Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Roman

Maddie’s call is a fucking relief.

I was in the middle of a meeting with the city official to start foreclosure proceedings on Maddie’s property when she called. I told myself that I had to do this.

But the further into the meeting I got, the more wrong it felt. I know all the reasons I started down this road. I need to make this tunnel happen for Luke. For Mason.

My family is everything.

But I…

I’m not sure I can sacrifice Maddie’s well-being for their benefit. There has to be another way.

Even knowing what the house means to Maddie, maybe she’d allow me to just buy a corner of the yard. Or lease. Or…

Something. She knows I’m trying to get Kate back too.

If there is anything left of Luke and Kate to get back.

I run a frustrated hand down my face. It’s time I asked her about the house and what kind of deal she might be willing to make.

Maddie is nothing if not kind and generous.

I read her text, tell her I’m coming, and stand up from my small chair that sits in front of the inspector’s desk. He stands too, his hands clasping and unclasping.

I’ve already handed him a generous gift just for sitting down with me. It’s cash and it comes with no strings attached.

“When would you like me to start the proceedings?—”

I hold up my hand. “Do nothing. This was just a conversation. No more.”

“Of course. But you know that I’m here for whatever you need.” He runs a hand over his bald head, revealing the sweat stains under the arms of his shirt. What was his name? Michaels? Has he landed himself in some kind of trouble? He shifts on his feet before he leans toward me. “Just say the word.”

He’s far more eager to make a deal than any other city inspector I’ve ever met. “I appreciate that,” I give him a nod. “But you can consider my gift as exactly that. A show of appreciation for our past and future dealings.”

He leans over, his brow drawing together. “I’d like to make myself as serviceable as possible.”

Definitely in trouble. “I’ll be in touch soon.”

And then I turn and leave, quickly making my way down the parking garage of the city building.

The second I’m outside I call Maddie. “Sweetheart?”

“Are you coming?” she breathes back.

“I’m on my way.”

“Thank you, Roman.” The way she says it cuts through me.

And I know I’m in trouble because I respond like a moth to the flame. I’m not supposed to run around solving this woman’s every problem.

Then again, maybe I’ve always been fighting my nature.

Am I going to hell? Committing myself to purgatory? Probably.

But either way, I cross the garage, my long strides carrying me to where Jack waits in the Honda Civic.

Climbing in, I close the door. “I need to get back to Maddie.”

He doesn’t hesitate, throwing the car into gear. “Everything all right?”

“The cat’s in labor.”

Jack hits the brakes, looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, and then presses the accelerator again. “The cat is a girl?”

“I’d say that’s a prerequisite for being in labor.” I scrub at the scruff on my cheek.

“And you’re going to assist in the birthing?” I can hear the judgment in Jack’s voice, the incredulity.

“Fuck you.”

“Actually, I’m hoping you’re the one getting fucked.”

That bristles my already frayed nerves. “Mason wants me to fucking foreclose on her house so that he can get back to his wife. So don’t start telling me I’m being irrational.”

“What?” Jack roars, practically taking the corner out on two wheels as turns onto the street. “I was mostly joking. Of course, Maddie needs help with the birth. How could she do it alone with her sight being that poor? But your brother can’t actually want you to steal the house out from under a blind woman?”

“He does.” But hearing Jack say it like that calms some nerves inside of me. “I’m not doing it.”

“Good. You need me to have your back? I’ll tell Mason to get a fucking grip.”

“He is your boss,” I point out.

“Like I need this fucking job. Your father was my best friend before he went off the rails. I stay around to keep an eye on you whippersnappers. Mason thinks he knows everything and he gets too big for his fucking britches. Now are you telling him or am I?”

“I am,” I answer. “But first…I have to go play midwife to a cat.”

Jack laughs long and loud at that. “Yeah. Good call. You treat that girl right. She deserves it.”

“Maddie or the cat?”

“Maddie. The cat is a demon. The interior of this car will never be the same.”

“I think treating Maddie right involves taking in a lot of stray demons.”

Jack nods. “You’ve got the chops for it, though kid. You’re damned good at it.”

“Should I be?” I never talk to anyone about this shit. But having Maddie around has brought up a lot of old feelings.

Jack shrugs. “Both your parents were seriously fucked up. I get it. You want to use what they taught you about the cruelty of the world to make yourself bigger, or to make the world better?”

I blink twice, staring over at the crusty old gangster who has been around for as long as I can remember. We’ve never talked like this. Never.

And I don’t answer him now because it’s a big fucking question. And exactly the right one, if I’m honest.

He seems to understand why I’ve gone silent as he zips through Vegas traffic, crossing the city in record time.

But when I get out of the car, Jack gets out too and follows me to the elevator.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to see the cat give birth. That shit’s beautiful.” And then he pulls a phone out of his pocket. “And, I’ve got Maddie’s phone.”

“I just gave her a burner.” That I put a tracer and a recorder in. Another deception I’m not really proud to have completed.

“You can eat the cost. You’re good for it.”

“Where are you going to tell her it was found?”

“Vigo’s car.” He steps into the elevator with me.

My stomach clenches. “Maybe I should put it in the closet or something. She says she knows that she had it in the bathroom at my place.”

Jack nods and hands me the phone. “Kate’s phone did show a last location, by the way. She was at the Vendetti property.”

“What does that mean?”

“On the run or dead,” Jack replies.

