by Penelope Sky
He wasn’t affected by my poor manners. “How did your mission go?”
“Fine. Killed the guy and left.” My line of work wasn’t as exciting as people thought. I did my job then went home. There was no emotion attached to it. When my head hit the pillow, I went to sleep immediately.
“I’m sure Vanessa is happy you’re home.”
But she was miserable I had to leave again. “She is.”
Once the pleasantries were out of the way, he got to the heart of the matter. “Are we still doing this tonight? You need more time?”
I wanted this over and done with soon as possible. I had no idea what the Skull Kings were planning. Once the threat was neutralized, it was one less thing I had to worry about. The Barsettis always seemed to get themselves into trouble. Carter and Conway got mixed up in this bullshit, and Vanessa walked home alone and ran into me. Must be a family trait. “I’m ready.”
“My daughter can spare you for the night?”
Despite the tears she shed when I left, she was a tough woman who could handle anything. “She’ll be fine. I’ll meet at your place in a few hours.”
“Will you tell the Skull Kings you’re coming?”
“No. Dates aren’t really their style.”
“You’ll catch them off guard.”
I chuckled. “They’re never caught off guard.” I finished up the conversation with him just as Vanessa walked into the room. In my t-shirt and with messy hair, she was the queen of my castle. She was also the prisoner in my four walls. She constantly hovered between both, balancing between royalty and servitude. Even if she wanted to leave me, she couldn’t. Her commitment was the price she paid for her father’s life.
Her hand snaked over my bare shoulders as she looked down at me, a sleepy look in her eyes. “How’d you sleep?”
“Never better.” The bed we shared was too small, but I’d never been more comfortable. My hand moved up under her shirt to the soft skin of her belly. She’d put on some weight since I’d returned, but I liked seeing the extra inches around her middle. I preferred a healthy woman over a depressed one.
“Me too.” She smiled down at me. “I hadn’t slept in days.”
Pain pulled at my heartstrings, the guilt killing me inside. What kind of man hurt his woman like that? What kind of man made his woman sleep alone? I didn’t like who I was when I was still in this line of business.
She caught the sadness in my eyes. “You’re leaving tonight, aren’t you?”
I didn’t hide the truth from her. “In a few hours.”
A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “Here we go again…”
“This won’t be nearly as dangerous as the other stuff I do.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
I’d shoved my foot in my mouth. “It’ll be fine, baby. I promise you.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
I grabbed her hip and dragged her into my lap, placing her across my thighs. “I keep all my promises, baby. I promise you, your father and I will be fine. And I’ll be fine on my last mission too.”
She rested her forehead against mine. “It doesn’t matter what you say or do. I’ll never feel peace until it’s all over. I’ll never relax or truly be happy until you walk in that door for the last time, until I sleep alone for the last time.”
No one had ever made me feel as low as Vanessa. Her love for me raised me up, but it also crippled me at the same time. When she needed me, it gave me a greater purpose in life. Leaving her side for a job seemed ridiculous. I had more money than I would ever need, more money than she would ever need. I certainly didn’t need more of it. I just needed more of her. “It’ll happen soon enough.”
I’d just said goodbye to Vanessa a few days ago, and now I was doing it again. We stood in front of the door, my bag over my shoulder. It was packed with my rifle, shotgun, and pistol, along with ammunition. It was black leather, sleek and smooth. Anytime Vanessa saw that bag, she knew what was inside it. And she knew that meant one thing.
She couldn’t keep the pain out of her eyes. “Call me the instant it’s over.”
“I will.”
She stood in front of me without touching me, unable to keep the misery out of her expression. Vanessa had hardly shown her emotions to me when we first got to know each other, but now she wore them out in the open. She tried to hide them now, to the best of her ability. “I hate the way you make me feel. I’ve turned into one of those women who worries all the time…who stay up all night waiting for the front door to open.”
“You mean, you hate that I made you fall head over heels for me.”
She shook her head. “Now isn’t the time for your arrogance.”
“I’m always arrogant. And I love seeing you this way…even though it makes me an asshole.”
“You love seeing me miserable?” she whispered.
“No. I love seeing the way you love me, the way you can’t live without me. When I told you I loved you, you tried to run away. But now you’re so hung up on me that it’s hard to believe I said I love you first.”
She shook her head again. “Arrogant.”
“No. Just proud. Proud that I earned the love of such a woman.” I cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her, to feel the emotion in her lips as she embraced mine. I didn’t want her to cry, not after I’d seen her shed so many tears for me. My fingers touched her hair, and I felt her petite frame against me. It was nearly impossible to leave this place, to leave the home I made with this extraordinary woman. My heart would always remain behind, even if my body took me somewhere else.
“Please be careful,” she whispered against my mouth.
I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to see the sorrow etched into her features. “Always.” I turned away before I could look at her again, not wanting to see the heartbreak I caused. When I was gone, she would let her tears fall, but I didn’t want to see upcoming heartbreak. I hadn’t even been home for a day before I had to walk out on her again.
