16. Paolo
Chapter 16
Paolo
My damn head hurt again. I filtered through my memories, recalling the hot-ass shower sex followed by dinner, but I didn’t remember going to dinner. I’d dressed and taken a pill. Bleach filled my nostrils as I opened my eyes to see another medical room.
Next to the bed was an IV bag, but not clear like the treatment I’d been undergoing. This one was deep red. “Where is she?”
Sawyer stepped out of the dark corner. In the chair next to the bed sat Antonio with Kat on his lap.
“How do you feel?”
“Answer my fucking question. Where is Sonali?”
“Those pills you were never supposed to have caused all of your organs to shut down. The only way to save you was with the treatment. She claimed you would understand, so I gave her my keys and let her borrow my plane to go home.”
Damn her for taking the decision from me, but I also knew I would never have taken it unless it was forced. I didn’t hate her; I wanted to pull her into my arms. She saved my life not once, but twice.
Kat leaned forward. “Your vehicle was parked out front when we got here. Did she take a different car?”
“No, she took my SUV. I planned to take an Uber to the airport to pick it back up.”
Antonio had his phone to his ear. I swung my legs over the bed. “Where are my clothes?”
“You still have about thirty minutes of treatment left.”
“The treatment isn’t worth it unless I find her.”
Kat pressed her hand against my chest. “Lie back in bed. Let us work this out, and when we know where she is, then we will let you come.”
“Here.” Sawyer handed him a piece of paper. “It’s a letter from Sonali.”
I wasn’t going to let her get off that easily. If she had something to tell me, she had to say it to my face. At dinner I was supposed to lay out my plan and tomorrow be heading to Paris with her. Instead, she’d run away. Prey was always tastier when you had to catch it.
The treatment I had received over the past few weeks made me feel less tired, and my appetite had come back. But her blood and whatever else was in this cocktail made me feel like an eighteen-year-old. I wanted to go run a marathon.
“It was the nurse. She wasn’t alone; those two CIA assholes were with her.”
“They have resources to make her disappear. How far behind are we?”
A smile spread across Kat’s face. “Except we are sick of them telling us half-truths. Earlier today, CJ put one of his undetectable wireless stickers on the bottom of their car. He already has the location and sent it to my phone.”
I glanced to my right as the last of the drip went into the tube. When it finished, I didn’t wait for Sawyer to take out the IV. Instead, I yanked the needle out of my arm.
“You need more tests.”
“I’ll be back in a week. I have a woman to catch and an art gala to attend.”
I jumped out of the bed and dropped the medical gown to the floor.
“There is a bathroom you could change in.”
“No time.” I quickly dressed before following Kat and Antonio out the door.
Antonio’s phone connected to the speakers in the SUV. CJ’s voice came in crisp. “I sent the coordinates to the GPS. From surveillance, only the two fuckwads are at the house. The nurse left a little bit ago. I’m tracking her and sent the second team to pick her up. You want me to call the director?”
“Nope. Already sent him a text that he was about to be down two men. He’s blowing up my phone. I will talk to him after we get her back,” Kat answered.
I pulled the letter from my pocket, tempted to read it, but shoved it back away. No matter how much we thought nobody was after her, someone would always be hunting for her. The only way to protect her was for her to have a permanent bodyguard.
The SUV slowed to a stop near the end of a warehouse. I jumped out before Kat and Antonio and opened the back door. I pulled the hatch open of a large black box. I could always count on Kat to have her vehicle fully equipped and ready to go to war. I pulled a Glock from the case and then two smoke bombs. Kat slid next to me, pulling out a second gun and throwing stars.
“Where the hell did you get those?”
“Japan,” she stated like I should know already. I stood back and watched as she pulled a sword from a case and attached it to her side.
“Don’t bother asking where she got the sword. It will leave you with a hell of a lot more questions,” Antonio suggested as he holstered a gun and grabbed a flash bang.
Our phones dinged, and I looked down to find CJ had sent blueprints of the building. It used to be a medical facility ran by the government. We followed Kat to a side door. She picked the lock and pulled it open.
For an abandoned building from the outside, the inside was remodeled and lights illuminated the hall. Antonio pointed to the first right. We could hear two men arguing.
“The director told us to stand down. I told you we should have run this idea by him.”
“We’ve spent years on this case. She is the key to getting our hands on her mother.”
I stepped forward to push my way into the room, but Antonio held up his hand. I was tempted to punch him in the face.
“The entire point of killing Devon was to bring her mom out in the open. If that damn nurse would have sent us the photos earlier, we wouldn’t have had to go that far.”
The boss had enough information. I didn’t want to wait any longer. I pushed into the room to find Sonali on the bed, not moving. The two men reached for their guns, but before they could even pull the trigger, I shot the man to the right, and he dropped. Kat fired next to me, and the other one dropped.
“We could have handled this without having to lug bodies,” Antonio complained.
I rushed to the bed and pulled Sonali into my arms. Her head lolled. They needed her alive if the plan was to bargain, which meant it was only a sedative.
Antonio held out his keys. “Take her to your place. We can clean up the mess. And Paolo.” He patted my arm. “You’re fired. That woman is going to want you at her side twenty-four seven. And before you worry about money, you will get a nice severance for the work you’ve done for us.”
I didn’t wait for my boss to change his mind. When I walked outside, CJ and Asher pulled up. “In the building to the right. Two men down.”
CJ groaned, but they headed in anyway. My only goal was to get Sonali home. I placed her into the SUV and buckled her in. I weaved through traffic, every few minutes reaching over and pressing my fingers to her wrist.
When we reached my place, I pulled her out of the vehicle, carried her to the master bedroom, and laid her on the bed. I stripped down to my boxers and crawled into the bed next to her. The team kept me in the loop via text as they cleaned up the mess. The director apologized, saying he never gave the order to kill Devon. He also promised to stop the search for Sonali’s mom.
But I didn’t believe him. Sonali stirred in the bed next to me, and I rolled her over. Her eyes fluttered open. “Paolo—am I dreaming?”
“Not a dream.”
“What happened?”
“The woman I love tried to run from me.”
Her mouth opened and closed as she stared. “You love me?”
“What other reason did I have to leave my job and move to Paris?”
She reached out and ran her hand over my cheek. “But I did what you told me not to do.”
“I never wanted to put you through pain. You saved me twice. How could I not follow you to the end of the world? I understand this moved fast, and you might need time to have the same feelings.”
She sat up in bed. “What do you mean? I told you I loved you first.”
“I disagree. I have never heard those words come from your sweet lips.”
“Did Sawyer give you the letter?”
I nodded. “I didn’t read it. Whatever you wrote, I wanted you to say it to my face, not in a note while you ran from me.”
She slid over in the bed and climbed on top of me. “I didn’t run from you. I didn’t want to see you disappointed in me.”
My hands crept up her back and tugged at the zipper of her red dress. “I’m not sure I believe you. Maybe you could prove that you really do love me.”
Her fingers trailed down my chest. “Are you serious about coming to Paris?”
I slowly worked my hands up her body, pulling the red fabric with them. She lifted her arms above her head, and I flung her dress to the side. “Do you mind having an unemployed bum living with you in Paris?”
“I have a counteroffer. How about we live in the United States, and I hire you as my bodyguard and assistant. I’m going to need help setting up my business here. There is nothing for me in Paris. I love it here.”
“The only way to sign a deal is with a kiss.”
Sonali leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine. We just signed the agreement to start the next chapter of our life together.