48. Romeo
Chapter 48
Romeo
I stride into the bathroom, closing the door behind me, my fists clenched and barely concealing the anger I feel toward myself. My eyes meet my reflection in the mirror, the haunted look on my features a stark reminder of the guilt that's been sitting like a heavy weight on my chest ever since we found out she’d been set up.
Will she ever forgive me?
I can’t blame her if the answer is no. Cristo , I wouldn’t forgive someone for what I’ve done, but I have to try. How do I make this right? Because aside from taking care of her, I don’t know how to get us back to how it was. Sure, I could force her to stay, but that will only make her resentment toward me grow.
I turn toward the bath, turning on the faucet. Water spills out and into the tub, the sound filling the room. As it runs, I search the bathroom cabinets for something soothing to put in it. I find a bottle of vanilla and honeysuckle bubble bath under the basin and pour a hefty amount in. Standing back, I watch the clusters of bubbles form and grow, my mind wandering back to the woman I love in the other room.
Will she always see me as the villain?
I know the answer to the question before it comes to me. Of course she will . Ever since the day I took her, she’s only ever seen me as the devil and at the start, I played into that notion. But when things changed between us, I can’t be sure that she was just tolerating me to have an easier life. I should have told her how I was feeling when I realized, but my nonno and my parents taught me to bury my emotions, to keep the walls up to protect myself. It served me well, but now I’m wondering if it’s fucked me over.
Shaking away the thoughts of the past and what I should or shouldn’t have done, I turn off the faucet and head back into the bedroom. Aurora’s still sitting on the edge of the bed, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her T-shirt.
Her sea-green eyes meet mine, flames flicking in the depths as she grinds out, “Who changed me?”
I lean against the doorframe with my thumb hooked into the waistband of my silk boxers to keep from reaching for her. “The nurse. She’s been taking care of you. I’ll call her while you bathe.”
Taking a step toward her, I stop mid-stride when she holds up her hand. “I don’t need your help. I’m capable of undressing and bathing myself.”
Shrugging a shoulder as if her refusal of my help is of no consequence to me, I walk around the bed, unplugging my phone from its spot on the bedside table and calling the nurse. Aurora stands from the bed and my eyes track her as she hobbles to the bathroom. Her presence in my room is a teasing reminder of what I’ve lost.
“Mr. Bianchi, how can I help you?” The nurse's motherly tone pulls me back into the moment, and I turn away from watching Aurora.
“Aurora needs to have her IV reinserted.”
“I’ll be right over. Shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes.”
Rubbing at my eyes, I reply, “Make it thirty.”
I cut the call, make a pit stop in the closet to throw on some clothes before crossing the room and knocking on the bathroom door. When there’s no answer, I lean in and try again, listening intently. There’s not a peep coming from the other side. No sound of water or movement. My mouth goes dry as worry settles into the pit of my stomach.
Testing the handle, I push against the door. It gives way almost instantly, and I fall into the room. Aurora is naked, standing in front of the mirror, a pained expression clouding her face. When her glassy eyes meet mine, a tightness pulls at my chest. Her entire body is covered in tiny cuts and huge bruises. I grind my teeth at the sight of her, running a jerky hand through my hair to keep from reaching for her.
She’s the first one to move, turning away from me and climbing into the bath, careful to keep her leg elevated and her dressing dry. I can’t be here right now . Not when she’s a constant reminder of my mistakes. “The nurse will be here in thirty minutes.”
With her head tipped back against the roll top tub and her eyes closed, I allow myself one last look before I turn and leave, closing the door behind me.
Marching across the bedroom, I pull open the door with more force than necessary. It bangs against the wall, no doubt leaving a mark.
Cazzo!
I exhale and crack my neck, forcing the tension out of my body. There’s still work to be done. We need to find out who doctored the information Aldo gave us and find the woman who tortured Aurora.
Daniele is typing on his phone, as he waits for me, his head lifts at the sound. And I still have to deal with him . When I turn toward the stairs, he falls into step beside me. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the concern etched into his features. “How is she?” he asks quietly.
I sigh heavily, running a hand over the back of my neck. The lack of sleep from the night before weighs down my limbs as I push through, forcing my body to move. “In pain, angry, exhausted, the list goes on. But she’s healing, and that’s the main thing.”
Daniele stops, resting a hand on my shoulder and forcing me to turn to him. “And how are you?”
Isn’t that the million dollar question? Being honest with myself, I’m feeling all the things she is, but for an entirely different reason. “I’m fine,” is all I can tell him.
Daniele’s grip tightens. “Right, and I’m the tooth fairy. I thought we could be honest with each other, Rome.”
I shrug him off, the anger I felt only days ago returning with full force. “You mean like how you went behind my back after I explicitly told you not to?”
“And I wouldn’t change a thing because if I hadn’t, she’d be fucking dead.” Arrogance and defiance mix together.
