Page 79 of Moonlit Hideaway
“Or he could make a full recovery.” Hank grasped Sierra and leaned across the bed rail, holding her by both shoulders. “I can’t stand knowing you’re trapped with that monster. We need to contact the Feds and get him locked up. Or you can go into witness protection.”
“Hank. I’m a mob boss’s daughter.” Sierra’s voice broke at the stark truth. “I know how the system works. Marco knew about Agent Patterson’s charade and our jaunt to Atlantic City.”
His face crumpled, and he pressed his lips against hers, kissing her like it would be the last time he’d ever taste her. She kissed him with all she had, tasting their mingled tears and the bittersweet fruit of the seeds she’d sown when she’d foolishly believed she could evade Marco.
“I should never have come to you and brought all this pain to you. Forgive me.”
He kissed the tears from her cheeks, but there was no clearing of the storm clouds in his eyes. If anything, the blow she’d dealt him was worse than Chloe’s death—that was accidental—this was a betrayal.
“I’m so, so sorry. I won’t be gone long. I promise I’ll be?—”
“You don’t have to promise to come back.” Hank’s voice was strained, each word a struggle. “I knew you’d return to your world someday. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”
“My world is yours, and yours is mine. But while Marco is still alive, we can’t present you and Emma as targets. Let them think we’re no longer together.”
“Is it what you want? Because if you’re trying to let me down easy, I won’t take it.” His annoying manliness stiffened his spine as he glared at her. “Don’t soften the blow for me, Sierra. If this is goodbye, say it.”
“I want you.” She pushed away from his grasp and the comfort she no longer deserved. “Tell Emma I’ll try to be back for the festival.”
His eyes narrowed, staring at her for what felt like forever, and she returned his gaze, wordlessly pouring in her heart to him.
“Just go.” He turned away from her, his gruffness breaking her heart to a million pieces.
He didn’t trust her or believe her. She was a mob boss’s daughter, after all.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The inn was quiet as Hank walked up the worn wooden steps early in the morning. His heart was heavy, and he’d left the clinic with nothing but the echoing emptiness in his chest. The crisp sea breeze did little to soothe him as he reflected on Sierra’s absence from his side. They’d parted last night when she requested to be returned to her private room, leaving while he faced the wall. Before coming home, he’d waited for her to check out and drive away in her rental car. She was gone, and he couldn’t bear the cold and lifelessness of missing her, leaving him nothing but memories.
The warm familiarity of the inn no longer had the appeal and coziness it once did. Hank entered the foyer and stared at the coat rack Sierra had bumped on her arrival. He blinked at the chair she’d rested in and the mirror she’d used to correct her posture whenever she passed by.
He should have known it was too good to be true. A woman like Sierra Rayne could never stay in a sleepy town like Moonlit Harbor when she had the entire world clamoring for her talent. He’d tasted her exuberance and shared her passion for song and dance, and if he was honest with himself, he, too, could use someof her liveliness. Too bad it wasn’t in the cards—for him or for her.
This ill-fated marriage to the mob boss would surely quench her free spirit, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
He sank onto the sofa, heavy with regret, holding his head between his hands. She’d sacrificed herself for him and Emma. He relived the anguish in her eyes and the quiet resignation as she explained why she had to be Marco’s dutiful wife. His gut twisted with frustration. That monster didn’t deserve her loyalty or devotion. If only there were some way he could have protected her, kept her here with him where she belonged…
“Dad, you’re back!” Emma bounded into the TV room with her guitar. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement as she plopped down beside him.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said, mussing her hair. “How’re you holding up?”
Emma’s smile faded slightly. “I’m okay. Where’s Jane, or can I call her Sierra now that the news is out?”
Hank hesitated, his throat tightening as he searched for the right words to break the news. Taking a deep breath, he put his arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “I’m afraid she had to go away for a bit. To take care of some things.”
“What things?” she asked. “Is she going to be back for the festival?”
“Emma, sweetheart,” he began, unable to keep his voice from cracking. “Sierra had to go to Raleigh to be with Marco. He’s in bad shape after what happened.”
“Marco?” Emma frowned, her grip on the guitar tightening. “But… why? I thought she hated him.”
“Sometimes, people do things they don’t want to for the greater good,” Hank replied, trying to keep his emotions in check. “Sierra is a brave and loving woman, and I know she will miss you.”
“Is she coming back?” Emma asked, her hopeful eyes searching his face for reassurance.
Hank swallowed hard, the lump in his throat making speaking difficult. “I don’t know. But I do know that whatever happens, we’ll be okay. We have each other, right?”
“Why did she marry him?” Emma’s voice choked. “That’s what everyone was talking about after we left the clinic. Gran says it was her duty.”
