Chapter One Hundred Seven

Chapter One Hundred Seven

Adrik

When Andrei and Sephie both said that Martin had been speaking to Sal on the phone, my anger hit levels I'd never experienced before. It was so sudden that it almost surprised me. Sephie felt it, of course, immediately putting her hands on my chest, which quieted the rage building inside me enough that I could at least think.

This meant that every single person, save Trino, had betrayed me. While I trusted Trino, at this point, it would not surprise me if he betrayed me as well. It appeared that we could trust no one. My mind was racing, trying to connect all the pieces to this ever-growing puzzle.

"…Everything is now connected nicely," Sephie said. I knew her mind could sometimes connect pieces faster than mine could. She was also able to keep her wits about her when she was angry, where that was something I still struggled with. My anger overtook everything, but I could feel her helping me with it. I could feel her cool, calming presence keeping my fire from becoming an inferno. But just barely. I knew she was also enjoying feeling my anger, as it was feeding hers. She still had plenty of unresolved emotions from being taken, so the fact that Sal was now once again front and center in this little drama made her look forward to watching his demise just as much as I was.

She was rarely scared by my anger. Only once or twice had it caught her off guard. She knew it was never directed at her, so she was usually able to handle it without being intimidated by it. But it was surprising to feel just how much she enjoyed feeling it sometimes. She almost craved it in certain situations. When we got to her in that room with Armando, I knew she was in pain. There was no mistaking she was in pain, given how terrible she looked. She was a bloody bruised mess. I couldn't feel her pain yet, but I could feel her relief that I was there, followed closely by her hunger for my anger. She knew I was ready to kill Armando, but I could clearly feel that she craved it just as much as I did in that moment.

Sephie was so pure and so innocent that it was almost unexpected from her. I didn't think much of it at the time because I didn't think much about anything except ending Armando at the time. But looking back, I was surprised to feel just how much she enjoyed seeing my bloodlust completely out of control. How much she wanted it unleashed.

I'd spent so much time worrying that she would look at me differently once she saw that side of me. I was so worried that she would be scared by it and would leave me that I'd spent so much energy trying to control that side of me. When I walked to her to put my jacket around her, she looked at me with every ounce of love she possessed in her body and soul. I knew, without a doubt, that had she not been in excruciating pain, I would've been able to feel her warmth spread to me as she watched me walk to her. She saw my demon on full display in that moment and she loved him with everything she had. What's more, she was able to control it with just a touch.

I knew she was almost tired of hearing me tell her how amazing she is, but it's the truth. Just when I think I can't love her any more than I already do, she finds a new way to make my heart grow larger for her. Stephen had told me after we got her back that he was thinking about her when setting up to provide cover to all of us when we were at the brawn warehouse. He said, "If ever there was unconditional love, Sephie was it." He was right. She loved all of us, no matter what. But she loved me with her entire soul. She had lifetimes of love built up. It was the only explanation for how she could still see so much good in the world given all the evil she'd witnessed firsthand. She was love.

"What were they talking about?" Viktor asked, snapping me back to the present moment.

"I could only hear Martin's side of the conversation. He spoke to Giana on speaker phone, but he was in a different location when he talked to Sal. The fast-forward button got hit, so I don't think this conversation has actually taken place yet," Sephie said. She paused. I could feel her trying to get control of her emotions once more. I could feel the fear from a few days ago returning.

It never seemed to matter what level my anger was at, as soon as I felt her losing any bit of control of her emotions, my anger disappeared and there was only her. The pull in my chest was so strong that I couldn't ignore it. I pulled her tight against me, turning her to face me. "Talk to me, solnishko. What are you feeling?" I asked, my lips next to her ear. She looked up at me. Her eyes were changing again as I watched, going from the almost black that meant she was angry to the light blue, almost white that meant she was afraid. She held my gaze as she said, "Sal is using Giana as payment to Martin for help in overthrowing Trino. Martin wants in on the human trafficking side of Sal's business as well."

