Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
MEREDITH
' I regret to inform you...' I typed, then deleted the line. Nothing about this resignation felt like regret. After everything that had happened, pretending to be normal felt more exhausting than embracing the truth.
Sofia lounged on her couch beside me, while Gray sat in the armchair, arm still in a sling. The normality of the scene – writing emails in Sofia's living room – felt almost surreal after the violence of last night.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard as thoughts of Leo's meeting with the head of the Malatesta family played on my mind. He'd been gone for hours now, and the tension was eating at me.
"More coffee?" Sofia stood, gathering our empty mugs.
"Sure," I mumbled as I typed in the final few lines of my resignation.
Sleep last night had not been easy until Sof had given me some sleeping pills, then I'd finally gone out like a light, wrapped in Leo's arms in my chosen bed at Sof's. Her place, although initially compromised, had been deemed safe despite the mess with the Malatesta. Something about their compromised numbers being too much of an issue for them to try another attack. Not just that, Sof had upped her own security and Leo had even hooked her up with a security team to be extra safe.
"Got anything stronger?" Gray wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Not for the injured," she retorted, flicking his good shoulder as she passed. "You're still on painkillers."
"You're worse than Mer with the mother-henning."
"Someone has to keep you alive," Sofia called from the kitchen. "Since you insist on getting shot at."
Gray's phone rang, cutting off his retort. His good hand fumbled with it before answering. "Yeah?" A pause, then his face relaxed. "Good news, Mer. That was Leo. Meeting went better than expected, everything's settled. He's heading here now. We're all safe."
"Perfect." I hit send on my resignation letter, feeling lighter. A chapter closing so a new one could begin. No more Logan, no more Shannon—it was all a distant memory at this point despite it having only been days. So much had happened since then, and so much had changed. I had changed.
"You know," Gray smirked, "Lake Forest would've been peaceful." He leaned back, resting his feet on Sof's coffee table.
"I prefer it here." I closed my laptop. "Besides, Leo's office has better security."
"And a boss who won't mind if I drop by randomly." His grin was infectious. It was as if things had gotten even better since I'd learned the truth and come to terms with it all. How? I still wasn't sure, but last night and the hell we'd endured, it was enough for you to appreciate the people in your life even more.
"Oh God," Sofia groaned, returning with more coffee and glaring at Gray's feet on her coffee table. "Between you and Leo, she'll never get any work done."
"Says the woman who's already planning to redecorate her office," Gray teased as he wiggled his toes.
"It needs a woman's touch!" Sofia defended as she whacked his foot with a pillow lightly before plopping down beside me. "All that chrome and black leather. It's like a vampire's lair. She needs a nice place to work."
"It is not," I laughed, then paused as I recalled the photos Leo had shown me in bed last night of where he wanted me to work. "Okay, maybe a little."
Last night, when we'd retreated to the familiar comfort of Sof's place while the villa was cleaned and the mess handled, I'd laid with Leo, his arms wrapped around me tight. We'd not done anything, barely even kissed, just held one another. We'd bathed separately, washing away the sins we'd committed to protect one another. Sof had Gray fully patched up dosed with painkillers by the time we'd all said goodnight and gone to our rooms. And Leo hadn't even tried to hide the fact he was following me to mine, which Gray had not commented on.
It had been so comforting and tender, holding one another as we processed the evening. He'd asked me how I was feeling, how I was handling the blood on my hands, and I'd admitted that it shocked me how well I was coping with it.
I'd done it to protect those I loved.
He'd just held me tighter, pressing his lips to my forehead, and we'd laid in silence for some time before he'd said he wanted me working in his main office.
"You want to keep me that close, huh?" I'd said playfully, but the softness and affection in his eyes had made my smirk melt away.
"Yes, I want you safe, where I can protect you."
So I'd agreed, just like that, and he'd shown me photos of the office building and explained what it was I'd likely be doing. Nothing too different from my current line of work, and I'd only be dealing with the legit side of his businesses if I so chose.
