Page 275 of Cara & Gian: The Guzzi Duet

“Shh. Marcus is fine, just angry.”

“Get my baby!”

“Okay, okay.”

In the time it took for Cara to smell the sweet scent of her child and have him in her weak arms, her vision had cleared enough for her to see again.

Gian.

He sat across from her, his gaze wary, and his hands outstretched to take her into his embrace when she was ready to move. She only shook her head, not wanting anything to touch her or her child in that moment. He checked her over from afar as she soothed Marcus in a daze.

“Don’t look at it,” Gian said when Cara glanced to the side at Dom’s body.

The back of his head was blown apart.

Blood was pooling across her bedroom floor.

“I don’t know what just happened,” Cara whispered.

“He was going to take you away from me.”

“But why?”

“Because he thought I took Elena,” Gian said.

Cara didn’t entirely understand.

She didn’t think it was all that important.

Once again, the familiar ding of the elevator rang through the penthouse. Cara’s frantic gaze darted to Gian, but he looked a hell of a lot calmer about an unknown someone coming into their place than she did.

“Calm down, it’s probably just—”

“Boss!”

“Stephan,” Gian finished with a sigh.

“Boss!”

“In the fucking bedroom, Stephan.” Gian held his arms out to Cara once more. “I know you’re scared and hurting, but I would really like to hold you right now, mon ange. Please.”

Her skittish nod sent him moving fast across the floor. She felt better the second she didn’t feel anything but him. His gentle fingers skimmed over her face, and through the tangles of her hair. He looked at the marks on her neck, muttered about a busted vessel in her eye, and mentioned a doctor that would come in and look her and the baby over once they had the mess cleaned up.

Cara didn’t care, as long as Marcus was still happy in her arms and Gian was there.

“Holy shit,” Stephan said from the doorway. “How did you make it here before me? I was closer by fifteen minutes, at least.”

Gian shrugged, but didn’t let go of Cara. “I drive fast.”

“Chris always said you drove like a bat out of hell, boss.”

“He understated it,” Gian said deadpan. “This needs to go away, Stephan. This mess—the body. It needs to be gone, it can’t be found.”

Cara chose not to ask about that, either.

“I can do that,” Stephan answered.

That was that.