I heard everyone cursing, but I couldn't take my eyes off Sephie. I could feel her fear, but it wasn't at the level when her eyes had first changed to a completely new color. It seemed like she could make them dark at will now, which likely meant she would be able to figure out how to turn them white at will soon. I caught myself thinking about how impressed I constantly found myself with her. She was always so hard on herself and constantly joked about how out of control her emotions are, but I could feel exactly what she felt now. She wasn't out of control at all. She just feels everything at a magnified level from everyone else. She was always in complete control of the turbulent ocean inside her.

She clicked her tongue at me. "I know what you're thinking, but it looks like you're smiling at the thought of Giana being passed around like the prize at Bingo." I couldn't help the laugh that escaped at being caught. I glanced at the guys, who were admittedly confused. Sephie didn't take her eyes off me, she just said, "Totally accountable for that," as she raised her hand. I watched as her eyes changed from the almost white to all green.

"Does Giana know she's basically just a trophy to her godfather?" Stephen asked.

Sephie sighed. Her eyes were slowly returning to their normal color as she tried to calm down. I could feel her trying to push her anger to the surface, knowing she would be able to keep her eyes dark that way. "I don't get the impression that she does, but I need to talk to her to be able to answer that more definitively," she said. She still hadn't taken her eyes off mine. I think she was waiting for me to give her the all-clear that she could look at the guys again. I had to admit that I was enjoying her looking at me and wasn't planning on giving her the okay anytime soon. Have to say I'm thankful that my eyes don't change colors when I'm being a shit.

"Now I wonder if she's using Martin or if she really has some kind of feelings for him," Andrei said.

"I have no love for her, but it doesn't seem fair that she's passed around like that. Even for her," Misha said. "I get the feeling that she was placed with Armando. I don't think it was as much her choice as she led us to believe. Now she's being placed with Martin."

"But now it begs the question of do we tell her we know and see how much she knows. What the fuck do we do with her now?" Ivan said, clearly getting frustrated.

"And not that it needs to be said out loud, but it needs to be said out loud. How disgusting is Sal to be passing his goddaughter around like she's not a human being?" Stephen said. "It makes me want to punch Armando for using her like he did. Giana is obnoxious, but nobody deserves to be treated like that."

"At least we know where she is right now. I'm a little more worried about Trino. Martin is clearly moving against him. Trino either needs to get out of there or he needs to get rid of everyone around him and he needs to do it today," Sephie said. She saw the smirk on my face that usually accompanied her demon eyes. I couldn't help myself when her eyes went dark. I didn't understand why they turned me on so much, but I had a hard time controlling myself anytime I saw her demon eyes. I just wanted to fuck her. She stood on her toes and kissed me passionately but quickly, catching me completely off guard. "You can. Later," she said in my ear as she turned back to face the guys. She leaned her body against mine, which was appreciated until I calmed down.

"Should Trino come here? Is he safe in Colombia right now? He can't trust his guys and he definitely can't trust Martin. There's also the matter of the Mexicans that are going to get bolder. Where else can he go that he's going to be safe?" Ivan said, thinking out loud.

"Should we go get him?" Stephen asked.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I still had my arms around Sephie, with my chin resting on her shoulder while I texted him, instead of calling. She craned her neck to look at me, questioning why I didn't call him. "He needs to be alone, where no one can overhear him. He'll call me from a burner phone. He knows what to do when I text him that," I said. She reached up, placing her palm against my cheek, her other arm on top of mine.

Ever since she'd told me that she was terrified of being apart from me, we'd somehow gotten even closer. I'd been addicted to her for months now, but it was to a new level now. And I could tell that she couldn't get enough of me now too. When she said that she tended to get seriously injured when she was apart from me, it hit me like a ton of bricks. She was completely right. Both times, at the ball and when she was taken, I had sent her away in an effort to keep her safe. Both times ended horribly for her and almost cost her life. I was trying to keep her safe, thinking she would be safe when she was away from me. I felt like I had brought danger into her life and wanted to protect her from it. But it was clear to me now that I was the only thing that could protect her. She would continue to get hurt if I kept sending her away, regardless of my intention. She belonged by my side. No matter what.

