Chapter Forty-Five Ella
Chapter Forty-Five
Ella
What was that?
It sounded like a firecracker piercing the air.
In a flash, Tiero moves. One moment I am on his lap, the next I am airborne. He sweeps me down to the floor behind the sofa, his body covering mine before I can even process what is happening.
The impact knocks the breath from my lungs.
He is completely still above me, listening. Every muscle in him is alert. Focused.
Shouts erupt from the lower deck.
My pulse surges so hard it makes my vision blur.
What is happening?
I try to lift my head, but his hand comes over my mouth, firm but careful. With his other hand, he signals for silence.
Don't move. Don't speak.
The air feels strained.
Are we under attack?
The thought hits me all at once. Someone already tried to kill him once. What if this someone is having another go?
My breaths grow shallow. They’re too fast. I try to slow them, but panic is creeping in faster than reason.
The shouting below begins to fade.
Tiero shifts, rising just enough to scan the deck. His eyes are sharp, calculating, already planning.
Then he moves again. Fast. He pulls me up and steers me toward the interior of the yacht with decisive pressure at my back.
We reach a bedroom in seconds.
“Stay here,” he says, already turning toward the door. “I’m going to find out what happened.”
I nod because my brain cannot form anything coherent.
He pauses, looks back at me. “Lock the door behind me. Do not open it for anyone except Santino or me.”
The room feels too small. Too quiet.
All the blood drains from my face so quickly I have to steady myself against the dresser.
He sees it and is back in front of me in two strides, pulling me into him.
“It’s going to be fine, angel,” he says against my hair. “It’s probably something minor. This is just precaution.”
His voice is calm. Controlled. I cling to that steadiness.
He pulls back. “I’ll be right back. Lock the door.”
As soon as the door shuts behind him, I turn the key. Once. Twice. I test the handle. Then I check it again.
My hands are shaking.
The minutes stretch unbearably.
I pace the room, the floor cool beneath my bare feet. A sheen of sweat gathers at my hairline despite the air-conditioning.
Where is he? Why is it taking this long?
My stomach twists sharply, and I press a hand against it.
Breathe.
In.
Out.
The sound replays in my head.
What was it?
It could have been a firecracker. Something harmless. But that feels like wishful thinking.
A flare, maybe?
No. That does not make sense either.
The thought I keep trying to push away circles back anyway.
A gunshot.
My throat tightens.
If it was, who was the target? And is that person still alive?
My hands tremble. I flex my fingers, trying to steady them, but the adrenaline keeps buzzing under my skin.
He did not hesitate.
The moment the sound rang out, Tiero moved. He covered me. Shielded me.
He did not freeze, nor did he look confused.
He knew exactly what to do.
That realization lands harder than the fear.
If I had been with anyone else, we might have stood there, stunned. Unsure. But Tiero reacted like this was not unfamiliar territory.
Like he had trained for it, expected it at any given moment.
A cold thought slips in before I can stop it.
Has he done this before?
Is this something he lives with?
God, I knew getting involved with him would put me in danger.
Footsteps approach the door, followed by low voices. I stop pacing instantly, my breath caught halfway in my chest.
A knock.
Then his voice.
“Ella.”
Relief floods me so fast my knees nearly give out.
I unlock the door with shaking hands.
The second it opens, he is there, pulling me into him.
I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on, pressing my face against his chest, grounding myself in the solid warmth of him.
He is here.
“It’s all good, angel.”
He pulls me against him, one hand sliding into my hair, holding my head firmly to his chest.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” he continues. “It was a minor gas explosion in the kitchen.”
His palm moves slowly up and down my back, grounding me.
For the first time since the sound shattered the night, I manage a full breath. My muscles loosen incrementally beneath his touch.
In his arms, the world feels contained again.
“Was anyone hurt?” I ask, my voice still thinner than usual.
He hesitates. Only a fraction of a second.
“Everyone’s fine.”
The pause does not go unnoticed.
“Is it safe now?”
“Yes. We isolated the issue.”
Isolated.
I lean back slightly so I can see his face.
He gives me a smile, but it stops short of his eyes. Something sharp and alert remains coiled inside him.
The air between us carries a quiet tension that has nothing to do with gas leaks.
Before I can question it, he bends down and kisses me.
Not gently, but firm. Claiming. Meant to distract.
I recognize it for what it is.
I pull back before it can sweep us somewhere we cannot return from.
His eyes search mine.
“Ella.”
I rest my forehead against his, my hands still fisted lightly in his shirt. His breath fans across my lips, warm and uneven.
“I’m just tired,” I say. Not entirely a lie. The adrenaline is draining from my body in slow waves, leaving my limbs heavy. “It’s been a long day. I just want to sleep tonight.”
His hand slides to my jaw, thumb brushing beneath my eye as if checking for cracks.
“You’re safe,” he says quietly.
I nod.
But that is not the same as understanding what I’ve stepped into.
He studies me for another second, then his grip loosens. The intensity in his dark eyes dims, though it does not disappear.
“Come.” He leads me down the hallway with a steady hand at my back.
In the bedroom, I slip out of my dress and bra and fold them carefully over the chair. The small domestic act steadies me more than his reassurances did.
He watches me, unreadable while he strips down to his boxers.
When I slide beneath the sheets, I turn onto my side.
He joins me a moment later.
For a heartbeat, there is space between us. My mind tells me to keep it, my heart protesting anyway.
Then his arm drapes over my waist, pulling me back against his chest.
I let him.
His body is warm and solid behind me, his breathing slow and controlled. A contrast to the chaos that shattered the night.
Spending time on his island, far removed from Tiero’s real world, seems like a lifeline now.
I need to put in place those boundaries around my heart that Rhia and I talked about.
I close my eyes.
Images from earlier replay. The way he moved when the sound rang out.
This is not my world.
And when I go home, I will return to the version of my life that makes sense.
Quiet. Predictable. Safe.
It never looked more appealing.
As if sensing my thoughts and protesting, Tiero’s fingers tighten at my waist. Possessive? Protective?
I tell myself this is temporary.
Just a few days on a private island.
Then I will leave.
And I will untangle my heart before it knots itself any further around him.
I stare into the dark until exhaustion finally pulls me under.