Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

Cory

I hardly noticed Romeo taking my keys or tucking me into the passenger seat of my car. I didn’t notice who was working at the check-in desk, if the lobby was busy, or if Everest was still running the elevator. Everything around me felt disjointed, like I was floating through mist.

When Romeo tried taking the blueprints out of my hands, I clutched them tighter. “Come on now, sweet boy. Let me have them so they don’t get wet.”

I didn’t understand. It wasn’t raining. We were inside. Unsure why I had to let them go, I complied. Romeo was my Daddy. My new Daddy because Mac was gone, and I trusted him to take care of me. “Keep them safe,” I begged.

“I will. I promise.”

The sound of falling water echoed distantly in my ears as Romeo methodically stripped my clothes off. Then he was naked, too, leading me by the hand. Steam rose around us as he pulled me under the fancy rain showerhead I’d purchased. The only luxury I’d allowed myself in my tiny apartment. My sanctuary. The place I’d created to escape the memories Mac and I’d never have the chance to make in the home he’d provided for us.

Romeo’s hands slid down the slick skin of my back, pulling me flush with his muscular body. “That’s right, boy. Let it all out.”

Confused, I blinked up, wanting to see his handsome face, but my vision blurred with my own tears. I was crying? How long had my tears been slipping unbidden down my face? Why hadn’t I noticed? Choking on a sob, I burrowed into Romeo’s chest and let go. Letting his strong arms support me, holding me up as my legs buckled.

My body shook as I released everything I’d suppressed for so long. The anguish of my nephew’s disappearance and holding it together to get my sister through it. The pain of watching my sister wither up and die from her grief. Feeling like I’d been stabbed in the heart with the senseless tragedy of Mac’s death. Then there had been the confusion and frustration of having my hotel, my baby, attacked with no way to protect it and no one to lean on. There’d been the fear of Huey holding me captive, threatening to kill me. Until those moments in the tunnel, I thought I’d experienced terror before, but I’d been wrong.

It wasn’t my own mortality that had been living rent-free in the back of my mind since then, though. No, it was the agonizing worry of what Emilio had been enduring for the last four years. And finally facing the reality that he might be dead. Waking up the next morning in Romeo’s arms, I’d realized that if not for him, I’d be dead. If Emilio wasn’t alone out there, if he’d been rescued, then he’d have come home.

And then there were all the other things, as well. What Huey’s girlfriend must be going through, waiting for him to return. Waiting for him to provide money for diapers for the baby. All that Charity had endured after being discarded like yesterday’s trash by zealous assholes. What Romeo was willing to do to stay by my side and help me find my nephew. Presenting himself as a sacrifice to a lifestyle he never wanted.

But the cherry on top of this shitastic sundae was finding out how selfish I was. Sure, I plunged on in the beginning. Pushing my emotions down the best I could, forging ahead. Even the last several months hadn’t completely broken me. No, what finally broke me, brought me to my knees, were blueprints. Holding tangible evidence of Mac’s love and a reminder of the lengths he’d always gone to for my happiness.

“I suck. I’m the worst,” I babbled. “I didn’t deserve Mac, and I don’t deserve you.”

Romeo only held me tighter, whispering reassurances in my ear. I cried harder, snot running from my nose, gagging around the thickness coating my throat. Now that the dam had broken, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to stop. I wasn’t sure I deserved to.

I had no idea how long we’d been in the shower. The water no longer ran hot but was cool on my skin, bringing me back to the here and now. Romeo’s arms, still locked around me, held me securely, keeping me from falling and comforting me. Rubbing my cheek against his hairy chest, I sniffed. “Sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, sweet boy. I have a feeling that was a long time coming.”

I couldn’t disagree with that, but the flood of emotion had left me wrung out. “I guess we should get out of here now.”

Romeo’s husky chuckle bounced around the small space. “That may be for the best.”

He turned me under the spray, rinsing me one last time. I cupped my hands, filled them with water, and cleaned the remnants of tears and snot off my face. Once we were finished, he patted me dry and then secured the towel around my waist. Quickly, he did the same to himself, led me to the couch, and pulled me down onto his lap.

