Shadow Warrior (Shadow Riders 4)

Vittorio didn’t speak, allowing the silence to stretch on and on for so long she was afraid she might scream. She didn’t mind silence, but the way those blue eyes moved over her face, the compulsion to tell him everything was so strong she nearly blurted the entire story out, but years of silence kept her strong.

“Haydon isn’t like other people. He won’t stop. You interfered with his plans and he won’t allow that.” Grace bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from speaking. She didn’t dare. She warned Vittorio because he deserved to be warned, but that was as far as she ventured to take a risk.

His finger slid over her lips where her teeth had sunk. Exquisitely gentle. Almost nonexistent. “You thwarted him as well,” he pointed out.

Her lips tingled. “Yes, I’m well aware.” Her gaze slid away from his to look over his shoulder at the door. She tried not to think how Haydon was going to react, but she knew him better than anyone else did. She knew all the dark compulsions moving in his mind, swallowing him.

Vittorio’s long fingers settled gently on her chin, turning her face so her gaze jumped back to his. “You’re safe with me. There are bodyguards at the door and they’re very experienced.”

He was so incredibly beautiful. Everything about him. His face was sculpted perfectly, every angle and plane. His eyes were gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Blue. But far more than blue—indigo was the color that came to mind. With his black lashes framing that blue, he took her breath away. She didn’t want him to die and Haydon would be fixated on him now.

“We’ll find him. The cops are looking. My people are looking. He doesn’t have money and very few friends. Haydon will be found.”

Grace shook her head. She had to tell him things she’d never told anyone if she wanted him to stay alive. They stared at each other for a long time.

His thumb swept across her chin. “I know this is difficult for you, Grace. You have to trust someone. You need to talk to me about this man. You’re visibly trembling. You look frightened and I don’t want you to be.”

“I don’t know you,” she protested, but she knew she was stalling for time, trying to figure out a way to keep him safe without revealing the things she knew about Haydon Phillips.

“You know me,” he countered.

A faint smile touched his mouth, and her heart reacted with a curious flutter.

“After all, I am your fiancé.”

“Why does everyone think that?” She pounced on that.

“I told you in the parking lot when you were shot, but you probably don’t remember. In order to make certain the doctors would talk to me, I had to be your fiancé. Our top orthopedic surgeon removed the fragments of bone and repaired the damage, but you have a long road ahead of you. They’re giving you antibiotics to prevent any infection and you’ll have to be here a couple of weeks. You were in and out for a few days so we’re counting down past that first week.”

“Every time I wake up you’re here.” Grace had gotten used to seeing him there, a fixture in her room, even when the pain medication kept her sleepy. She looked for him first thing now, that quick sweep of the room while she held her breath. Then she saw him and the terror in her calmed.

“I don’t want to be anywhere else. When you leave, you’re going to need care. I’ve got your room ready for you and set up for physical therapy so when the doctor gives you the okay, we’ll have that in place.”

“Room ready for me?” she echoed faintly.

He nodded, his eyes holding hers. “With me. At my house. My sister, Emmanuelle, and my sister-in-law Mariko can go to your apartment and get whatever things you want. You can make a list.”

She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”

He got that look she detested. Disappointment. As if she had somehow hurt him just by saying no to him. She had to clarify. “You don’t understand. No one can go to my apartment. It isn’t safe, least of all for anyone you love or care about. They’re going to be in danger as well.”

He stared down at her for what seemed an eternity, then he shifted her casually. Easily. He simply slid his arms under her body, lifted and moved her to the side of the bed so he could sit on it fully. His arm slid around her hips. She was half sitting, and there was a thin sheet and blanket over her, but the heat of him nearly scorched her.

“We’re back to Haydon, il mia bellissima gattina. Don’t you think it’s time you told me why you’re so afraid of him? The thought that he might try to harm any member of my family is . . . unsettling. I’ll warn them, of course, but if we all are targets, I need to know why.”