Leo's distinctive knock at the front door broke me from my memories. I'd not even noticed Gray and Sof joking around about different things. Something had shifted between them, something that had me smiling and wondering. I'd have to ask Sof eventually if there was anything blooming there.
I'd gotten with my brother's best friend, perhaps it was destined to be.
Leo strode in with purpose, heading straight for my purse on the kitchen counter after casting me a glance. I'd expected him to at least come in and say hi, but nope, he was on a mission. Without a word, he started rifling through my purse as I frowned.
"Um, hello to you too?" I watched as he pulled out a pen I didn't recognize.
"Everything okay?" Sof asked, her brows knitted together.
Leo's fingers worked quickly on the pen, dismantling it to reveal a tiny chip. "Andrew Sullivan planted this on you at the coffee shop." He held it up to the light, his face none too impressed. "He's the one who murdered Cosimo Malatesta, trying to start a war."
"What?" Gray leaned forward, wincing at the movement.
Sof's look of surprise mirrored my own as Leo placed the chip on the counter and crushed it with the hilt of a kitchen knife.
"He was tracking Meredith, planning to use her as leverage alongside the murder evidence." Leo brushed the fragments of the chip into his hand and moved to drop it into the trash. "But when she called him out, knew who he was, he panicked. Decided to feed the Malatesta family her location after killing off Cosimo, hoping they'd eliminate the problem for him."
"But they figured it out?" Sofia asked as she lifted her mug to her lips. "That it was a frame job on you?"
"It was sloppy work." Leo walked over to me now, pressing a soft kiss to my temple and making my heart flutter. "They've... handled him."
Gray arched a brow at our public display of affection but didn't say a thing.
"So your hands are clean?" I asked quietly as I looked up at him.
"Completely. The Malatesta buried him." He dipped down, pausing and giving me the choice to pull away. Instead, I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his as Gray groaned at the lack of care in his presence.
"He dug his own grave there. To think he was that desperate to then kill to save himself," I said with a sad sigh as Leo straightened.
"Never thought he had it in him, guess he really had gone off the deep end after everything," Gray added as he looked between Leo and me. "As for this, you know I'm still not over the moon about it. Not too fond of seeing it right in front of me." But his soft smile told me he was only saying it in jest as Leo actually smirked at him.
He'd been showing a hell of a lot more emotions since we'd gotten back to Sof's, and I was loving every second of it.
Sofia set her mug down. "So everything's okay? Alliance intact?"
"Better than before," Leo said with a slight smile. "Fiorenzo handled the family members who acted against his orders who were still alive. Those we killed, he stated that they brought their deaths on themselves by targeting what's mine."
The possessiveness in his voice sent warmth through my chest.
What's mine. I liked the sound of that.
"Ready for your interview?" Leo looked down at me, changing subjects smoothly as he offered me a proper smile.
The expression made my stomach flip, but I frowned. "Interview? I thought I had the job?"
"Not quite." He exchanged a look with Gray, who nodded with a knowing smile.
"What are you two up to?" Sofia looked between them with an arched brow.
"Come with me." Leo held out his hand, and I didn't hesitate to accept it. If I had to do some interview, then so be it.
"Should I change?" I asked, looking down at the long-sleeved knitted dress I'd put on to relax in today. It was a comfy, warm dress I liked, not one I’d wear to an interview.
"No. You look perfect, it's not a formal interview," Leo said as he guided me away from my brother and best friend, both of them watching after us.
"Okay, but we're going out?"
"Yes, just relax, Mer. I'll explain when we get there."
Well, now he had me intrigued. Just what was this informal interview? Judging by Gray's knowing look, I didn't need to worry.
The drive to the old theater was quiet, anticipation building in my stomach right until we pulled up outside the abandoned building.
"Here?" I looked up at the theater, a place I'd retreated to so many times to find comfort. The place I'd tried to banish Leo away, chosen to let him go.
Was it because of that? Was he upset with me and needed to confirm everything I'd said just before the shootout?
But when he rounded the car to open my door, my concerns melted away at the smile he gifted me as he helped me out.
