By Blade, I Vow (By Blade #2)

Francesca

They rushed me in the office, spraying me with bullets from their automatic rifles. I screamed for the only man who could help me. “Wolfe!” I felt my body jerk as the bullets pelted my bulletproof vest.

“Baby, baby, baby, I’m right here.”

I screamed again and then felt my eyes snap open, seeing the dark ceiling over my bed.

“Nightmare.”

I jerked upright and saw Wolfe beside me, propped on one elbow while his palm rested against my stomach underneath the big t-shirt I wore.

He was hard to see in the dark, my eyes unable to adjust as quickly as my adrenaline needed them to.

I heaved with breaths, blinking quickly to dismiss the images of the nightmare.

“It’s not real,” he said gently as he started to rub me with his fingers. “I’m right here.”

I finally gave a nod then lay back down, but my breaths were still haywire.

He remained over me, gliding his fingers down my hip and then my thigh, caressing me with his callused fingertips. His dark eyes stared at me with a softness I never saw him wear in front of anyone else. “You can tell me.”

“I—I was in the office, and they were coming for me.” I wasn’t sure how long this memory would haunt me. A couple weeks…a couple months…or maybe all my life.

He gave a slight nod. “Well, they wouldn’t have lasted much longer because you would have blasted them all to hell.”

My breathing still didn’t return to normal. It continued to feel labored.

“Never underestimate yourself, Francesca,” he said quietly.

“Just when I thought you couldn’t turn me on more…

” He pulled the sheets back then lifted up my shirt to expose my panties.

He rose up over me as he gripped the fabric and started to tug them down my ass and hips, his face directly above mine as he stared at my lips, watching me pant with my mouth closed.

Then he moved over me completely, made himself at home between my legs, and sank inside me like he had so many times. But now his entrance felt like relief more than pleasure, a comfort as real as a bulletproof vest.

Having his heavy body on top of mine, his dark eyes locked on mine with possessiveness, being completely swallowed by his magnetic presence, made me feel safer than anything else in the world.

He snaked his hand into my hair as he bent one of my knees back, rocking into me rather than thrusting, savoring the union between our bodies and the kiss between our souls.

In the dead of night, the rest of the island asleep except for the two of us, he made me whole again.

Made the nightmares run to the shadows where they belonged, terrified of his snarl.

He looked at me without needing to blink, always so present with me, I felt like he was within me, his soul inside my chest right next to mine. “Such a tough fucking bitch.” He fisted my hair harder and started to rock into me faster. “My tough fucking bitch.”

The vineyard was a mess. Fire had destroyed part of the main house, and the other buildings were damaged. Bullet holes were visible everywhere. The front doors to the warehouse needed repairs. The main gate was completely destroyed and would need to be replaced—this time with something stronger.

We’d lost a lot of good men, and nothing would ever bring them back.

My father was beside himself, quiet and unapproachable, spending most of his time alone, like he didn’t know where to go from here. I walked into his office and saw him sitting behind his desk, so lost in thought that he didn’t notice me standing there.

I knocked on the open door to get his attention.

His eyes flicked to me, but the rest of his body remained still.

I crossed the room and approached his desk. “Doing okay?”

“Yeah.” His elbow was propped on the armrest with his fingers curled under his jawline.

I stared at him.

He stared back.

“You don’t look okay.”

He dropped his hand from his jawline. “What do you expect, Frankie? My daughter was almost captured, I lost men I’ve known for a decade, the house that’s been in my family for generations has to be rebuilt and restored…

” His fist returned underneath his jawline.

“I know we have to move forward with business as usual, but I’m just not in that place right now. ”

I continued to stand in front of his desk as I searched for comforting words to impart, but I didn’t have any.

“We have a funeral every single day this week. Everyone knows what’s happened here, so we’re in a position of weakness. And we still have to keep up with the business. A lot of shit has happened throughout the years, but never something like this.”

“True.” War had never come to our doorstep.

“Wolfe annihilated everyone who was a part of that job, and all those who were in business with the Lombardis have divested themselves of the association, so even though we took a major hit, Wolfe reclaimed our status among the other gangs.” He gave a slight shake of his head before he dragged his hand over the bottom part of his mouth.

