Page 40 of Declan's Dove

“Well, I’m calling you now.”

“Fine,” he concedes. “Is she mobile? How badly is she hurt?”

I run down her injuries and explain everything Mili told me about the men who attacked her. I leave out the details about her and Vincenzo arguing and him being a forceful bastard when it came to getting her taken care of. Kayce and Vincenzo have a mutual interest, but they are not what I would call friends, and both are fond of Emilia. Kayce treats her more like a sister, but he’s still very protective of her and if he thought Vincenzo was being too pushy or aggressive in any way; there’s no way I could prevent him from coming here and stirring shit worse than it already is.

“Vincenzo has had his doctors caring for her around the clock, and I’ve been here, too. She’s going to need some time to rest and heal up, but all things considered … she got off lucky, Kayce. They could’ve done so much worse.” The reality and weight of that statement settles in my gut as memories of my abuse come flooding back.

Being tossed against the kitchen cabinets. The edge of the marble counter tops digging into my back, leaving deep, dark bruises on my skin. James’s fist connecting with my face, my stomach, my kidneys. His boot stomping on my chest, making it impossible to breathe.

“The ribs will take a little longer than the other injuries, but she’ll be okay,” I say, my voice sounding hollow even to me.

“Hey,” Kayce calls through the phone. “Violet. Don’t go there. Get that asshole out of your head. You hear me? We’re going to get you back to Oakridge, to Carter, and leave this shit to me and my men. You got me?”

“Yeah.” I sigh, wiping the tears I didn’t realize had fallen down my face. “Our … Vincenzo wants a debriefing, but not here. It’s not safe. What do you suggest I tell him for a rendezvous point?”

“Tell him we’ll see you in Oakridge. My guys are packing up now. I’ll be in contact as soon as we hit town.”

“I have to go get Carter. I plan on taking Mili with me to my apartment,” I explain. “Maybe after you and he have your discussion, you can meet us at my place, and we can figure out Mili’s next steps.”

I hate to think about her walking away from the job in Oakridge after she was so excited to be moving closer to me and Carter. She loves the idea of living and working in a smaller town. She has a contract started on a building she was going to lease for her private practice so she could continue to help Kayce and his men with the women and children they rescue. She’s going to be crushed to have to start over somewhere else, alone.

“Emilia will stay with me when we arrive in Oakridge.” Vincenzo’s deep voice sounds from where he’s leaning on the door frame of my room.

I glare at him.

“Who’s there?” Kayce asks. “Is that Italian asshole pushing himself into the conversation? Put me on speaker.”

Shit.

I do as Kayce asks and put the phone on speaker. “Go ahead.”

“What bullshit are you spewing over there, Parisi?”

“No bullshit. I merely informed Miss Dupree that Emilia will be staying in my home when we arrive in Oakridge. My doctors will oversee her care. It’s the safest place for her while she works through her recovery. No one knows of our connection and, by the same token, no one would dare come on the premises of my home uninvited. Unless they have a death wish. In which case, my men would be very obliging.”

“I can’t stay in your home, Vincenzo. I have to collect Carter and keep everything in our routine as normal as possible.”

“I didn’t say you would be staying with me, Miss Dupree. I said Emilia will. You and Carter may go on about your lives as you see fit. But Ms. D’Angelo needs both medical care and protection. I can supply both of those things.” He tilts his head, as if he expects me to just accept his decision.

“I think Mili should be allowed to make her own decisions about where she wishes to stay and about her medical care. She is a doctor, after all. I’m sure she has some new doctor friends who would be willing to help,” I suggest.

Vincenzo’s eyes flare with anger. “No.”

“No?”

“Yes. No,” Vincenzo repeats. “Emilia is in no condition to make those decisions, and even if she was, I’d still say no.” He stalks toward me, hands still in his pockets. “We still don’t know who these bikers are that attacked her, but they know she’s connected to Mr. Eaton and his team. Therefore, she should distance herself from them for the time being. You have your son and your—Declan—to worry about. You don’t have the time to properly care for Emilia around the clock. Whereas, I have staff on-site at all times and my men patrolling my estate around the clock.” He leans in, our faces inches apart, hovering over the phone in my hand. “Emilia will stay with me.”

“He’s right, Vi,” Kayce’s disgruntled voice says over the speaker. “He has the resources she needs to take care of her. Trident will be in the area while we work to find who is behind the attack and so we can be close should someone attempt another attack.”

“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Eaton. I have it all well in hand,” Vincenzo replies.

“I don’t give a fuck what you have. Emilia is a friend and a coworker. She’s Trident’s responsibility, as are Violet and Carter. We will be in town. Unseen and out of the way, but there none the less.”

Vincenzo scrubs a hand down his face, his frustration etched in the wrinkles around his eyes.

“Fine.”

“Violet,” Kayce says. “Take me off the speaker.”

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