Page 96 of Worth the Risk

“You’re safe here with me. My security system is tight, and we’ve got a man outside until we make sure Uncle Paolo has left Texas.”

“What about Ernie?”

“DOA at county, from blood loss sustained when a bullet hit a major artery.”

She sank lower in the water.

“Don’t mourn him, baby. He was a major bad guy. His rap sheet was taller than you are.”

“I know, but so many have suffered over Lorenzo’s greed and pursuit of power. He’s the one who should have gone down. It would have saved a lot of misery.”

“It’s the mob, Bella. You know better than I do having lived it that there’s a succession plan and another don is waiting in the wings.”

She nodded. “What about your family? I heard yelling.”

“Allison wasn’t happy about how all this went down.”

“I don’t blame her.”

“I’ll tell it to you straight, Bella. She’s talking about going to court and removing my visitation if I keep seeing you. She doesn’t want Caden exposed to a criminal element.” He snorted after he said that, the irony of her complaint glaring.

“I can’t fault her for that, either, except for the threatening you part.”

She leaned forward and flipped the brass switch opening the stopper. With a groan, she rose naked and soapy and reached for a towel. He beat her to it.

“What are you doing?”

“Drying off to go home.”

“On whose order?”

“Uh... Dan... You can’t lose your rights to see Caden and Emily. I won’t let you.”

He swirled the towel around her and lifted her from the tub. As he dried her off, he lectured, “It’s up to me, not my ex-wife who I see. Besides, I doubt a judge is going to cut out a dad who wants to be involved, who’s an ex-cop, served his country honorably, and now works for one of the most respected security firms in the state because my girlfriend is a victim of a crime.”

“Won’t she drag you through the mud over your lifestyle?”

“She’s bluffing, Bella. She wouldn’t dare go to court with the shit ton of charges hanging over her head and a list of assets questionably acquired in the past few years, which is the same time period her man embezzled 2 million bucks.”

“So she knew!”

“Hell, yeah, she did. While sticking the screws to me for alimony. Child support I’ll pay and gladly, but I’m tired of paying through the nose to keep her in the lifestyle she and her white-collar crime boy toy think they deserve. But she’s broken the stranglehold and will sign anything I put in front of her, including the new custody agreement where the kids live with me and she gets visitation.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve secured her legal representation.”

“Again, why?”

“Because she’s the mother of my kids, and I don’t want them worrying about her going through a trial and prison. Joseph will get her a plea deal for her cooperation, full disclosure on embezzling Evan, and, hopefully, no jail time.”

“She’s lucky to have you on her side.”

He laughed. “Hardly. I’m over her shit. I’m only helping because of Em and Cade. Later, if she cuts a deal and they drop the charges, and she wants to sling mud, I’m game. I’ll put my consensual kink up against her felonious activities any day.”

Bella sighed. “Why can’t anything be easy? Except for Allison, it seems things were a lot calmer before I came into your life.”

“Calm, maybe, but I was miserable. And lonely. You make me happy, when you’re not stomping all over my orders.” He hooked his finger between her breasts and pulled her toward him using the towel. Angling his chin to his chest, he met her gaze and said with emphasis, “I’ve looked for you my entire adult life, Bella. And I’m not giving you up.”

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