28. Manuel
TWENTY-EIGHT
MANUEL
“ W e’re going to see a doctor first,” I told Athena as she slumped back into her seat. Her pale complexion didn’t escape me, and I worried she might have suffered from a concussion.
I couldn’t help but be furious at myself for letting her return to her apartment—alone—after Reina’s engagement party. If I hadn’t gone to see Cesar to prove a goddamn point, she would’ve been safe in my arms. Truthfully, I should have taken her away the first time the Triads came for her. If I had, they wouldn’t have hurt her. I had no idea what she suffered at their hands before I got there. I needed to find out what happened during that whole incident—and then I’d take her to my castle and I’d hunt them all down.
But first I’d ensure she was comfortable and taken care of. I examined her as best I could and found no bruises or cuts, but that didn’t eliminate internal damage.
My blood simmered again at the thought.
The engine hummed and she sighed as she made herself comfortable on the seat and turned so she could see me, tucking a hand under her cheek.
“Stop letting your imagination run wild,” she muttered.
“I’ll have a doctor examine you. Case closed.” I cleared my throat. My adrenaline was still spiked from the attack, and concern for her clouded my brain.
I knew full well that Athena made me vulnerable. And no matter what we told Danil, now he knew it too. That’s why I needed her close, until I could ensure her safety.
“They roughed me up a bit, but I promise you, I’m okay,” she retorted. “Don’t worry, I’m still up for sex.”
I let out a sardonic breath.
“I do love your humor,” I said, a spark in her eyes flaring to life. “The days are long without you.”
“You just saw me.”
“And we had to sneak around. No more hiding this,” I gritted, grinding my back teeth together. “I’m too old for that shit.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not that old.”
“Old enough to make you see a doctor one way or the other,” I leaned in to say, pecking her cheek.
Her eyes flashed.
“It’s in your best interest not to mistake me for an obedient woman, Manuel.” I returned my eyes to the road, driving but she leaned over the center console, her teeth coming to my neck. “In fact, any man who thinks he can boss me around will be sorely disappointed.”
And then she bit me, marking me as hers.
Game. Set. Match. Fuck, I was gone for this woman.
But nonetheless, I would win this battle of wills.
Reaching out with my free hand, I gripped her nape. “I agree, amorina . I’d be an idiot not to acknowledge your strength, especially after what happened tonight, but this is your health we’re talking about. I won’t negotiate when it comes to your well-being.”
Two heartbeats passed and she sighed.
“Fine, doctor it is.”
I rewarded her with a quick peck on her mouth. “I knew you’d come around.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed the doctor. “Be ready for us in thirty minutes,” I told him, and then I hung up before he could respond.
While I drove to the doctor’s secret location, my thoughts drifted to Danil. Running into him in front of Athena’s apartment was unexpected. Did he know she was his half sister? Was he working with his father? I didn’t trust Atticus; he was in the habit of stabbing his allies in the back, but from everything I’d heard, Danil took his role as the head of the Balkan mafia seriously. He was a fair businessman.
However, I wasn’t willing to test that theory with Athena’s life.
Between the Triads and Danil, the risk was too great that someone didn’t have her best interest at heart. The former had dared to touch my woman, and the latter was too secretive about his intentions.
And then there was the issue of Alexandra.
My gut warned me she was at the center of it all, along with Atticus’s screw-up when he decided to fuck Lykos over, knowing he didn’t tolerate human trafficking. But why was Athena the one in the firing line and not her mother?
Cazzo , none of it made sense.
Glancing over at Athena, I found her fast asleep. She looked exhausted, but still somehow glowing. I wanted her so badly that my teeth ached with it.
Returning my eyes to the road, I dialed up Enrico.
He answered on the third ring. “ Sì ?”
“Did I wake you?”
“Little too late to be concerned about that, don’t you think?”
I let out a sardonic breath. “Payback for all the times you’ve woken me up.”
“ Che è successo ?” What happened?
I took a deep breath before responding in Italian. “The Triads attacked Athena again.”
“They’re really going after her,” he pointed out the obvious. “Where did it happen?”
“In her apartment again. Then, to make matters worse, when we were leaving, I ran into Danil Popov and his shadow, Soren.”
He let out a string of curses before responding. “Is she okay?”
“ Sì , but I’m taking her to the doctor just to be sure.” I tapped my fingers on my knee. “I need a favor.”
“ Dimmi .” Tell me.
Whenever he needed help, whatever it was, I was there for him and vice versa. We were family and friends. We always had each other’s backs.
“Can you see if you can extract any more information from Lykos? I need to know what I’m dealing with here. Why is Danil interested in Athena? Why are the Triads being so relentless?”
“I’ll reach out to him first thing,” my nephew said.
“Keep me updated,” I said, not caring that he could hear how crazy I was for this woman. “Whatever he wants, make sure he considers it done.”
I intended to protect Athena with all I had. I was done fighting the depth of my feelings for her. Instead, I’d make sure every threat she faced was eliminated.
“I’m glad you found someone,” Enrico said after a few heartbeats of silence. “It’s about fucking time.”
I chuckled softly, careful not to wake my passenger. “I don’t think she’d agree. She views it as a fling.”
“She’ll learn soon enough,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“She will.” I’d show her what a future with me could look like. How happy I could make her. “I’ll talk to you later.”
I ended the call and continued driving, making my way out of the city. I shifted in my seat and tried to concentrate on tonight.
When we finally arrived at the compound, I opened the door for Athena and guided her to her feet. She didn’t speak, her movements sluggish, as she placed her hand in mine and followed wearily.