Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

D’Angelo

There were several instances in my life that made me want to take up smoking. It was a disgusting habit of my father’s, and I had no actual interest in it, but the promise of calming my nerves was tempting.

Sitting by the side of my own bed, waiting for Oliver to wake up, was one of those moments.

A doctor on my payroll had already checked him out to be sure Oliver hadn’t been poisoned or injured. Apparently, he’d just passed out from the combination of extreme stress and lack of sleep. He worked late night shifts at the Erodance, then had to get up early for his coffee shop shift. It wasn’t ideal, but there shouldn’t be any negative effects.

So, now it was just a matter of waiting for him to wake up naturally.

As the minutes ticked by, slowly turning into hours, I sat watching the shadows move along the walls. A knife twirled through my fingers, flashing its deadly edge back and forth. It was a nervous habit I’d picked up almost as soon as I learned to wield a knife properly. Not only did it help me retain a sense of control in uncertain situations, but it also worked as a decent intimidation tactic.

In this case, I didn’t want to scare Oliver, and made a note to sheath the knife back in the hidden strap on my wrist as soon as he woke up. He was likely going to be overwhelmed and didn’t need to see me looming over him holding a weapon as soon as he opened his eyes.

As much as I wanted him to wake up, I also wanted him to sleep longer. The moment he returned to consciousness I would have to explain what happened to him.

What would I even say?

Oliver was a civilian. I knew that, for our relationship to continue, I’d eventually have to tell him about my position in the mafia and the dangers that came with it. However, I’d been planning on having a little more time before bringing it up.

Oliver stirred, twisting his fists in the sheets, and burying his face against the pillow.

I sat up straight and stored my knife back in its sheath.

Hazel eyes opened and stared at me with bleary focus. At first, he smiled, and warmth filled the hollow place in my chest. But then his gaze focused, and his memories seemed to return to him. He sat up abruptly, half tangled in the sheets, and scrambled away until his back hit the wall.

“D’Angelo. What the hell?”

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. “You’re going to need to be more specific.”

He started talking, but his voice failed before he finished forming the first word. Several more attempts ended in the same result, until eventually, he gave up talking and just hid his face in his hands. Curled up with his knees drawn to his chest, he looked like a confused little ball of misery.

I wanted to reach out to him, but I didn’t know how it would be received, so I just sat quietly and waited.

“Did that actually happen?” he eventually asked without looking up. “I smashed a coffee pot on someone’s head.”

I nodded, then realized he couldn’t see me while he was still staring at his knees. “It was a very effective tactic.”

Oliver finally did look up, his expression both fearful and angry. “It wasn’t a tactic. I panicked. A bunch of guys attacked the coffee shop and tried to kidnap me. And then you showed up and... I don’t even know what you did.”

Despite everything he said, none of it was a question, so I didn’t know what to answer.

In the end, I didn’t need to say anything. Oliver regained his composure surprisingly quickly and sharp clarity returned to his eyes as his thoughts worked double-time piecing things together.

“You weren’t surprised then, and you don’t look surprised now. It’s like you already knew what was happening and what to do.”

Those hazel eyes, which were usually so warm, narrowed like the lens of a microscope, pinning me under observation.

“What’s going on? You obviously know, so just tell me.”

He was either exceptionally brave or hadn’t fully processed what he was saying. There were very few people who dared to demand answers from me. Even my past lovers weren’t usually so bold. I was unused to it, but seeing such audacity coming from Oliver... Well, I didn’t hate it.

“I’m not certain who attacked you.” He started to protest, but I stopped him. “I have a few ideas. I just can’t say which of my enemies are responsible.”

“Your enemies?”

Although he’d made his first deductions with such confidence, now that I’d agreed with him, he couldn’t seem to believe it. “Why do you have enemies like that? Why would they attack me? That doesn’t make sense. You’re not telling me something. Wait...” He looked around, noticing the unfamiliar bedroom he was lying in for the first time.

“Where am I? Did you... did you kidnap me?”

“Kidnap is a strong word. You were unconscious, so I brought you back to my place.” I gestured out the window at the view outside. We were in a penthouse on the edge of the city, so the Baltimore skyline stood tall against the cloudy night sky. “Or, at least the place I’m renting while I’m staying here in Baltimore. It’s only temporary.”

Oliver stared at the window like he was considering jumping out of it, but we were twenty-eight floors up and that particular window didn’t open, so I wasn’t worried. Surprisingly, this was a conversation I hadn’t experienced very often. Most people that needed to know who I was were already in the know, and I rarely needed to explain.

The words didn’t come easily.

I was saved from further questions by a knock on the door. A moment later, Gavriil poked his head inside.

“Boss. Alex Mariano has called several times. He wants an update about the situation.”

As much as I wanted to tell Alex to fuck off right now, the Mariano family was not an enemy I could afford to make.

“Tell him I’m figuring it out and I’ll let him know when I have answers. Just lay low for the time being.”

With a sharp nod, Gavriil disappeared, and I was once again left under the full scrutiny of Oliver’s suspicious gaze.

“Boss?” he repeated the word, turning it into a question. “Is he your employee?”

I could have lied, but then what?

