Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rossi
Present Day
He crouched and wrapped the t-shirt several times around Stefano’s knee, staring down at the material through burning eyes.
“Gio?”
“Hmm?” He flicked his gaze up and held Stefano’s eyes.
Suddenly, everything he’d struggled with for years felt as easy as breathing. And Rossi had to wonder why he’d let life get so fucking hard when the answers had been staring at him in the face for decades.
Without a doubt, he would never again let this man out of his sight. With his heart in his throat, Rossi lowered to one knee next to Stefano, wishing like hell that he had a ring to do this and that they weren’t in a fucking drug warehouse—but he couldn’t wait another moment.
“Marry me,” Rossi said huskily.
Shock widened Stefano’s eyes—liquid pools of chocolate brown filled with a confused light.
“Jesus…you sure do pick your moments.” Stefano’s words sounded breathless, anxious.
Stefano may be nervous about his request, but Rossi wasn’t. He’d never been surer of anything in his life.
“Please marry me, Stef. I need you in my life, our home, my world.”
“Gio…” Stefano’s lips pressed flat and he shook his head. “That’s just the fear talking. We are going to get out of here.”
“I know we will,” he said confidently. “What I don’t know is if you’ll be with me.”
Stefano reached up and cupped his face and Rossi quickly closed his eyes and turned his lips into the man’s palm.
“Where else would I go?”
“I want to be the man you deserve,” Rossi continued doggedly.
“Gio, you don’t need to change for me. I know how it is.” Stefano licked at his dry lips and glanced away.
“No,” Rossi responded gruffly. “I don’t think you do, but you will.”
Startled, Stefano glanced back at him, but Rossi had had enough of this avenue of conversation.
Now wasn’t the time.
He would have his say, though, and he’d have Stefano’s honesty. If the man really didn’t want to be his husband, then he’d take Stefano any way he could.
With that thought, Rossi scooped Stefano up off the concrete and stood. The air left the man’s lungs with a soft sound of surprise and Rossi smirked.
“What? Don’t think I still have it?” He quirked one eyebrow before lowering Stefano’s feet to the ground—gently so the man could stand on one leg.
“Oh, I know very well you still have it.” Stefano slanted him a devious look that shot right to Rossi’s dick.
“You guys ready?” Noah’s voice broke them slightly apart, but Rossi didn’t release his grip and, in fact, tightened his arm around Stefano’s waist.
“Yeah, we’re coming.” Stefano’s voice sounded breathy again and Rossi’s chest swelled with pride.
He’d been such a fucking fool for far too long. Ducking beneath Stefano’s arm on his injured side, he curled his own arm around the man’s waist and moved slowly toward the door before he stopped.
“I really don’t want to take him out there with Dresor’s men still at large.”
“Copy that. Stay here,” Noah said and crossed the distance to the door. Noah dodged out with a quick peek and swung back in before looking again this time, but longer.
“Um, Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“I think we’ve got help,” Noah responded.
“From who?”
“Um… It looks like Dave sent… people…” Noah’s voice trailed off.
“Who the hell did he send? The National Guard?” Rossi huffed and adjusted his grip on Stefano when he felt the man starting to sag.
“Nope, better,” a deep growling voice said and then Ace, the commander of Pegasus, darkened the doorway.
“Pegasus.” Noah laughed and gripped Ace’s hand when the tall, muscular man stepped inside.
“Been looking for you,” Ace said to Rossi, releasing Noah’s hand to stride forward. “We have an ambulance waiting.” Ace stepped closer and scooped up Stefano’s other arm to drape around his shoulder.
Between the two of them, they carried Stefano right out the door and into the warm, damp Aruba night.
“All I want is to go home.” Stefano grimaced.
“Well, that won’t happen until you get checked out and we give a full report to the local police,” Ace said conversationally.
Voices came closer when more of Pegasus and Phoenix poured from the warehouse in the distance. A light argument broke out between a few of the men.
“Like I said, we had it handled,” Jordan told Beckett as the pair strode closer.
“Oh?” Beckett smirked.
“You guys did make it easier though,” Jordan continued doggedly.
“Yeah, I bet.” Beckett laughed. “I’ve never made it this fast to Aruba before.”
“Isn’t it nine hours from LAX?” Jordan responded.
“Normally, but Dave sent his private jet. I think we got here in under eight if that’s possible,” Beckett said.
“Dave has a jet?” Jordan asked.
“And a nice one,” Owen said, following Beckett and Jordan.
Jordan snorted and kept on walking.
Owen stood watching Jordan until Beckett slapped the guy on the shoulder with a cackle.
“Well, shit,” Rossi mumbled.
“What?” Stefano whispered with a quick glance.
“Another Pegasus and Phoenix romance?” Rossi groaned at Ace, who gave a sheepish shrug.
It was bad enough that they’d lost Jacob to Pegasus a few years back, and now it looked like Owen, a Pegasus operative, had set his sights on Jordan.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Stefano said as the ambulance pulled down around the corner and drove slowly toward them.
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t look like Jordan is all that interested.”
Rossi tossed a look at Jordan’s retreating back and then to Owen, who had spun and stalked in the opposite direction.
“I guess not,” Rossi agreed.
“We’ll meet you at the hospital,” Ace said, and Rossi nodded.
When the ambulance stopped, the doors popped open and two men jumped out before dropping down a gurney.
Rossi gripped Stefano’s waist and lifted him up and onto the edge of the bed.
Stefano’s hands ran up his biceps and Rossi paused for a moment, conscious of the EMTs’ eyes on them.
Fuck it.
He moved in and planted a kiss on Stefano’s surprised lips before he turned on the EMTs.
“I’m riding along.”
Nobody argued and soon, they were enclosed inside along with Noah, and on their way to the local hospital.
An EMT leaned over Stefano and attached a cuff to his arm, then started readying a transfusion of fluids.
“Is that necessary?” Stefano groused, glaring at the man.
The needle was poised in the air and the young, attractive man seemed suspended while gazing at Stefano.
Rossi ran his eyes over Stefano’s reclining frame. For forty-nine, the man was in top physical condition. The dirty loose pants and shirt did nothing to detract from Stefano’s dark good looks. From the thick lashes to his lips and prominent cheekbones, Stefano could have been on the cover of GQ.
It was more than Stefano’s looks that kept Rossi coming back for more. It was Stefano’s endurance, his quick wit, and his unwavering love in the face of all of his bullshit.
Squinting, Rossi loudly cleared his throat and reached out to clasp Stefano’s hand and link their fingers together.
The young EMT jumped back, dropped the needle, and went scrambling for it.
“Stop,” Stefano chuckled at his intimidating act and shook his head.
“Never,” Rossi breathed, bringing Stefano’s fingers to his lips.