When she steps away, turning to look toward the door again, I lose it. With a swift swing of my elbow, I bust out a pane of glass. I reach my hand inside and flip the lock. It still won’t open.
Talia rushes back over to me and reaches her hand through the glass pane. Her touch is soft as she runs her fingertips along my cheek. “I can’t, Kostas. It’s nailed shut.”
Nailed shut.
What in the actual fuck?
I grip her wrist in a tight grip and then lean in to kiss her palm. I’m afraid to let her go because she might just fucking vanish again, but I need to get to her. I need to hold her.
“Stand back,” I order.
She jerks her hand back and steps away from the window. I could go beat on the front door, make my brother answer, and demand he hand her over, but right now I’m on a one-track mission. Get to my fucking wife. Hiking my leg up, I kick hard along the metal strip along the middle of the window.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
I kick over and over until the metal frame of the window is mutilated and folded in, glass broken all over at my feet. Once I’ve weakened it enough, I slam my shoulder into what’s left of the window and send it and myself careening to the floor. I’m on my feet in the next second, prowling after Talia.
Anger. Betrayal. Sadness. Confusion.
My emotions spin around and around like a fucking tornado. I’m ready to cause massive destruction. I want to destroy everyone.
Gripping Talia’s throat, I walk her back until her ass hits the door. I bury my nose in her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo mixed with her natural sweat. The growl rumbling through me is a possessive one bordering on rage. My thumb traces along the vein in her throat that’s pulsing rapidly.
“Why?” It’s the only word I have. It’s a loaded question.
“I don’t know.”
I pull away and glower at her. “You want to be here?”
She shakes her head, fat tears rolling down her red cheeks.
“You’re trapped here?”
A sob escapes her. “We have to get out of here.”
I’m distracted by her bottom wobbly lip, and now that I know she’s a captive for some fucked-up reason, I need her like I need my next breath.
“Zoí mou,” I whisper over her lips. “I’ve fucking missed you.”
Slamming my lips to hers, I take the kiss I’ve been craving since the moment I let her walk away from me after our fight. I slide my hand up to her jaw, gripping her tight so she can’t escape me as I ravish her perfect mouth. She moans as I devour her lips and tongue. Her fingers thread through my hair, cradling me to her. My other hand finds her hip and I slide it to her ass that’s fleshier than I remember. I want to strip her down right here and inspect every part of her body to see if she’s changed. A choked sound escapes her when I rotate my hips, rubbing my aching cock against her body.
“Da-da-da-da.”
I freeze mid-kiss. When I hear an excited shriek, I yank away from Talia, my head darting around to find the source. My eyes land on a baby. A fucking baby. With bright blue eyes like Talia.
Talia steps toward me. “Kostas, listen—”
“A baby?” I growl, snapping my head back to look at her.
Her chin is tilted up and her watery eyes are fierce. “My baby.”
I stumble back, feeling as though she’s kicked me in the gut. A baby. Her baby. And Aris’s? The baby makes another sound and I can’t help but look over at her.
“Kostas,” she says, walking over to the baby and picking it up. “Her name is Zoe.”
All the air is sucked from my lungs as I snap my eyes back to the little girl.
Zoe.
Zoe.
Zoe.
“Zoe, zoí mou?”
Tears well in her eyes and she nods rapidly.
Holy shit.
Our baby.
We had a fucking baby.
All happy thoughts come to a screeching halt. I’m going to murder them. Slaughter both Aris and Selene. Right the fuck now.
“Kostas,” Talia says, her voice shaking as she rushes over to me. “We have to go. Now.”
The baby—Zoe—grabs the lapel of my suit and tries to pull it her way. I’m stunned for so many fucking reasons. All I can do is lean forward and inhale her dark hair.
Mine.
She’s fucking mine.
They both are.
I’m eerily calm as I say, “I’m going to kill them.”
“And I want you to,” she whispers. “But we need to get Zoe someplace safe. Selene has a gun and she’s not afraid to use it.”
My mind wars with what I should do. The mobster inside me craves violence and blood and vengeance. The husband—and father—in me has an overwhelming urge to protect what’s mine.
I can’t have both.
Not in this moment.
So I choose them.
Pressing a soft kiss to Talia’s lips, I murmur, “Let’s go.”
She hands me Zoe and I freeze. I’ve never held a damn baby. But Talia doesn’t give me a chance to argue. The moment the tiny flailing thing is in my arms, Talia starts throwing stuff into a diaper bag. I can’t help but hold Zoe close to me, kissing the top of her head.
Those motherfuckers kept this from me.
My wife. My baby. My goddamn family.
Rage surges violently inside of me, but I don’t unleash it. Talia’s right. I need to get them out of here and make a plan. I’ll get the full story of what’s happened and then shed blood when my family is safe. Within minutes, Talia is packed and we head out the broken window. She rushes over to my car and tosses the bag into the backseat. Then, she takes Zoe from me and sits in the front seat. As soon as I’m seated and the engine fires up, the reality begins to sink in.
They’re here.
I have them.
My first instinct is to call Melody. She doesn’t know she has a granddaughter. The fact I want to call her should be alarming, but it’s not. Not after spending the last year leaning on this woman for emotional support under the thin veil of questioning her on the whereabouts of my wife.
“Hurry,” Talia says. “I didn’t make it very far last time.”
Despite her words, I don’t gun it like I normally would. The baby doesn’t have a seat. I finally understand the term precious cargo.
“You escaped?”
“Today,” she breathes. “Finally. But he caught me.” A pained sound rattles from her. “I shot someone, Kostas. I was protecting me and Zoe. H-He’s dead. I’m sorry, but I’d do it again and again to protect her.”
Reaching over, I give her thigh a squeeze. “I don’t know what the hell has been happening right under my goddamn nose, but I want you to tell me everything.” I shoot her a hard look. “And don’t ever apologize for protecting our little girl.”
Our little girl.
I’m in fucking awe right now.
A dad. I’m a dad.
And I have my wife back.
Talia
For the first time in over a year, I can finally take a deep breath of relief. Oxygen can enter my lungs without a lump the size of a boulder blocking my airway.
Because Kostas is here.
He didn’t give up on me, and he found me and Zoe, and we’re finally safe.