I snorted. “I’m too big for this, Daddy.”

Trailing his fingers up and down my spine, he smiled softly. “You’re just right for me.” Then he laughed.

Curious, I asked, “What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking about all the years I spent at Daddy–boy weekends seeking out the cutest, smallest guys I could find. That always felt like enough. I guess, in a way, it was.”

Still in my feels, I tensed. Was my larger size a problem for him? Was I not his ideal boy? Romeo squeezed me around the waist, then poked at the marks he’d left on my shoulder, the bottom of my neck, my pec, and right next to my belly button.

“Don’t go thinking I’m saying there’s anything wrong with you, boy. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I thought they were enough because no matter how much I enjoyed their company, I easily went back to the brutal man I was raised to be after those weekends.” He shook his head. “But that wasn’t even a possibility with you. You, my quirky boy”—he bopped the end of my nose—“got under my skin immediately. If I’m honest, I think I would’ve found a reason to stay in Takoda even if you hadn’t been having troubles.”

Tangling my fingers in his silver and black chest hair, I leaned my head back on his shoulder and stared up at him. “You never really explained why you were in town.”

His gaze searched my face. “I’ll tell you, but we’re still going to talk about what happened. I know the blueprints made you feel some kind of way, but what happened in the bathroom felt like more.”

Moisture clouded my vision, and I sniffed. “It was, and I’ll tell you, but give me a few minutes. Talk to me first. I know you left information out before.”

“I’m going to hold you to that. And I may have left a few important details out. The boy I met, Chip, the weekend I became friends with Omar, was the sweetest thing. Timid, scared of his own shadow, but he had a heart of gold. Unfortunately, I was coming off a bad job. I disliked my employer even more than the person I was contracted to take out. It ate at me. That’s the only excuse I have for not being in full Daddy mode when I got to the conference.

“Anyway, Chip was so silent, damn near mute. He hadn’t really drawn any of the other men’s attention, or mine for that matter, because it was like he had no personality. But Omar had met a boy, his name’s Nigel, and Nigel was keeping Chip close. He totally befriended him and gave up on alone time with Omar to take Chip with them and make sure he wasn’t left out. Let me tell you, without trying to impress anyone, but letting go and hanging with Nigel…I saw a different side of Chip.

“It made me feel like a real dick. Part of my everyday life is trusting my gut, following my intuition, but I was so in my head I almost missed out on this great guy. Like you, he was a little quirky, but he was bright, kind, smart…” He shook his head.

“Are you saying I’m not bright, kind, and smart?” I teased.

He pinched my side. “Brat. I’m not saying that at all. Anyway, we had a great weekend, and for the first time, I felt bad that I had to leave a boy behind. Even knowing we wouldn’t have lasted forever, the devastation on his face as we said goodbye after seeing Omar and Nigel make a love match that had them rearranging their lives…” He huffed. “It didn’t matter. I would’ve never brought him into this world.”

“So you’ve told me some of that. Now tell me what you left out,” I prodded.

“Apparently, our time together gave Chip the confidence to put himself out there. He ended up in a situation where his boss found out his preferences and made a play for him. It got bad,” he finished darkly. “Omar, Nigel, and a man who would later become Chip’s forever Daddy, rescued him.”

“And let me guess, you returned later to take out the trash.”

Romeo nodded, frowning. “Does that bother you?”

“As a matter of fact, it doesn’t. What’s concerning, however, is the turn my thoughts are taking. I spoke with Charity today, and she told me how she ended up out on the streets. Daddy, I’m telling you, my immediate reaction was wanting you to go take her parents out.”

His eyes narrowed. “Tell me.”

So I did. I told him everything about Charity, my concerns for Huey’s girlfriend and child, and all the other thoughts that had swirled through my head while he’d held me together in the shower. He listened patiently, only asking questions here and there. I talked until my voice grew hoarse, unloading all the pain.

By the time I was done, a few more tears had slipped free. Using the side of his thumb, Romeo wiped them from my cheeks. “Well, I think what you’re doing for Charity is amazing. I’m happy that she’s going to be around. Since I met you, it seems that I’m collecting people to be protective of, too.”

