Page 95 of Worth the Risk

“It was the fall,” T returned with confidence. “I had you in my sights. It knocked you twenty feet, at least, lightweight.”

“Let’s get you off the hard ground,” Dan suggested.

She groaned as he pulled her up. “I don’t think I can walk. My back and chest feel like a ton of bricks landed on them.”

“Not a problem,” her dom uttered as he swung her up in his arms and carried her swiftly and easily around the side of the warehouse to a waiting Rossi vehicle. In the back, Angie, sitting beside a wide-eyed Caden, moved to the 3rd-row seat as Dan settled her inside.

“Hey, Bella. We didn’t get to talk the other time, but I’m Caden.”

“I know,” she replied, smiling at the teenage boy, a near identical but smaller version of his father, who’d been through some really scary hours. “How are you doing, honey?”

“I’m fine, but I saw you get shot. Holy crap that was awesome. Like Hollywood. You were airborne for at least ten seconds.”

“Language, bud,” Dan cautioned, climbing over her to take the middle seat between her and his son.

Lil T stowed his weapon in back then slid behind the wheel. Tony opened the passenger door and got in. He twisted around, brown eyes homing in on her.

“Are you good, Bella? Or do we need to swing by the ER?”

“I’m sore, but nothing Joanna’s soaker tub won’t fix.”

“Take us to my place, T,” Dan said, overruling her. “I’ll put her in the Jacuzzi.”

When her head swung toward him, she winced, regretting the sudden movement. “How come this is the first I’m hearing about a Jacuzzi? What happened to open and honest?”

“My secrets, which actually weren’t secret at all, are my career choice and owning a hot tub. Yours include ties to three Mafia families.”

“Holy crap,” Caden repeated.

“He’s got you there, Bella,” T intoned from the front seat. “A word of advice: smart subbies who are in deep shit with their dom sayyes, sir,thank you, sir, or nothing at all.”

“Right. I’m going with option C.”

“Smart girl,” Dan uttered softly.

“Dad?”

“Yeah, bud?”

“What are a dom and a subbie?”

In the rearview mirror, Bella saw T wince. He’d obviously forgotten his PG-13 passenger. Dan, with over a decade of parenting experience under his belt, adeptly answered, “It’s a movie reference, Cade. You haven’t seen it.”

The boy dropped it, leaning against his dad. Dan wrapped his arm around him and the other around Bella. His head dropped back against the seat, eyes shut as he held them close, and she distinctly heard him whisper, “Thank you.”

***

EXHAUSTED AND FEELINGlike he was sixty-two rather than two decades younger, Dan climbed the stairs to his second-floor bedroom to check on Bella who was still in the tub. He thought she’d fallen asleep. Her eyes were closed, her head resting against the high back, but, when he sat on the edge, her blue gaze met his.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. I’ll understand if you never want to see me again after today.”

“Now, why would I do that after getting you free from all your shit?”

“Am I really? I’m not so sure.”

“Do you have something else you want to tell me?”

“No. I’ve given you all of it, but I can’t stop thinking about what Cap said. They won’t stop until I’m dead. I’ve got a feeling that means dead dead, not fake dead.”

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