“Everything will be alright—but I’m not alright right now. ”

I stepped out of the main doors of the house and onto the stairs, and I found my brother standing at the bottom, a cigar in his mouth.

“How is he?” he asked, leaning against the stone banister with one hand in his pocket.

All I did was shake my head.

He released the smoke from his mouth and gave a sigh. “Never seen him like this.”

“I get it,” I said. “Did we ever figure out who the traitor is?”

“No. None of the soldiers knew who it was. They might be dead…or might still be alive.”

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out eventually.” And by we, I meant Wolfe.

“I’m not so sure. Wolfe killed everyone who knew who he was, so…”

I heard the distinct beep of a tractor in reverse and looked across the clearing between the buildings to the oak tree in the distance. Wolfe had told me not to look at whatever was over there, and as soon as my eyes shifted in that direction, they looked away again and focused on something else.

Roman appeared at the top of the stairs behind me. “Leo, Don wants to see you.”

Leo pulled his cigar out of his mouth then waggled his eyebrows at me. “Wish me luck.”

I gave him a little nudge in the arm when he passed me.

My eyes immediately shifted to the tractor working the dirt in the distance again, but thankfully, there wasn’t much to see anymore.

Whatever had been there had mostly been cleaned up.

But then I felt that stare against my flesh, felt that heated blaze that could puncture holes in my bones.

I turned back toward the stairs and felt the origin of that stare from the terrace. My eyes found his, dark like the earth after a heavy rain. My entire body paused—my heart, my lungs, everything, just went silent.

He stared at me like I was his, just in case I’d somehow forgotten.

Then the pause ended and life continued.

He reached the stairs then came down to join me. Wolfe wore a charcoal-gray t-shirt and black jeans, his dark ink acting like literal sleeves that completed his shirt. He moved to the other banister, keeping several feet between us, a distance that we never shared when we were alone together.

He stared at me.

I stared back, my nerves in a tight bunch.

He continued to look at me like we were in the middle of a conversation that I’d missed.

“Why are you staring at me like that—”

“Did you tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

He didn’t move or flinch, but somehow, he made his inferno of rage known.

I quickly realized my error. “He’s just not in the right place right now, Wolfe.”

He didn’t blink. Hadn’t blinked since he’d joined me. And all that anger surged in his enormous muscles.

“He has a funeral every day this week. You know it’s not the right time.”

He worked his jaw slightly, eyes mad as hell.

“Wolfe, you know I’m right.”

He took a slow breath then released a growl. A literal growl.

“Wolfe—”

“Mark my words, Francesca.” He stepped toward me, closing the distance between us for everyone to see. “Drag your feet too long, and I will take matters into my own hands—”

“I’m not dragging my feet,” I snapped. “You’re the one being impatient.”

“I killed every last one of those motherfuckers—not for him, but for you. I’ve earned you, and I want to claim what’s mine.” He made a fist then slammed it into his chest, hard enough to make a thump.

I loved how passionate he was, but he was like a wild horse that couldn’t be saddled when he was like this. “Well, it’ll need to wait.”

“How long?” he demanded.

I didn’t want to say, knowing he wouldn’t like the answer and he might flip.

“How long, Francesca?”

I took a slow breath in preparation for his wrath. “A couple weeks…maybe a month.”

“Are you fucking kidding me—”

“Let’s finish this conversation at home.” Before he could flip out on me further and start yelling so everyone would hear our business, I walked off and headed to one of the other buildings that held some of our filing cabinets.

I didn’t hear him behind me, so I knew he didn’t pursue me.

But I knew I would get an earful later.

I was making dinner in the kitchen when I heard the front door open and close.

When he was finished at the winery, he went to his home to do his daily workout and shower before he headed over.

It was an unspoken routine we’d silently agreed to.

Despite the beautiful home in his possession, we continued to spend our time here, even though we were far more likely to get caught with his Range Rover parked outside.

But knowing Wolfe, that was exactly what he wanted.

I heard his footsteps behind me, but they weren’t followed by an affectionate greeting. His hands didn’t grab my ass either, so that wasn’t a good sign.

I turned around to face him.

He stared me down just the way he had outside my father’s house—like he was still mad as hell.

“Dinner’s almost ready.”

He didn’t blink. Didn’t react. A lifeless stone statue in my kitchen.

I turned back to the pan and continued to work.