Grabbing the collar of his shirt, I pull my fist back, connecting with his jaw. “Don’t forget who the fuck you’re talking to, Daniele,” I spit. “I’m still not sure if you’ll be digging your own grave in the States or back home.”
Releasing him, I turn and head to Massimo’s office, done with him and his clear lack of respect. I know deep down that he’s right and that the anger I’m directing toward him is just a projection of how I feel about myself for having nearly cost her her life. This burning feeling of guilt won’t ever go away. Even when she’s better and living her life, I’ll always have that seed in the pit of my stomach. I don’t think a lifetime of apologies will make up for me having left her.
Changing the past isn’t possible, but making sure we have a future is and to do that, I need to sort out everything else. There’s too much to be done, like confirming it was Aurora’s uncle behind the attacks. We’d be fools to take the situation at face value, especially in our world. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was more than one character at play.
Daniele walks into Massimo’s office shortly after me. He rubs at the red spot where I hit him, asking, “Is Leonardo joining us?”
Massimo, who is already sitting behind his desk, shakes his head, his attention on his phone. After a minute, he slides it onto the table and leans back in his chair. “No, he’s gone back upstate to take care of the housekeeper.”
My brows furrow and I look at Massimo in question. “Apparently, he didn’t get to finish up because of the raid. He’ll be back in a week or so,” he explains.
The room falls quiet, a heaviness hanging in the air as the gravity of what has happened over the last twenty-four hours blankets us. We were lucky to not have lost any men yesterday, but we aren’t really any closer to a resolution.
Scrubbing a hand over my jaw, I ask, “Has Angelo finished at the warehouse?”
Massimo cracks his neck, stifling a yawn. “Yeah, they came in around four in the morning. I did a debrief and he let me know what her uncle had told him when they were tying him up.” As if he knows I need confirmation he adds, “Leonardo has verified what was said.”
I lean forward, my curiosity piqued. “What did her uncle say, Massimo?”
He sucks in a sharp breath. “That I have a rat in my house.”
I reply, “Well, I already knew that.”
Resting an elbow on the arm of his chair, he runs his fingers through his hair. “I know. And Leonardo is taking care of that, but if what Mattia said is true, there might be another one. Someone who has been a part of this family for a very long time. So, for now at least, everything stays between the three of us and Leonardo.”
I nod in agreement, running through the names of every man who might have an inkling to do something like this.
“He also told Angelo that Elio was financing the whole operation, because he wanted us out of New York. Which is nothing new really. We’ve been dealing with his shit for years. Apparently, he set up the connections to some Russians he knew, and they weren’t Bratva, just men who wanted to have some excitement in their lives.”
I huff out a breath. “What’s the plan in terms of next steps?”
“Well, for the rat, we’ll have to set a trap, but it could take some time to weed them out. For Elio, I have a source that’s told me he’s going to be at his house in Manhattan on Friday. We could attack then. The only risk will be the NYPD and getting out of the city once alarms have been raised. I can have them delayed, but it won’t be for long.”
I smooth my hand down the front of my shirt. “And what about the woman?”
Daniele steps forward, knocking his knuckles against the desk. “I’m on it. She won’t be able to hide forever. Callum is analyzing the footage and running what we know about her through every database he can. When Aurora’s up for it, we’ll need to talk to her and see if she can shed any more light on her.”
As much as I don’t want to make Aurora relive her trauma, we need her to find this woman. And what if she refuses to help? Then I’ll do what I should have done all along, trust that she’s doing the right thing, and protect her with my entire being.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I consider everything else that’s been laid out on the table. These aren’t things that can be fixed quickly. It’s going to take time. And what will that mean for me and Aurora? If she wants to leave, I’ll have to let her go. But I won’t be sticking around. I’d rather put four and half thousand or so miles between us than occupy the same country and not be able to have her.
Massimo cuts into my thoughts as he rests his elbows on his desk. “I know you’ll want to get home, Rome, so if it’s okay with you, maybe Daniele can stay and help us out? Then you can take Aurora and give her another view from the one in your room.”
Without bothering to correct his assumption or give Daniele the courtesy of a glance, I reply, “Sure. But I’ll be staying, at least until Aurora’s healed enough to leave.” Hopefully, with me.
“Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Massimo pauses before adding, “How is she?”
Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I stare out of the window. “She’s going to be fine. It’ll take her time to come to terms with what she’s been through, but I know she will.”
Massimo chuckles and I shift my focus to him, catching the smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. “She sure surprised me back at the warehouse. You might just make a made woman out of her yet.”
I’m fucking proud of what she did. She took back her control and there was no way in hell I was going to stop her. Holding his stare, I reply, “It wouldn’t have been fair for anyone else but her to have killed him. Not after what he’s done to her family.”
Massimo and Daniele both nod. The reality of what Aurora’s lost hits us all at once. She’s the strongest person I know and if she gives me another chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure she doesn’t forget her strength and resilience.