CHAPTER 23 #2
“I hear you,” he nodded, then he pulled me closer until my front was pressed against his.
One of his hands landed against my butt, pulling me up until my core met with his thigh, then he leaned down and kissed me again.
I reached up to loop my arms over his shoulders, and became lost in the moment.
He kissed like he made love – controlled, intense, and skilled.
I was so wrapped up in him and in the lust flooding my system that I didn’t hear the office door open. Dio mustn’t have either because one minute we were entangled in a moment of utter heaven, and the next hands grabbed my hips and I was ripped backwards.
I cried out and instinctively turned to attack whoever had hands on me, but I pulled back the hit I had planned when I realised it was Rafe.
“Rafe?” I gasped, but he’d already set me down a few feet from Dio, and he was storming for the man himself now.
“Rafe, just calm down. We need to…”
The sound of Rafe’s first blow was sickening. A loud crack followed by blood. Dio stumbled back, raising his hand in defence of himself.
“RAFE!” I screamed. I ran around him and placed myself before Dio, standing strong as I stared my brother down, telling him with every inch of tension in my face he had to go through me before he touched Dio again. “Just stop!” I snapped. “What are you doing up?”
He was dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt, just like he was ready to go to work, but now blood splattered his pale blue shirt.
His fists were clenched at his sides, his chest heaving with how hard he was breathing, his teeth gritted.
He looked feral and I had to admit, it scared me, but not for me, for Dio.
“Rafe. We were going to tell you,” Dio said. I glanced behind me and saw him wiping blood from under his nose with the back of his hand.
“You piece of shit. I trusted you!” Rafe growled. He went to lunge forward and I moved, anticipating it and held out my hands to stop him.
“Baby, no!” Dio yelled. I turned to look at him and Rafe knocked me off balance as he charged past me. As I stumbled to the ground, Rafe threw himself at Dio and started hitting him repeatedly.
“NO! RAFE! STOP!” I screamed as loud as I could.
I scrambled back to my feet and surged forward, jumping at Rafe in an attempt to get on his back, confident he would stop if him carrying on risked hurting me, but it was badly timed and I caught one of Rafe’s elbows to the right side of my face as he and Dio fought and struggled.
I stumbled back from the hard hit, right into waiting arms that wrapped around me and pulled me into a warm chest.
“It’s just me,” Cal told me as he picked me up enough to move me away from the fight and over near the door.
“ENOUGH!” Arran’s booming voice roared and when I looked over he was in the midst of it all, trying to pull Rafe away. “Rafe, ye’ve just hit yer sister in the fuckin’ face, ye eejit!” Arran growled.
That seemed to give Rafe pause and as soon as he stopped hitting, Dio rolled from beneath him and surged to his feet, backing away.
He hadn’t been fighting back and as a result his face was a bloody mess.
Arran ripped Rafe to his feet by the top of his arm and shoved him back until he collapsed on the sofa in there.
There wasn’t a mark on Rafe, but his shirt was ripped and he could barely breathe.
“Cara?” Dio looked at me with panic.
“I’m okay,” I lied. I was cradling my throbbing cheek, tears falling down my face at the disaster unfolding before me. Was this the moment I would be forced to choose between the men I loved and my brother?
“She’s not okay. She’s shaking like a leaf and she took a really hard elbow to the face!” Cal barked, sounding so uncharacteristically angry.
“You’re a fucking dead man!” Rafe pushed out as he fought to breathe, pointing a threatening finger at Dio. “She’s like your fucking sister, you sick fuck!”
“Rafe, stop! Please,” I cried as I looked over to him.
It was like he hadn’t even realised I was there, but when he looked up and saw me, his face softened and guilt filled it.
“I’m sorry Gioia. I never should have allowed this to happen. He’s taken advantage of you under my damn roof!”
“He’s done no such thing,” I sighed as I pulled free of Cal’s arms and stood firm opposite my brother.
“Dio and I fell in love. We didn’t mean for it to happen.
The last thing I was looking for was a relationship, but it just happened, Rafe.
He never took advantage of me. Maybe try and credit me with the ability to know my own mind,” I told him with annoyance.
“But Cal? I thought you…” Rafe looked to Cal, who just looked pissed as hell with my brother.
“We’re together,” I nodded. “I love him too. And Arran. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you, Rafe. We planned to, but then you got shot and we didn’t want this to happen. We didn’t want you to damage your recovery throwing an idiotic macho stunt like this.”