"It's not exactly an interview, Mer, just something I wanted to do with you," he admitted, and I smiled.
"I had a feeling it wasn't an interview," I said honestly as we headed up the steps. "Why are we here? Is it because of that day?" I asked carefully.
"No. That day, you were learning so much, and I don't hold it against you, Mer." The nickname made my heart flutter as he tightened his grip on my hand and helped through the poorly chained doors.
Was it just me, or did it look like the lock had been replaced?
When we walked into the theater, the midday sun streaming through the high windows, I stopped short. There, center stage, stood a gleaming grand piano. Brand new, standing out like a sore thumb in the dusty, abandoned memories of the theater.
"Leo—"
"Play something," Leo urged softly as he let go of my hand but continued walking to the stage. "I want to hear you play again."
"I haven't played in years," I protested, but my fingers itched to touch the keys. It had been a way to escape all those years ago, but I'd given it up when my father had gotten mad at me one day and broken my fingers, saying a pianist was never going to survive in this world.
If only he could see me now. He'd be rolling in his grave.
"Please." Leo's gentle request spurred me on, and I moved past him and up the stairs to the stage.
The midday sun danced around the piano, spotlighting it in a way.
I sat at the bench, running my hands over the smooth ivory. What if I didn't even remember how to play? It truly had been so long, and despite both Gray and Sof asking if I'd play again, I never had.
It was never too late though.
The first few notes were hesitant, but muscle memory took over. I moved into a classical piece I'd loved since I'd first started playing, the one I'd played during my recital as well. The small ache in my fingers, broken so many years ago and left scarred inside, eased after a moment, and I let myself fall back into the familiar sensations. Chopin – Nocturne filled the space, and I closed my eyes as I felt the music and magic through me, the sense of freedom it granted me.
This was me, a woman free from the chains of my upbringing, a woman who chose to love despite the odds, who chose to protect those she loved and fight for them.
No running, no more fragmented memories.
I was whole, and I was me.
I hit the final note, the sound echoing through the theater as my heart thrummed excitedly, and I turned to beam at Leo.
"I wished you'd kept playing," Leo said, such a soft, tender look on his face. It was so unlike him, and yet perfectly him, that my heart swelled. "You were magnificent at that recital."
"Why is there a piano in an abandoned theater?" I decided to ask the real question, my cheeks burning at the way he was looking at me.
He moved onto the stage, his hand trailing along the piano's edge. "It's just the beginning. I bought the building." His eyes met mine, a playful flame dancing in their icy depths. "I want you to help me restore it, bring it back to life."
"Leo..." Emotion closed my throat. This place had been my sanctuary, and he knew it. He'd found me here, even joined Gray and I on occasion.
And now, he owned it.
"It's my gift to you, Mer. I want you to be happy in this life with me, and to always feel safe and cherished," he stepped closer, covering my hand on the keys with his own. Those eyes held mine, so full of affection and love that my own heart wanted to explode.
This was the man who would do anything for me, who had done so much for me.
A man who would always love me.
I surged up to kiss him, pouring all my feelings into it. He responded instantly, lifting me onto the piano keys. The discordant notes echoed through the theater as his hands slid under my dress, running the curve of my ass.
"Will you be mine?" he moaned against my lips.
"Yes. I'm yours," I answered, pulling him closer as the heat ignited between us. "Always yours."
His hands were everywhere, claiming, possessing, as the piano keys sang beneath us in a wild mess. "Always," he growled, his lips trailing fire down my neck.
"Always," I gasped, my fingers tangling in his hair. My core ached and throbbed, my skin burning at his touch. "As long as you're mine too."
"Always." He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, his own dark with desire. "I've loved you for so long, Meredith. Tried to keep you away from my darkness, my world."
"I would have followed you anyway," I admitted, tracing his jaw as my heart lurched with his declaration. "Eventually. What I feel for you... I can't deny it anymore. I love you too."