I had to admit that I felt better about keeping her with me now that I knew she loved my demon as much as she did me. Part of the reason I sent her away both times was out of worry that she'd see that side of me and not be able to handle it. She inevitably saw it both times, just not for the reason I expected. Her love for me never wavered. Even from the beginning when I basically kidnapped her to try and keep her safe from Anthony. I wanted her close to me even then and I barely knew her. The stronger my love for her grew, the more worried I became that I would do something to cause her to leave. It was my fear of losing her that caused me to almost lose her. Twice. It was painfully obvious to me now that I always needed her by my side. She made it clear every single day that she was perfect for that spot.

It only took Trino a few minutes before he called me back. I put it on speaker as the guys moved closer, so they could hear easier. I still had my arms around Sephie as I answered his call. "Trino, you're not going to like this."

He sighed heavily. "Just once, Jefe. Just once I want you to make me call you like this and you give me good news. Then my life will be complete. What do you have for me? How bad is it?"

"It's worse than we thought, Trino," I said.

"Trino, can you get out of Colombia on your own? Or do we need to come get you? You can't trust anyone. That's how bad it is," Sephie said.

"Miha, are you serious?"

"It's bad, Trino. Martin is actively plotting against you with Sal. We don't know the exact details of his plan with Sal yet. He's also made a move against me up here, as he has guys operating in the city without my permission. We do know they're not your guys, so that's your one consolation. He's been promised Giana as payment for helping Sal overthrow you. Then there's the matter of your security guys. I wouldn't trust any of them if I were you. I don't know if you have other guards you can trust, but I think it's best if you leave immediately until we can get security figured out for you. Is there somewhere safe you can get to until we can get to you? Can you get out of Colombia on your own?" I asked.

We had to wait on Trino to stop cursing before he could respond. He started to speak, then ended up cursing again. He finally regained composure and said tensely, "I have a place in the country, close to Panama. No one knows about it, so they won't know how to find me there."

"You're sure no one knows about it?" I asked.

"I bought it for my parents. Everyone thinks they're dead, but they've been quietly living out their days up there. No one knows about it. You're the first person I've told. I'll send you the information. I can get there and I'll be safe. I can make it to Panama, but any farther will be difficult without them finding me," Trino said. I could hear the worry in his voice as the gravity of the situation settled in.

"I have old friends in Panama. Get to your parents' place and they'll come for you. You'll be safe with them. You have my word, Trino."

He was silent for a moment, like he didn't know what to say. "You're sure about this, Jefe?" he asked. He was having trouble believing that everyone had turned against him as well.

"I'm sure about this. We have messages between Giana and Martin. He's planning on getting her away from the building, so he can grab her. He's already had his guys take everything from Armando's house. Literally everything. He's promised Giana that he'll take her somewhere in South America to keep her safe. We thought he was just pussy-whipped at first, but then we found out he's talking to Sal and that Giana is payment for his help in moving against you. We still don't know the plans of Sal and Ricardo, but they clearly involve you as well. Given that the Mexicans have already made one attempt on your life, I think you're safer out of Colombia. We can get you a security team that will remain loyal to you no matter what. They might have to learn Spanish, but that can be arranged." I paused, inhaling deeply. "Trino, you're the only one that's remained loyal to me through all of this. I know that's why they're moving against you now and I apologize for that, but I promise I will end this and make everything right once again."

"Jefe, no apologies needed. You're apparently the only one that's remained loyal to me, so it turns out we're in the same boat," he said. We heard him cursing again, like he was losing control of his temper as he thought about the ramifications of everything I'd just told him.