One lie would lead to another and another. Once I went down that road there was no going back until it reached its inevitable disastrous end. That wasn’t what I wanted.

“He’s one of my bodyguards.”

Bodyguard,” Oliver repeated. “Why do you need a bodyguard? No, wait... go back. Why was I attacked... Oh, God. My family. Are they safe? What if they were attacked, too?”

He jumped up from the bed, tripping over the sheets tangled around his legs and nearly slamming his face into the bedpost.

Shooting out of my chair, I managed to catch him before he injured himself. “Whoa. Calm down. Everything’s fine.”

“Fine?” he shouted, though the close call seemed to have shaken him enough that he easily followed my guidance and sat back down. “This is not fine. This is the exact opposite of fine.”

“I just meant that your family is safe. I’ve put a protection detail on them and can move them to a safe house if necessary. Your friend as well. Everyone is safe.”

Running a hand over his face, Oliver mumbled into the palm of his hand. “Protection details. Safe houses. Just like that.” He breathed deep for a few moments as I sat back down in the nearest chair and waited.

It didn’t take as long as I expected for him to finally lower his hand and look me in the eye with a determined gaze.

“Who are you? Normal people don’t have bodyguards and safe houses on standby. Not to mention the room full of armed men that you took out single handedly. I’m not stupid. Something is going on and I want to know. I deserve that much after I’ve been dragged into the middle of it.”

“You’re right,” I said, and he seemed startled by my quick agreement. “You deserve to know. Just... bear with me. I don’t often have to explain this.”

I started at the beginning, explaining my mix of Russian and Italian heritage. How I inherited leadership of one of the most powerful Italian mafia families when I was only eighteen and maintained that position for twenty years through a mix of ruthless violence and cunning politics.

Oliver was oddly silent as he listened to me. He didn’t say a word. He barely even blinked as he absorbed everything I said like a dry sponge that had suddenly found itself submerged under far more water than it could hold.

It was only as I explained recent events that he began to fidget, pawing at his hair to pull it in front of his face. I recognized it as a nervous gesture whenever he was feeling self-conscious, so I wrapped up my explanation quickly.

It was probably either the Russians or Caprice Vidales’ people who attacked him, though I wasn’t certain which one. No matter who it was, he was obviously in danger due to his association with me. So, he needed to stay here where it was safe while I sorted everything out.

When I’d finished, he still didn’t say anything. By that point, he’d stopped staring at me and now sat on the edge of the bed staring out the window again.

“I didn’t intend to get you involved,” I said, just to fill the silence. “Originally, I just wanted a distraction to keep me entertained while I was in town. But then I realized that you wouldn’t just fall into my bed. Winning you would require effort. I probably should have walked away at that point, but I liked the effort. It was refreshing.”

Standing from my chair, I stepped around the bed and reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder, but he flinched away from my touch.

Not wanting to push him, I stepped back.

“It’s my fault that you’re in danger now, so I promise I’ll protect you. Just stay here while I take care of this, and I’ll get you back to your normal life as soon as I can.”

I turned to leave, but at the last moment he grabbed the very edge of my sleeve.

“Thanks, I guess, for telling me... and for taking responsibility. I’m just... I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. I’m not angry. I’m just... numb.”

Gripping his hand in both of mine, I gave it a squeeze. “That’s understandable. It’s a lot to process. Take some time to think things over. I promise to take care of you, so I’ll be gone for a little while. You have free rein of the penthouse. It’s fully stocked so you shouldn’t need anything. Just don’t try to leave. I’m assigning a bodyguard to watch over you and they will stop you from leaving if necessary.”

I pulled out a basic phone from my pocket, which I placed on the side table by the bed. “This is a secure phone. It’ll only call the numbers already programmed. You can use it to reach me and check in on your family and your friend. If you do need anything, just ask Eva and she’ll get it for you. I’ll be back in two days.”

He gave me a nod and a non-committal grunt of agreement, which I figured was probably the best I was going to get. Then I left him alone and closed the bedroom door behind me.

“Eva, you’re staying here.”

“But, Boss...” she started to argue.

“No, I don’t trust anyone else to guard him. Not until I know for sure who attacked him in the first place. Gavriil will be with me, so I won’t be alone, and I don’t plan on getting into any trouble.”

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at me. “You never ‘plan’ for any trouble. It just happens. And the fact that we don’t know who attacked that boy and what they want, means you’re in more danger, too.”

Heading for the front door, I grabbed my coat and swung it over my shoulders to protect me from the dreary weather outside. “Doesn’t matter. You’re staying. I should only be gone for two days. Make sure he stays here until I get back and get him anything he needs.”

She agreed, but from the tone of her voice I could tell she hated being relegated to what she saw as ‘babysitting duty.’ Still, I had faith that she would follow my order to the letter, even if she didn’t like it.

Gavriil followed right behind me as I left the penthouse and stepped out into the hallway toward the elevator. “Two days? So, we’re leaving the city. You have a plan.”

Pressing the button to call the elevator, I watched the numbers slowly count up to our floor. “It won’t solve everything, but I think I know how to solve at least one of our problems.”

The elevator dinged and the door opened, but rather than immediately step on, I flashed Gavriil a violent smile.

“We’re going to visit The Wolf.”