Chapter Twelve

Rogue

“No! Don’t touch me!”

The panic and terror in Bri’s voice woke me from a dead sleep and I reached for the pistol that I kept under my pillow.

“Get off me! Stop! No!”

She was thrashing about in her sleep, sweat beading on her forehead. I reached out to touch her, and her fists pounded against my chest as if she were fighting off an attacker.

“Angel! Wake up, it’s me.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks; her eyes still closed, fighting off an invisible demon in the hell she was trapped in. I grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her sides.

“Baby, it’s ok. You’re safe. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”

She was sobbing now. I pulled her into my arms and held her, my hand caressing her back in slow calming circles. At first, she resisted the comfort I was trying to give, but her body soon began to relax against me.

“Shh, it’s alright, love. Wake up and look at me, baby. You are safe with me.” I softly kissed her forehead. “Whatever monster has hurt you; I will destroy it.”

Her sobs softened to sniffles, her body clinging to me as she came back to the present. It took some time for her to completely relax and breathe normally again. She was still holding on tight to me but no longer shaking and her sobbing had stopped. She raised her head, her beautiful eyes swollen and red-rimmed from crying. I pushed back her hair and cupped her cheek.

“How often do you have nightmares, sweetheart?”

She tried to pull away, but I refused to release her.

“They aren’t as common as they once were. I’m sorry that I woke you. I haven’t had one like this in a long time. I guess after talking to Allison and knowing that Tony is in Chicago looking for me triggered something. I thought it was over, but I don’t know if it will ever be over.”

I kissed the top of her head as I held her, hoping to reassure her. “You no longer need to fear him. You are mine now, my wife, and I will protect you. Let me defeat your demons, fight your dragons. Trust me to do whatever it takes to save you, to protect you.”

She sniffed again and I positioned us so I could hold her as she leaned against my chest, hoping she would be able to get some sleep tonight.

I didn’t ask her to explain, but when her fears started pouring out of her, I listened.

“The dreams are always the same. I see his face and I run, but he always catches me. It’s almost as if I can feel him hitting me. I hear the sound of him ripping my clothes, sometimes it is paralyzing. I can’t move or fight back, other times, like tonight, I fight with all I have only to have him hit me until I can’t breathe.”

She snuggled closer, laying her head against my chest, her hand resting over my heart. “The nightmares started once I was released from the hospital. For months I relived the events of that night. There were times that I thought I would never be free of the fear and pain, but after being in Chicago for a few weeks, they started to become less frequent, but now…” Her voice broke. “He’s back.”

I rolled her to her back, then positioned myself so that I hovered over her. “Baby, I will find him, and I will end this. I will take away all your fears.”

I leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. They were still a little swollen from the hours of sex we had before she fell asleep in my arms.

“I fought him that night and I fought the fear afterward. I didn’t want what happened to me to make me weak, to make me hide from the world. But I don’t think you can save me from him, I can feel it. He will find me. I had no connections, no friends, nothing in Chicago. That’s why I came here, but he still found me. Eventually, I will have to face him again.”

“You must trust me, darling. He hasn’t come up against a force like me, protecting what is mine. He isn’t a real man. He might have felt strong fighting against you, but I promise you, I will bring him to his knees. He will tremble in fear and know true terror before I send him to the devil. I will be your vengeance, Angel. I will be his reckoning as I am your salvation. That’s one of the reasons I dragged you to that gala tonight. I want everyone to know. I want him to know the fury I will unleash upon him if he dares to hurt you. I want him to already be watching his back, knowing that I am coming for him and that there isn’t a damn thing he can do to stop me.” I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. “And when I am done and you come to accept that you are fully mine, he will no longer haunt your dreams.”

She didn’t argue or contradict me. But I could feel the wetness from her tears on my chest. Eventually, she did fall back asleep, but I lay awake staring at the ceiling, listening to her breathing gradually getting deeper, her body more relaxed. I continued to hold her close so that if her nightmares returned, I could quickly wake her before she had to relive the terror again. But as I lay there in the darkness holding her soft sweet body against mine, I was calculating every way I would make this man suffer. He would pay dearly for what he had done to her, and I was the man that would collect that debt.

