Page 86 of The One
Mari’s energy faded quickly after I cleaned her wounds and admitted my one weakness to her.
I surprised myself by saying it out loud. It’s not something I ever share.
The risks are too great if the wrong person found out. But with Mari, I trust her completely. I don’t know why, but my gut tells me she’d never betray me.
She’s fast asleep in my arms now.
Is it appropriate?
Probably not.
But I can’t bring myself to leave her alone after the gun battle and chase.
If she wakes up from a bad dream, I don’t want her to face it alone. I’d rather be here, holding her, ready to reassure her that she’s safe.
But duty calls. I need to debrief with Romeo and check over the bodies of the two men he brought in.
In the soft light of the bedside lamp, I study Mari’s sleeping form in my arms, and a warmth unfurls in my chest.
Damn, she’s beautiful.
Her face is peaceful, her expression relaxed. You’d never guess what she went through tonight. Still, I’ll check in on her again later once I’ve wrapped things up with Rom.
Carefully, I ease her off me, pulling the sheet up over her. She doesn’t even stir, and the steady rhythm of her breathing reassures me she’s deeply asleep. Good. She needs the rest.
I turn off the light and tiptoe through the dark room toward the door. Everything in here is still so familiar, unchanged. This used to be my room whenpapàwas alive, when he owned Carloso. Now, it’s just another guest room, one of many, though I still keep it as it was.
I usually assign guests to another wing of the house, but somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to do that with her. When I told Giulia where to put Mari, the surprise in her voice was obvious, but she didn’t question my choice.Idid, though, that first night. But now, as I close the door quietly behind me, it feels like exactly the right decision.
Tonight’s events play on my mind as I walk down the corridor to the stairs. I’ve been attacked countless times before, but this time?
This was different on so many levels.
The adrenaline surge is unavoidable. Normally, it sharpens my senses and helps me remain calm.
Tonight though? Tonight, I felt fear.
For the first time in years, I was afraid. Not for me. For Mariella.
Having her by my side, facing the risk of her getting hurt or, worse, killed, had my heart pounding relentlessly in my chest.
“What have you got?” I ask as I step into my office. As expected, Rom’s already here, lounging on the sofa, drink in hand.
“Salvatore lost the last car,” he says, taking a sip. “Uberto tracked the cars on CCTV, but the plates are dummies. He lost them when they drove into a zone where the cameras were mysteriously scrambled.”
“Fuck. So this wasn’t some random hit. It was planned.”
“Seems that way. But here’s the real question. How’d they know you’d be alone? They must’ve been shadowing you.”
It’s the only explanation, though I didn’t spot a tail. I can usually sense when someone’s watching me. Sure, I was distracted, but not that much.
“Have you had my car checked for trackers?”
“Sure did. Nothing to be found.”
“And the dead guys?” I ask, pouring myself a drink as I settle into the leather beside him. “Any IDs?”
Rom shakes his head. “Nothing. They had no IDs, no intel in the car, nothing on them. No tattoos or markings to indicate which family they work for either.”
