Chapter 26 Kratos #2
Vengeance hasn’t been about me for a long time.
“She sounds exquisite. So what is the issue, then?” he asks, sitting up abruptly and fixing me with a stern look. “Do not tell me you are having problems with having feelings for the boss.”
“No, it’s not that,” I answer before his words actually register, and I realize what I just admitted to.
Shit.
Leave it to Elio to understand faster than anyone else. I suppose that when you grow up in the mafia, you see things differently.
Not for the first time, I thank the universe he’s on our side. I would hate to have him as an enemy.
I quickly try to think of a way to deny what he said, but from the look on his face, I can see the damage is done, and I give up even trying.
“She’s not the problem. It's everyone around her,” I tell him.
“Well, you can always kill anyone else who gets in the way. Dealings of the heart are just as serious, maybe even more serious than the dealings of the streets, brothera,” he says, leaning back in his seat again.
It takes me a moment to understand what he’s saying. I mean, I agree killing them is probably the best choice at this point, but something about the way he worded that doesn’t sit right with me.
“Other men are not the problem either, Elio. The problem is the many, many targets on her back. Not to mention she’s hell-bent on taking down this last ring, which is fine. That was the goal, but not at the cost of her,” I explain with a shake of my head.
I purposefully leave out the fact that there are other men.
Explaining to him that they pose no threat to my relationship with Jade and that I'm okay with sharing her as long as she's happy is something I'm unsure how to do. I’m sure he wouldn’t understand. It sounds crazy even to me, but I’ve never wanted anybody the way I want Jade.
“Ah, yes, strong women are hard to tame, but in my experience, we don’t really want to tame them, do we?” he says with a chuckle, wiggling his brows suggestively, and I can’t help but agree. No, I doubt anyone could tame Jade, but I’m fine with her exactly how she is.
“I have no doubt you two will figure it out. You have been through a lot and come out on top together. And you know how I feel about a good underdog,” he says, and there it is. I knew we wouldn’t leave this meeting without it coming up at least once.
“I’m not such an underdog anymore, old friend,” I tell him, but he just smiles, pushing to his feet, checking his watch.
“Sì, Fratello. You have come far from the days of being an underdog, but it is important that we remember where we come from and that we know who is there when we need them. I have envied you for a long time, unafraid to do what you feel is right and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. People like you are rare, and I cherish our friendship. Should I be able to help with any of your issues in the future, please do not hesitate to call.”
I want to decline his offer. Elio has done more for me and in the name of Vengeance than anyone will ever know, but the sincerity in his words has me nodding my head. With my acceptance, he gives me a sharp nod, and I stand to once again shake his hand and hug him goodbye.
“I look forward to meeting the little domatore di bestie the next time I’m in town,” he says over his shoulder as he exits. While I have no idea what he said, I’m sure it would be something Jade would take as a compliment.
He doesn’t give me time to respond before he’s out the door, and it clicks closed behind him.
I sink into the chair, trying to process what just happened.
The purpose of the meeting was to establish our new club. I did that, but I also confirmed to someone outside our circle that Jade is Froggie. While I trust Elio with my life and hell, even with Jade’s, it wasn’t my secret to tell, and I feel guilt eating at my stomach.
Stealing another glance up at the clock, I find it’s after nine now.
The dinner should be over by now, right?
I honestly have no idea, but I hope so. I can’t remember the last time I was at a fancy dinner, thankfully.
Either way, I can shoot Jade a text, and if she’s still busy, she can answer me when she gets a second.
This isn’t exactly urgent; it's just not something I want to sit on.
I message her, simply asking her to call me when she has a moment. I read the words back after I hit send and realize they sound almost clinical.
Like I’ve just texted a stranger.
Damn, I’m terrible at this shit. I quickly send a second message asking how dinner was, realizing I probably should have asked that before.
The messages go through, but neither shows she’s read or even opened them. After a minute of watching with no change, I drop my phone onto my desk.
Pulling my hair from the bun it’s been in for the better half of the day, I enjoy the release of pressure on my scalp.
I might’ve messed up a bit with Elio, but at the end of the day, he offered his assistance, and that’s something that might come in handy.