Bri

My arms stretched out in the large bed and met nothing but cool sheets. I sat up quickly and seeing that I was alone, a little bit of panic coursed through me. The memories from last night came back to me. I remembered the nightmare, the way Rogue had held me, kissed me, and spoken soft words to calm me. Now I was alone, and the fear began to settle back in the pit of my stomach. I sat up, pulled the sheet over my body, and searched the room for any sign of Rogue. Had he left me? Had he decided that I was too damaged, too much of a burden to put up with? I was about to get up from the bed when the door opened, and Rogue walked back inside wearing a pair of blue sweatpants and nothing else. His chest was bare, and I could see a few of the places where I had bitten him last night during our frenzied lovemaking My cheeks heated as the images of what I had done and allowed him to do came to mind.

“Good morning. I thought I would let you sleep in since you had a restless night.”

I watched as he came farther into the room. “I’m sorry about that. If you would allow me to sleep in the other room, I wouldn’t disturb you.”

His brows arched. “Are you trying to get on my bad side first thing this morning? You are my wife, and as my wife, you will sleep with me. As far as the demons that haunt your dreams, I will relieve you of them too.”

“You know that you can’t protect me from everything, but right now if you could save me from hunger, I would appreciate it. Is there anything for breakfast?”

His smile made my stomach flip. He was stunningly handsome.

“I had someone deliver an assortment of pastries, fruit, and some crepes. I wasn’t sure what you would want, so I had them buy several things.”

“Do you always have people do everything for you?”

He moved closer to the bed and looked down at me seductively. “Not everything.” His gaze lingered on my breasts. “Some things I prefer to do myself.”

Just the way his eyes raked over me made the temperature in the room go up at least twenty degrees.

“I should get dressed.”

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “No, you will stay right there. I’ll bring you breakfast and then after that, I will help you shower.”

“You don’t have to do that. I have taken care of myself since I was fourteen.”

For a second, I saw a hint of sadness, or was it pity come into his eyes? Whatever it was it was short-lived, replaced by the authoritarian look I had come to recognize when he was about to give an order.

“You are not alone anymore, Angel. You need to get used to the idea of me taking care of you.”

I blew out a short breath and nodded, unsure why I even felt the need to argue the point with him. It was a nice feeling having someone be so attentive. As he walked from the room, I couldn’t help but wonder if this could be real. Could this man truly be my savior, the one I had been waiting for to sweep me off my feet and rescue me from the fears and monsters that chase me? He was a monster himself, a criminal, a killer. How could he be my knight when he had so many flaws himself? Whatever he was, right now he was the only man I trusted, the only one to make me feel safe again. And if it didn’t last, if he decided after a time that I was just a passing fling, something to hold his interest for a time, I would deal with that when the time came. I had faced heartbreak before. What scared me the most was that I was beginning to imagine a future with him. I was beginning to think of this as a forever life for me. I shook the thoughts from my head. I couldn’t leave my heart open for that kind of hurt.

Rogue

“You are late,” Blaze said as he sat behind my desk at my office in the same building where my penthouse was located. He looked irritated, but then again, when did he not?

I strolled forward, ignoring the fact that his feet were propped up on my desk as if he owned it. “Did you have a nice chat with Sevan last night?”

“Nice? No, but I did find out what I needed to know, and I communicated the consequences of betrayal, just in case his loyalty was in question. There is something about him that I don’t trust.”

Blaze trusted few people in his life, so I was not surprised by his comment. “And Nik?”

“He knows but his overconfidence prevents him from being concerned.”

“That’s typical of the Bratva, but make no mistake, Nik will be prepared. He didn’t get where he is today by flagrantly disregarding threats.”

Blaze stood from behind my desk and walked toward me. “I hope you are taking them seriously. Where is the little one?”

“She is taking some much-needed time to relax, taking a hot bath, and lounging in bed. She had a restless night.”

“You trust her not to leave?”

I didn’t want to discuss my feelings on that matter with Blaze. While I felt that Bri was finally beginning to trust me, I had still taken precautions against her running away. “I didn’t come here to discuss her. I have been thinking that instead of waiting for Petros and his small gang of Armenian thugs to make their next move, we should be proactive and strike first.”

“Go on the offensive. I like it. You know I am always ready to start a fight but taking him out might not be as easy as you think. From what I gather, he doesn’t put himself in the line of fire. He is a ghost. Sends his men into the fight while he hides like the scared pussy he is. You would have to provoke him to draw him out.”

“That’s exactly what I plan to do. Cut off the head of the snake before he can strike. From what Sevan told me, many other members of his family and the organization have no interest in seeking reprisal. They want him gone as much as we do.”

