Chapter Fourteen Caterina
With both trepidation and a peculiar sense of anticipation, I watched as the ink dried on the marriage license bearing both Callum’s and my names. When I tore my gaze from the document to Callum’s, he gave me a genuine smile. “Ready to go home?”
I knew he referred to Boston, not New York. After I’d joined the order, New York was no longer home for me. It possessed too many bad memories as well as monsters who could hurt me. For the second time that day, I repeated, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Go get changed. Nera and the guards have been packing up for us. We’ll leave in the next hour or two.”
I nodded before heading up the stairs. When I got into the bedroom, Nera was closing a suitcase that Callum must’ve purchased for me. At my appearance in the doorway, she smiled. “I left out a dress and a pair of shoes for you.”
“Apparently my new husband likes me in dresses since that’s all he bought for me,” I mused.
“The boss said to buy them because he wasn’t sure if you’d been allowed to wear pants for a long time.” She gave me a knowing look. “He wanted to make sure you were comfortable.”
“That was kind of him,” I replied softly. Once again, it was hard imagining the man who had kidnapped me and forced me into marriage could be thoughtful and compassionate. As much as I hated to admit it, he’d been more considerate than cruel.
“It was.”
Turning my back to her, I asked, “Would you do me the honors again?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
Just as Nera started with the first button, Callum burst through the door. At my sharp intake of breath, he barked, “We have to go. Now!”
“What’s happened?”
“Your father and some of his Sicilian relatives are on the way.”
As my eyes widened, Nera’s hand came over her mouth. “Are my brothers with my father?” I asked.
“No. They’re in Palermo.”
That simple fact told me everything I needed to know about what awaited me should my father catch us. While I rushed to the doorway, Callum grabbed my luggage off the bed. Talking directly to me, Nera said, “Tell him I know a way out of town that will buy you some time.”
Callum shot a questioning look between me and Nera. “What’s she saying?”
“She knows a way for us to get out safely.”
His harsh gaze narrowed on Nera. “Do you think we can trust her?”
After translating to Nera, I strode back over to grab her hands in mine. “We can trust you, can’t we?”
She nodded. “I have no love for your father’s relatives in Sicily. We align with the Malgieri’s, and I heard this morning they’ve aligned with the Kavanaugh’s.”
“Caterina, now!” Callum barked.
“You’ll need to come along with us to show us the way. We don’t have time to write anything down.” As Nera chewed on her bottom lip while wringing her hands, I added, “Please. I’ll make sure that you and your family are rewarded.”
After a quick nod of her head, I grabbed her arm. “She’s coming with us.”
“Then let’s go. Now.”
Nera and I hurried out the bedroom door with Callum close on our heels. Considering her age, I felt bad pushing her to go faster down the stairs. But with each step I took, I could feel my father’s hot breath on my neck.
An even larger SUV than the one we took from the airport sat waiting right outside the door. Oddly, I couldn’t help lamenting all the beautiful flowers it had crushed along the pathway before I refocused on the task at hand. All of the Kavanaugh men were inside the SUV, and they were all armed.
After Nera got into the front seat with the driver, Callum grabbed my arm. “How do I know you two aren’t plotting against me?”
“You don’t. You’re going to have to trust me.”
“Don’t disappoint me, Kitten.”
“I won’t.”
Callum’s hands came to my waist before hoisting me up onto the seat. Once I was in, he slid in beside me. “Drive,” he commanded.