CHAPTER THREE
Fino Tigri looked between his father and his uncle. Mateo shrugged at his son. “I think he heard you, Cucciolo, but I’m not sure. Atlas?”
Atlas blinked and broke his reverie. “I’m sorry, I was thinking of…nevermind.”
“What could you have been thinking about, I wonder…” Mateo smirked knowingly. “Fino was asking you a question.”
Atlas turned to his nephew who was spooning cereal into his mouth at a rapid speed. “Sorry, Fino. I missed what you said.”
Fino grinned at his uncle. “I just asked if you were looking forward to seeing Papi and Vita. Bella texted me to tell me to tell me she’s going to take me horse-riding.”
“Sure, I am.” Atlas exchanged a loaded glance with Mateo, whose expression was no longer mischievous.
‘Papi’ was the twin’s step-father, Stanley, and Fino adored both him and Stanley’s step-daughter, Bella. Stanley’s wife, Vita, was an entirely different prospect, unfortunately. She was the very definition of a gold digger, having married Stanley mere weeks after the death of her first husband. Stan, mild-mannered and kind, had himself been reeling from the death of the twin’s mother from cancer, and both Atlas and Mateo had been shocked at his quick wedding.
He’d apologized to them on the day of his wedding. “I need a distraction,” he said, shrugging hopelessly, “because it just hurts too damn much.”
The twins had accepted his new wife, mostly because of her daughter, Bella; a shy, awkward teenager, who suffered at the hands of her mother’s ambitions for her. Vita was constantly bugging Stanley to sign Bella to his record label despite her tone-deaf voice and utter lack of desire to be in the music industry. Atlas and Mateo had taken her under their wing, shielding her from the constant belittling of her mother and she, in turn, adored them and Fino.
Stanley’s own biological son was another tricky situation. Cormac Duggan was a billionaire in his own right, working on Wall Street, and he had little time for the two beautiful Italian twins, thinking of them as pretty playboys and nothing more. Atlas had tried to reach out to him for Stan’s sake, but Mateo had told his twin not to bother.
“He’s a jerk, At. Don’t waste your time.”
Atlas knew there had almost been a fight once between Mateo and Cormac, but Mateo would never tell him the details. “It was nothing, brother.”
So, when Cormac announced he would be spending Christmas with them, Mateo had rolled his eyes but said nothing. To his credit, the one person Cormac was devoted to was Fino, who adored the older man. Mateo didn’t understand it, but shrugged it off.
Atlas heard a female voice and then Molly, Fino’s tutor, and Mateo’s love, her sweet face breaking out into a smile, came into the kitchen. A tall, willowy blonde, Molly had been a godsend for Fino, who had struggled to connect with any of the other tutors Mateo had tried. Molly had changed all of that, and now, as Atlas watched his brother stand to greet her with a hug (no kissing in front of Fino yet, clearly), he could see the love in his brother’s eyes and immediately thought of Ebony Verlaine.
Christ, she was so sexy, it killed him. Not only that, but she was bright, and funny and kind, and everything he had been looking for. He told himself to calm down, step back, but if he was honest with himself, it was taking all his strength not to call her right now and say ‘Hang the fundraiser, let’s spend the day in bed.’
Atlas smiled at Molly, dragging his thoughts away from Ebony’s magnificent body. “You’ll be spending Christmas with us, I hope.”
Molly smiled shyly, and Mateo nodded. “I already asked her.” Mateo turned back to Molly, who was gazing at him with utter adoration. “You’re part of this family now, Mols.” He drew his finger down her cheek gently.
They were so sweet Atlas felt like he was intruding. With a smile, he stood up. “Well, I’d better get to work. Molly, we’d love to have you for the holidays – and I hope Mateo is bringing you to the fundraiser tomorrow?”
Molly nodded shyly, and Mateo grinned. “You bet your a…butt I am.” Atlas laughed as Fino giggled at his dad’s near cussing.
“See you later, kids.”
On the drive into the city, he noticed snow was beginning to fall and smiled. Fino would love a white Christmas. When he and Mateo were younger, they would always have winters in Italy, where the weather was much warmer, so even at thirty-five, Atlas loved the prospect of a picture-perfect Christmas. Last winter, he had spent some time in the Olympic Mountains, where he had run into his old friend Romy.
What a life-changing meeting that was, he thought now. And how far they had come. He loved working with his old friend and was eternally grateful that she had given up a surgeon’s salary to come help him build the Haven. She was so much more than just his Chief of Surgery. She was family, and part of Haven’s very heart. He was looking forward to dinner tonight, with Romy, Blue, and Ebony.
His mind drifted back to the beautiful young singer. She could only be twenty-four, a decade younger than himself. Was the age-gap going to be a barrier? He didn’t think so. Their shared sense of humor, at least on yesterday’s evidence, defied any generational misgivings.
