Page 54 of Sacred Blood

Her lips twitched.

“But there is a difference between having a voice and ignoring danger.” I brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“I don't need blind obedience from you, Gabriella. I need trust. If I tell you to do something because your safety is at risk, I need you to believe I'm acting in your best interests, even if you don't understand the reason at that moment.”

She studied me carefully.

“I spent years learning how to keep people alive. Sometimes that means making decisions quickly. Sometimes it means seeing a threat before anyone else notices it.”

My hand settled on her knee.

“I will always listen to you. I will always explain when I can. But when it comes to keeping you safe, I won't gamble with your life.”

Standing, I laid her on her back on my desk and placed her knees on my shoulders. “You are mine, Gabriella, and I will remind you of that every time you require it.” Parting her thighs, I drove my tongue into her sweet, tangy goodness, alternating my strokes between darting my tongue deep inside her and swirling her nub. Gaby’s fingers grasped my hair as she thrust her hips.

Clamping down on her bud, I speared her with a finger and felt her shiver around my digit. “That’s my good girl,” I soothed. Her glazed eyes peered up at me, watching as I toed off my shoes and quickly shucked my pants and boxers. Lining up my cock and thrusting deep inside of Gaby, I lost myself in her and knew that she was it for me. No other woman had ever made me feel as complete as she did, and I would do whatever it took to keep her safe, not only from the Russians, but also from her family.

Chapter Thirteen

Gabriella

So here I was, back at the safe house, alone in a strange bed, haunted by Gaetano’s absence. My life wasn’t my own anymore. I tried to accept that, as I could understand his reasons, but I was frustrated and restless. We’d come back to the city as Tano was in demand at the hospital, and he couldn’t put off his responsibilities there any longer.

I was supposed to go to his house, but I wasn’t comfortable being in his family home without him. I still hadn’t met his mother or his Nonna, only the scary brother and his sidekick, and there was no way in hell I wanted to be around them without Tano protecting me.

Having never grown up with brothers, it was way too much male-dominant energy for this girl to handle alone. Since he dropped me off a week ago, I’d been struggling with my life choices. When I was with Tano, I got sucked into his universe and all I saw was the sun through a pair of rose-colored glasses, but when I was alone—and it felt like I was always alone—everything felt so uncertain.

My glittering engagement ring caught my attention, teasing me with opulence, a reminder that even when we weren’t together, he was with me. I leaned back on the bed and blew a stray strand of hair out of my face. My thoughts were pure torture, sending my nerves into overdrive.

It was unfair of me to judge Tano for spending double-shifts at the hospital when he was forced into this schedule because of me. Hell, if I had a choice, I’d be at work, too. Meanwhile, I sat here in limbo. I couldn’t help feeling frustrated. This was exactly why I questioned if he was right for me. I hadn’t considered marriage before meeting him, and if we hadn’t been pushed together, would I want to be married to a surgeon, let alone one who was part of the largest crime family in the United States?

And around it went. Screw it! I needed a different perspective. I twisted the engagement ring around my finger. The stone caught the light, throwing tiny prisms across the wall.

Not long ago, I would have said I wanted freedom more than anything. Now I wasn’t so sure. Freedom sounded wonderful in theory, but it was also lonely. No one waiting for you. No one worrying when you were late, or caring if you made it home safely.

The realization unsettled me. I wasn't questioning Gaetano because I doubted my feelings for him. I was questioning whether I fit into the life that came with him.

Surgeons worked impossible hours. Mafia families lived under impossible pressure. And somewhere between those two worlds, I was supposed to figure out who Gabriella Calabretta wanted to become. Would there still be room for school? For a career? For dreams that belonged only to me?

Or would I wake up one day and realize I'd traded one cage for another? The thought lingered longer than I wanted it to.

Using my burner phone, I called my old roommates, who were ecstatic to hear from me. When they asked to meet me for a drink, I didn’t even hesitate before agreeing.

Sneaking away from the safe house might not be easy, but I could flag a cab once I got out of the burbs and make my way to cocktail heaven. It was far enough away from the hospital that I shouldn’t be recognized, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t owned by the Vitales.

I told them to give me an hour and hung up. Choosing an outfit suitable without six-inch heels was a bit of a challenge, but finally I put my hair up in a messy bun and threw on a sexy summer dress paired with flat Grecian sandals. With my purse and burner phone, I snuck down to the main floor.

The guards were sprawled on couches in the living room, watching a show. They’d become lenient since I’d become compliant. But there were more of them outside, and stealth was required. Disarming the code, I slid out the door and rearmed it. They’d gotten sloppy, but that was their problem, not mine.

Looking out my bedroom window night after night had given me a good working knowledge of when and where the guards outside patrolled. I just waited for the right moment and slipped away. I should have felt guilty sneaking away from the people set in place to protect me, and maybe I did just a little, but I needed something in my life I could control and that was me.

Firming my resolve and staying low to the ground to avoid the prying eyes of the guards, I crawled along the hedge until I was shadowed in darkness by the house. But what I didn’t anticipate was a sensor light blinking on suddenly and shining right at me.

Shit! All caution forgotten, I took off for the woodsy area that ran behind the row of houses and didn’t slow down until the realization hit me that I wasn’t being followed. Maybe they assumed it was a cat that set off the light. Once through the narrow woods, I emerged onto another quiet street.

I walked two more blocks to be sure they weren’t following me, then phoned for a taxi. Once I was safe inside, relief like nothing I’d ever experienced washed through me. Finally, a moment to myself without being guarded! My spirit immediately felt light, and I tapped my toe to the music the driver was playing, despite not really liking it.

A grin spread across my face. Soon I would be drinking and dancing and forgetting all the heaviness! I wouldn’t think about Tano or our impending nuptials. I wouldn’t think about those men back at the safe house or what may happen to them when the boss found out they’d let one lone woman escape them. And I definitely wouldn’t think about my father and the plans he’d made to use me.