I shut down my computer and pocket my phone before grabbing my keys and heading out.
“Night, boss,” Dom says, with a nod from where he stands guard near the stairs.
Usually, I just have him running the floor and watching the club in general on the weekends, but with Elio here, I didn’t want to risk anyone trying to make their way up to us.
Elio might be a friend, but he has enemies of his own, and with how things are going lately, we can't afford anything else being thrown at us.
I clap his shoulder as I walk past. He’s been around long enough to know that meetings take a lot out of me. I wasn’t made for this life, but I’ll keep doing it until I’m not needed anymore.
Gods, I hoped someday I wouldn’t be needed for them; that would be fantastic.
Hopping on my bike, I head toward my apartment. The drive feels like it takes only seconds as my mind thinks about everything and nothing at the same time.
Making it up to my floor, I lock up before peeling off my leather and draping it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. I don’t bother turning the lights on; there's no point. I’m too tired to do much more than undress and pass out.
I check my phone on the way to the bathroom, only to see that Jade still has yet to read either of my texts.
It’s just after ten now, so even while worry creeps in, I rationalize that she could have finished dinner and gone home to bed, much like I am.
If there were any real issues, one of the guys would have called me.
Right?
I take a piss and wash my hands, trying to shake off the concern that will eat away at me if I let it. I’ll give it until morning. If I still haven’t heard anything, I’ll call Rick.
Pushing my wet hands through my hair to smooth back the unruly strands and flip the light off before I head down the hall toward my room. My feet stop just short of the door as a familiar scent hits me like a punch to the face.
Pomegranate.
I’d know that scent anywhere.
“Killer,” I call out as I step into my room and look around. I still don't bother with the light, but it doesn’t matter. My curtains are mostly closed, but there's enough moonlight shining through for me to see.
She appears from the shadows and steps into it.
My breath catches as I look at her standing there before me.
Drenched in moonlight, like a dark offering from the fucking gods.
My eyes assess her on instinct, scanning her over for injuries or anything that could be amiss.
Anything that would have her standing in my room in the late hours of the night like this.
I find nothing of the sort, but what I find is that she’s in nothing but one of my shirts, her hair loose down her back.
It’s fucking huge on her, and I’ll be damned if she’s not adorable and sexy as hell at the same time.
It falls just below her mid-thigh, her very naked mid-thigh, and while it’s about as flattering as a potato sack with the way it threatens to swallow her whole, it’s my shirt.
Somehow, knowing that has something settling in my chest that I’m not sure I’ve ever felt before.
With sheer willpower alone, I force my eyes back up to meet her eyes. The way she’s standing has most of her face hidden in the shadows, but I see enough to know something’s wrong. The fact that she’s here is already a pretty good clue.
“What’s the matter, Killer?” I ask her, staying where I am, and she does the same.
She doesn’t answer me for so long that I start to think she isn’t going to.
“You wanted to talk to me.” She finally says in way of explanation. Her voice is so low that I almost don’t catch it.
I shake my head. “Bullshit, you could’ve just called me, and we both know it,” I tell her, finally giving in and taking a step toward her, testing her reaction.
She doesn’t flinch away, but I feel her eyes on me even though I can’t see them in the dark. Jade is a master of masking her emotions, but I can usually read them in her eyes. I regret not having flicked the light on now.
“Maybe I just wanted to see you?” she says with a simple shrug of her shoulder as if it’s no big deal, and it’s not.
I’ve been the one she's come to for years, but this feels different. This isn’t her shutting down and looking for comfort and safety.
I don’t have to see her eyes to know she’s not manic like she was the other day when we found her in Spencer’s bed.
No, she’s here, and this was a choice, not a fight-or-flight response. That means something.
I quickly push that feeling aside.
Whatever she’s here for, I’m here for her. I swore a long time ago that I would be whatever she needed whenever she needed it, and I won’t let my feelings for her cloud that.
“Is that so?” I ask when I can’t think of anything else to say. It’s not that I don’t believe her. I think she very well could have wanted to see me, but it feels like there’s more.
She nods but doesn’t say a word, and her silence begins to eat at me.