He couldn’t wait to see her again.
At Haven, however, his attention was taken up entirely as a young woman, beaten and stabbed by her abusive husband, was rushed into the operating theater where Romy desperately tried to save her life.
“Mr. Tigri?”
Atlas wasn’t an angry man by any stretch, but the interruption in the middle of life or death surgery—not that he was helping, standing helplessly by watching, praying – disturbed him. Checking his temper, he turned to the security guard questioningly.
“I’m very sorry,” Noah Valdez said hastily. “But we have a…situation. It’s unnerving some of the residents and the police have been delayed.”
“Go,” Romy said tersely, not looking up from the table, and Atlas didn’t dare distract her by arguing.
Still in the scrubs he’d donned to observe, he strode outside and found a man in his late twenties, railing at the security guards, his face distorted with fury as he screamed to be let inside.
“My wife is in there, and I want to see her!” he shouted as he spotted Atlas. “Now, motherfucker.”
“I don’t think so.” The anger he so rarely felt now moved through Atlas like ice as he contemplated the piece of shit who had put Romy’s patient on the operating table. “In fact, since I’ve called the police, I think it very likely you’re about to be arrested for her attempted murder. You stabbed your wife seventeen times. And you expect us to let you in? You’re lucky I don’t put you in the ground, motherfucker.”
He knew he shouldn’t be saying this stuff to the man, that he should let the police deal with him, but it was rare the abuser turned up at Haven. Was the man an idiot?
The assailant narrowed his eyes at her. “I did no such thing…I found her like that.”
Atlas’s eyes swept over the man’s hands. “And those cuts and bruises on your own hands?” He grabbed the man’s arm as the man reached into his pocket.
The man screamed in pain as Atlas squeezed hard. He would have been more than happy to crack the bastard’s ulna clean in two, to leave him writhing on the floor wailing, but fortunately the Haven security guards intervened and hauled the husband away. As they pulled backwards and he let go with extreme reluctance, a bloody knife skittered to the floor from beneath the guy’s hoodie. In the distance, sirens began approaching.
“You’re about to be arrested for attempted murder,” Atlas growled at the man, his fists balled up tightly. “Don’t make it worse for yourself.”
Romy appeared by Atlas’s side, wearing bloodied scrubs. “Make that murder,” she said in a dead voice. “Kiersten didn’t make it.”
Kiersten’s killer smirked and before he could help himself, Atlas landed a powerful punch to the side of the man’s head, knocking him backwards and onto the concrete. He lunged forward, intent on breaking the guy’s arm, face, whatever he could reach, even as Romy shouted for him to stop.
“Atlas! This isn’t helping!” She dragged him away with all the strength in her small body as the man cussed them out.
“Fuck! Fuck you, and fuck that bitch. I’ll kill all of you, all of you. You, pretty doc, want me to gut you like I did her? My fucking pleasure…”
So much for being the usual soul of calm. Atlas erupted in a white fury and it took three huge police officers to eventually manhandle him away. Romy bore him off while the police arrested the killer and a few minutes later, while Atlas was still spitting nails, a detective came to interview them both.
“He could press charges of assault, Mr. Tigri, but as he had just threatened your life, I can’t see them sticking.”
“He didn’t just threaten me, he threatened Doctor Sasse. He threatened to do to her what he did to his now deceased wife.” Atlas’s protective instincts had always been hardwired, but the notion that anyone would lay a finger on Romy in anything other than kindness made him livid. “He’s a sick fuck.”
“No doubt, but we have to follow due process. We’ll need access to the body, and to your premises while we investigate.”
“Of course, whatever you need,” Romy told him. Her hand was on Atlas’s back, rubbing him, comforting him. Atlas drew a deep breath in as the detective left them alone. He marshalled his temper at last, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, Romy. Such behavior is acceptable from no one. I just saw red. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She nodded, letting his arm go at last. “Just upset at losing another one. But, that’s what I signed up for. We knew this kind of thing was a possibility.”
Atlas shook his head, grief for the dead young woman leaving him as numb as he’d been furious. Always even keeled, unaccustomed to such mood swings, he found himself suddenly exhausted. “Blue’s going to kill me for putting you in danger.”
“You didn’t do anything,” Romy replied. “I chose this job. I knew the dangers. Besides, our fortress home is just that. You know how Blue is about our family’s security.”
“I think we should go ahead and escalate our protection at Haven.”
“Well, let’s see what the police think. In the meantime, let me fix your hand up.”
Romy didn’t know whether to tell Blue about the incident later, and when he came home in a good mood because of a successful surgery, she decided against it. Also, she didn’t want to scare Ebony. When she got home, she knocked at Ebony’s door. “Eb? Honey, how are you feeling today?”
Ebony opened the door, smiling. “I’m good. Must have just been a bad burger or something. Look, can I help you with dinner? I feel bad just sitting around.”