"Trino, I know you know, but I need to say this again. You cannot trust anyone you have around you right now. Martin is gleefully betraying you for some crazy-ass pussy and your guys are looking for an excuse to turn against you. I know you're pissed right now and I'm pissed for you, but I need you to control your temper long enough that you get to safety. Once you hang up with us, I need you to get in the nearest vehicle and get the fuck out of there. Not a word to anybody. Understand?" Sephie said. Her tone was halfway between threatening and pleading. We heard him exhale once more, but he was still silent. "Trino, I'll kick your motherfucking ass from here to next week if you don't do what I just said," Sephie said. This time, her tone was dripping with anger. I tensed instinctively. We all knew that tone.

Trino did too, apparently. He chuckled. "Okay, okay, Miha. I promise. Dios mio, I don't think I've met anyone that has a bigger temper than I do."

"You're goddamn right. Now stop wasting fucking time," she said, still angry.

Trino cursed in Spanish, but agreed with her. He ended the call and promptly sent the location of his parents' place. I told him to let me know when he made it there or if he got into trouble on the way.

I looked to Misha. "Is he going to make it out in time?" Sephie walked to Misha, grabbing his hand as Misha searched for Trino. Andrei walked to Sephie's side, taking her other hand in his. We saw Misha's eyes go wide, which meant he was watching Trino. He squeezed Sephie's hand. They watched for a few moments, then the movie ended and they were back to the present moment.

"And?" Ivan asked, anxiously.

"Unless he changes his mind at the last minute, he's going to make it out," Sephie said, wiping her eyes. Even Andrei and Misha looked troubled with what they'd just seen.

"He's going to make it just in time to say goodbye to his mother," Andrei said, having to turn away from us to get a handle on his own emotions.

"Apparently, she's been sick and she wouldn't let his father contact Trino because she didn't want to worry him. She took a turn this morning. His father thought she would pull through like she'd done before, but she's not going to make it. Trino will get there in time to spend the last couple of hours with her," Misha said as tears fell down his face.

"Everything happens for a reason," Sephie said quietly, still wiping tears from her cheeks. We all stood in shocked silence for a few minutes.

"What do we do with Giana?" Viktor asked. "Do we know when she's going to fake an illness? What do I tell my guys to do? Leave her here or take her to the hospital?"

Surprisingly, it was Andrei that answered. "I think I can find out if she knows she's being used if I talk to her. If she's aware she's being passed around by Sal and she's willingly going along with the plan, that's one thing. But if she thinks that Martin is saving her when he's really claiming his prize, that's an entirely different situation. It doesn't make sense that she would throw herself at him when we were on the island. Either she knew he was the next target or she was hoping he could save her and she didn't have a better option."

Sephie studied him for a moment. "You want to try talking to her by yourself, Bubba? You're sure about that?" she asked.

"We all hate her, but oddly enough, most of my hate for her died with Tori. I can't explain it, but I'm pretty apathetic toward Giana since the night I killed Tori. I think I'm the only one that can objectively talk to her and find out what she knows. Everyone else is still carrying heavy anger toward her. Rightfully so, don't get me wrong. Not judging anybody else here. I just can't say the same now," he said.

Sephie and I both looked at Misha, expecting to get confirmation. We could see the look of disgust on his face. "You're not getting anything from me on her. Sorry," he said.

Sephie laughed. "Bubba's right. Misha's clearly not over her yet."

"I'm not saying she deserves to be passed around like she has been, but she still deserves most of what she gets," Misha said.

"I rest my case," Andrei said, crossing his arms across his chest. I looked at my watch. It was still early enough that he could go talk to her. I looked at him and Viktor. "Go. See what you can find out," I said. They both nodded once, leaving the penthouse.

"Before they get back, who's got her knowing what's been happening all along? Show of hands," Stephen said, raising his hand. Ivan and Misha also raised their hands. Stephen looked at me and Sephie, asking, "So, you two think she's just a pawn then?"

"She might've known part of the plan. Like I'm sure she knew she was supposed to try and get close to me. Which, sidebar, I have to say I'm so grateful to not be a normal girl. If I would've had to listen to her divulge details about her and Armando's sex life, I might've stabbed myself in the eye. But I don't think she knew she was being ‘given' to Armando and I don't think she knows she's being ‘given' to Martin either," Sephie said.

