Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Angelo could still taste Kara on his lips.
It was more powerful of a drug than anything the nurses or doctors had given him here at the hospital.
It was certainly more powerful than the morphine that had been raging in his system and had played a role in his desire to kiss her so soon when he’d known it could send her running.
It had seemed like such a great idea at the time…
He knew he had risked scaring her when he had pulled her head down for a kiss, but God, it had been worth it.
Of course now that the nurse had adjusted his morphine drip, his head was clearing up a bit and with that came the knowledge that he’d pushed her too far.
He needed to be someone she trusted, not someone who pushed her boundaries and created a power imbalance between them.
He was also careful not to overstep, but with Kara he’d just leapt right over the edge and followed his desires.
She’d responded so eagerly, so much so that he felt sure that she’d wanted him to kiss her, she’d even lightly dared him to.
Surely she wouldn’t have done that if she’d felt merely obligated to indulge him simply because he had promised to protect her.
Angelo replayed that kiss in his mind and closed his eyes, letting the memory wash over him in all of its intoxicating details.
When her curtain of red hair had fallen around their faces just before he had closed his eyes, he had been captive to Kara, trapped within a world that held only her face, her name. And he never wanted to leave.
If his niece hadn’t interrupted them, he might have kissed Kara until the stars fell from the sky. He’d had wonderful, sensual, powerful kisses from other lovers, ones that had changed him for the better, but none had been like this.
Knowing that had shaken him to his very foundation and made him question the nature of his reality.
Kissing Kara could not be real, yet it had been because while he’d had vivid dreams before, this was beyond that.
He had felt the caress of her hair against his face, the little pattern of uneven breaths that escaped her lips, felt the hum of her body as she had kissed him back with a hesitant, but excited play of her tongue with his.
In that last moment when their lips had parted, he had seen fear in her eyes. But not the kind of fear connected to her father. Maybe he was crazy, but he thought he saw a fear of wanting something too much, or perhaps it was a fear of losing something.
He needed to know what frightened her, but he knew she wouldn’t tell him.
His Irish treasure had secrets fathoms deep, so deep he may never be able to dive deeply enough to discover them all.
He would never stop trying to reach her, to understand her, to know her.
Knowing another person in a relationship was just as important as the spark of attraction.
With Kara it seemed everything was the opposite of what he was used to.
In the past, he’d chased and longed for a spark, while managing to learn about his romantic partners and enjoying that.
There had never been the spark of true fire, he’d felt something was missing.
Now with Kara… he had sparks in abundance, but would he ever get the chance to know her as deeply as he’d known the women he’d been with in the past?
What were her hopes, her dreams, her secret longings?
He craved that knowledge, wanted to know everything, but how could he get her to open up to him?
He closed his eyes, as his own deep longing made his chest ache. Kara was a Christmas gift, one he’d never imagined he would have received. That was the truth. She’d come into his life with danger and drama, but he knew she was worth whatever came his way. And he would do anything to protect her.
Angelo’s phone vibrated and he saw Jared’s name on the screen.
He hit the answer button. “Merry Christmas!”
Jared chuckled. “You sound better. Did your family drop by to see you?”
“They did.”
“Glad to hear it. Okay, I have two pieces of news, good and bad. Which do you want first?”
“Er… Good?” Angelo guessed.
“Thad proposed to Veronica. That Cinderella themed proposal he planned at Disney World went off without a hitch. They are flying home tomorrow morning.”
That was something to be thankful for. Thad had been planning that for the last month, and was terrified Veronica would find it corny.
But Lyra, Thad’s co-conspirator and Veronica’s adorable four-year old daughter, had insisted it would work.
It looked like she had been right. Thad, once a charming playboy who’d never dated the same girl twice, was now getting married.
Angelo had been wanting Thad to find that kind of happiness for so long, and now he finally had.
“That’s wonderful,” Angelo said. He could only hope he’d be so lucky someday.
“He plans to come straight to the hospital when he gets back, if you’re still here.”
“Hopefully I’m not. So what’s the bad news?”
“I’m guessing you haven’t seen the local news today?”