“Actually, that would be wonderful if you don’t mind. I want to get the kids fed and in bed by the time Atlas gets here.”
She said nothing when Ebony’s face flamed scarlet, too tired to ask questions just yet. As they both worked in the kitchen, Ebony smiled at Romy. “I thought all billionaires had staff.”
Romy laughed wearily. “Oh, Blue has staff, but we don’t like to have people around us permanently, especially during family time. Obviously, we have our nanny, who is wonderful, and essential if I want to work, but both Blue and I love to cook. So, no fancy schmancy chefs for us. Speaking of fancy, I hope Atlas treated you well yesterday.”
“He’s a great guy,” Ebony said. “So much fun and I’m really looking forward to the fundraiser.”
“Not your typical billionaire, is he?” Romy noted, still shocked at Atlas’ anger earlier. It was a side of him she’d never known existed.
“Not at all. He brought me to Haven, and I have to say, the work you both do there…so inspiring.”
“Thank you. So, you got along great?”
Ebony nodded, and this time Romy hid a smile at the two pink spots high on her friend’s cheeks. While it hadn’t been her intention to play matchmaker, if Atlas and Ebony got along, she would love to see her two friends happy. Ebony could only benefit from having such a devoted partner, and Atlas had long needed a good woman by his side. She knew what Blue would say. He would roll his eyes and tell her that she couldn’t make everyone in the world love each other.
If only I could, she thought now, and her mind flew back to the horrific incident earlier. Another woman lost to her partner’s violent jealousy. Romy’s own experience with her murderous ex was never far from the surface, still after almost six years. Dacre Mortimer had vowed to kill her, had killed several women in order to get to her. She had to remind herself every day that Dacre was dead and couldn’t hurt her anymore. Ironically, it hadn’t even been Dacre who had almost killed her in the end. It had been Blue’s stepbrother Gaius, insanely jealous of his brother, who had shot Romy in an attempt to make his half-brother suffer.
“I’m still here.” That’s what she told herself every morning, and she murmured it to herself now as the door opened and Grace came in, yelling happily, to greet her and Ebony.
Blue came home from the hospital early, as he had promised, and as the nanny fed Grace, he and Romy sneaked off to their room to ‘get changed for dinner.’ Of course, the second the door was closed – and locked – they were the parents of a five-year-old, after all – Blue’s fingers were at the zipper of Romy’s dress. Romy enjoyed his lips against her skin as he kissed her then, and as she freed his cock from his pants, she smiled up at him before falling to her knees and taking him in her mouth. She sucked and teased him until his cock was quivering and rock-hard, then Blue lifted her and lay her on the bed, hitching her legs around his waist and stroking his cock into her ready and swollen cunt.
Romy moaned with pleasure as they made love, Blue kissing her passionately, leaving her breathless. She would never get tired of this, never get tired of his glorious body, the way he loved her. The way he looked at her when he was inside her…
“I love you so much,” she whispered to him, and Blue nuzzled her nose with his.
“You are the reason I breathe in and out every day,” he said simply. “You are my world, Romulus.”
She started to giggle, and Blue grinned, watching her breasts jiggling with obvious appreciation. Then she was coming and gasping his name, arching her back up, pressing her breasts and belly against his body. Blue groaned, his cum shooting deep into her belly. Collapsing together, they kissed as they caught their breath. Blue stroked the hair back from his wife’s face.
“You know, when the kids are a little older, we should try and get away, just the two of us. Even for a weekend.”
Romy nodded. “I would love that. Mom and Stuart would kill to have the kids.”
“For two whole days?” Blue grinned as Romy laughed.
“Let’s be honest; Gracie would actually be the one in charge.”
“Our little adult,” Blue said fondly. He studied his wife. “Are you okay?”
Romy nodded. “Yes, of course. Why’d you ask?”
Blue traced a little line between her eyes. “Haven’t seen this for a while. Not for a few years.”
“I was frowning?”
“Well, not right now, but when I came home, there was a moment. I might have imagined it.”
Tell him. Romy swallowed hard and shook her head. Blue still hadn’t forgiven himself for her near-death years ago, though he had been in no way to blame and had actually saved her life. Why resurrected old nightmares? “I do have a small headache, so it was probably that.”
“Can I get you some aspirin?”
“I’m fine, honey, it’ll go when we have dinner. Speaking of which, we’d better get ready.”
They showered together, taking way too long, kissing and caressing each other then got dressed slowly. Romy shimmied into a lilac tea-dress that she knew Blue loved her in and left her long dark hair down, pulled over one shoulder. Light make-up and she was ready. She turned to see Blue watching her.
“Come here.”
She went to him, and he kissed her. “I love you, Dr. Sasse.”
Romy gazed up at her husband and wondered how she had been so lucky as to have found him. “I love you, Doc. Let’s go and have fun with our friends.”