“I don’t know what’s going to happen between Adam and Isabella,” Stella tells her. “But I do know he cares about you deeply. He’ll make sure you’re free of them. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of and have the life you want.”
He cares deeply. Stella’s words resound.
She can feel Adam’s gentleness and believes he does care. But it won’t be enough. It won’t be enough for him to stand against the Romanos or the organization above them. She can’t, in good conscience, even ask him to take a stand since it would put this family in harm's way.
She’d never ask that of him.
But what will happen between her and him?
Other than informing her that she’ll be staying here, at the Kings’ estate the day the safe house was attacked, they’d never spoken long term.
What will happen when Isabella takes her place here?
No matter how deeply she’s falling in love with Adam, she just can’t stay in the shadows. In Isabella’s shadows, in fact. That’s if Isabella even lets her take another breath once she finds out she’s been with Adam this whole time.
Falling in love?
Has she…is she in love with Adam? How can she be sure? She’s never felt like this with anyone before. It’s beyond her high school crushes.
In his arms, it’s heaven. It’s safe. It’s fire and heat. It’s passion. It’s…control.
She looks at Stella to make sure she hadn’t spoken out loud. Stella is or was staring at her intensely but washes the look away quickly with her normal warm smile. She hopes that Stella hasn’t read her mind somehow.
“Ariana,” Stella starts.
She holds her breath, afraid of the words that might come next.
“I know you’ve been making good use of the home gym but while you’re here, I’d like you to start learning how to use a gun and some self-defense. Would you be okay with that?”
She nods but doesn’t say a word.
“It’s for your own good. I’m sorry it sounds cliché but—”
“It’s okay, Stella. If it helps to make you feel better, I’ll do it.”
“Do it for you, Ariana. Not because of any else.” Stella gives her a reassuring pat on the back. “My nannies will help you with your training,” she says with a smile.
Her nannies. It makes her laugh until her sides hurt because she’s seen Stella’s nannies and it still baffles her how that came about.
When Stella suggested she take lessons in self-defense, she didn’t think Stella meant immediately. But immediately is how it happened.
Brooks and Tommy approached her right after breakfast the next morning.
She’d been living at the Kings’ estate for a while now but she can attest that to her memory, this might have been the first time she’s seen Brooks looking forward to something. It should have been a warning that she was going to get her ass handed to her.
Over and over again.
Of course, she can appreciate the workout. She welcomed it versus her lonesome gym routines. It helped that she’d found she wanted the knowledge. Even though this was her first day at training camp, her spirit and her confidence soared. She felt empowered at the mere thought of being able to defend herself. She’d never tried to before. She’d been hopeless under the Romanos’ thumb…under the drugs. She’d thought the drugs would someday take her under anyway.
Exactly two hours after Brooks first showed her how to get out of a hold if someone was holding her from behind, he handed her a bottle of water and walks off. She watches him stroll away with his sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his broad back.
“He won’t be coming back,” Tommy says to her.
“We’re done?” she asks, breathing heavily.
“Nah. He and I are done,” Tommy replies. He nods toward the front of the mansion. “Come on,” he says.
She doesn’t ask questions. Mainly, because she’s still trying to catch her breath and inhale the water from the bottle at the same time.
They reach the front of the house and that’s where she sees James and Jason standing next to a blacked-out SUV. Tommy walks up to them and gives them each a good high-five.
“She did well today but she’s all yours now,” Tommy tells them.
He turns back to her with a grin. “Pay attention to what they tell you. They know what they’re doing and they’re fucking good at it too.”
“Excuse me?” she asks, confused.
“You’re gonna learn how to shoot today, ma’am.” Jason tips his baseball cap at her with a much too wicked grin. “We’re taking you to The Fields. Don’t worry. We’ll start you out slow.”
The Fields? Where the hell is that?
Chapter Twenty-Four
The sound of his family’s laughter echoes around the lake. Sunday dinner ended an hour ago. The kids are getting ready for bed and the adults are lounging around after a long week.
He tries to refocus his attention to what tale Chase is spinning that’s so funny but he can’t seem to get his mind to wander far from Ariana. The sound of her laughter is pure and draws him in.
This is how she’s meant to be. Free. Free from her cage. Free from her mind. Free from the drugs. Free from the process of recovery.
Chase continues with his story as the pen in his hand continues to doodle whatever it is that he’s in the process of collaborating with Ariana.
Ah, yes. That’s what brought the laughter.
Ariana was deep into her sketchbook after dinner. Chase, of course, had to partake with his expertise, making suggestions here and there before words fail him for once and he takes Ariana’s pen and began his scribbling.
Don’t get it wrong. Chase is talented. He’d hand-drawn every single one of their tattoos. But he wonders if he should mention to Ariana that his brother hasn’t taken a single art class since high school…when it was a requirement. Maybe then the asshole can deflate his big head down a couple of hundred notches.
Then again, at least they seem to be getting along now and whatever issues Chase may have thought existed with Ariana doesn’t seem to exist anymore. She seems to have coasted into the family seamlessly.
“We should talk about the birthday party,” Derrick announces when he returns to Stella’s side after putting the baby down for bed.
Leave it to Derrick to put a damper on a good time even though he’s right. Things need to be discussed.
“Is it the baby’s birthday already?” Ariana asks with brightened eyes.
It cracks his armor a little more each time to see her excited about something. It’s going to crack more than that when he tells her what’s going to happen.
“That won’t be for another month,” Stella answers.
Chase drops the pen and leans back into his patio chair. He sees Chase looking over Ariana with a hint of sympathy.
“Tomorrow night, we’re celebrating Chase’s birthday at the Whiskey Gypsy. It’s tradition,” he tells her.
Her smile beams and her eyes twinkle. It makes his heart sink at the same time.
“Ariana,” Stella says this time. “Isabella and Cristian will be there which means you can’t come along.”