Matteo was brilliant in a number of ways, but romantic relationships didn’t number among them. “I’ll take advice from you when you’ve dated someone longer than a few months.”
“Si, si, you’re very superior.” Matteo laughed. “Look, my father is still fuming, so I wouldn’t come back here until you’ve married her. Take her back to the cabin after your little errand. It’s the safest place for both of you. He’s not the only thing you have to worry about right now, anyway.”
Dante tensed at the strange note in his brother’s voice. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Our people reported Romanovs sniffing around the small towns in your area. Two sets of them, actually. Your girl’s family is better than you expected because they’re already close.”
He’d expected it, but not this quickly. They should have been chasing red herrings of those other pit stops for at least another week. But that wasn’t the most concerning part. Two sets of Romanovs? “I’m surprised Kirill’s stirred himself to offer even this much help.”
“They’re not his people. I don’t know these Russians. None of the usual suspects, they don’t seem to be cooperating with the New York Romanovs, and Kirill’s gone awfully quiet since they showed up.”
None of that was good news. He didn’t like the implications of the greater Russian branch of the Romanovs becoming involved in this. Dmitri Romanov would not have asked Jovan Romanov for help, not when doing so would give the old man an excuse to fuck with Dmitri’s territory and family. He’d been successfully fending off Jovan’s meddling for years, and Dante didn’t see that changing now. More, if Kirill was laying low in response to their presence, even though they were half a state away from LA, then…
It didn’t matter. No one was finding the cabin anytime soon. They just had to get into a pharmacy, get Rose the meds, and get out again without anyone seeing them. Considering how many options they had for towns around this area, it should be child’s play to avoid anyone seeing us for that duration.
Should.
“I’ll keep an eye out.”
“I could always send someone your way with the shit you need.”
Tempting, but he’d rather keep the information of their location between him and his cousin. Their people were mostly good and loyal, but all it took was a high enough price or long enough under the gentle care of one of their enemies’ wet workers and that information would be up for grabs. “No.”
“Suit yourself.” Matteo’s tone had gone distracted. “If that’s all?”
“Si, go back to having fun with your guest.”
“Oh, I plan on it. Stay safe, cugino.” His cousin hung up.
Dante checked the feeds one last time and ducked back out into the closet just as the water of the shower shut off. The smart thing to do would be to leave Rose here and retrieve the meds himself. He was reasonably certain she couldn’t escape in his absence, but the thought of her alone and essentially defenseless…
Maybe it was irrational. He couldn’t think his way around the problem. His fucking emotions were in the way for the first time in his life. He wanted her at his side, and he couldn’t figure out if it was truly the most logical solution or if he was compromising everything just because he didn’t want her out of his sight.
He practically threw open the door to the bathroom, making Rose jump. “Get dressed. We’re going.” When all she did was stare, he cursed. “Time is of the essence, right? More time equals less chance of it working.”
“Da,” she said slowly.
“Then get dressed, Rosa. If you want these meds, we’ll get them for you.”
She tucked the towel more tightly around herself and gave him a wary look. “Why are you suddenly being so supportive?”
Frustration bloomed, but he fought it back down. He would not, under any circumstances, give her more ammunition to use against him. They’d made progress the past couple days, even though she’d deny it if he pointed it out. He forced himself to slow down, to cut all emotion from his tone. “My uncle tried to use an unplanned pregnancy to control my mother. I will do many unforgivable things, amata, but not that. Never that.”
“Oh,” she said softly.
“When you get pregnant with my child, it will be because we plan it.”
Rose blinked. Blinked again. The surprise faded from her face, replaced by indignation. “You’re really out of your goddamn mind. Do you know that?”
“You’ve said it before.” He preferred to think he was a man who knew what he wanted and wouldn’t be dissuaded from his path. It didn’t make him mad just because not everyone involved was on the same page. “Get dressed before I change my mind.”
This time, she didn’t argue. She scrambled past him and into the closet. He followed and pulled on a pair of jeans and T-shirt. Not his preferred clothing, but something inconspicuous. Whether or not Rose had the same thought, she ended up in dark jeans that hugged her like a second skin and a tank top that was simple enough but put her generous breasts on full display. A knitted cardigan did nothing to cover her up properly. She caught him staring. “What?”
“You’re going to cause a traffic accident dressed like that.”
She glanced down at her body and then up, amusement lighting up her eyes. “Dante, this is hardly cutting-edge fashion.”
It looked it on her, but he doubted he’d be happy taking her in public in anything she chose. Not while she still refused a future together. It was just one trip, though. It would be fine. Still, he’d take precautions.
Dante led her to the front door and pulled out the hood he’d stuffed in his pocket. Rose took one look at it and snarled. “Absolutely not.”
“You want to leave, you put on the hood.”
She cursed long and hard, violence seeping into every word of Russian. Finally, she switched back to English. “So help me, but if you put me in the trunk again, I will—”
“Kill me. Yes, we’ve gone over this.”
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “If you put me in the trunk again, I will never forgive you.”
It was such a softer threat, but it hit harder than any of her others to date. It wasn’t that Dante didn’t believe Rose capable of murder. He knew for a fact she was. She would have killed him three months ago if his reflexes were any slower.
But this? By saying this, she’d all but stated that he hadn’t crossed the line of unforgivable actions to date. If he wanted Rose, he had to stay on the correct side of that line. He considered the hood in his hand. What did it really matter if Rose knew where they were? The door with the code was the main thing keeping her in place. Not to mention allowing her to see just how isolated they were might be beneficial.
With a shrug, he tossed the hood onto the couch. “Turn around.”
Rose considered him for a long moment but finally obeyed. He kept one eye on her and tapped in the code really quick. The door gave with a quiet snick sound. “Come on.” He held it open for her. “The quicker we get this done, the better.”
Chapter 15