“Then they should have the balls to take him out themselves instead of letting him wage a war he can’t win and get his men killed for nothing. Pisses me off that he is our problem now.”

I understood Blaze’s frustration. “Trust me, there will be consequences for our involvement. I am not removing him from power for free. I will expect some sort of payment and a measure of allegiance to whatever deal we agree to. What are your thoughts?”

“I think we should provoke him into making a stupid mistake, then take advantage of his immaturity and incompetence.”

“And how do you suggest we do that? Any ideas other than just storming his house?”

“Not yet but give me time.”

“Perhaps you should call Tomas. I’m certain Alessio will not object.”

“Fuck you, Rogue. I don’t need that bastard’s help!”

I held up my hands in surrender. Tomas, Alessio’s second in command, and Blaze disliked each other immensely. I suppose dislike was not a strong enough word to describe their relationship; they despised each other. The hate between them was deep, but so far, they had been able to put it aside whenever their services needed to be unified. While I trusted Blaze with my life, he was not as skilled at planning out an attack as Tomas. Blaze liked going in with guns blazing while Tomas carefully planned out each aspect of an assault, leaving nothing to chance.

“Relax, it was just a suggestion. I knew you would not happily accept help from anyone, especially Tomas.”

His hands were still clenched tightly by his sides and his jaw set firm. “Damn right. But putting your bad sense of humor aside, I’m afraid you have bigger problems than Petros just being a pain in the ass.”

I walked over to the bar on the other side of the room. If the expression on Blaze’s face was any indication, I was going to need a drink. “Does it have to do with the man that is stalking Bri?”

“It does. I found out exactly who he is and if you kill him, you may very well start a different war. You will need to tread carefully.”

I picked up one of the glasses from the bar and threw it against the wall shattering the glass. Blaze never even flinched.

“The fucker almost killed her! He stalked her, scared her, beat her, and nearly raped her. Do you think I am going to let that go? I held her in my arms last night while she fought against an invisible attacker in her dreams. I have never seen someone have such vivid nightmares. She clung to me, her body shivering as she recounted the details of that night. You think I will cower to that bastard. Allow him to walk this Earth freely while my wife looks over her shoulder constantly wondering when he will reappear, if he will come for her. No, he has to die. I don’t give a shit what war starts because of it. It is the only way she will have peace and me the retribution I seek.”

Blaze’s lips lifted into a one-sided sardonic smile. “I was hoping you would say that.”

“You have his name, who is he connected to?”

“Tony Galante is the stepson of Frankie Ballantine.”

I filled my glass and drank down the bourbon. “Frankie Ballantine, the mafia hitman?”

“One and the same. They say he has had over three hundred hits. I’m sure that is an exaggeration, but his resume is still impressive. If you go after his stepson, he might take offense and you do not want to be on his list.”

I walked toward my desk. “I don’t give a fuck who he is or who his family is. He hurt her and will pay for it. I’m not afraid of Ballantine. If he makes trouble, I will kill him too.”

Blaze walked over and poured himself a drink. “I thought you would feel that way, so I put in a call to Alessio. His father knew Frankie, perhaps Alessio can get more information.”

“Alessio doesn’t use hitmen. He prefers to handle matters himself.”

Blaze’s face darkened. “Or he has Tomas do it for him.”

I frowned down into my empty glass. “You and Tomas really should put aside the dislike you have for each other. You work well together…when you aren’t trying to kill each other.”

“I didn’t come here for you to lecture me. We have two problems that need to be addressed. My question is which one concerns you the most, the threat to your business and empire, or the one to your girl?”

I walked toward him. “I don’t plan on losing either one.”

“Then you should know that security at the club said there was a man there last night with a picture of Bri. He was asking people if she had been there lately. Of course, none of your employees gave him any information, but it sounds like Tony knows she has been there, or he wouldn’t be looking.”

My anger returned full force knowing that the son of a bitch was so close. The fact that he dared to come into my club looking for her showed that he was either overly confident or overly stupid.

“Keep this between the two of us. I don’t want her to know. I gave the men who were following us yesterday an ultimatum. I expect their boss to present himself at the club tonight either with information about where to find Galante or if we are lucky, he will hand him over to us.”

Blaze rolled his eyes as he took another drink. “You know it won’t be that simple. We are never that lucky.”

“Speak for yourself, my friend.”

“Where are you going?”

I tried and failed to hide the smirk that formed on my lips. “I am going to spend the day spoiling my wife before I meet Michael for dinner. Care to join us there?”

