Katherine
Laying in Antonio’s arms again makes me feel like I belong. I can’t believe I survived for two months without him. Not seeing him every day, or feeling his touch, was slow torture and I guess he wasn’t doing any better. I really believed I was doing the right thing for both of us. He insists all he needs is me, but what if he changes his mind and wants what I probably won’t be able to give him? Or, that dark hole tries to drag me back down. What would he do then? I have always wanted to be a mother, to be able to grow a life inside me and give it life would be a dream come true but unfortunately, I may not have that option. I guess that’s why I treat Evie like my own, I hate the fact I missed a lot of her growing up, but I can make up for lost time now with her and the new babies. I have never confessed to Brooklyn I may never be able to have babies. Trust me I wanted to, but when she got together with Dom and they were trying to get pregnant, I didn’t think it was the right time. Then, when she found out they were expecting, I didn’t want to be the person to rain on her parade in a sense. I don’t want to be the kind of friend who takes a special moment away with a Debby downer moment.
“Kitten, what are you thinking about?" Antonio murmurs in my ear before he plants a soft kiss to my temple. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. I still have a slight headache but otherwise I’m fine." I roll over so I’m facing him and snuggle into his warm chest. I run my fingers over his chest tracing his tattoos before finding his nipple bar and playing with it. I feel his body shudder and hear him draw in a deep breath. He places his hand over mine to stop the movement.
“Babe, don’t start something you can’t finish." He raises his eyebrows and has a sexy smirk on his face.
“Who said I couldn’t finish it?”
“Kitten, you have been through a lot in the last forty-eight hours, you need to rest and let me hold you." His hand caresses my back. A yawn breaks free from my mouth making Antonio chuckle.
I glare at him not liking the fact he is right.
“Don’t look at me like that, you need your rest tonight, babe.”
I start to pull away feeling rejected but Antonio isn’t having any part of that and pulls me back to him tighter. “Don’t be like that, I would like nothing more than to slide into your warm, wet heat but there is plenty of time for that once you have rested. I want you to relax and rest for tonight and we will see how you feel tomorrow, si?
I snuggle into his hard chest knowing he is right, not that I’d admit it. I lay my head on his chest and let his slow breathing lull me into a deep sleep.
Antonio
Laying here holding Kat in my arms gives me a sense of peace I haven’t felt in a long time. I hate the fact she has been hurt and thinking about it makes me want to rip that piece of shit apart, knowing he is already dead has me feeling a little bit better.
I must have dozed off when I hear my phone buzzing. I glance at Kat and notice she has wrapped herself around me, it makes me smile to know, even in her sleep she needs me like I need her. It makes my cold dead heart beat a little faster, what I wouldn’t give to wake up like this every day. Looking over at the clock, I note it’s nearly 8pm. I reach for my phone.
Boss: Need you at the house Now!
Me: On my way
What the fuck could have happened now? Haven’t we dealt with enough shit over the last couple of days? Slowly I slide out of Kat’s hold, bend down and grab my shirt from the floor. I stand staring at Kat for a bit before placing a kiss onto her forehead and heading for the door.
“Where are you going, Stud?"
I stop and turn at the sound of Kat’s sleepy voice and smile at the nickname she hasn’t said in what feels like for fucking ever. “Dom needs me babe. I’ll be back, I promise.”
“You’re leaving?" She sits up quickly and I notice she winces at the sudden movement. When I look into her sky-blue eyes, they are swimming in fear. What the fuck is causing her so much fear? I look behind me but all I see is the closed door.
“What is it Kitten?" I feel tense waiting for her reply.
Biting her lip, her tear-filled eyes bounce from the door to me to the floor.
“Kitten, I promise I’ll be back." I try to reassure her but I’m so fucking confused about what just happened. Darren’s dead, he can’t get to her now so, what the fuck?
“It’s okay. I thought you were staying the night.”
I know she isn’t telling me something but I don’t have time to figure out what that something is, I have to go. I make my way back to the bed, sitting beside her I run my fingers down the bruise on the side of her face. “I’ll be back shortly, then you and I are going to talk about what is scaring you, si?"I lean down and press my lips softly to hers. When I attempt to pull back, she wraps her arms around my neck and deepens the kiss. I grip the back of her head and run my tongue along the seam of the softest lips I have ever tasted. I groan in the back of my throat at her taste, wishing I had time to strip her bare and fuck her hard and deep. My cock hardens painfully at the thought, trying to punch through my jeans. Pulling back, I rest my forehead against hers as we catch our breath “Fuck, I love you Kitten."
“I love you too, Stud.”
Closing my eyes, I let her words wash over me. Words I have been wanting to hear for a long time. Opening my eyes again I look into the most gorgeous blue eyes I have ever seen. “I have to go, Kitten”
“I know," she nods biting her lip.
“Try and get some sleep and I’ll be back before you open your eyes again." I kiss her one last time, get to my feet and head out the door. Fuck I love that woman. I make my way downstairs and stop with my hand rested on the handle of the front door when a voice penetrates my thoughts.
“Hey good looking, when you get bored with my sister, or when you finally realise what a waste of space she really is, don’t hesitate to come knocking on my door."
I’m fucking pissed she would say shit like that about her own sister.
“Not going to happen, bitch. I love that woman upstairs you’d do well to remember that." My hand squeezes the handle as I fight to control my anger.
