Chapter 13 - Wyatt
Things have been going suspiciously well lately, but in this business, that only lasts for so long before something else creeps up.
And the call delivering the news comes too late at night to be anything other than an inconvenience.
My phone vibrates on the counter while I’m rinsing a glass, and the sound cuts through the quiet space sharply enough to jolt me. The low murmur of the television playing in the other room reaches me, and it’s surprisingly domestic, especially while knowing Elena’s in there, keeping herself busy.
Drying my hands off, I pick it up before I can let it go on for too long, glancing at the screen briefly before placing it against my ear.
“Patch.”
He doesn’t bother with greetings. A dead giveaway.
“The Grimaldis moved.”
Squaring my shoulders, I adjust my grip on the phone. “What now?”
“The smaller shipment sent out tonight has been intercepted on the highway. They left the bigger one, which can only mean they’re testing the waters and letting us know they’re still a player in this game,” he answers, tone lacking his usual humor, given the serious nature of this.
I close my eyes and take a breath for a moment. Of course.
“They didn’t take much, but it was enough to be deliberate,” he continues, steady like I need him to be. “They want your attention.”
“They have it,” I mutter, leaning forward enough to grip the front of the kitchen island.
“You want retaliation?”
“No,” I say without hesitation. “Not yet.”
He pauses, seemingly thrown off by the lack of direct instruction. “Wyatt—”
“Handle it,” I murmur, with more conviction this time. “Have it cleaned up, and keep it quiet. I can’t escalate right now. Not yet, anyway.”
“Understood,” Patch says, well aware of what I require of him. “But you know what this means. We can’t delay for long, especially not if they try again.”
“I do.”
They’re circling, just like all the opportunists in this city do. Once you’re on their radar, they’ll do anything to sniff out weakness. They’ll test my defenses, my patience, and more importantly, my resolve. This won’t stop until they get what they want. More specifically, who.
“But the Grimaldis can wait until I have what I need.”
Without needing to say it outright, Patch already knows what I’m implying.
“When that happens, we’ll give them hell,” he says, close enough to a promise. “I’ll get some guys out here and have it handled.”
“Keep me in the loop if anything changes.”
“Will do, Ghost.”
At that, I scoff, but the corners of my lips pull faintly. He knows how I feel about the nickname, yet he keeps using it against me.
“Smartass.”
A more lighthearted chuckle comes from his side before I end the call with a shake of my head. As serious as the situation is, the moments of levity help.
With that quiet stillness returning to the space, I take a breath and slide the phone into my pocket before leaving the kitchen. My jaw aches from how hard I clench it, and I silently remind myself to relax.
Elena’s still in the living room when I walk in, curled up on the love seat with a blanket draped over her lap. Her eyes flick to me, and she lifts a brow. “Was the call that bad?”
Not wanting to ruin the normalcy I’ve been clinging to against my better judgment, I don’t answer right away. But of course, she’s too perceptive and too persistent to let it go.
“Let me guess,” she continues, tone light enough to almost sound teasing, but I catch those sardonic notes. “One of your enemies has reminded you that your actions have consequences.”
I huff out a breath and stand behind the other sofa. “Something like that.”
Elena holds my gaze, considering her words for a beat. “Should I be worried?”
The question settles a bit deeper than it should, but my resolve still hasn’t faltered. My intentions have remained the same since the night I took her from Vito’s, and even if I shouldn’t care, I don’t plan on letting anyone take advantage of her.
Facing her fully, I say calmly, “No. You shouldn’t be.”
Her lips press together, and her expression shifts into an unimpressed one. “You keep saying that.”
“Because I mean it. I have everything under control.”
Those blue eyes narrow at me, then she scoffs to herself and folds her arms. “That isn’t exactly comforting.”
“I’m not trying to comfort you. I’m stating facts,” I murmur, feeling a lingering ache just beneath the surface, telling me to shield her from all of this.
The instinct only grows more intense the longer I stare at her.
“The Grimaldis interfered with my business, but that’s it.
In this line of work, sabotage is to be expected. ”
Her voice drips with sly amusement, as if she enjoys knowing things aren’t going quite as well as they had been for me. Like she wants to see me buckle under the pressure, just to prove the point that forcing her into marrying me was a mistake.
Maybe it was, but that hasn’t changed my mind yet. It hasn’t stopped me from wanting her by my side, regardless of what that means for me.
