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“One punch!” Adam protested. “It’s a little bruisingand a busted lip. He’s had worse. Now calm down. We’ve got travelarrangements to make, and Dane’s got a new position to tell youabout.”
“Position?” she echoed, while Giasnickered.
Dane took her hands in his before she could touchthe swelling bruises. “I’ll be working for Ethan for a while. It’snot Sorrento, but DC does have its charm.” He bent to kiss hercheek. Better to hold off on kissing her lips until they werealone. After he washed his mouth out.
“DC!” The outrage came from Gianna, shockingly.“What the hell is he supposed to do there? Bore Ethan todeath?”
Zara’s arm slid around Dane’s waist, and she hid herface against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” She kept repeating itwhile Gia launched a tirade at their father.
“He’s one of yours! You can’t just send him off toEthan. We need him in Chicago! Send him to Joey if you’re so set onbeing huffy.”
“The hell I’m sendinganyhelp to Vittoriounless he damn well asks. Let alone one of my best hands.”
Gianna crossed her arms, matching Adam glare forglare. “Then have him as my guard for a year. He’ll hate it, andit’ll count as punishment.”
“Dane suggested the same thing.” Grim canted hishead to the side, leaning back in his chair. “I was kind of hopinghe’d stay in Chicago, too. Especially as I’m getting mybearings.”
Adam pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is why Inever allow more than two of you at home at a time.” The balconyfell into taut silence for a heartbeat, then two. Above, gulls andseabirds called out, and the noise of traffic and passersby tookover. Dane found his arm tightening around Zara.
“Six months,” Adam announced. “With the DC crew. Youneed to learn both sides of the coin. Then, if you’ve behaved,you’ll come back, and we’ll discuss your future.”
Six months sounded bearable enough. And Ethan wasn’tthe worst company. Better than Derek’s endless moralizing, atleast. “He’s right,” he whispered to his wife. “I do need tolearn.”Dad could’ve run both sides of the business in his sleepif he had to. If Dane wanted any kind of future with thefamily, he needed to be just as rounded, no matter how torturousboardrooms were when you couldn’t shoot anyone.
Zara nodded but didn’t speak. Dane felt the tears onhis shirt before her shoulders shook. Her hand clutched his cottonshirt hard enough he half-expected to hear it rip.
“I’ll, uh, go get the plane booked,” Sawyer said,coughing before he all but ran out the door.
“Good job, now she’s crying.” Gianna glowered atAdam and Ryan as if this was their fault.
“Shit, I’m getting a bit misty-eyed myself.” Grimshook his head at Gianna and stood up. “Is DC really that bad,Zara?”
Over Zara’s head, Dane watched Gia’s lip curl in afamiliar snarl. “DC is a shitshow. And it’s boring.”
“Still better than falling over abalcony.”
“Is it? Really?”
Grim shrugged. “Maybe Zara needs some rest. It’sbeen a long day, and it isn’t even dinnertime yet.”
“There’s a hotel suite booked for you two unless youwant to return to the boat.” Adam pulled a small envelope from hislinen jacket and stood up, passing it off to Dane before putting ahand on Zara’s back. “Either way, there’s no point in tears. Thingshave worked out, haven’t they? You’re going to be fine.”
Zara straightened up and let go of Dane, turning toher father. She flung her arms around him. Adam stiffened insurprise. “I missed you, Dad,” she whispered. Dane doubted anyoneelse heard it, but there was no missing the way Adam hugged herback—exactly like a father who’d been worried sick for far toolong.
“It’s all right, kiddo.” Her father put a kiss onher forehead, then gently disentangled himself. “Get some rest.It’s a long trip, and I’m sure you and Gia will want to go shoppingbefore we fly out.”
“Sounds nice.” Zara stepped back, but reached forDane as if she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t get taken away again. Sheglanced at him with red-rimmed, somewhat dazed eyes. “Hotel?Or?”
“It would be nice to sleep on a bed that didn’tmove.” Dane circled an arm around her, his other hand wiping awaythe tears on her cheek. He wished he knew what else to say. Henever knew what to do with himself when she cried. “A nap and thenfood? Sound like a plan, love?”
“Yes. A plan. Let’s do that.”
Gia moved in and hugged her, then Ryan—which oddlydidn’t appear to upset Zara at all—and then they were simply shownout. As if it was any run-of-the-mill family meeting. Nobody in thedownstairs portion seemed upset about the soap opera occupying thebalcony, and outside, the traffic and the sea breeze showed nosense of anything changing. Yet the entire future was different.Everything from this moment stood ahead of them without theterrifying uncertainty that tainted their last few weeks.
He would’ve enjoyed it more if Zara wasn’t clingingto his arm like she might faint any second. Whenever he tried toask her anything, she dissolved into tears before he finished thesentence, and he gave up. Thankfully, the cab driver he hailedaccepted a vague “too much sun, too much sea” explanation anddidn’t reach for the Italian 911-equivalent.Dane let thesilence continue until they got into the hotel suite. And then gaveher a couple more minutes while he swept the place, just incase.
Stepping out of the restroom, he found her wherehe’d left her: on a tiny bench by the door. Dane emptied hispockets, set his wallet and knife on the TV stand, then approached.Crouching down, he took her hands in his and brushed a kiss alongher pale knuckles. “What do you need, love? The waterworks arescaring me.”
“N-nothing. I just…” At least this time, when shetrailed off, it wasn’t into tears and sniffles, but he’d never seenher so lost for words. Finally, she took a breath, starting again.“I—I didn’t think of this. That it’d just be over? We’re goinghome. And it feels, um, like I can’t breathe? Only I can? But whatare we doing, D?” Her voice cracked on the question.