"I agree with Sephie. I think she only knew minimal details. I don't think she realizes she's been a pawn this entire time. I think she thinks she has more control over her destiny than she actually does," I said. "The bigger question is what we do with her, especially if she hasn't known she's been a pawn. It'll be easy if she's known all along, but I'm at a loss on what to do with her if she hasn't."

"Normal people don't have to deal with these kinds of questions," Sephie said under her breath. She looked at me, grinning. Her eyes were clearly all green. She recognized the look on my face. She closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, they were normal once again. She was already beginning to get a handle on their new tricks. The only one that seemed to still catch her off guard was when she felt fear. She'd always struggled to control that emotion when she felt it, but I had a feeling it was because she never really let herself feel it.

When you're fighting for your life, you can't let the fear take over. She'd gotten so good at ignoring her fear in order to get through whatever was happening to her that now she didn't know what to do with the fear when it would come up for her. That's likely why it was such a strong reaction and why it changed her eyes to a completely different color. She had years of fear bottled up inside, waiting to be expressed.

It seemed silly to think about, but it made me happy that she finally felt safe enough to be able to feel her fear. While I never wanted her to fear anything, I wanted her to know she was safe enough to feel anything she needed to feel. That included fear, as odd as that seemed. She was safe.

She quietly walked back to me, noticing me lost in my thoughts once more. She wrapped her arms around my waist, smiling sweetly at me. "I know what you're thinking again," she said. As she looked at me, I saw her eyes turn completely blue. The normal deepest depth of the ocean blue that was always present when her eyes were normal. The same blue that meant she was thinking about how much she loved me. I stood there, completely lost in her gaze for a few moments. I brushed a few curls from her face, feeling completely overwhelmed with just how much she meant to me.

While everything around us seemed to be completely falling apart, I had never been more sure about her. About our relationship. About her feelings for me. Or about my feelings for her. She was my anchor in the chaos. I knew, without a doubt, that she would be by my side through every single thing I had to endure. Until my last breath.

She grinned at me. "Plus infinity. Plus one," she said, pressing her lips gently to mine. Of course, she read my mind. I wrapped my arms around her, picking her up off the floor. She smiled against my lips. "I love you," she said quietly, giggling softly.

"I love you, Sephie. More than I ever thought possible," I said, as I set her down. Andrei and Viktor walked back into the penthouse. It was difficult to read their expressions.

"What's the verdict?" Ivan asked.

Andrei sighed. "I don't think she knows she's been used this whole time. It's actually kind of sad."

"How do you know for sure?" Stephen asked.

"I didn't want her to know that we know about Martin, but I figured Armando was fair game. I also figured it would be fun to fuck up their plans just a bit, so I told her Armando was dead. I asked her where she wanted us to send her," he said. "She did get emotional about Armando. She hasn't asked about him, but at least to me, it looked like a genuine response."

"She might've been worried for her own fate more than sorry about Armando, but there was emotion there at the very least," Viktor said.

"Once she got over that, she got excited. She asked us to send her back to Italy and she wanted to know how soon she could leave. She started talking about seeing her family again and how excited she was to be going back," Andrei said.

"Given that she switches to Italian when she gets excited, I recorded her, so Sephie could tell us what she said," Viktor said, pulling his phone from his pocket. He started the recording, so we could all hear, handing the phone to Sephie so she could replay anything she needed to hear again.

We could hear her get emotional after Andrei lied to her about Armando. Then we heard her excitement when he asked where she wanted to go. She started speaking quickly, half in English, half in Italian before she switched completely to Italian. Sephie stopped the recording. "She's saying that she's going to Italy and that Martin can meet her there, although she never says his name. She calls him ‘mio amato.' Um, it's like saying ‘my beloved,'" she said. "Unless she has someone else she's sending risqué texts to, I'm going to assume she's talking about Martin." She started the recording again, listening to the last bit of the conversation. "She's saying how happy she is that no one is going to get hurt and once he comes to Italy they can disappear from there. Fuck, she actually thinks he's gonna save her," she said.

