Chapter Three

Rossi

The house was dark when Rossi entered the front door and set his keys on the side table.

“Stef?” His voice echoed down the hall, and in his gut, he knew Stefano wasn’t home.

“Well, shit,” he muttered and made his way down the hall. Reaching the bedroom, he took a quick glance into the darkened room. All was still.

Stalking back down the hall and into the kitchen, he turned on the light and found it neat and tidy. The lack of food scents in the air meant that Stefano hadn’t even eaten before he’d taken off. That meant Rossi was fending for himself tonight.

With a sigh, he selected one of the prep meals he and Stefano had made together last Sunday. They’d been prepping meals for every week since Stefano’s heart attack. It paid to eat healthily, and he’d drug his man kicking and screaming into a better way of life. Well, not really… Stefano might have grumbled about very few desserts, but the man knew it was necessary for healthy living.

The microwave beeped and he carried the hot meal into the living room. There, he placed it on the table between the two recliners and flipped on the Christmas tree lights. He stopped at the fireplace and turned the flame on before lowering down into his chair. The food tasted damned good and he took his time while he gazed at the array of ornaments on the tree.

And even though it was early according to traditional standards, they’d put the tree up the week before Thanksgiving. Rossi didn’t mind the time it took to unwrap and hang each ornament. After the tree was up, Rossi had been in charge of storing the containers away in the garage while Stefano decorated the rest of the room—adding touches of red, green, and gold throughout the house.

A shiny ornament hanging on the tree caught his eye. It was a military tank made out of stained glass in shades of green, and he remembered the day he’d bought it.

“Kind of gnarly, don’t you think?” he’d teased Stefano when the man picked it up in the small shop just outside of Waco, Texas.

“No, I think it fits perfectly.” Stefano had smiled and that was all it had taken to have Rossi reaching for his wallet.

Next to the tank hung a fire phoenix. It was a gift from the unit. The gold bird had its wings outstretched, its beak open, and its eyes piercing as if taking on the world.

That was how Rossi felt with Stefano by his side. Invincible, if that were possible, like a superhero.

The sparkling red and white candy cane rested front and center in the sparkling green branches. Stefano had lovingly hung that special ornament with care. It was fragile. That candy cane was the most fragile of all their ornaments and it held a special place in Rossi’s heart. It represented a new beginning.

His eyes burned with tiredness and he made himself eat his meal. A while later, he laid down his fork and glanced at his watch. It was well after dark and Stefano still hadn’t walked through the door. It had him worried. Stefano rarely stayed out that late and the very few times he had, he had always called Rossi.

Tossing his empty dish into the sink, he walked to the garage door and opened it. Stefano’s SUV sat parked. It took him a moment to realize that…Stefano hadn’t driven?

“What the hell?”

Shutting the door, he made his way to the front door, pulling out his phone on the way. His fingers trembled on the screen.

Stef? Please let me know you’re okay.

Receiving no response after a minute, he yanked open the front door and stood there stupidly gazing at the street. Turning back, he reached for his keys and saw the note.

With fumbling hands, he snatched the paper up and flipped on the front porch light.

Gio.

You must know that you’re my heart. What you need to know is that I can’t do this any longer. I can’t be with someone who wants to hide what we are to each other. It makes me doubt myself and more, it makes me doubt you and our love. Because rest assured that I do love you, more than anything on this earth. That’s why I need to take a break from us and figure out what I’m going to do without you. Don’t try and find me. I’ll come back when I’m ready or… I’ll send for my things if returning isn’t an option.

I do love you,

Stef…

Rossi felt like he’d just received a gunshot round to the gut.

His eyes burned and stung, and he crushed the note in his hands, but then caught it close and smoothed the paper out against his shirt.

Numbness was followed by anger.

Stefano wasn’t even going to give him a chance to…

To what?

To explain one more time why they couldn’t be out? Why he insisted they not tell the team? He scowled and rubbed trembling fingers over his lips. Stepping back inside the house, he marched to the bedroom and turned on the light.

The top of Stefano’s dresser was empty; the closet stood open, and several of the man’s clothes were missing. He whirled around and walked back to the front door to close it. Resting his back against the wood, he suddenly found himself sliding to his ass on the hard tiled floor.

Pulling his knees to his chest, he bent his head. How was he going to go on? How was he going to function without his other half? He clenched his teeth so hard, his jaw ached before he wiped at his face with a shaking hand.

Jerking out his cell phone, he scrolled through the list and punched at the name on the screen. It was the only thing he could think of—to call the man who’d been with them almost from the beginning.

Holding his breath, he waited for the other end to pick up.

“Rossi?”

His voice was so clogged with emotion, his words came out thick.

“Frost, I need your help.”