Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Bright sunlight cast a blinding path across the bed, waking Angelo from dreams that faded as quick as mist but left him with an undeniably empty, lost feeling.
What had he been dreaming? He vaguely remembered running through the streets of Ortigia at dusk…
his voice hoarse from calling a name over and over… Kara.
He opened his eyes, drawing in a deep breath as he adjusted to the morning sun in his face.
A rippling sea of red shot through with gold fire spilled out over his chest. Kara’s head was on his shoulder, and her hair was streaming out like finally spun gossamer fire over his skin.
She was facing away from him, her body tucked against his side, her round bottom pressing against his hips on the left.
The view of her lying beside him, the feel of it, filled some deep need inside him he’d been too afraid to dwell on.
My woman… No, she wasn’t his. It was so easy to get carried away when it came to her.
Flashes of last night drifted back to him, clearer and more intense than any dream. He had seduced Kara into his bed last night.
What had he been thinking? Despite his inner admonishment, he knew what he’d been thinking.
He had wanted Kara with a desperation he hadn’t been able to control.
The moment he met her at the soup kitchen, his body had hummed with the need to know her and when she’d expressed her desire to sleep with him…
he simply hadn’t been strong enough to resist the temptation.
Angelo had never been a man to dive into bed with someone he barely knew.
He liked to get to know a woman he was interested in, cautiously giving himself and the woman a chance to get to know each other before lust and desire muddled things.
He’d learned at a young age that love, not lust was what kept two people in a long and happy marriage.
He wanted his relationships to start with love, with a mutual understanding as well as emotional and intellectual interest. He couldn’t afford to bring a person into his life who would break his heart, not when he had so much to do for his family and his business.
He was always careful, always thoughtful in his other relationships, yet with her…
it had only taken one look, one touch. He and Kara were a lit match igniting the fuse of a firework.
What was it about Kara that made him dash straight into things like claiming her as a fiancée when she wasn’t?
Now that he’d tasted her, claimed her, he couldn’t let her go.
He stroked her hair with his fingertips, and she let out a soft, kittenish sigh that tugged fiercely at his heart. His mouth curved into a smile. He could stay like this forever—
His doorbell rang in the distance, disturbing the happy bliss of the moment.
Angelo hesitated a brief second, hoping whoever it was would go away…
If it was his family, they definitely wouldn’t leave.
The doorbell chimed a second time and he groaned.
There was no escaping it. He’d have to get up, because he didn’t want the sound waking Kara.
She was sleeping peacefully, and he realized how little deep, restful sleep she got.
He moved as carefully and as quietly as he could to entangle himself from the bed and Kara without waking her.
Her silky hair tickled his chest, and her soft, warm body was a delicious contrast to the cold air of the room around them.
The moment their bodies separated, she let out a faint sigh and rolled over to the place he had vacated and wriggled a little to snuggle deeper into his sheets.
The sereneness of her features turned a little harsher, a little more taut as though without him beside her in bed, her fears and worries crept back.
Angelo rubbed his chest just above his heart with his hand as he stared at her another long moment.
The doorbell chimed a third time and he cursed softly.
He tucked Kara under the covers and pulled his t-shirt on as he went to answer the door. He was still wearing pajama pants from last night, and that would be enough for his family.
He expected to find his mother, or maybe Dante on his doorstep. He didn’t expect to see Thad, Jared and Roarke stood there wearing winter coats and grim faces. Roarke held a thick manilla folder under one arm.
Without a word, Angelo stepped back, letting the three men enter. Jared and Thad moved right into the house, Roarke however, lingered with a slight hesitation. It was clear he still wasn’t sure if he was welcome in this group.
“It’s cold, come on in Roarke,” Angelo said.
After he closed the door behind Roarke, he found Jared in the kitchen turning on the espresso machine and pulling out his favorite cup from the collection of coffee mugs in Angelo’s cabinets.
Thad and Roarke stood a few feet apart, a slight tension between them, but not entirely antagonistic.
Angelo knew that Roarke had almost bought Thad’s fiancée’s home before he realized he was being played by Veronica’s stepmother.
That was over and the pair of them had worked it out.
Roarke had agreed to not buy the house and helped Thad keep the house for Veronica.