I could feel Sephie's fear coming on strongly again, although I couldn't figure out why. I reached for her, just as she looked up at me revealing her almost white eyes again. Ivan was standing next to me. He moved closer to her, almost like he wanted to protect her, and caught a glimpse, but she quickly looked at him and shook her head no discreetly. He looked away immediately as she buried her face in my shoulder. I suspected that Ivan was beginning to be able to feel her fear, even at lower levels as well, as she didn't give any outward signs of anything being wrong, but I could feel she was inwardly in complete turmoil. She kept her face hidden against my shoulder, but said, "What if she finds out and refuses to go to Martin? What if they sell her to teach her a lesson?"

It was that moment that I understood her fear.

"We won't let that happen, princess. I don't know what to do with her, but it's clear she doesn't need to go back to Italy and she doesn't need to go to South America either. I think we're going to have to tell her what's going on," Ivan said, his voice had the soft tone that I only ever heard him use with her.

"We may not like her, but that's fucked up," Stephen said. "Surely, we can come up with an option to give her a fresh start on life. Away from her family. They give new meaning to dysfunctional."

Viktor's phone beeped. Sephie just held it out for someone to grab, without moving her face from my shoulder and neck. Viktor took it, looking at the message. "She's telling Martin. They're all going to think Armando is dead by tonight," he said, somewhat amused.

"I mean, is it a lie though?" Andrei asked. "He's not deadyet."

We waited for Martin to respond to her text, but there was nothing. I saw Andrei's eyes glaze over, which meant he was getting more information than the rest of us. I waited for him to snap back to reality, my arms still holding Sephie tightly. She kept her face hidden against my neck and shoulder, so they couldn't see her eyes as she worked to calm down. The guys noticed Andrei's look, so they all turned to look at him expectantly. Ivan glanced back at me, a questioning look on his face with a slight nod toward Sephie, silently asking about her while everyone else was distracted. I mouthed "talk later" to him, which satisfied his curiosity for the time being.

Andrei joined us in the present once again, surprised to see us all staring at him, waiting for news. "I still have to work on being subtle. Clearly," he said.

"What do you know now that none of us know yet?" Viktor asked.

"They know Trino is gone. That's why he's not responding to Giana's text yet. They're searching for Trino. She's not going to be happy that he ignores her. She's liable to explode on him when he does finally respond," he said.

Stephen looked at Misha, asking, "You're sure that Trino made it out safely though? They're not going to find him? He had a good head start, but there's no telling who is working with Martin at this point." He was obviously worried about Trino being on his own.

Misha nodded his head. "He took one of his vehicles when he left, but the vehicle at his parents' house was not the same one. He's changing vehicles along the way to lose them. Trino is smart. He'll make it."

Viktor's phone beeped again. "She's worried now that he's not answering. She wants to know when he can come to Italy to get her, so she knows when to tell us to send her there."

I felt Sephie sigh as she thought about the possibilities of Giana going back to Italy. "These people are fucking evil," she said quietly.

"How long until Trino makes it to his parents' house?" Ivan asked.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, showing him the location that Trino sent me. He studied it for a few minutes, calculating the time it would take to make it there, best case. "We still have a couple hours to wait," he finally said.

Andrei walked to the kitchen, saying, "I'll make the coffee."

Sephie sighed, but finally looked up at me, silently asking if it was okay to look at everyone else. I smiled sweetly at her, still lost in her once again normal eyes. Even normal, her eyes were still gorgeous and unique. She smiled at me, then turned toward the guys. "I need something to do. I'll make the cookies," she said, following Andrei to the kitchen. We all followed her toward the kitchen. Misha was clearly excited about this development in his life. He was practically bouncing as he walked next to her. "I love you so much right now, gazelle," he said, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

Before she got started on her latest kitchen project, I walked up behind her, my arms around her waist. She leaned back against me as she pulled bowls from one of the cabinets. "How long are you going to be occupied, love?" I asked, kissing her neck gently.