“Like who?” I asked, curious.

“You for one. But I’m pretty fond of Harlow and Everest, too. I think if Huey had taken either one of them, I’d have been just as quick to slit his throat.”

Was it weird how much that warmed my heart? Probably. Did I care? Nope.

“As for Huey’s girlfriend,” he continued. “Let’s just see how it goes. Maybe she’ll come here looking for him, maybe she won’t, but I’ll dig around and see if we can find her. We’ll find a way to help her financially.”

“Can we? I think I’d feel much better if I knew his disappearance didn’t leave her in dire straits.”

Romeo nodded. “I’d already thought of it, too. I promise you; we’ll make sure she’s all right. What happened the other night was sloppier than I operate. Normally, I only take out targets I’ve researched, and if there are any innocents who will be affected, I plan out a way to make sure my actions don’t destroy their lives.”

Of course he’d already thought of it, but that was normal for him? “Really?”

“Absolutely. Like when I went back to take out the chiropractor who’d isolated and abused Chip, he had another young guy living there. The poor kid was estranged from his family, and rightfully so, but I found his sister and her husband. A little research showed they were good people. I arranged for him to go live with them before I took out the asshole.”

Did he see the stars in my eyes as I gazed at him right now? I’d never been impressed with what Frederic did for a living, and Mac threatened him that it better never touch my life. The two of us hadn’t really bonded until after we’d lost both my sister and Mac.

But maybe everything wasn’t as clear-cut as I once thought. Maybe it was okay to see things in shades of gray when it came to justice and protection. Not saying that Frederic was that altruistic, but wasn’t he still only with the mob to find his son? And Romeo…well, I couldn’t seem to find a thing wrong with his actions yet.

“Do you want to talk about the blueprints now?” he asked gently, jarring me out of my introspection.

I sighed. “It’s weird. I’d been wondering why he never told me about those tunnels. I can’t even begin to tell you the wild reasons I’d conjured in my head. I’m not sure why. He was never anything but honest and wonderful to me.”

“Maybe because it’s disconcerting to find out the building you thought you knew every square inch of had hidden spaces, or because your introduction to them was less than ideal.” He frowned.

The fear and anger of the other night nudged at me again, but it was muted for now. I was sure that I’d have moments of panic later, but letting it all go in the shower in Romeo’s arms had helped. “That’s probably it. I don’t know. Finding those blueprints just reminded me of how spoiled I was.”

Something flickered in Romeo’s eyes that I’d never seen before. “Do you think you’d like to move back into your house at some point? Reconnect with old friends and entertain and stuff?”

I surprised myself when I laughed. “No way. First of all, that place is too big. It always was. Second, it’s not exactly my style. The people we entertained were Mac’s friends and colleagues. They weren’t my people.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Boy, I have to be honest with you. I’m not a pauper by any means. I’ve been at my career for a long time, and I make a hefty sum doing it. But you have this hotel, and based on that property, I’m assuming that Mac left you decently well-off?”

Pressing my hand against his cheek, I smiled softly. “I don’t need your money, if that’s what you’re asking. I also don’t need the luxurious life Mac gave me. I’m pretty happy here in my little hotel with my employees.”

Romeo kissed the palm of my hand. “You do realize some of your staff have become your family, don’t you?”

I snickered. “I do, but don’t tell them that. Some of them already get over on me.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure. You’re a softy.”

“ Applesauce . I was hoping you hadn’t figured that out yet.”

Romeo threw his head back with laughter. “I don’t think you could hide it if you tried.” He leaned forward, catching my lips in a sweet kiss. “I wouldn’t want you any other way,” he mumbled against my mouth.

“I wouldn’t want you any other way either,” I said seriously.

That strange expression crossed his face again. Now that I knew it was doubt, I sat up and peered at him intently. “I mean it, Daddy. I’m falling in love with you just the way you are.”

Falling? As if. I already belonged to this man, heart and soul. I wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear that, though, so I’d wait. He’d promised he was staying, and I was going to hold him to that.