I hope not. Maddie would be crushed. I pocket the phone in my jacket just before the elevator doors open and I step into the apartment.

“Thank goodness,” Maddie calls. “I’ve been using the flashlight feature on the phone to do the best I can. She’s already had two babies.”

Washing my hands, I join Maddie on the floor. Looking under the table, next to the couch, I see two tiny, close-eyed, mucous-covered baby kittens.

And fuck me, Thomasina is giving birth to a third. “Holy shit.”

Jack peaks out over the top of our heads. “Wow. It’s like the nature channel in your living room.”

I know he’s rubbing salt into my wound. Crusty a-hole. But I ignore him, too involved in what’s happening. Thomasina seems to be handling it very well, so I reach for Maddie’s hand instead, wrapping my fingers around hers.

It’s beautiful watching Thomasina. This doesn’t feel like a burden at all. Which has me thinking about Jack’s comments in the car.

What do I want to be? I’ve been so angry at my mother for the way she forced responsibility on me at such a young age, I haven’t asked myself, what do I want to do with the skills that are now deeply imbedded?

Maddie’s cheek comes to my shoulder. “We might be here a while. We want to make sure she’s done giving birth before we leave her be with her kittens.”

“Need a box or something?” Jack asks. “I can go to the pet store.”

“That would be great, Jack, thank you,” Maddie answers. “You’ve done this before.”

“My sister has a cat. Not like this one. Her cat is nice.”

Maddie chuckles. “He doesn’t mean it, Thomasina.”

My brows lift. We all know he means it. Thomasina is too busy to care though.

“Let me leave you with some lunch and then I’ll make a supply run.” Jack opens the fridge and starts pulling out food. Is he making us all lunch? I know that Jack had a soft spot for Charlotte, Mason’s wife, but I’ve never seen him fix food for anyone. He clearly really likes Maddie.

I look at her profile, her lips curved into a gentle smile.

And I know the truth. Maddie would do anything for me. As if she’s heard my thoughts, she turns to me. “I spoke with Lucia this morning. She has to leave her apartment for a bit. Cockroaches, I think.”

“Does she need to stay here? We could put her in the unit below ours.”

The smile she gives me could light all of Vegas for a night. “Maybe not downstairs. I don’t think Lucia needs to hear us…” She flushes, and I rumble out a low note, wanting nothing more than to hear Maddie while I make her cum.

She clears her throat. “Since the Vendettis are in jail, I told her she could use my place.”

“All right,” I answer, feeling dissatisfied. I think I wanted to help Lucia for Maddie. I don’t even trust Lucia. Not fully.

My attitude is a marked change, I feel the shift. I can only hope I’m not making a big mistake. Should I allow myself to fall back into these patterns after all this time?

But her hand tightens in mine. “It doesn’t mean I have to stay here. I’ve got an extra bedroom…”

I look back at her, her mouth creased in lines of worry. My concerns disappear. Softly, I kiss her lips. “You are staying here for a while yet. We’re going to tuck those Italians in a tight noose before you leave my protection.”

I watch her features soften again. God, I fucking love that.

“Didn’t you say you needed to move the tunnel project forward to make that happen?”

“Maybe.” Why don’t I just ask? Maddie, can I put a vent on your property? But I know the answer. As much as I bitch about not wanting to take care of a woman, I don’t want Maddie taking care of me. It’s my job to protect her, provide for her. Not the other way around.

“I can’t sell the house. But I could probably sell or lease you some of the yard. I just need space for my animals.”

My gut twists into knots. Just like that, she’s offering me what I need. Just like she did that first night.

No reservation.

No one has more heart than Maddie. No one is as generous.

Just like she’s letting Lucia use her place. Just like she’s helping Thomasina. You can make yourself big or make the world better.

Maddie has chosen the latter.

“Maddie.” Her name comes out like a plea, and full of the pain and indecision I feel in this moment. I was about to fucking take her house right out from under her and here she is, just giving this massive gift to me.

I hate myself.

I love her.

I feel the truth of it settle deep in my gut. She’s far better than I would ever deserve. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to try and claim her for myself.

“Maddie, moving the tunnel forward is our best chance at getting Luke and Kate back.” I can only hope that Luke is still alive out there. On the run and being his scrappy self.

“Really?” The smile she gives me nearly splits her face. “That alone makes it worth it. I could use the money…”

She hesitates then and I take her hand back in mine kissing the back of it. “What do you need money for?”

She clears her throat, looking away. “Before I realized how bad my grandma was, she got way behind on her taxes. I owe the city like thirty thousand dollars in back payments. Do you think that’s an amount that might be workable?”

“Maddie, we offered you ten times that.”

“Yes, but for the house too. And this is just one corner of the yard, right? How big does the vent need to be?”

I shake my head. “I’ll come up with a number that’s fair. And while we’re at it, you should be exempt from the taxes anyway. We’ll get the paperwork filed.”

“Really? You’d help me do that?”

Christ. This woman kills me. I’m a real estate developer. She should ask me to hang the moon for her. “I’d do a lot more than that, Maddie.”

“He’s midwifing a cat,” Jack calls from the kitchen. “I think you ought to ask him to build you a state-of-the-art facility for your rescues. He’s putty in your hands, young lady.”

I glare over my shoulder at Jack.

“That’s crazy,” Maddie laughs.

My glare disappears. Because I’d do it. And a great deal more…