Angelo (The Marchesi Family 2)

Peter rolled his eyes. “I didn’t think you would.”

“There’s one other thing that’s important.” Cameron said. He glanced down at my hand. I saw him studying my ring. Was he looking for the defect that wasn’t there? Did he know this ring was really Devil’s? “The detective has a ring like this.”

When Cameron brushed his fingers over mine, I shivered. How had I ever doubted that I loved this man? Why had I tried to distance myself from him? He was everything to me. I wanted to grab him and drag him upstairs. I needed to reconnect with him, to beg his forgiveness for scaring him yesterday, to tell him how I felt.

Lucien glared at Devil. “I told you they’d find the ring.”

“We’re handling it,” Devil said. His words were casual, but I knew he was seething inside. Once again, I nearly confessed the truth. Cameron gave me a questioning look, and I mouthed “Later.”

I barely heard Lucien’s explanation of our plan to say the ring was stolen, what Cameron should say if he was questioned any further, and his reassurance that nothing would come of any of this.

He got my attention back when he stood. “I think Angelo and Cameron need some time alone.” He looked at me. “Come to the sitting room when you’re done.”

My heart pounded. I wanted to tell Cameron how I felt. I wanted to touch him again, but could I actually do that now? “I think we—”

“No.” Lucien’s tone told me he wasn’t going to bend. “You two need to get things settled between you.”

They all left then, and the click of the door closing echoed in the stillness of the room. Cameron and I simply stared at each other for several seconds.

I broke the silence first. “The number on the necklace was a bank account. There was three hundred thousand dollars in it. We moved it to one of our accounts, and it’s all yours now.”

Cameron shook his head. “I can’t keep it. Shouldn’t it go to one of the Romanos?”

“Benny’s other children are from his first wife. Based on some things Sergio said, Maryellen, Sergio’s mother, must have kept it hidden from them but then given Damian control of it. It’s unclear where it should go.”

“Then I’d like to donate it to a charity for people escaping from abusive partners. My dad never hit my mom that I know of, but he wasn’t good to her, and she felt trapped. Damian hurt Elena, and it sounds like he manipulated Maryellen and Sergio.”

“Are you sure? It’s a lot of money.”

Cameron nodded. “I don’t need it. I have everything I want.”

We were silent again for a few moments. I was scared to question if Cameron still needed me.

This time, he spoke first. “What happened last night?”

“You were right about the address. Devil and I found Sergio there, and we… eliminated him.” Cameron didn’t need the gory details.

“So he’s dead?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” His voice was soft. He didn’t seem angry or frightened of me, just overwhelmed.

“I know that you don’t—”

“You did what you needed to do.”

I had. Thank God he understood that.

Cameron took my hand and ran a finger over my ring. “This isn’t yours.”

So he had noticed. “It’s Devil’s. I’m the idiot who lost his.”

“Then why…”

“Devil insisted I take his. He didn’t want me to have to deal with Lucien being angry with me.”

“Your family is amazing. I would never have thought men who could kill so easily could care so much for each other.”

Instead of the confession I meant to make, I said, “You could’ve told the detective anything. You didn’t have to lie.”

“Yes, I did. I don’t want you arrested—I don’t want anyone in your family arrested—because if you’re in jail then I can’t be part of all this.” He waved his hands in the air.

“I love you.”

His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

“I want you to stay here, to be mine, not because I ordered you too, but because you choose to. As far as I’m concerned, your debt to us is paid. I’m not going to promise that I’ll stop being a controlling son of a bitch, but—”

Cameron laid a finger against my lips. “I love you too, and I don’t want you to change. I like my controlling, arrogant Angel.”

Fuck, he was going to kill me saying things like that. My eyes stung with tears I refused to shed, and I had to swallow around a lump that had formed in my throat.

Cameron cupped my face in his hands. “You’re not the man I thought you were all those years ago. You’re not the man I thought you were when you showed up at the bakery months ago. Even when you do play the role of dangerous fucking criminal, it’s hot as hell.”

I grinned. “I’m pretty fucking irresistible.”

“Don’t push it.”