"About an hour. Do you need to go downstairs?" she asked, curious.

"No, but I need to make a few calls and I need to discuss what Ivan saw earlier with him," I said quietly. She immediately understood. "Go. I'll keep everyone distracted," she said, hugging my arms before I stepped away.

I caught Ivan's eye, motioning for him to follow me to one of the spare rooms. The other four glanced at us, but said nothing as Sephie was starting a conversation with them to get everyone's mind off of the drama at hand.

As we walked into the room, Ivan shut the door behind him. "I need to call Panama and we should discuss what you saw earlier. I have a feeling you're starting to feel more of her emotions, so it's only a matter of time before you find out," I said.

He nodded his head. "It started a day or two ago when she finally let herself feel the fear she's been ignoring. Fuck me, I don't know how she stays so calm when it happens. She jokes about being out of control emotionally, but if I felt things as strongly as she does, I'd need to be admitted to an asylum."

"You're not wrong there," I said. "She's the opposite of out of control."

"I'm guessing her eyes turn almost white when she's scared?" Ivan asked.

"They do. That's not all they do now, either, but it's definitely the most obvious. It's actually scarier than her demon eyes, if I'm being honest. We haven't told anyone because of me. I first saw it happen the first time we had sex again after she's been hurt for so long. I've missed her so much this time that I was enjoying having a piece of her all to myself," I said.

"Nobody faults you for that. It's necessary. You've also been very generous in allowing all of us ample time with her while she was healing, so that we could deal with what happened better than after the ball. They all noticed and they're all very appreciative," Ivan said.

"I understand you guys need her too. But I felt myself getting slightly jealous, so I wanted to keep this between us for now. I'm starting to think it won't be much longer though and one of them is going to see it, much like you did tonight. She's trying hard to control it, but she doesn't always know when it's happening. She can make them go dark at will and she's starting to be able to control a few other colors, but the white that's brought on by her fear is almost out of control for her. It feels like she doesn't know what to do with the fear when she feels it. She almost had a complete meltdown the first time it happened. All because she was terrified to be apart from me," I said. "She started shaking as bad as she ever has and she casually mentioned that she tends to get hurt very badly when she and I are apart. It almost knocked the wind out of me it hit me so hard."

Ivan looked at me, his eyes going wider the more he thought about it. "She's absolutely right. I never put that together. I know why you separated yourself from her, both times, but both times ended very badly for her. That's justified terror."

"I agree. And I'm never going to be apart from her again because of it. In fact, I've decided to give her the ring before this whole mess is taken care of. She knows I love her, but she needs to know that she's stuck with me," I said, smiling at the thought.

"Somehow I don't think she'll mind," he said. "What other colors are her eyes turning, if you don't mind me asking? You can tell me to suck it, for the record."

I inhaled. "I don't mind you knowing. I would've put money on you being the first one to see it anyway because of your special relationship with her. So far, they turn black when she's angry, almost white when she's afraid, completely green when she's being sarcastic, and they turn deep blue when she thinks about me and how much she loves me. She calls them her mood ring eyes now. She also said she might need to get contacts. She's worried about scaring all my business associates away if she can't get control of it," I said, laughing.

"She makes a solid point," Ivan said, laughing with me. "I won't tell the others about it until you do and I'll try to keep an eye on her when you're not around to make sure they're not changing without her knowing it."

"Sometimes she knows when it happens, but she said she feels like they're going rogue. The more times it happens, the more control she's getting over it, but you know how she is. Sometimes she's unexpectedly hit with very strong feelings. After what happened with Trino's guys, I feel the need to protect her from everyone else. You guys I'm not worried about. I'm just being selfish for now."

"Be selfish as long as you want. No one is going to argue," he said.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, searching through the saved numbers trying to find one specific number. "I need to call Panama," I said as I scrolled through the list of contacts.

"What old friends do you have in Panama?" Ivan asked.

I glanced up from my phone, raising an eyebrow. I put the phone to my ear, listening to it ring, waiting for someone to answer.

"My father."