I made it to my truck and pulled onto the road, doing my best to focus on the next task at hand. My emotions had to be left behind so I could remain pragmatic for the evening. As far as I was concerned, Vanessa didn’t exist. I had to be calm, cruel, and sinister. I had to behave like I had no one to live for but myself.
But when everything was said and done, I had to marry her.
Officially make my woman mine.
When I arrived at the Barsetti home, they were gathered outside. Crow was dressed in all black, his dark hair matching the color. Pearl was in high-rise jeans and a white blouse. With her hair pulled back, she looked elegant, the opposite of her husband. Cane and his wife were there too. Cane had a gun in his holster and a shotgun across his back, even though he wouldn’t be participating in the meeting.
I left my truck parked in the gravel and joined them. Lately, I’d been spending more time with the Barsetti clan than Vanessa. I talked to her father as much as I talked to her.
It was becoming a pain in my ass.
Pearl smiled when she laid eyes on me, and when she walked up to me, she didn’t just greet me with a hug, but a kiss on the cheek—the way she greeted her son. “How are you, honey?”
Honey. That was the first time someone had called me that. “Good, Mrs. Barsetti. How are you?”
She squeezed my arm and smiled. “You can call me Pearl, Griffin.”
“I prefer Mrs. Barsetti.” It was a sign of respect that she’d earned.
She smiled but didn’t press me on it. “I’m sorry you had to leave Vanessa again.”
I didn’t want to think about what she was doing at that moment. Probably lying in bed next to the phone. “When all of this is over, I’ll never leave her again.”
She gave a nod. “I know.”
Crow came up to me next. “Griffin. Thanks for coming.” He shook my hand.
I followed the movements, my heart not truly invested. “Let’s bury this once and
for all.”
Cane came next. “I really think Conway and I should back you up, somewhere outside the city. If we’re five hours away—”
“No.” Crow had made up his mind, and he wouldn’t change it. “If something goes wrong, you need a head start. There will be time for you to evacuate everyone. If you don’t get the call from me…assume the worst.”
Pearl held her gaze steady, but her eyes started to water in terror.
Cane’s face remained stoic, probably because he’d been in these situations so many times. The possibility of death didn’t unnerve him anymore. “Alright.”
“Nothing is going to go wrong,” I said. “It’ll be tense, even difficult, but nothing will go wrong, not when you’re walking in there with me.”
Crow turned to me. “Arrogance turns your strength into weakness.”
I held his gaze, unaffected by the insult. “A man without confidence becomes a human target.”
Crow didn’t back down.
“The Barsettis may have a respectable name, but I’m a respectable man. I’m not the kind of person you want to cross. I have connections everywhere from being in the game for so long. The Skull Kings need me. It will be in their best interest to establish peace, at least when it comes to me.” I turned back to my truck, dismissing the conversation. I wanted to get this over with. The sooner we got there, the sooner we could leave. The sooner this would be over and I could make that call to Vanessa to tell her we were both okay. I lived for that moment, looked forward to that moment with everything I had.
Crow said goodbye to his family, holding his wife the longest. It was one of the only times I saw him be affectionate with her, at least in front of me. He cupped her cheeks with both hands and rested his forehead against hers. They didn’t seem to say anything to one another, just holding each other.
I turned away, feeling like I was infringing on their privacy.
When they were finished, Pearl walked up to me. With tears in her eyes from saying goodbye to her husband, she hugged me next. “I need you to come back too, Griffin. Not just for my daughter’s sake…but for mine.” She squeezed me around the waist before she let me go.
The maternal love wrapped around me, made me think of my own mother, the woman whose face I could hardly remember. I never needed anyone until I met Vanessa, but now I felt a strange connection to the woman who killed my father. Vanessa filled the hole in my chest, but Pearl kept my mother’s spirit alive. “I will.” I pulled my arms away from her, uncomfortable touching her when Crow was standing right there.
We got into the truck and pulled onto the road. I was behind the steering wheel, and Crow was in the passenger seat. I’d screwed Vanessa in this truck a couple times, so it was strange to have her father sit there, but I pushed the thoughts from my mind so it wouldn’t be awkward.
It would be a long drive, and I wasn’t looking forward to spending so many hours with this man. I still resented him for what he did to me. I still hated him for the pain he caused. It was strange to respect his wife so much but have so little for him.
Crow didn’t say anything, and I hoped the tense silence would continue. I preferred the quiet over forced conversation.
The first hour was spent driving through the countryside without sharing a single word. We left Tuscany and headed north, taking the shortest path to Milan instead of the most scenic route. He spoke. “If you had it your way, we wouldn’t say anything the entire time?”
I kept one hand on the wheel while my other arm rested on the windowsill. “Yep.”
He shook his head slightly and kept looking out the window. “I’m not much of a talker either, but that sounds boring.”
“I like boring.”
