Chapter 16 Constantine #2
“Rocco was not the emperor, so men are not as loyal to him as they were to you. When you fled, everyone else did the same. They stopped believing in the empire the moment you did. Everything has come crashing down in an avalanche of stone. Rocco continues to fight alongside those who remain, but we’re greatly outnumbered.
Only the return of the emperor will give people hope again. ”
“The day I came to the Pantheon, I told you we needed to remove Darius from power. Did I not?”
He sat back in the chair and crossed his legs.
“And you told me it would be foolish to start a war.”
He stared.
“We both know you remember that. And you chose momentary peace over the discomfort of war. You chose to ignore the problem, despite its exponential growth with every passing year. All of this has happened because you were too much of a coward to take the first swing when we had the chance. Don’t blame the fall of the Roman Empire on me when you’re just as responsible for its destruction.
Don’t call me a coward for choosing exile when you were a coward long before I was.
Don’t give me a history lesson when you omit the facts from your lecture. ”
Crow said nothing as he stared me down like his enemy instead of his former ally.
“It kills me to hear all this, but my place is here in Taormina. My woman is pregnant with our first child, and there’s no way in hell that I would risk either of them by returning to Rome.
I sacrificed the empire for her life, so you’d be foolish to think I would risk her life by trying to save it. ”
“Perhaps she would feel differently if she knew what had become of her home.”
“Wouldn’t make a difference. She could beg me to go, and I wouldn’t even get out of this chair.
We both know what Darius is capable of. He wouldn’t fight me head on but go around me to her like he has before.
He would grab her by the neck and choke her while he cut my child out of her belly.
This time, my pleas wouldn’t stop him, because he let me go once, but he wouldn’t let me go again.
So there’s no fucking way I would ever go back.
Call me a coward and an asshole and whatever else you want, but I won’t change my mind. ”
A veil of frustration had lowered across his irritated eyes, but he didn’t give voice to it.
Just stared me down like he wanted to strangle me but knew I’d snap his neck the second he tried.
He eventually looked away and stared out at the sea as he tried to regroup his thoughts.
He probably didn’t expect to fail so spectacularly.
I heard Medusa get up from where she lay on the tile and move to the door. My eyes followed her to see Aurelia standing there in the open doorway, still in her work clothes, her face free of makeup because she hadn’t had anything at my mother’s house.
My heart gave a jolt at the sight of her, a V12 engine that came to life in a shipping semi.
I was on my feet instantly and headed toward her like I hadn’t seen her just yesterday, like she hadn’t told me she loved me only a few hours ago.
I wished President Barsetti hadn’t stopped by at the worst possible time, but I moved right to her like I didn’t care.
Her eyes glanced at President Barsetti before they flicked back to me. “Is that the president—”
I slid my hand straight into her hair, and I kissed her like he wasn’t there.
Her lips hesitated before she gripped my wrist, her head back to accommodate the angle of my mouth.
My back blocked our embrace from his sight, but I highly doubted he wanted to watch anyway.
I kissed her hard before I let her go, before I looked into eyes that appeared glazed by my passion.
“You’re right, I fucked up. I’m sorry.” I never apologized to be diplomatic.
Only apologized when I meant it. So this apology was sincere and blossomed from deep within my heart.
Whatever tendrils of anger she held on to seemed to slide between her fingertips. “It’s okay, Constantine. I’m sorry I interrupted your conversation.”
“You can interrupt any conversation you want.”
“But . . .” Her eyes glanced back to Crow behind me. “But he’s the president.”
“Like I give a damn.” I was just happy she was home, that she was back with me and Medusa, that this stupid fight was over. When she’d pissed me off, I’d turned my back on her and ignored her calls. She never once did that to me through this, and now I felt guilty for how I’d acted in the past.
“I’m going to shower,” she said. “We’ll talk after he’s gone.”
I’d rather join her in the shower than talk to that prick.
“All right.” My arm circled her lower back, and I pulled her in for a kiss and an ass grab before I let her go.
I returned to Crow, where he remained seated at the table, drinking his wine and watching the sea stretch out over the horizon to the mainland in the distance. “Are we done here?”
He swirled the rest of his wine in the bottom of the glass before he finished it off. “We both know you’re the only one who can stop Darius.”
“Really? Because we’re in this situation because he outsmarted and outmaneuvered me in the first place. He’s an irrational psychopath, but make no mistake, he’s smarter than you give him credit for.”
“And you understand that better than anyone, Constantine.” He rose to his feet and buttoned the front of his suit. “Think it over.”
“Told you I already made my decision.”
He started to walk away. “I’m sure if you turned on the news, you’d feel differently.”