“Idiotic? You tell me three men under my fucking roof have seduced you into some perverted relationship, and you think I acted idiotic?” Rafe fumed. “We’re way past that, sweetheart. I’m murderous right now. I suggest you start saying some goodbyes.”
“Rafe…” Dio cut in, but I held up my hand, cutting him off. I needed to handle this and I knew it. Rafe was just seeing red, not sense, and I had a feeling I was the only person who could maybe calm him down.
“Do you love me Rafe?” I asked him plainly.
“You know I do.”
“Why did you bring me here…to London? Why did you insist I come to live with you when I was resolved to stay in Chicago?”
“Because I wanted you safe. You weren’t safe there. I wanted you with me, where I could protect you and give you the life you deserved. I didn’t realise I was bringing you into further abuse,” he bit out as he glared between all of my guys.
“Watch yer fuckin’ mouth, Rafe. We’d never hurt her an’ ye damn well know it!” Arran stepped forward like he was going to go for Rafe, but Cal caught his arm and pulled him back.
“He’s right. None of them have ever hurt me.
I know what abuse is Rafe, intimately. What I have with Cal, Arran and Dio is the complete opposite.
” I stepped forward and crouched down before Rafe, resting my hands on his knees.
His whole body was vibrating and his fists were still clenched.
“You brought me home with you because you wanted me to be happy. You wanted me to find a future that would make me leave behind the nightmare of my past, didn’t you?
You wanted me to be safe, loved, and happy? ”
“Yeah,” he laughed bitterly. “I fucked that up royally, didn’t I?”
“We’re not going back to the blame game right now,” I sighed. “We’ve been there and it gets us nowhere.”
“I wanted better for you,” he told me.
“Better than three men you trust with your life? Three men who are devoted to me, who do everything they can to take care of me and make me smile? Better than men who are strong enough to protect me from this shitty dangerous life we got trapped in at birth?” I pushed.
“I know you feel betrayed, Rafe, but it’s misplaced.
I’m an adult and I fell for all of them just like they fell for me.
They wanted to tell you as soon as we realised it was going somewhere, but then you got shot.
They haven’t done anything wrong. I love them and I need them.
I don’t see a future for myself without all of them in it, and before them I never saw a future at all. ”
“You’ve known me all my life, brother,” Dio spoke up. “And you’ve known Arran and Cal since they were kids. Do you really think we’d do anything to coerce your sister? Do you even think she’d allow that to happen? She’s incredibly intelligent, and she knows her own mind.”
“You accepted me and Cara being together. Why is it so different that she loves Dario and Arran too?” Cal asked.
“Because he doesnae think we’re good enough,” Arran growled.
“You’re wrong, Arran,” Rafe sighed, looking suddenly exhausted, “It’s not that.
Cal is going to be a doctor. He’s going to be wholesome and free of this life.
That’s what I wanted for my sister. That’s why I was happy when she and Cal got together.
The two of you…” he looked between Dio and Arran, “…your hands are as drenched in blood as mine. Even if we get out, you can never give Cara the picture perfect life I wanted for her. We all have enemies and just because we get out of the shady shit doesn’t mean any of us will be completely clean of the life we were brought up to live. ”
“I was brought up to live that life too, Rafe. My hands are far from clean.” Cal looked to me as he spoke, like he was gauging my reaction.
I wasn’t shocked. I’d seen enough of Cal’s darker side to know he wasn’t as innocent and free spirited as he seemed. I knew there was a story there, because he’d hinted at it. Most of all, even if I hadn’t suspected, I don’t think I’d have cared.
“I was too,” I reminded my brother. “Maybe Marcello wasn’t my father, but Adamian is.
This life of violence, death, and danger, it’s in my blood.
The years I was gone didn’t save me from it.
Instead it introduced me to a new terrifying and violent life that intertwined its way into every aspect of me.
I learned to accept violence against me, because it was the only way to survive from a very young age.
Even later, when I did learn to fight back, I trusted no one, trying to protect myself.
I know evil, and believe me, my hands aren’t clean either.
” I looked between my guys as tears filled my eyes, finally landing on Cal.
“I’m not ready to accept this, Cara. You’re vulnerable right now. You can barely keep your head straight. Making a decision like this…”