She narrows her eyes at me but doesn’t say anything else. She storms away, back to the kitchen I guess. I need answers about this bitch from Kat but I can’t ask her now, I don’t have time, I have to find out what Dom needs.
Easing up the long drive to the front of Dom’s place, I notice Docs car parked off to the side. What the fuck is going on? After parking the car, I hurry up the front steps and head into the house.
“Boss!" I call out.
“Si, Antonio, in the living area.”
Hurrying to the living room, I stop short at the sight before me. A woman’s body lies flat on her face with a pool of blood surrounding her.
“Janet decided it would be a good fucking idea to break in and aim a gun at me, but she didn’t anticipate Angel shooting her first." When Dom speaks, I swear I hear a hint of pride in his voice.
“How the fuck did she get in here?”
“Apparently, she stole the keys off Joey”
I raise my eyebrows not understanding how the fuck Joey is involved in all this.
“Janet threw the brick through Angel’s window to try and scare her off because she was convinced I was hers. When that didn’t work, her and Joey organised for him to run us off the road. That didn’t succeed so she came here to tell me I was hers and if she couldn’t have me then Angel couldn’t either. She pointed a gun at my fucking chest and was about to pull the trigger but my Angel beat her to it." He runs a hand through his hair.
“Fucking hell I knew I should have dealt with that piece of shit properly the last time I had him. I didn’t think he would have the balls to do this shit. Fuck! What do you need me to do, Boss?”
“I need you to find that stronzo already, but when you do, call me straight away. You can have your fun but the end prize is mine." Dom’s voice is deathly low and I know he means business and he’s not to be fucked with.
“Si, Boss," I nod. “If you’re okay why is Doc here? Are your girls okay?”
“Si, but Angel tore open some of her stitches." He runs a frustrated hand through his hair and blows out a deep breath.
“Brooklyn will be fine boss, she’s a tough woman.”
“I fucking know that," he growls and then shakes his head. “Scusa, Fratello it’s been a long couple of days.”
I nod my head understanding exactly what he means. “Boss, why don’t you go and take care of your girls? I’ll get the men to come in and clean this up and then we can finally track down where this fucker is."
“Si, call me when you get something, I want this sorted. This fucker should have been done away with already" He heads toward the stairs.
Pulling out my phone I dial Nico’s number.
“Si, Antonio.”
“I need you at the Bosses place, grab Michael on the way.”
“On my way." He disconnects the call.
I’m not sure what game Joey is playing but he has played his last hand. It’s time he rested with the fish. When I find him, he is going to wish he was never born. Pulling Theo’s number up on my phone I hit call, I’m going to need him to get all the information he can so I can track this fucker down.
Katherine
Trying to get back to sleep is useless, my head is pounding, my arm hurts, and my stomach is growling. Tossing the blankets aside I stand and stretch my aching muscles. The last thing I want to do is go downstairs and face my fucking bitch of a sister, but I need some pain meds. I gather my robe off the end of the bed, wrap it around me and head downstairs.
Walking into the living room I notice Ashley sprawled out on the lounge watching some stupid television show, not paying her any attention I head into the kitchen. As I open the cupboard door, I hear her footsteps come up behind me and inwardly cringe knowing there is no way to escape this conversation.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m grabbing some pain pills for my headache." I don’t turn to look at her and hope it will end the conversation, but I should have known better.
“Did your boyfriend get sick of you already?" She snorts and I turn at the way she says boyfriend, like she still can’t believe I have someone.
“No, his boss needed him.”
“What kind of work does he do to be called at eight o’clock at night?”
It’s not my place to tell her about Antonio’s job and even if it was, I wouldn’t say a word. She could cause him a world of trouble if she knew. I shut my mouth and at my silence she continues.
“He probably said that so he could leave and hook up with someone much better then you." Her expression as she rakes her eyes over my body is one of disgust and distaste.
“Antonio loves me, he wouldn’t do that." Just thinking about Antonio with another woman twists my gut into a tight knot. The look, that I’m not happy with that thought must show on my face and gives her an opening to spew even more shit.
“How do you know for sure? Do you really think anyone could care about you? Does he know you can never give him a family? Does he know everything you touch turns to shit? Does he know about how broken you really are?" She glances at my wrists and I turn away so she doesn’t notice my eyes fill with tears and hope she will just stop talking. Yeah, no such luck. It’s like my uncertainty and defensiveness adds fuel to her poisonous fire. “Does he know you are the reason your so called best friend was raped?"
I close my eyes trying not to let her words affect me, but it’s hard knowing she is telling the truth and I can’t prevent the sob which escapes.
“I didn’t think so." She turns and walks away but has to have one last word. “Oh, by the way, Antonio your boyfriend is probably fucking some other chick right now and I wouldn’t blame him, have you looked at yourself lately?"
I hear her footsteps as she leaves the kitchen and that’s when I realize the death grip I have on the kitchen counter. I can’t stop the questions from running through my head. Is Antonio fucking someone else? Why didn’t Ashley ask why I was so battered and bruised. I know I shouldn’t listen to her, and she is nothing but toxic in my life, but it’s hard to think clearly right now. Swallowing the pain pills, I turn and head for the stairs feeling the black hole starting to pull me back in.
Ashley calls out as I place my foot on the first step. “Maybe, sister dearest, you should put us all out of our fucking misery by ending your pathetic life. No-one would miss you.”
I grip the banister a bit tighter and let the tears fall as the truth in her words penetrates my already swimming brain.