Chapter 7
SEVEN
Milo
I deserved Sable’s resentment over me leaving her. I didn’t want to fight. She had been through enough today, but I had to force her to be honest with herself if we were going to work. If she stayed in the dark about who I really was, then she wouldn’t look at me with disgust.
It was one thing to suspect what I was capable of, but it’s something completely different to know. And I didn’t think she was ready to know. No matter how much she wanted to understand.
“Do you really want to do this now?” I sat up, trying with every fiber of my being to keep my rage contained. “Because I don’t.”
“I’m not mad at you for what happened at the cabin.”
“I’m not sure I believe that, but now isn’t the time to discuss it.” I had to stay focused. “You owe me information.” I got out of bed. “I already know it was Medina that came after you, but he didn’t deliver the message himself. Do you know who hurt you?”
She nodded.
“Bello.” His name came out in a raw growl from some place deep inside my chest. “Was it Bello?”
“Yes.” She sat up, taking the comforter with her to shield her chest. “I was on my way home from a job interview and he grabbed me and forced me into an alley. I told him I couldn’t help him, but he insisted that I give you a message.”
“Fuck.” The thought of her being alone and afraid enraged me. “You shouldn't have been in that position.”
I swiped my clothes off the floor, trying to keep my rage in check. Medina didn’t need to come at me through Sable. That was a fatal mistake on his part.
“Medina wants to meet with you.” She moved to the edge of the bed. “Do you know what he wants?”
“I do.” As I got dressed, I quickly assessed the situation. Coming after Sable was a bold strategy. One that Medina knew would set me off. “I need you to pack a bag. Just enough to hold you over until I can send for your things in the morning.”
“Where am I going?”
“Back to the main house.” I put my socks and shoes on. “Ax is downstairs. He’ll take you there.”
“Where are you going?”
“To take care of business.”
“Why don’t we stay here?” She held out her hand, but I couldn’t give her what she wanted right now. “Just the two of us tonight.”
“Baby, it doesn’t work that way.” I finished getting dressed, ignoring the urge to touch her. “Ax will keep you safe until I get home.”
“You’re just going to go and find Bello? And what? Kill him?”
“Get dressed.” I shoved my gun into the back of my pants.
“This isn’t normal.” She hopped off the bed, taking the sheet with her. “You have to know that.”
“This is my normal.” I wouldn’t apologize for who I was or where I came from.
She yanked open a drawer from a worn dresser and slammed it shut after she took out a few clothes. When she finished throwing on some faded black sweats, she piled her wild locks into a messy bun on top of her head.
“You’re hot when you’re mad.” I trapped her against the wall. “I know you don't agree with my tactics, but Bello isn’t your brother. He doesn’t get another chance.”
“Your whole way of life unsettles me.”
“I know it does.” The disgust built in my chest when I traced the welt under her eye. “That’s why I understand if you can’t be with me, but I’m not going to compromise your safety for another second.”
“What’s the alternative?”
I didn’t like the option I was about to present, but if she couldn’t handle being with me, I wasn’t going to force her. What kind of life would that be for either of us? I would end up resenting her and she would eventually hate me. That would be a far worse fate for us.
“I can give you options.”
“What kind of options?” she asked.
“I can send you to a safe house with Ax. If you’re not with me, at least I’ll know you’re out of danger.”
“You would send me away?” Her voice cracked. “Just like that? Even after sharing what we just did?”
“Do you think I want to do that?” My chest tightened at the thought of being away from her again. “If you don’t want to be with me, I’ll accept that. I would hate it, but I’m not going to force you to be with me.”
“Milo.”
“No.” I brushed my lips along hers. “I’m not going to compromise your safety or allow anyone to use you to get to me. Protecting you is non-negotiable. I fucked up when I left you vulnerable.”
“I don’t blame you for Bello.”
“I won’t do that ever again.”
As I leaned in to kiss her, a knock on the door interrupted me. Maybe that was for the best considering she was about two seconds away from betraying my heart when she chose the option that wouldn’t include me.
“I’ll get it,” I said. “Finish gathering your things. You’re not staying here.”
I caressed her cheek, resisting the impulse to declare those three words that I desperately wanted to say, but I wouldn’t sway her decision.
If she wanted to stay with me, it would have to be because that was what she desired.