He captured my lips again, this time with so much fire and passion that it stole my breath. I melted into him, letting everything else fall away. This might not be the world I'd imagined for myself, might not be what I was ready for, but this – this was pure. This man who'd loved me since we were young, who'd protect me at any cost.
Who'd kill for me without hesitation.
As his hands and lips wrote promises on my skin, I knew there was no going back. And I didn't want to.
In this dangerous world of shadows and violence, I'd found something real. Something true.
Even if it was with a monster. My monster.
The world outside, with its judgment and norms, faded into insignificance as we let our love shine on the stage of an abandoned theater, a relic of a bygone era. The grand piano, the heart of musical storytelling, now became the vessel for our own private narrative.
He undressed me with a fervor that matched my own, each piece of clothing discarded like a barrier no longer needed. My skin prickled in the cool air, goosebumps rising as he admired me, his gaze a caress in itself.
I reached for him, pulling him back to me, needing to feel his body against mine.
I didn't care that this was not a private place. The likelihood of anyone seeing us was not something I cared about right now. I just wanted him, needed him.
With a swift motion, he lifted me onto the piano, the polished surface cool against my heated skin. The keys trembled under us, their protest a rare music that only we could hear. He was between my legs, his hands roaming with an urgency that left me breathless.
Then his warm mouth found my most sensitive part, and I let out a low moan that seemed to wrap around us both in the vast space.
"That's right, Mer, I want you to come for me," he groaned against me, spreading my legs wider as he flicked his tongue over my clit.
I gasped as he began to suckle, his hands caressing my thighs before one slid down to my folds.
My hands tangled in his hair, clinging to him as he eased a finger inside my folds, a low moan escaping him.
The opulence of the theater, with its faded velvet and ornate carvings, seemed to come alive around us, a silent audience to our forbidden dance. Sunlight streamed in through the windows casting a magical warm light over the scene, turning it into something out of a dream.
I moaned and bucked as he worked his magic on me, my body burning and teetering on the edge within minutes. He didn't relent, his fingers stroking my g-spot as he sucked and moaned, his tongue gliding over my clit in a pattern that had my core tightening.
"Fuck, Leo!" I cried out, throwing my head back as I came undone, and he moaned loudly between my legs as they shook from the force.
"That's right, scream my name, baby." He moved to lean over me, my climax glistening on his lips as he smiled down at me, his eyes dilated and full of hunger. "I'm going to have you right here, my love. And every day after this. You're mine, Meredith."
He entered me with a desperation that spoke of years of longing, a connection so deep it defied explanation. All the emotions, the tension, the back and forth we'd gone through, it exploded in this moment.
The piano beneath us groaned, its voice mingling with our own as we moved together.
Each thrust was a defiance of the shadows that clung to the edges of our world, the darkness that threatened to drag us under. Where he was darkness, I was light, refusing to drown. His breath was hot against my ear, his words of love and devotion drowning out the echoes of our past.
"Meredith," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss beneath my earlobe. "You are my light, my everything. I fucking love you, always have, always will."
"And I love you." I arched into him, my body answering his with an urgency that was overwhelming. We were a tangle of limbs, a fusion of souls, lost in a chaotic mess of sensation. The world outside could crumble, and we would still be here, etched into the very fabric of this forgotten place.
Our climax was a crescendo that resonated through the empty theater, our cries of bliss filling the air. The powerful release left us both shaken and spent. He held me close, our chests heaving as we sucked in ragged breaths, the piano's keys still vibrating beneath us.
In the aftermath, we lay entwined atop the instrument, a striking contrast between the beauty of our raw emotion and the decay of our surroundings. He pressed a kiss to my temple, a silent pledge that needed no words.
As our breaths slowed and the sunlight dipped from its peak in the sky, I realized that this moment would be etched in my memory forever—the day we claimed each other amidst the ruins of a place that had been my sanctuary, marking the beginnings of something new all around.
We were two souls amidst the darkness, finding solace in each other, writing our own story entwined despite the odds. We were burning to life, ready to create something new, and we were choosing love above all else.
No matter what was to come, I would always be his, and he would always be mine.
My monster, my savior, my love.