Page 59 of In My Heart
“What would Rafe want?” I asked.
“To end this. To ensure your safety, and to show all of London that we are every bit as dangerous and powerful today as we were in Marcello’s era. He would want to make clear that we are not a family to be fucked with ever again.”
“I want to be kept informed, Dio. I want to know what’s going on. I won’t even pretend I know better than you and Rafe, but thiswhole situation started with me, so I should get a say in how it ends, right?” I demanded.
“You’ll get a say, baby, and I’ll inform you of every move if that’s what you want, but that’s as far as your involvement goes, you hear me? I won’t risk you, Cara, and nor would Rafe, no matter how determined you get to see this through.” Dio was staring me down, daring me to argue with his stern words and commanding tone.
“Fine by me,” I agreed with a nod. “I think I’ve been at the centre of enough action for a lifetime.”
“Damned right you have,” Dio sighed.
“Can you get me images of those bodies so I can look for Dev and Hilt?” I asked, changing the subject.
“I already asked Brax. I’ll get the images soon, but they won’t be pretty,” he warned.
“I’ve seen the body of my mother in pieces, Dio. I can handle bloodied bodies.”
“Jesus Christ. When this is over and we all have the safe, quiet life Rafe planned for us, I’m going to spend the rest of our lives just trying to erase the shitty memories you’ve survived with, and replace them with happy ones.”
“Sounds like your quiet life might be quite busy,” I teased, and he grinned.
I wished I could lean up and kiss him right there in that moment, but it was broken as Terza bustled over busily and planted a heaping plate filled with a traditional English breakfast before Dio.
“Eat. You have a busy day ahead,” she told him forcefully, and I couldn’t help but giggle a little.
“Mum, there’s enough here to drive me into an early grave,” Dio complained.
“So you work out a little more. It’s not as if you don’t spend half your life in that gym. You know I still have a list of jobs I need doing at home, but have you done any of them? Oh no. Always too busy for your mother, aren’t you?” Terza raved as she crossed the kitchen and started rinsing a frying pan in the sink.
“You know that’s not true. It’s just been a little crazy around here lately. I always have time for you, and I’ll get to the jobs you need done. Thank you for breakfast.”
“You thank me more by eating,” Terza told him as she turned to glare, but it didn’t last long as the affection filled smile, that she always had just for her one and only son, filled her face.
“I’d get to eating if I were you,” I uttered with a smirk of my own.
I was almost done with my own breakfast when the kitchen door swung open again, and Cal and Arran both walked in one after the other, Cal hobbling on his cast rather than using his crutches.
“There ye are, lass. We were worried when we woke and ye weren’t there,” Arran sighed as soon as he locked eyes with me.
“Sorry. I just wanted to let you both sleep.”
“It’s fine, babe. As long as you’re alright,” Cal said once he hobbled over to me and landed in the seat at my other side. He leaned in and kissed my temple, then settled his arm around me, his hand landing on my hip.
“You shouldn’t be moving around without your crutches. The doctor said you can’t weight-bear on that cast,” I reminded him.
“It’s fine. I’m sick of the bloody crutches. The cast is coming off this week anyway. How much damage can I do?”
“Have we heard anythin’ from the hospital about Rafe?” Arran asked from where he stood beside Terza, making coffee with the fancy pod machine.
“I called them this morning. They said there was no change overnight,” I explained.
All of the levity left me in a rush, and guilt filled me for even feeling any happiness when my brother lay prone, breathing with a ventilator, fighting for his life.
“We’ll go and see him today, okay? I’ll come with you and we can sit with him for a while,” Cal told me gently. I leaned into him and, just as I had hoped he would, he wrapped his arm even tighter around me.
“I don’t want Cara going anywhere other than the hospital and home for now. I have security everywhere in that hospital watching Rafe, and two four-man teams will escort you there and back. We also have security covering every inch of this house, and Kean’s men on standby should we need them. No where else is safe enough outside of that,” Dio lectured.
“Anythin’ from Dante?” Arran asked.