She’s pushing it, and as understanding as I am with her, my patience can only go so far.
“Careful,” I warn, taking a step closer.
Elena shrugs, lips barely forming a grin. “I’m just saying…you don’t live a low-risk lifestyle.”
“I don’t. And because of it, I make sure the people under my roof survive it, even if they can’t be bothered to show some gratitude.”
Her gaze sharpens. “What, you want me to start groveling at your feet and thanking you for putting me in this position to begin with?”
“Groveling would be a good start.”
Elena forces out an unamused breath, looking very close to slinging some sort of insult at me. But, for her sake and mine, she holds it in. Something almost thoughtful moves through her eyes. “So then what happens now?”
“Nothing that hasn’t already been happening,” I say plainly.
She looks doubtful. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“You’re telling me your business has been messed with, which is obviously a sign that they haven’t forgotten about what happened that night, and you’re not doing anything about it?”
I shrug. “Not yet, anyway. The time will come.”
“The time for what? For us to get caught in another shoot-out?” She asks, tone more incredulous as she stands, face much closer to mine than it had been. “Maybe you’re not as competent as you like to think you are.”
The words should sting, but getting the chance to drink her in throws me enough to cease any immediate warnings from leaving my mouth. From this close, she’s even more tempting than usual, and with the Grimaldis in the back of my mind, the urge to touch her flares in me.
Forcing myself to focus, I pull in a breath, unable to stop from taking up another step. “They can try whatever they want…the Grimaldis, the Balakins. Anyone who thinks they can pull a fast one on me.”
I watch as Elena’s brows pinch together, almost confused by how close I get. Then, other thoughts and emotions I can’t decipher dance across her face. She swallows.
“Even if you weren’t part of my plans before, I’ve come too far to stop. So no, I’m not concerned. If anyone tries to take you from me, I won’t let them. I won’t give up on you.”
The words surprise even me, but I don’t take them back. I can’t, not while a new wave of heat moves through me, drawn to her startled expression that seems to only emphasize her beauty.
Her eyes widen slightly, not bothering to hide the shock. “You’re saying it like I’m an object.”
“No,” I murmur. “I’m saying it like I’m not willing to lose you.”
“That’s assuming you have me now.”
“Don’t I?” I ask, eyes skimming over her while I watch every subtle change in her face. “You’re here. You’re cooperating. Isn’t that enough?”
“It shouldn’t be enough,” she mumbles, more like she’s quietly scolding herself than me.
Maintaining that proximity, the scant space between us practically hums with tension. But even while Elena tries to glare at me, she doesn’t pull away. If anything, she leans into it, chin lifted with her usual defiance.
“Regardless, you don’t get to decide that. And I’m not a bargaining chip.”
“I know,” I say, matching her softer tone. “And you never have been.”
Her gaze drops to my mouth for a beat—just long enough for me to notice—and something shifts in me.
Without touching her, I lower my head enough to crowd her space, careful not to push the boundary too far. Even while trapped between me and the sofa, she doesn’t try to escape.
Elena’s breaths become shallow, and there’s no mistaking how quickly her chest rises and falls. She swallows, seemingly battling between maintaining her resolve and crumbling. “You’re close to crossing a line.”
Holding her gaze, I take in the inner conflict moving through her, recognizing that lust she’s been trying to mask, only because it looks exactly like mine.
“I crossed it the moment I signed those papers.”
We’re breathing the same air now, and as tempting as it would be to close that space, I force myself not to. I need her to come to me. I need to know she wants this just as badly as I do.
With a spark of heat flickering between us, Elena does exactly that.
Cutting what little distance remains, her lips find mine. It isn’t remotely as careful or gentle as I’ve been imagining, but I don’t stop it. I can’t.
Instead, my hands fall to her hips as I pull her in, lips melding deeply with hers while freeing the tension and denial we’ve been pushing away for long enough. The moment she melts into me and parts her lips, any trace of control vanishes from my system.
Her fingers slide into my hair as she takes what she wants, and the satisfied sound that escapes her goes straight through me, stirring that need I can’t shake.
So long as I feel her lips and taste her mouth, everything else disappears. Even if the Grimaldis have made their first move since everything went down, and even if her family is surely trying to root me out, I don’t care right now.
She fits against me like she was always meant to be there, and that isn’t something I’m willing to ignore.