Chapter 21
TOMMY
They say redheads are born with a fiery temper.
I was starting to think that didn’t apply to Danika.
Her instinctive response to uncomfortable or threatening situations tends to lean toward passivity.
However, the moment Biba makes his verbal jab at my expense, her feisty side flares to life. It just needed the right trigger.
To see rage flash in her eyes on my behalf is a sight I will never forget.
While I would prefer to kiss her, I clamp my hand over her mouth instead to prevent her from saying whatever scathing words are primed on the tip of her tongue. I see the sentiment reflected in her eyes, and while I’m immeasurably grateful, I don’t want her to give away her presence.
“Maybe you should take better care of your possessions,” I prod back in response to his comment that I’ve stolen from him again.
Danika narrows her eyes at me. I give her a look to say please, just let me handle this . Damn if the woman doesn’t roll her eyes at me. I withdraw my hand from her mouth but make a mental note of the eye roll.
“Maybe you should give me my daughter back before I return the favor. You have two sisters, yes?” He says the last part in a calculated, menacing tone.
“Why should I give her back? You didn’t want her in the first place—never even bothered to meet her.”
He makes a dismissive scoffing noise. “She was defective. Men like us can’t show that kind of weakness—you know that. I had no way of knowing she’d overcome. Either way, she’s still my daughter, and I want her back.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen, Biba. As you’ve heard, we’re going to be married. Soon. I suggest you go back to ignoring her and pretend she never existed.” I move to disconnect the call when an eerie laughter comes through the line.
“You’ll regret this, boy, and so will she,” Biba says in a voice that’s pure malice.
I end the call. The Russian asshole is responding as I expected. We’ll need to up security among the family until this blows over, and I need to get with Renzo to map out a game plan, assuming he doesn’t officially disown me when I tell him what I’ve done.
“Tommy? I’m scared,” Danika says in a voice so tiny that it breaks my heart. “What do you think he’ll do?”
I place my hand on the side of her face and project every ounce of confidence I possess. “Biba will figure out he doesn’t want to make an enemy of all five Italian families, and he’ll back off. He can’t afford a war on two fronts. Everything’s going to be okay, you hear me?”
She nods despite the tears pooling in her eyes.
It’s time to go home. I finally pull away from the curb and ask something that snagged my curiosity.
“When Biba said you were defective, did he mean because you were illegitimate?” His insinuation didn’t seem to fit the circumstances, but I could be wrong.
It’s hard for me to predict people’s emotional responses, especially a batshit-crazy Russian like Biba.
“He means my hearing loss.”
“What hearing loss?” I have no clue what she’s talking about because the woman can hear just fine.
“When I was a month old, I got sick with a virus called CMV—it’s one of those things that isn’t a big deal for adults but can be harmful for babies.
Getting the infection at such a young age caused me to lose all hearing in my left ear.
Most people never notice because I’ve worked hard to compensate, but it still causes issues sometimes.
That’s why I’m not a fan of loud, crowded events.
It takes a lot of effort for me to follow conversations.
It’s also the reason I didn’t hear DiAngelo at the door.
I had the phone to my good ear, so I never heard him knock. ”
I don’t know what to say. She manages so well that I never suspected.
“Biba knew enough about you to know you’d lost your hearing?”
“Yeah, Mom says he was thrilled to have a daughter until I got sick. He walked away at that point. Didn’t help support her or anything, which is when she figured out he was already married.
The fallout left her pretty jaded, but she never blamed me.
My mom and grandmother are amazing. I’ve worried about them more than anything during this ordeal. ”
“Then maybe it’s time to push the issue.”
Danika looks over at me like I hung the moon in the sky just for her. “You mean take them somewhere safe?”
“Yeah. I bet we can make it happen if we show up in person.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Why don’t you call your mom and let her know we’re on our way?”
“Good idea.” She places the call, her shoulders sagging with relief when her mother answers.
“Hey, Mama. You guys doing okay?” She sits taller in her seat until her spine is rigid, every ounce of relief erased.
“Where is she? What do you mean you don’t know?
How long has she been gone? Oh God. Okay.
We’re coming to get you and take you somewhere safe. No more arguing.”
I listen to her half of the conversation with growing unease. Something’s clearly wrong. I start to weave more urgently through traffic, knowing exactly where I’m going after memorizing the address that first day when I snagged her ID.
“Already headed that way,” I say as soon as she disconnects the call.
She doesn’t ask how I know where to go. She simply nods and wills the car forward.
Two hours later, we arrive back at my apartment with her mother in tow.
The two women console one another despite obvious signs of worry.
Gran hasn’t been seen or heard from for four hours.
She’d gone out for her daily trip to the market to pick up food for dinner and never came home.
She isn’t answering her phone, and from what I’m told, this behavior is very unusual.
There’s little doubt that Biba has followed through with his threat, likely even before he ever called me.
He better hope for his sake he’s only taken her hostage because if he hurts her, there’s going to be hell to pay.
“I’m going to arm the alarm—do not open the front door for anyone.
I’ve got a man guarding the hallway. Don’t even let him in.
No one. I’ll only be gone for an hour or so.
” I speak softly so as not to be overheard even though we’re alone in the primary bedroom.
Danika’s mother is settled into the guest room across from what has become Danika’s paint studio, hopefully just for the night.
“We won’t go near the door, I promise. And thank you, Tommy. Just saying thank you doesn’t feel like enough, but I have no other way of repaying you for all this.” Her teeth give a worried graze over her bottom lip.
I’d love to tell her she can thank me by wrapping those fuckable lips around my cock, but we don’t have time for that right now. Plus, she may not feel so inclined when I tell her what I’m about to say.
“I’m happy to do it, but there’s a price, Danika,” I tell her in cool, simple terms. It could be a defense mechanism in anticipation of her refusal, or maybe I’m just as heartless as some people say, but I don’t sugarcoat my demands.
I want her to know I’m deadly serious. “I will get your grandmother back and keep the two of them safe, and you will marry me immediately after. Those are my terms.”
It’s simply too good an opportunity to pass up. She’s expressed reluctance at the idea of marriage from the moment I mentioned it. If I don’t take advantage now, she might never agree to marry me. I can’t risk it. I must make Danika mine, no matter the cost.
Shock registers in her wide eyes, shining an emerald green thanks to shafts of sunlight streaming through the windows. “You’re serious,” she whispers.
“I am.”
“But why? I still don’t understand, Tommy. Why would you do all this for someone you hardly know?”
“Because I don’t have to know every little thing about you to know me and know I will never stop wanting you.
” I stand stock-still, waiting for her to tell me what I said doesn’t make sense.
It’s what a rational person would do, which is why my heart stutters when I hear her gift me with the most perfect single word anyone has ever spoken.
“Okay,” she says in a soft but firm voice. “I’ll marry you.”