Angelo stared at the TV that he hadn’t turned on even once in his room. “No.”
“One of the local police departments announced that one of their officers was attacked. His uniform and car were stolen. They found the car abandoned, but no uniform or weapons were recovered.”
“So the man who attacked me wasn’t a cop,” Angelo guessed.
“Yeah. After your encounter with him, he may or may not abandon that uniform. We won’t know for sure. At least we know he’s not a police officer. That works in our favor. It means we can get their help regarding Kara.”
Angelo sighed. “I’m afraid it’s not that easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“I talked to Kara earlier today. I got her to tell me about herself.”
“Oh?”
“She’s not in witness protection. She is the daughter of an Irish mobster named Sean O’Brien.” Angelo quickly relayed to Jared what Kara had told him.
“Sean O’Brien,” Jared murmured. “Let’s see what I can dig about that. Is he Chicago mob?”
Angelo thought back. “New York and Dublin.”
“Got it.” Angelo heard a keyboard clicking in the background as Jared typed.
“She said he died less than a year ago. She also thinks he has connections just about everywhere, including the Chicago police.”
“Okay,” Jared replied and then he hissed out a breath.
“Shit, Angelo. You should see what came up in the search history for O’Brien.
This guy was bad news. There’s over a dozen court cases, newspaper articles…
yep, allegations of police on the take… But he’s dead, so why would his men still be coming after Kara? ”
“Her mother said he may have promised to give Kara to his second-in-command. Kara guessed that’s what they are after, that she is a prize they were promised.”
“So… you’re telling me we’re going up against the Irish mob, and we can’t get the police involved?” Jared replied. “Just want to be clear here.”
“Looks like.”
Angelo’s heart warmed when Jared said “we” without question or hesitation.
Years ago, his mother and father had sent him to an expensive boarding school so he could have some time to himself.
As the oldest of his siblings, he’d been saddled with a lot of responsibilities helping to raise his younger brothers, and his parents had wanted to give him some freedom to discover himself before going to college.
His younger brothers had matriculated at a local public school, but Angelo had thrived at the private boarding school.
He’d roomed with Thad and Jared throughout Senior year in a three bedroom suite in the dorms, and they’d become their own version of the three musketeers.
Those bonds were still as strong as ever.
Neither Jared nor Thad would leave him hanging, even if Angelo took on the entire Irish mob.
He didn’t take that bond of loyalty lightly and felt the weight of responsibility it carried.
Angelo had to do everything in his power to keep Kara safe, and his friends and families safe.
“Fortunately, Roarke got back to me, and was eager to help once he heard what happened. He’s going to send a man to stay outside of your hospital door with you until you’re released. He’s also sending one to your house to keep an eye on your family and Kara.”
“Thanks.” He made a note to schedule Roarke and Shana a private dining experience on the house once he was feeling better. Come to think of it, he’d love to take Kara there and cook dinner for her.
Jared continued, unaware of Angelo’s straying thoughts.
“I’ll do some more digging. We need to know who’s in charge now that O’Brien is dead,” Jared said and then paused.
“I know you aren’t going to like this, but…
” Jared paused for a moment. “Don’t get mad at me for suggesting this, but maybe you should talk to the Cabrini Kings?
I know they eat at your restaurant all the time. You have a relationship with them.”
“I cook their food. That’s it.” Angelo didn’t want to think about the Cabrinis. They were a dangerous family. Whatever help they’d offer, it would come with a price.
“Angelo, just hear me out. I’m not saying you should ask them for a favor. We both know that doesn’t end well. But if they happened to hear that O’Brien’s people are sniffing around, they might take an interest in helping keep the Westies off their turf.”
Angelo heaved a sigh. “I’ll think about it.” He really didn’t want to get tangled with the Italian mob.
The Cabrini family was comprised of four members, three brothers and one sister.
The brothers were notoriously dangerous, but they also had a code of honor, as twisted as it was, and held fast to it.
Angelo had made it clear that when they dined at his restaurant, they were not to talk business or close business deals.
They hadn’t been pleased, but they had respected his conditions.
They had a long standing monthly family dinner on Sunday nights in one of his private back rooms.