He sighed from his side of the truck. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.” He rested his elbow against his windowsill and propped his head up, enjoying the scenic views in silence. He didn’t try to talk to me again, allowing the silence to become the loudest sound in the truck.
It was exactly what I wanted, for it to be so quiet that I could pretend he wasn’t there at all.
Twenty minutes later, his phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. Once he saw the name, he immediately took the call. With the phone pressed to his ear and his gaze focused out the window, he addressed the person on the phone. “Tesoro.”
My body stiffened slightly when I realized Vanessa was on the other line. I kept my eyes on the road and my hand on the wheel, but my mind became distracted, focused on the conversation they were having.
“Hey, Father.” Her words were audible through the phone, her beautiful voice filling the truck. There was anguish in her tone, tears in her voice. “Are you busy right now?”
“No. Griffin and I are in the truck. It’ll be a few hours before we get there.” He had a distinctly different tone when he spoke to his daughter. Affection mixed with protectiveness, he addressed his daughter like an adult. But there was always an undertone of childlike gentleness, something he didn’t use with Conway. Crow balanced between the two different approaches, treating her like a young princess and a grown adult at the same time.
When she spoke again, her voice was brimming with emotion. Like rising water about the burst from a dam, she was barely holding on. “Please be careful…”
He swallowed the lump in his throat and struggled to keep his composure even though she couldn’t see his face. But he kept his voice stoic, a mask of strength that was forced. “I’ll be fine, tesoro. Don’t worry about me.”
“I need both of you to come back, okay? I can’t live without either of you.”
The fields passed me on the left, but I wasn’t paying attention to the open road or the setting sun. The sky was starting to blend with the colors of pink, purple, and blue, but I didn’t care about the beauty of the land right in front of me. All I could do was focus on the pain in my woman’s voice, the heartache she couldn’t contain anymore.
“We will,” Crow said, keeping a strong front for his daughter. He refused to show any kind of vulnerability, giving her the reassurance she needed to hear. “Griffin and I are both experts. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“Okay, I hope so.”
Crow lingered on the phone even though there was nothing else to say.
“I love you so much. You’re my best friend…”
I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, feeling my heart ache for the words she was saying. I wished I could do this on my own and keep her father out of it to give her peace of mind.
“I love you too, tesoro. And you’re my best friend as well.”
I didn’t expect to witness such a heartfelt conversation. It made me uncomfortable because their connection was so deep. Now it didn’t surprise me that Crow did everything he could to keep me away from her. And it didn’t surprise me that Vanessa worked so hard to get his approval, and when that approval didn’t come, she couldn’t stay with me.
“Please come back,” she said. “Both of you.”
“We will.” Crow took a deep breath as his eyes remained focused out the window. “I should get go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay…talk soon.”
He hung up and dropped the phone on his thigh. He purposely turned his head away and focused his gaze out the window so most of his reaction wasn’t visible. He never showed an expression besides annoyance or anger, at least that I’d seen. But when Vanessa was around, it was a different story. She stripped away his hardness and made him softer than a cloud. He purposely hid his face from me, and if he could, he would have walked away to have this moment to himself.
But since we were stuck together, there was nowhere for him to go.
We arrived in Milan and left the truck at the curb outside the Underground. Hours had passed, and it was deep into the night. At midnight on a Monday, there was no one out. People had retired to bed long ago.
We sat side by side.
Crow turned to me, most of his face hidden in shadow. “Let’s
do this.”
“Alright. I’ll go in first. If I don’t come back, leave without me.”
“You really think that’s a possibility?”
I faced forward again. “It’s unlikely, but I like to prepare for the worst.”
“Armed or unarmed?”
“Unarmed.” I opened my door. “I’m gonna offer the cash Conway profited from their operation. Bring your laptop to make the transfer.”
“Alright.”
I stood in the street with the door open. “I told your wife I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” I wouldn’t protect him just for Vanessa’s sake. I saw the way Pearl looked at her husband, the way she always defended him. There was nothing but love between them—and undying loyalty. “I’m a man of my word, Crow.” I shut the door before he had the chance to say anything.
I walked to the back entrance and entered the Underground. I was stopped by the guards for a quick pat-down before I stepped inside. The auction wasn’t starting for a few hours, so I was early—and there was hardly anyone there.
I headed to the bar, watched the blonde behind the counter smile at me, and I ordered a drink.
A few minutes later, Tony appeared. Dressed in black and gray, he was a man ten years older than me, with his nose pierced and tattoos up and down both of his arms. He leaned against the counter and fist-bumped me. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Got a big hit list?”
“Very.”
He chuckled then ordered a drink. “Life is more fun when business is good.” He downed his drink in one gulp. “And there’s blood on your hands.” He patted my back then turned to the rest of the room where the empty tables sat. “Why are you here so early? Heard that we have fresh meat tonight?”
“Not exactly.” I drank my glass in one gulp, matching his thirst. “I have business to discuss with you and Rush.”
“Business, huh?” he asked. “We’re usually the ones coming to you, not the other way around.”