His face took on an almost ashen look. “Dinner with the priest? No, I think I will shy away from all things sacred and saintly. You can seek redemption if you must, I will remain with the sinners.”

“It’s just dinner and Michael likes to see you from time to time.”

Blaze moved to the door. “Then tell him to stop by the club after midnight. There will be plenty of people there needing salvation.” He opened the door. “Once you have news from Alessio, let me know. If Tomas is going to be in town, I want advance notice. Don’t fucking surprise me with that shit.”

He shut the door a little more forcibly than expected, and I knew he was more concerned than he wanted me to see. Blaze was an asshole most of the time, but he was loyal to a fault, and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side when faced with any threat.

I walked over to the windows and looked outside; the skies were beginning to darken, and rain looked imminent. Gloomy weather typically delighted me, and fit my mood, but now that I had Bri in my life, I found myself longing for sunshine. I looked at my watch and my mind drifted to thoughts of her and what she could be doing right now. I felt an urge to go to her, a desire to touch her. I wanted to make certain she was still there.

I glanced back at the desk; there were proposals, financials, and investments that I needed to look over and approve, but all I wanted right now was her. I walked over to the desk and picked up the stack of files that my assistant had placed there for me to review, but it could wait. Right now, I needed her more than I did anything else. And with her this close, why wait?

Bri

I didn’t know how long Rogue would be gone. After we had a delicious breakfast of the best crepes and strawberries I have had in my life, he insisted on drawing me a hot bath. Of course, it wasn’t that simple, everything the man did was sensual. He slowly undressed me, his caress making my skin prickle, and then carried me to the tub. After making certain I had everything I needed, he left me alone to soak and relax. But being alone in the large penthouse, no matter how secure it was, didn’t make me feel comfortable. Every creak, every noise made me jump. I hated this feeling. I hated feeling like a victim and it was time I did something about it. So, I got out, dried off, and went to the closet to put on a pair of jeans and a soft cotton top.

Now I sat on the sofa near the window, watching the busy streets of the city below, and while I wanted to forget, I wanted the nightmares to stop, I couldn’t help but wonder if Tony was down there somewhere waiting for his chance. The thought made me a little nauseous. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I glanced at the elevator doors. He had not warned me about leaving, but I had a feeling he had taken precautions against it. At least he hadn’t handcuffed me again. Although, the urge to run was not as strong as before. I was more afraid of what waited for me outside his sphere than I was of the man himself.

When the elevator doors opened, I turned to see Rogue walking toward me. “I didn’t think you would be back so soon.”

“And I thought you would still be in the bath. I am disappointed.”

I looked away from the obvious desire I saw in his eyes. “I know you told me to relax but I couldn’t. It was just so quiet.” The way he was looking at me made me feel uncomfortable.

“You still do not feel safe.”

My head shot up at his words.

“How can I feel safe? With everything that has happened to me, you can’t expect me to feel anything but a measure of uncertainty and fear.”

“I can expect you to feel a great deal more than that.”

I looked away. “I just wonder where I would be, what I would be doing if Tony had never come into my life. If I had never fled to Chicago to escape him. If I had never walked into your club that night? Would I have married a high school history teacher, drove a minivan, and maybe had three kids and volunteered with the PTA?”

He reached down, grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet. “Enough! None of that matters now. You did come to Chicago, and you did walk into my club. And the moment you did, you became mine and I want everything, every smile, your laughter, your tears, every thought, every dream, it all belongs to me.” He leaned down and kissed me, his lips hard and consuming. “And I will conquer every fear and all your anxiety, but I will not have you ever imagining your life with another man, or him putting his babies in your belly.”

A loud gasp came from my lips as he ripped open the shirt I was wearing. One hand gripping my wrists and pinning them behind my back.

“You still don’t understand it. So I guess I will have to keep trying to make you comprehend. I won’t deny that a part of me hopes you are a slow learner.”

His lips came down on the side of my neck and I felt his teeth nipping lightly at the skin there before he picked me up in his arms and carried me back to the bedroom. Fighting him was no longer an option. I wanted him, I yearned for his touch and the sensations they elicited from me. I was fully aware of the kind of man that he was, and it didn’t matter to me anymore. The biggest concern I had now was after he tired of me, and I was sure he would, how would I be able to move on with my life? I knew another man could never touch me and make me feel this way. I had been through hard times before, but could I survive a broken heart?