Chapter 20
TWENTY
Sable
Why was that package addressed to me? How could I be expected to support Milo if he didn’t share all the details? I couldn’t live my life in the dark. Not knowing everything would make it more difficult if I had to protect myself.
“Sable.” Lissia looked up from her tablet. “There’s an adorable dress you need to have. Come and look at it.”
I wasn’t in the mood for shopping, but it seemed to keep Lissia occupied and out of Marchello’s business.
“How can you be so calm after being dismissed?” I plunked down next to her on the large, black, leather sectional that was big enough to hold ten people. “Doesn’t that drive you crazy?”
“She’s used to it,” Ricardo said. “Marchello can be quite dismissive.”
Lissia rolled her eyes as she sipped her herbal tea. “He can be, but I can also be… challenging?”
“Sometimes.” Ricardo glanced over her shoulder. “I do like that dress for Sable.”
“Right?” Lissia shoved the tablet in my direction. “Check it out.”
“I’m not in the mood to shop.” I propped my feet on the coffee table.
“That’s terrible.” Lissia set her mug down on the side table next to her. “Sable, you have to know when to pick your battles when it comes to Milo. When I first met Marchello, I couldn’t do that. I interfered in everything, and most of the time it got me into boiling water.”
“Most of the time?” Ricardo shook his head. “You triggered Marchello every chance you got.”
“And that didn’t work,” she said. “Once I figured out that I had to let him handle his business, things got less stressful for us. Don’t get me wrong.” She checked her nails. “There are times when I still can’t help myself, but I learned how to figure out when I shouldn’t push.”
“Like when Chello told us to come upstairs and watch a movie?” I asked.
“Exactly.” She scrolled on the tablet. “Whatever they needed to discuss was urgent, and fighting about it wasn’t going to help any of us. That doesn’t mean I won’t press him later. He’ll want to talk about it, and I’ll be there to listen.”
“Wow.” Ricardo pointed the remote at the huge screen on the far wall. “You’re evolving.”
“I’m trying.” She laughed. “Let’s watch something sappy to lighten the dark vibe in this house.”
“I think I’m going to skip the movie.” I wasn’t in the mood for sappy any more than I was for shopping. If I wanted my own happily ever after, I had to concentrate on how to understand the man I wanted to spend forever with as well as Lissia had figured out Marchello.
“Are you sure?” Lissia asked. “We can make popcorn.”
“Thanks, but I think I’m going to take a bath and try to relax.” I got off the couch. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Put yourself first tonight.” She tugged the throw off the back of the couch and draped it over her lap. “You have to take care of yourself so that you can take care of Milo when he needs you.”
“Thanks for the advice.” I headed into the hallway. “See you tomorrow.”
“Take it easy,” Lissia yelled as I left the room.
On my way to the main staircase, I glanced in the direction of the kitchen. Are the guys still in there discussing what their next move should be? Should I be concerned?
None of this sat well with me. The climate in the house made me anxious and uncertain. I kept professing my trust in Milo and how he could keep me safe. But should I have listened to his warnings when he wanted to send me away?
Did I make a lethal mistake when I played on his emotions and begged him to let me stay? If he asked me to leave tonight for my own good, would I go?
When I reached our suite I found Milo inside. He faced the window as he talked on the phone.
“Yes, Lucas,” he said. “We’re sure that’s the way we need to play this. Get it done. Don’t make my father wait.”
The agitation in his voice was an accurate indicator that this might be one of those situations Lissia had just warned me about. Know when to push. Know when to back off. Her advice might save me from getting myself into trouble.
“Thank you.” Milo ended the call but spoke a few words in Italian that I didn’t understand. I didn’t need a translator to know they expressed his frustration over whatever was going on.
“Hey.” I came into the room. “I didn’t expect you to be in here.”
“I thought you were watching a movie.” He shoved his phone in his pants pocket. “What happened?”
“I didn’t feel like it.”
“How come?”
“I’m tired,” I said. “You seem busy, so I’m going to take a bath and have an early night.”
“Are you okay?” He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. “I’m sorry for how dinner ended.”
“It couldn’t be helped, right?” I didn’t want to add to his stress, but being dismissed in the kitchen affected me more than I initially thought.
“It really couldn’t,” he said. “You’re upset.”
“I’m fighting the urge to be upset, but I’m losing.”
“There is nothing for you to be worried about.” He stroked my cheek. “I’ll make sure nothing in my business ever touches you.”
“You can’t promise that.” I closed my eyes, willing myself to get over the frustration that set in. “I don’t expect you to make those sort of promises.”
“All I’m saying is, what’s happening in my business isn’t something you have to deal with. I’ll handle it.”
“What was in the package that was addressed to me?” So much for listening to Lissia.
“It wasn’t meant for you.” He let go of my hand. “You don’t need to worry about it.”
“What was it?”
“A message.”
