Chapter 43 Vin
Vin
Dr. Rossi’s hands are steady as he examines the gash on Sophie’s temple, but mine won’t stop shaking.
I shove them in my pockets so no one sees, not Matti watching me with those calculating eyes, not Tommy pacing like a caged animal, and definitely not Sophie who’s gone quiet in a way that scares the shit out of me.
“It’s superficial,” Rossi says, dabbing antiseptic that makes her flinch. My hand goes to her shoulder before I can stop myself. “No concussion, but she’s in shock. Keep her warm, hydrated, and watch for delayed symptoms.”
“Vin.” Matti’s voice cuts through the roar of flames and shouting firefighters. “We need to talk.”
I don’t move. No fucking way I’m leaving Sophie’s side. She’s sitting on the back of the ambulance, a silver blanket wrapped around her shoulders, soot smeared across her cheek, staring at the fire like it’s a funeral pyre. To her, it probably is.
“Vin,” Matti says again, louder.
“Not now.”
“Yes, now.” He grabs my arm and I rip away from him, my hand going to my gun before I remember where I am. Tommy steps between us, hands raised.
“Easy,” Tommy says. “We’re on the same side here.”
Are we? Because right now all I want to do is put a bullet in Aurelio’s skull and anyone else who had anything to do with this.
Matti’s jaw is tight. “We need men watching her. Four rotating shifts, armed, experienced. Two on the house, one on her car, one mobile.”
I nod, irritated. I fucking know this. I pull out my phone. “No shit.”
“And you need to stay away from her.”
My head snaps up. “The fuck I do.”
“It’s my wife’s cousin, Vin.” Matti gestures to Sophie, sitting quietly at the edge of the ambulance with Rossi. “Her restaurant just got firebombed because Aurelio knows she’s connected to you. You think keeping her close makes her safer?”
“The mistake was leaving her alone. I’m not doing that again.”
“She wasn’t fully inside when it happened. She would have been if she hadn’t come out to the car with Siena. She’s alive because she wasn’t there. Don’t you want to keep it that way? Put distance between—”
“No.” The word comes out flat, final. “She stays with me.”
Tommy stops pacing. “Vin—”
“She. Stays. With. Me.” I look between my brothers, my underboss and consigliere, the two men I trust more than anyone. “I’ll move to a new safe house, somewhere Aurelio doesn’t know about, but I’m not leaving her alone and vulnerable.”
Matti and Tommy exchange a look. Finally, Matti sighs. “I’ll find you a safe house. Give me two hours.”
“One.”
“Fine. One.” He pulls out his phone, already dialing. “But when this is over and Aurelio’s in the ground, you’ve got to leave her alone. She’s fucking family; she means more than your average fuck.”
I glare at him. He doesn’t need to fucking tell me what what she means.
Dr. Rossi finishes with Sophie and packs his bag. I move to her immediately, kneeling in front of the ambulance so we’re eye level. Her gaze is still on the fire.
“Regina,” I say softly.
Nothing.
“Sophie.” I cup her face, turn her toward me. Her eyes are glassy, unfocused. “Look at me.”
She blinks slowly, like she’s waking up. When her eyes finally meet mine, it fucking breaks me.
“It’s gone,” she whispers.
“I know.”
“Everything I built. Everything—” Her voice breaks and she stops, pressing her lips together hard, fighting back tears. She’s always so fucking strong even when she shouldn’t have to be.
“We’ll rebuild it,” I tell her, the words out before I think them through. “Bigger. Better. Whatever you want.”
“Vin—”
“I mean it.” I grip her hands, small and cold in mine. “You want a restaurant? I’ll buy you a whole fucking building. You want—”
“I want to go home.”
Home. She means her house, the shitbox with the refinished coffee table and the bed I put together and the kitchen where she makes me food that tastes like fucking love.
“Not yet, but I’m taking you somewhere safe where no one can touch you. Okay?”
She nods, so tired her shoulders curve inward. I stand and lift her into my arms. She doesn’t protest, just tucks her face into my neck and breathes.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur against her hair. “I’ve got you, baby.”
**
Matti’s safe house is in Red Hook, a warehouse converted into a loft with industrial windows and exposed brick and enough security to hold off a small army. I carry Sophie inside, past the guards Matti stationed at the entrance, and up the metal stairs to the second floor.
She hasn’t said a word since we left the Arsenal.
I take her straight to the bathroom, pulling the blanket away. There’s soot on her clothes and blood on her temple where Rossi put the butterfly bandage. A bruise is forming on her shoulder where she said she fell when the blast threw her.
“Time to clean up,” I say.