“Should I be worried that all three of you are here?” Angelo asked, his voice low. Thad glanced toward the hallway which led to the master bedroom.
“Kara is still here?”
“Of course she is,” Jared murmured to Thad. “She is safer here than her own place. But the question is…which bedroom is she in?” Jared winked at Angelo as he lifted his espresso up and took a sip.
Thad looked like he was about to say something, but Roarke cut in through Angelo’s friends’ teasing dynamic.
“My security team had a chance to complete a background check on Sean O’Brien and his known associates. You need to see everything they dug up.” Roarke held the folder he’d been carrying out to Angelo.
Angelo took it and sat down on the couch to read through it. There were dozens of reports, court case summons and final judgments, mug shots and newspaper articles.
“Her father operated a nasty enterprise. Murder, trafficking—both goods and people. Fraud, coercion, bribery all the fun things that keep the average police officer up at night with fear and dread.” He nodded at Angelo who’d just lifted up the death certificate that bore Sean O’Brien’s name.
“Now that he’s dead, his business is being run by someone else. We think it’s a man named Cormac Callahan. He’s been sighted in Dublin making moves for the gang there. His right hand, Jim O’Leary, handles the bookkeeping from what we can tell. These guys are ugly and dangerous,” Roarke added.
“Tell him what Asher told you this morning,” Jared added as he joined Angelo, a cup of coffee in his hands.
“Callahan and O’Leary are now in New York City.” Roarke paused, his eyes hard with determination as he met Angelo’s stunned gaze. “One of Asher’s men has a friend in TSA and he said their passports were swiped coming through Customs.”
Angelo stared at him. “They’re in New York? Does that mean you think they’re coming for her here?”
Roarke shrugged. “We don’t know. The last thing we should do is to play dumb. We need to be careful and keep our eyes open. No leaving the house without security following you.”
“Agreed,” Angelo said. “Roarke, is there no way to get these guys arrested? Surely they must be committing crimes in New York?”
“No doubt they are,” Roarke said, but they’re great at covering it up. We have eyes on them there. If they make one false move we’ll have them picked up. We’ll know if they leave New York.”
Thad, who’d had been quiet all this time, turned tired eyes to Angleo.
“Are you sure this woman is worth all this? She’s kept herself safe all these years without anyone’s help.
Now that we’ve intervened she’s got a target on her back, Angelo.
Wouldn’t it just be easier to let her go?
To let her run on her own? She could disappear a lot easier on her own, and those men wouldn’t be able to follow her. ”
“It sounds like she’s always had a target on her back,” Jared said quietly. “She’s just been clever enough to stay one step ahead. There’s no guarantee if she leaves now she’ll be able to lose them.”
It took Angelo long moment to swallow down the intense feeling of betrayal he felt. Jared at least understood the situation. How could Thad not see what needed to be done? Kara couldn’t run forever. She shouldn’t have to.
“If someone was coming after Veronica and Lyra, would you let her run away unprotected?” Angelo glared at Thad.
Thad’s hazel-green eyes sharpened, as though the idea woke up his most protective instincts. “Angelo, that’s comparing apples to oranges—”
“Don’t you see? It’s all fruit,” Angelo’s voice turned into a growl. “My woman is in danger and I’m going to end the threat.”
“Your woman?” Thad echoed. “What do you even know about her?”
Angelo was in Thad’s face before he could think and jabbed a finger into his friend’s chest. “She’s never had a life that’s been safe or secure.
She’s never had one moment of real peace.
She lives out of one suitcase. Kara’s living on borrowed time and she doesn’t even know herself.
She doesn’t have a favorite color, no hobbies no skills.
Nothing. Because no one protected her or stood up for her.
That stops now. Either help me or get out of my way. ”
Jared, who’d been about to drink his coffee was staring open mouthed at Angelo. Roarke looked approving of Angelo’s outburst and was smiling slightly. He turned his focus back to his friend.
Thad’s gaze, so intense, didn’t surrender to Angelo’s dominance, he nearly adjusted his energy to match it. “I’m here, Angelo. You’re like a brother to me. I just needed to know why we’re doing this. If you have feelings for this woman…”
“Kara. Say her name,” Angelo demanded.
“Kara,” Thad said, his tone softening.