Page 26 of In My Heart
“You guys go, but Cal, Arran, and I are staying with Terza. We’re not leaving her here alone to handle this. She’s exhausted as it is,” I argued.
“You’re exhausted too,Tesorino,” Rafe pointed out.
“I’m okay. Arran and Cal will be with me. You both need to go. You need to go after that fucker if there’s even a chance of getting hold of him.”
“How many men can we leave here?” Rafe asked with some exasperation.
“A dozen, plus Arran. I can ask Kean to stick around with his guys too?”
“Yeah, okay. Let him know what’s going on and tell him to stay close to Cara and Cal. I want six of our guys inside, and the other six covering the front and back outside,” Rafe ordered. Dio just nodded, then disappeared.
“Kean?” I questioned.
“The head of the Irish contingent here in London. I trust him, Cara. If anything happens, he’ll protect you, as will my men.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, Rafe. It’s a wake, for God’s sake,” I ground out.
“I’m not taking any chances,” he told me firmly, then he turned to Arran and beckoned him over with a slight raise of his hand.
“Everythin’ alright?” Arran asked as he rushed over to my side, and seemed to instinctively place a hand at the small of my back.
“One of our teams got a lead on Kozlov. Dario and I will take a team and check it out, but Cara wants to stay and wrap up here,” Rafe explained.
“Yer leavin’ some men, I presume?”
“Six outside, covering front and back, and six will come inside. Dario’s updating Kean and asking him and his men to stick around too. Any concerns?”
“Nah. All good, boss. I’ll get everyone home safe when we’re done here,” Arran assured my brother.
“See? We’re fine. Go Rafe. Get that arsehole so we can make him pay for what he did to Gia!” I growled.
“I will, sweetheart. Why don’t you go and fill Cal in on what’s going on? He looks about ten seconds away from struggling to his feet to march over here,” Rafe said, and when I glanced over to Cal, he was already lowering his broken ankle to the ground, readying to stand.
“Cal, stay!” I called just loud enough for him to hear me.
When he glanced over I held a hand out in a stilling motion, and he seemed to pause with a smirk on his face.
“Be safe,” I told Rafe as I glanced back to him. “Nothing is more important than you and Dio coming home, okay? Remember that.”
At Rafe’s nod of agreement, I left him and Arran to talk and made my way shakily over to Cal. It had been a long day already, filled with emotion, anger, and everything in between. Now I had a feeling it was about to get a whole lot longer.
“Stay? Really? Who do you think you are? Dante?” Cal asked teasingly once I was at his side.
“Well it worked,” I shrugged with the hint of a smile, though just that felt like work. I was just so exhausted.
“Come here, babe,” Cal said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, until I was sat sideways in his lap. “What’s going on? Is there trouble?” he asked as he cradled me against his body and glanced over to where Arran and Rafe were now in a huddled chat with Dio, and one of the intimidating Irish men, who I assumed was Kean.
“They have a lead on Mikhail Kozlov. Rafe and Dario are taking some men to go after him. Rafe’s just worrying because I refused to go home.”
“Why don’t you want to go home?” Cal asked.
“I definitely want to go home,” I sighed. “But Rafe and Dio were planning to leave Terza here alone to handle everything, and she’s not up to that, Cal. I’m not even going to ask it of her.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. He rested his chin on top of my head, and with his arms wrapped around me, I felt able to breathe fully for the first time since I left his lap and his hold earlier. “We’ll all stay and get through this together.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, grateful he saw it my way and took my side.
It was one of the things that drew me most to Cal. He always took the time to try and see things my way, no matter how crazy or stubborn I may be at any time. He could be bossy and a little bit cave-man, just like the others, when he wanted to be. I’d only seen small hints of it, but I knew it was in him. And yet, he also tried hard to understand what I needed all of the time. I was pretty sure that there was very little he wouldn’t do to try and make me feel secure and happy. It was so surreal for me, to havesomeone try that hard to be there for me. I’d never had that, and I would never take it for granted now that I did.