She nods but doesn’t move. Fuck, this looks like combat shock, her brain shutting down to protect itself. Aurelio used to get like this after particularly brutal jobs, just sitting in his chair and staring at the wall for hours.
I never knew what to do then. I still don’t, but I try anyway.
I turn on the shower until steam fills the space. She stands there, not undressing, not doing anything, so I do it for her. I peel off her shirt, her bra, slide her jeans down her legs. She steps out of them mechanically for me.
When I start to take off my own clothes, she finally speaks. “You don’t have to—”
“I know.” I strip down and lead her under the spray. Hot water pouring over us both, turning the tile gray with ash and soot. I grab soap, work it into a lather, and wash her, every inch of her while she stands there and lets me.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
She blinks up at me, water running down her face. “For what?”
“This. All of it. The Arsenal. Putting you in danger. I should have—”
I should have what? Stayed away? Never touched her? Left her alone to cook for people who don’t deserve her?
Probably. But I didn’t. And now she’s here, covered in ash from a bomb because of me, and I can’t bring myself to honestly regret it.
“It’s not your fault,” she says softly.
“It is.”
“Aurelio did this, right? Not you.”
“He did it to get to me.” I tilt her face up, make her look at me. “You understand that, right? As long as you’re with me, you’re a target. As long as I’m alive, everyone I care about is in danger.”
Her eyes search mine. “Are you saying you care about me, Vincenzo?”
In any other situation, even with her, I would lie. But the way she’s looking at me, I can’t.
“You know the answer to that, Sophia,” I say roughly.
Her expression shifts, determination in her jaw. “Then I guess we’re both in danger.”
I don’t know what to say to that. So I kiss her, soft at first, then deeper, one hand cradling the back of her head while water pours over us both. She kisses me back, her hands coming up to grip my shoulders, and for a moment the world narrows to just this. Just us.
When I pull back, she’s crying. Silent tears mixing with shower water.
“I worked so hard,” she whispers. “Ten years. Everything I had went into that place. And now it’s just… gone.”
“We’ll get it back.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Yes, I fucking can.” I press my forehead to hers. “I’m going to fix this, Sophie. I’m going to make this right. And I’m going to kill the man who did this to you.”
“Vin—”
“No arguments. Not on this. Aurelio dies for what he’s done. To you. To my family. To everyone he’s ever fucking touched.”
She doesn’t try to stop me. She just nods and lets me hold her under the spray.
When the water runs cold, I towel her off, wrap her in one of the thick robes hanging on the back of the door. She’s shivering despite the steam, so I carry her to the bedroom and tuck her under the covers. It’s just starting to get dark but she looks wiped out.
“Try to sleep,” I tell her.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere. I’ll be right here.”
I start to pull a chair over but she grabs my wrist. “In bed. Please.”
The way she’s looking at me is different. Not just sweet anymore. But like I’m hers. I lose the robe, climb in beside her in just my boxers. She immediately curls into me, her head on my chest, one leg hooked over mine.
“Don’t leave me alone,” she murmurs.
“Never.”
“Promise?”
The word sticks in my throat. I’ve never promised anyone anything. Promises are weaknesses. But Sophie isn’t just anyone.
“I promise,” I say into her hair. “I’m not leaving you alone again. I’ll always make sure that you’re safe and protected.”
She’s quiet for so long I think she’s fallen asleep. Then she shifts, sliding down my body until her face is level with my cock. She nuzzles against it through my boxers, her breath warm.
“Sophie, you don’t have to—”
“I need this,” she whispers. “Please. I need to feel close to you.”
How can I say no to that?
I slide my boxers down and she takes me in her mouth, her lips soft around my shaft, her eyes already half-closed.
Fucking incredible how she does that. It’s not sexual. It’s a deeper connection, and I’ve never fucking felt this close with anyone in my life.
I stroke her hair, smooth it back from her face. “That’s it, baby. That’s my good girl. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
She makes a small sound around my cock, relaxing further. Her breathing starts to even out, slow and steady, falling asleep with me in her mouth like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
And maybe for us, it is.
Us.
I should be thinking about Aurelio. About the war, the ports, the Irish and their mysterious promise.
But all I can think about is the woman in my arms and how much I want to wrap her in steel and keep her safe from everything, including myself. The woman who is already asleep, trusting me completely even though I’ve given her a 100 reasons not to.
I lie there in the dark, one hand in her soft hair, feeling her warm breath against my skin, and make a silent vow.
Aurelio Demonio dies. Soon. Violently. And after he’s gone, I’m going to give Sophie everything she’s ever wanted. A new restaurant. A safe life. And I’m going to be the man who deserves her, even if I have no idea how to do that. I’ll figure it out. For her, I’ll figure out anything.