Page 176 of A Second Dawn

All my previous doubts are back and bigger than ever.

“From the moment I’ve met Tiero, I’ve been under surveillance. Not just by him, but his enemies too.”

The eerie sense of being watched when I was sightseeing in Sicily, Molinaro’s attempts to kidnap me, and now this.

“Nothing has changed. Even on a completely different continent, I’m still being watched and targeted. All because I’m with Tiero.”

I can’t get over the fact that somebody tried to kill my baby.

My baby.

“Would this really change if Tiero gets out of the mafia? Correction,whenTiero gets out of the mafia. It would have to, right?” My eyes lift to Rhia’s. She’s been listening, stroking my hair.

“More than ever, you need answers. What are his plans? You can’t just blindly follow him. It’s not just your life you have to think about, but the life of your child too. And today that life was actively being targeted.

“You came so close to losing peanut! If Aiden hadn’t intervened, we’d be grieving her loss now.”

The thought alone makes me want to throw up my dinner. Bile rises in my throat, and I swallow it down.

Aiden really is my guardian angel. Despite everything I’ve put him through since we met and especially since Rhia turned up in Canada, he unwaveringly looks out for me, always putting me first.

“God, Rhi! I’ve been back with Tiero for two days, and my life is in upheaval again.

“If it wasn’t for him, I’d be sitting in that clawfoot tub in our cabin at ‘Mountain Breath’, overlooking the mountains, soaking up the serenity. Instead, I’m in this stark hospital bathroom, fearing for my and peanut’s life.

“At ‘Mountain Breath’life was normal—if you ignore the fact I was hiding. I felt safe there, and every day had a satisfying rhythm.”

I never knew routine could be so reassuring, so comforting.

“And let’s not forget how easy Aiden is to be with. We had so much fun. And our chemistry… it sizzled. He made me feel adored and loved. And loving him back was natural.”

“And he brings no baggage,” Rhia adds.

Yeah, other than his panic during storms, he’s got his shit together.

“Then Tiero reappears in my life, and everything good flies out the window. Is life always going to be like this with him?”

“You haven’t spent enough time together to answer that question. But if your relationship started with so much chaos and multiple attempts on both your lives, why would it suddenly change and turn into something different?”

It’s a fair point. Tiero and my relationship started with an attempted murder, and nothing has changed.

“You’re right. If this was you, I’d tell you to get out while you can.”

Rhia nods, still stroking my hair. “Especially when there’s the delectable Aiden.”

I let out another sigh, cracking my head from side to side.

Aiden.

My feelings for him have not disappeared—I didn’t expect them to.

“Was I too hasty, Rhi?”

She looks at me, puzzled. “Too hasty?”

“To give Tiero a second chance…”

Chapter Forty-Eight

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