.

We all meet in Angelo’s study for a debrief. With the feds taken care of, all the carnage sweeps nicely under the rug.

I wouldn’t say it is an easy feat in this city, the way everything keeps changing on us from one moment to the next. The main thing is this won’t come back to bite us later.

If Angelo is worried about any retribution from anyone related to the Triads, he doesn’t show it.

It’s hard to feel settled after that night. Because the whole thing haunts my dreams, bringing me night sweats I’ve never experienced before. We haven’t gone into battle quite like this. It’s unsettling.

I would love to just switch it off, or at least put it in the back of my mind like my brothers seem to be able to do. But it’s always been difficult for me.

Fynn knows I’m nursing some internal struggle. I see the way he looks at me. He says nothing about it, but we both know.

Now that I have these thoughts about Mia, I really need to watch myself.

There are many things in this family that can be overlooked. I only have to look around at my brothers and sister to know it’s true now more than ever.

I want to shake the nagging feeling that this isn’t over somehow, that something else is brewing. But maybe that’s my paranoid mind working overtime.

When a week has passed, Marco and I take a trip to the site where work has commenced on the apartments, and it all seems to be running smoothly.

It’s going to be a beautiful building, exquisitely designed, with the finishes in marble andtimber floors throughout. There’s something to be admired about turning a run-down and derelict building into a beautiful masterpiece. It’s very close to my heart and something I’m very passionate about.

I’ve had my eye on acquiring some land of my own for a while now.

My dream is to build a place outside of the city, away from everything. Somewhere I can escape to, like Angelo has at Falmouth or Marco’s monstrosity of a castle. But I would actually live there and commute to the city.

While living next door to Fynn may be convenient for the moment, I don’t intend for it to always be this way. I want more. A place of my own that feels like home.

I’m also not getting any younger. Maybe that’s one of the strongest motivators. After hitting thirty, I know I don’t want to leave things too long to settle down and start a family.

I’m at that stage where I want it more and more.

The dream has always been there, but I’ve always been too busy throwing myself into the next project.

Seeing my two older brothers in committed relationships reminds me of what I’m missing and what I would like to have.

Mia.

She’s the woman that comes to the forefront of my mind.

I don’t like that I’m seeing her less and less now that they are making arrangements for Mia to live permanently in Boston. We’ve not even spoken about what I did to her that night in the kitchen all those months ago.

The thing I do like, though, is every time I’ve seen her lately, her eyes seemed a little brighter.

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