I couldn’t influence her choice. Not while we were in the middle of a territory dispute with Medina and the other east coast families.
When the person in the hallway knocked again, I left the bedroom and answered the door.
“Ax,” I said. “Is there a problem?”
“Sorry to interrupt, but your dad wants you back at the dealership,” he said. “He’s been calling you but…” He glanced at my phone that must have fallen out of my jacket pocket when I tossed it on the floor. “You didn’t answer.”
“Come in.” I widened the door before retrieving my jacket and phone. “Shit.”
Three texts and four missed calls from my dad. Not good, Milo. Not good at all.
“What do you need me to do?” Ax asked as Sable came into the room with her backpack slung over her shoulder.
“Hi,” she said.
“Sable.” Ax took in the damage to her face before returning his attention to me with fury in his contorted expression.
“She’s stronger than she looks, but she needs some fresh ice.” I reached for her hand. “We should have taken care of that sooner.”
“I’m on it.” Ax went to the kitchenette and made Sable an ice pack. The snarl on his face assured me that when I left Sable with him she would be well-protected.
“You don’t have to fuss over me.” Sable tightened her grip around my hand. “I’m fine.”
“Stop saying that,” I said. “It’s okay if you’re not fine.”
Her irrational attitude over what she had gone through pissed me off.
A man, my enemy, put his hands on her. I didn’t need her to be brave.
I needed her to trust that I would never let something like this happen again.
If she couldn’t accept what I had to do to make sure no one hurt her again, then so be it.
I had a responsibility to protect what was mine.
She is definitely mine. I just have to give her the space to arrive at that conclusion.
“I need you to take Sable to the…” I had to let her decide where she went. “Where will Ax be taking you?”
“I don’t…” She pressed the ice to her lip. “What are my choices?”
“The safe house or the main estate.” I tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s your choice.”
“What happens at a safe house?” she asked.
“You’ll stay there with Ax.” I didn’t like having to explain it because that meant she was considering it. “He'll make sure no one gets near you.”
“You’ll be safe there with me,” Ax said. “I promise.”
“How long would I stay there?”
“I don’t have that answer, but I heard what you said earlier about the way I live my life.
” The fucked up, brutal, and violent life I wanted to spend with her.
Except it wasn’t her job to fix the world I was born in to.
I was the heir to a very dangerous family, and with that title came huge expectations.
“I’m not going to put you in a position you don’t want to be in. ”
Ax’s phone rang and he grabbed it from his pocket and looked down at the screen. “It’s your dad,” he said. “Do you want to take it?”
“Tell him I’m on my way.” I spoke to him but I didn’t take my attention away from Sable.
“Will do.” Ax nodded. “Mr. Accetti,” he answered as he drifted into the hallway and shut the door behind him.
“Well?” I gazed at Sable, preparing myself for the inevitable. “Where do you want Ax to take you?”
“I’m scared.”
Her mind was made up even if I didn’t want to face it. I couldn’t expect her to choose me but that didn’t make this situation any easier. My heart still wanted what it wanted.
“I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” I reached into my pocket and took out the bracelet. “I need you to put this back on. Can you do that for me? If you have it, I’ll be with you. Remember?”
“I want to be with you.”
“I can’t come to the safe house,” I said. “That defeats the purpose of keeping things secure. I could be followed. My enemies could find you. I’ll have to move your location in a few days. I'm not sure where I’ll send you yet, but it will be somewhere comfortable, I promise.”
I would take care of her forever. I would give her the life she deserved even if I couldn’t be in it. If I did this right, maybe we could have a shot at a future. I didn’t dare hope. Not now.
“Didn’t you hear what I said?” She shook her head. “I don’t want to go to the safe house. I want to be where you are.”
“You want to come home?”
“This has been the worst two weeks of my life, and trust me,” she said, “things were never easy for me. Well, not until I met you.”
“If I remember correctly, you didn’t care for me much that night.” I smirked. “You didn’t want my help.”
“You wanted to kill my brother.” She held up her hand. “You had your reasons.”
“Finally, you’re seeing things from my perspective.”
“What I’m trying to say is, I may not understand your business or how your mind works, but I can’t be without you. I want to be with you every night, falling asleep in your arms and waking up curled against you.”
“I’ve never wanted anything more.”
“I’ll go to the main house,” she said. “I want to understand who you are and where you come from. Being with you is the only way I can learn.”