His short answers irritated me. My whole attitude shifted and I didn’t like how I was being toward him. I was the one who begged him not to make me leave, and now I wanted him to share every detail. He couldn’t do that. Not because he didn’t want to. That left him conflicted.
I had to get my hormones in check. Whatever was going on with me, Milo didn’t need right now. The pounding in my head was front and center. I needed to decompress.
“I’m going to leave you to deal with your situation.” I took a breath to center myself, and then gently kissed his cheek. “I’ll be in the tub.”
“Sable.” He grabbed my hand before I could get away. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I’ll work it out.” I let go of his hand. “I’ll see you in bed.”
I made my way into the bedroom, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me. I didn’t want to put this distance between us, but it wasn’t fair to take this out on him. We both needed some space to work out our issues.
I prepared myself for bed, taking out my pajamas and pulling down the comforter.
I stripped off my clothes and tossed them in the hamper in the closet before going into the bathroom.
As the bath water flowed from the faucet, I lit some candles and sprinkled scented soap into the tub, filling the room with a steamy vanilla aroma.
Even as I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I couldn’t get Milo off my mind.
How could I help him when I didn’t understand what was going on?
He was so open and honest with me, but when it came to his business there were boundaries I couldn’t cross.
I hated not being able to help him through these moments.
During those times, I often made things worse.
Taking my brother’s side, interfering in his confrontation with Diego, or coming to the club when I wasn’t supposed to.
How could I learn to be the perfect mafia companion without losing myself in the process? The secrets and the danger that surrounded us would eventually take a toll. Wouldn’t they?
As I submerged myself into the tub, I let the hot water seep into my pores and relax my stiff muscles. The calming scent and the dim light from the candles surrounding me gave me a sense of peace.
I could do this. I could be the woman Milo needed without causing him unnecessary stress. We just had to get through these tumultuous times. I had to trust that his family had been through this before and they could navigate this taxing storm.
“Can I come in?” Milo, shirtless and barefooted, stood in the doorway of the bathroom. “I don’t want to interrupt your peace, but I don’t like where we are.”
“I don’t either.” I sat up and pulled my knees into my chest. “Come in.”
He entered the room and kneeled down on the side of the claw-foot tub. His piercing blue eyes were fixated on me as he rested his forearms on the edge of the tub.
“You’re upset with me,” he said. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m not…” I swirled my fingers around the bubbles. “Not exactly with you. More with the situation.”
“What does that mean?” He caressed my arm. “I don’t want to see you unhappy.”
“I’m not unhappy with you.” It was difficult for me to articulate what I felt without it seeming as if I was blaming him.
“I’m not thrilled with the situation. I know there are things in your business that you can’t tell me.
I’m trying to come to terms with that, but when I see how exhausting they are for you and I can’t do anything about it, I get frustrated. ”
“I’m sorry.” He rubbed the side of my neck. “You’re so tense.”
“I don’t want you to apologize.” He didn’t do anything wrong. What I was experiencing had more to do with me than it did with him.
“What do you need me to do?” He maneuvered himself to the back of the tub so he could massage my shoulders. “What is going to make being with me and living in this house easier for you?”
“The massage helps.” I sunk into the warm water, resting my head against the cool porcelain. “I’m still adjusting to your way of life. I’ll get there.”
“It shouldn’t be a job.” He kneaded his knuckles into the base of my neck, releasing the tension that caused my headache. “You’re supposed to want to be here.”
“I do,” I whispered. “More than anything.”
“I’m struggling with the package that was delivered tonight.” He pushed his thumb into my shoulder blade as he gently turned my neck to stretch it. “The message was particularly disturbing.”
“Was it from Medina?”
“Yes.” He circled his fingers behind my earlobe, relaxing me even further. “It was a pendant in the shape of a butterfly cocoon.”
“That’s odd.” I tried to think what the meaning behind that could be and what it had to do with me. “Was there a note?”
“There didn’t have to be.” He let up on the massage, switching to long, slow strokes down my back. “The pendant symbolizes being trapped inside that cocoon. No way out. Just like the women he takes against their will.”
“That’s vile,” I said. “And it was addressed to me because he’s threatening me so you’ll give in.”
The whole situation made me feel violated. Not only was Medina using me to get to Milo, but he was insinuating that I was a target in his disgusting operation.
“That’s exactly what he wants me to do.”
“You can’t.” I shifted my body and looked into his eyes. “You have to stop him.”
“We’re trying, but bringing you into the fight changes everything.”
“You can’t let him win.”
“I’m not going to.” He stood. “The water is getting cold. You need to get out.”
He took the towel from the counter and spread it open. I held onto his bicep as I lifted my foot over the tub and folded myself into the towel. He wrapped me in the towel, and then circled his arms around me, holding me close to him.
“You should do whatever you have to do to rid this world of Medina,” I said. “I’m not just saying that for myself. You have to stop him before he hurts any more women.”
“I’m going to take care of everything.”
“No matter the consequences.”