“What’s the plan?” Ivan questions his eyes on Xander.
Xander rubs at his chin. “We use Dove to draw him out. Make him think that she’s coming back to him, or better yet, put her out in the open. Make him think that she’s unprotected. Then before he gets her, we end him.”
“Basically, we just fool him,” Ivan says.
“Basically,” Damon replies. “It’s really simple and safe, and nothing will happen to Dove. She is family, our sister. That fucker won’t get his hands on her again.” Damon’s words are directed at Zane, who is still silently sulking beside me.
“When are we going to do this?” I ask.
“Tomorrow. That’ll give us time to come up with a detailed plan. I have a few men tailing him now. We’ll place Dove somewhere he can find her and pull her out before anything happens.” Xander smiles and slaps a hand on the table. Ivan grunts, Damon nods, and Zane grabs my hand and pushes away from the table.
He practically drags me back up to our room. The door slams shut behind us, and Zane twists around and punches the heavy wood.
“What the fuck happened to you wanting a normal life? He gave you a way out! All you had to do was tell him, no, and we could be on our fucking way out of here. We could leave this all behind us. Ride off into the sunset, happy and together.” Pausing for a moment, he shakes his head before muttering, “What were you thinking?”
Anger surges through me, but there is also understanding. I get why he’s upset. He just got me back, and now I’m putting myself in harm’s way again, but I can’t let Matteo slip through our fingers.
“I was thinking that I’m tired of feeling weak and helpless. I want to take Matteo down. He hurt you, hurt us, and I want to make him pay for that.” My words stun him into silence, and then I see the anger drain from his body. He sighs deeply, almost as if he is defeated by my response. Then he’s on me, his lips pressing against mine, his hands in my hair. He’s kissing me like he hates me, like he loves me. Like I’m his reason to live.
Then in an instant, he’s pulling away, his forehead comes to rest against mine, and he peers deeply into my eyes. This moment is so intimate, so precious, I almost hold my breath.
“I almost lost you once. The thought of losing you again…” Zane’s hot breath fans against my face. “I don’t want to risk it. If he were to get to you. If he did hurt you…” The fear in his eyes ripples through me. I can feel it, taste it. It’s real, beyond real, and it makes my knees buckle. Zane afraid is terrifying.
“Nothing… nothing is going to happen to me. I trust Xander, and Damon. I trust Ivan, but above all, I trust you. I trust that you won’t let anything happen.”
“I can’t… I can’t be sure, and that kills me. It rips me apart. If you die… When Christian shoved you down the stairs…” He exhales. “You don’t understand… if you die… I die. There is no me without you.”
Snaking my arms around his neck, I tug him closer. “There is no me without you, Zane, and tomorrow we will get Matteo and be free of this cage. We will be free to do whatever we want. I have you to protect me, and you’ve never let me down.”
The look in Zane’s eyes tells me he doesn’t believe me, but that’s okay… I believe, and that’s all that matters.
“I’m afraid, so fucking scared, Dove.”
“Don’t be. I’m not going anywhere.”
48
“I don’t like this,” I growl into the room as I walk back and forth along the wall. We’re all staying away from the window as a precaution. We snuck into the building early this morning before the first filters of sunlight showed in the sky. Our hopes were that no one would suspect us being here. Matteo needs to assume that Dove is here alone.
“So you mentioned,” Xander says, his voice laced with annoyance. “She’s going to be fine. Ivan is shadowing her. She’ll be here any minute.”
“She better be. If that door doesn’t open in the next ten minutes, I’m leaving…” I barely get the words out when the sound of a key being inserted in the lock fills the room. The doorknob turns, and the door swings open.
I suck in a ragged breath of relief when I see Dove stepping into her apartment. She’s beaming, a megawatt smile on her face. “I told you I would be fine.”
“This isn’t over yet, Dove. You making it here was only half the battle. You are not safe yet,” I grumble before pulling her into my arms. She buries her face in the crook of my neck, inhaling while wrapping her slender arms around my waist.
“Just stop worrying,” she mumbles.
“I’ll stop worrying when Matteo is dead.” And that’s the truth. As soon as I see the life drain from Matteo’s eyes, I’ll be free of the fear that strangles my heart when it comes to Dove.
“Now we wait,” Damon says as he sinks down onto Dove’s couch. I get the feeling he’s the most impatient of the two brothers.
We get comfortable on the love seat while Xander sits next to his brother. For a while, we just sit there in an uncomfortable silence. Dove cuddles into my side and plays with the hem of my shirt, either because she is nervous or bored. Honestly, I don’t know which one it is, and I don’t really care. I just want Matteo to get here so we can end the fucker’s life, and I can take Dove back to Xander’s.
“Is there any food in this place?” Damon groans as he stretches.
“Can’t go five minutes without eating?” Xander scoffs, and Damon scowls at him. For a minute, I’m taken aback by how normal these two seem. Apart from the expensive suits they are wearing, they act like nothing more than two bickering brothers. For the first time, I could actually imagine Dove being their family.
I let that thought run through my head, testing out different scenarios. I’ve spent the last few days with Xander, and I have to admit, he is not what I expected. He is feared by the other families for being ruthless, and I have no doubt that he is when he has to be, but within his inner circle, he is different than both Christian and Matteo. He treats his family, including the women, with respect, which is unheard of in our world.
“Fine, I’ll starve to death, I guess,” Damon grumbles, and Dove starts giggling.
“I can find something for you to eat,” she says and starts to get up.
“Don’t fall for his whining,” Xander quips. “He is just being a drama queen. Sit,” he orders. “I’d rather you tell us more about you. Like how you grew up, for example.”
Dove falls back into the cushion and sighs deeply. I know she doesn’t want to talk about that time of her life since it was shitty before she was adopted by Donna.
“I didn’t have much of a childhood,” say says, shrugging. “I was bounced from one foster home to the next. None of which were great, but I guess it could have been worse. Then Zane and I got put in the same home. That’s how we met. The guy hurt him, beat him up badly, and then he tried to hurt me… but Zane wouldn’t let it happen.” She pauses and looks up at me, her eyes filled with tears, adoration, and love.