Page 30 of Risky Fight

The crew moves Vito to the vet clinic while some stay behind to dig for evidence and clues about who did this. They took diamonds off the boat — Lou heard them talk about it. There are more questions than answers by the time I leave the marina, and head home. None of them I can answer without my men digging deeper.

Once I know Vito will be okay, I decide it’s time to go and speak to Lou — I think it’s time we talked instead of covering up our emotions with sex. Hard as it is to keep my hands off her, we need to make things right before we break one another completely.

Chapter19 - Lou

The house is clean and quiet, no evidence there was a party here just hours ago. The entire place was overflowing with friends, family and acquaintances. Press and people who were from Roark’s time fighting in the UFC hovered about, looking for the goose behind what the papers are calling a whirlwind second chance romance.

I turn the coffee machine on, and while I wait for it, I turn on the TV in the kitchen, wondering if the shooting will be in the news. I’m exhausted, and I could go to bed and get some much-needed sleep, but when I close my eyes all I can see is the lifeless bleeding man. There is nothing on the news, like this horrendous thing never happened at all, buried with hush money and the power of the mob.

I’m savoring my coffee, it’s comforting after the adrenaline and fear of the hours before, the warmth makes me settle and slowly my hands stop shaking. The burning of withheld tears eases, and my heart is no longer trying to escape my ribcage. I watch the news headlines scrolling over the bottom of the screen. I had expected him to be angry when he got there, to yell at me for being so careless and stupid.

But Roark surprised me, he didn’t lash out or make me feel worse than I already did. He held me, and at the same time was completely in control of the situation around him. Making sure Vito was taken somewhere they could care for him, and that the guilty parties were found. It’s a side of him I do not know — a new part of Roark. When he left, he was young and wild and didn’t want to work with his father at all.

He had it in his head that he wanted to fight and nothing else, it’s why I never dreamed he would come home. Not for anything. He had made his dream life over there. Fans, and fights, women and all the money he needed. Coming back makes no sense, it’s as if he has just abandoned his dreams for the future his father wanted him to follow. It makes me wonder if it was really his choice to return, or if there’s something more to it.

He says he wanted to protect Nolan, but surely this life is what he should be protecting him from? Murder and illegal diamonds. Being a mob brat isn’t exactly better than being the son of a celebrity sportsman, surely to God he sees that? Why would he come back after he got out? What is here for him that he couldn’t give the boy while he was there.

“Lou,” Nolan’s small voice gets my attention as he clambers onto the kitchen stool, “that party was so fun, I have like a million cousins. They are better than friends.” He’s still buzzing with excitement, he has no idea I ran away or witnessed someone getting shot. His innocence is so precious, and I don’t know how long he can keep that here with Roark’s family.

While I am around, I’ll do my best to protect him from the ugly truth of who his family is, and what all those cousins will become. I have fallen in love with this kid — he reminds me of me, a kid lost without a mother to guide him and love him unconditionally.

I can’t go back on my engagement to Roark now, even if I wanted, which I am not sure I do. But I can be here for this little boy, and maybe soften the harshness of life for him just a small bit. When I ran away last night, I was angry and afraid, I felt trapped and I couldn’t see things for what they could be — I only saw red.

“You had fun getting to meet everyone then, did you?” I ask him, trying to hide my own worries from him. He doesn’t need to know what happened, he had a happy time and we’re going to just focus on that. “I am sure they’ll all be back for your birthday. You and I need to pick a theme and send out some invites, and maybe we can go order you a cake?”

“A chocolate cake?” he asks with glee, “and cupcakes, and balloons?” I love how excited he is for the smallest things, that the sadness is slowly leaving his eyes each day. He will not forget his mam, but the agony of losing her will fade to a dull ache eventually.

“Any cake you want. There is bakery in the city that makes the best birthday cakes in the whole world, I think you and I should visit them tomorrow.” He nods his head and tucks into a bowl of cereal.

“Will Roark come, does he like cake?”

“Who doesn’t like cake?” I joke and he giggles, “if he doesn’t like cake, we will have to trade him in for another one that does.” The little boy laughs from his belly.

“I want to go swim today, it’s hot again,” His thought train has already derailed and is onto something else. “Can I go swim?”

“I think we will have to ask Roark when he gets back, I don’t know what his plans are for today.” I’m not sure I am allowed to say yes, and Roark said no one was to come in or out. It’s best to wait for him, but I am worried Roark might be gone all day. Patience is not something boys Nolan’s age have in large measure.

“Ugh,” he groans, “what can we do then?” he asks me. I’m exhausted, distracted and don’t have the energy to match his today. I need to think of something to keep him entertained that keeps me from dying.

“Want to help me open all those gifts people brought last night?” Kids love presents and wrapping paper. I doubt he will love anything in the boxes but he can enjoy opening them up.

“Can I?” he asks, “they’re for you and Roark.” I smile, his mam raised him with manners. Nolan is a good boy.

“Yes, you can, I said so,” I nod, “let me make another coffee and we can go rip all that gift wrap off and see what we got.” My mind isn’t on gifts, or even him — it keeps wondering to Roark, and how I know we are going to have a hard conversation. I ran away and I have no doubt there will be a consequence for that, I just hope he doesn’t change his mind about us and send me away.

***

Nolan and I are in a sea of wrapping paper, ribbons and some very questionable homeware gifts when Roark arrives home. He has bags under his eyes, and his hair is messed up, his tux is half unbuttoned. He is still devilishly handsome, and just looking at him I am turned on. Which given how the past twenty-four hours has gone, is the last thing I should feel now.

“Roark!” Nolan tosses paper around to get to Roark, he jumps into his arms and says, “can I please go swim, I am bored of opening forks and dishes.” Roark looks at me with a smile, and then says to Nolan,

“You know, that is an excellent idea, I will drop you off to swim and then I need to come back and have an important meeting with Lou. Do you want to go grab a swim bag quick.” He slides out of his Dad’s arms, and bounds away to get his things.

“I am going to drop him off then I think we need to talk, Lou.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Really talk.”

“Okay,” I agree with him, “is Vito okay?” I have been on tenterhooks needing to know all day. “I did my best, I tried to stop the blood, but it was so much.”

“You did good Lou, he will be okay,” Roark says, “let me take Nolan to my Dad’s, then we can talk about last night and what happened.” There is this cold feeling between us, like something has changed and the electricity we had has been extinguished. He’s distant, and I hate it. But I have no one to blame but myself.

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