Angelo (The Marchesi Family 2)

Lucien hardly let Peter leave the house, and I wanted to be just as strict with Cameron, but I knew how much the bakery meant to him, and he needed to be on-site to see his vision through. Every day I drove him to work, made sure guards were in place, then picked him up when he was done. If he needed to go anywhere, two of my men or I went with him. If he wasn’t working, he was at home where he belonged. I loved having him there, waking up with him every morning and falling asleep with him every night, and one of the highlights of each day was Cameron bringing home baked goods for me to sample.

Lucien, Devil, and I like to pretend we were never afraid, but that wasn’t true. I was terrified of someone coming for Cameron and not being able to stop them from hurting him. I now understood the reason Lucien kept Peter so close. I would lose my fucking mind if someone laid a hand on Cameron.

I was downtown at our headquarters, and Lucien, Vinnie, and I were having a late meeting when a call from Cameron interrupted us. I answered it immediately

“I’m at the bakery,” Cameron said.

“What the fuck? Why?” I’d checked in with him a few hours before, and he’d been at home about to eat dinner.

“I got a call from one of your guards saying there was a leaky pipe, but when I got here, there wasn’t a guard here, and now I think I hear someone in the alley out back.”

A knot formed in my stomach. No way was this bastard going to get Cameron. I shoved back my chair and stood. “I’m on my way.”

“Listen, I may have solved the puzzle. I think—” I heard a crash. Cameron screamed and then there was a thump.

“What’s going on?” Lucien asked.

“Cameron’s at the bakery, and someone just broke in.”

“Take my bike,” Vinnie said, tossing me the keys. I caught them and ran.

“We’re right behind you,” Lucien said.

I couldn’t wait for the elevator. As I raced down the stairs, I called Ralph, but he didn’t answer.

I wove through traffic on Vinnie’s bike, hopped the curb—nearly mowing down a row of pedestrians—and cut down an alley. Finally, after what felt like much too long, I came to a screeching halt in the alley behind the bakery.

I pulled out my gun as I swung my leg over the bike. The bakery door was closed, but I found Ralph face down on the ground. Cameron must have come in through the front. Ralph was still breathing. I gave him a gentle shake, and he moved and started to sit up.

“What happened?” I asked him.

“Two men came out of nowhere. ’M sorry.”

“Stay here.”

I moved closer to the door, praying Cameron was still there and uninjured. I knew at that moment, no matter how I’d tried to ignore it, I was in love with him. I wanted to charge in, but I made myself move slowly, listening for any movement. I heard the murmur of voices, but I couldn’t make out any words.

Careful to keep quiet, I turned the knob, barely opening the door. When I peered through the crack, I saw Cameron had been tied to a chair. There were two men in the room with him.

I kicked the door open. The men turned, and I fired. The man on my left was just going for his gun as the one on my right hit the floor, a bullet through his brain. I shot the second man before he could aim at me.

“Angelo!” Cameron cried.

“Are there any others?”

“N-no. You… Oh God, they’re dead, aren’t they?” He looked from one man to the other.

Blood pooled beneath them both. I had no doubt they were very dead.

I was a killer. Cameron had known that since high school, but now he’d actually seen it. Would he be disgusted by me? Would he believe I was the monster he’d feared?

“They attacked you,” I said as I knelt to untie him.

“And you saved me.” I looked up at him. There was fear in his eyes, but he held my gaze, and when I’d freed him, he wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him tight.

“I was so scared. When those men came in… I thought… I thought they would kill me, and then when they didn’t, I was afraid you’d come and they’d shoot you, and then I…”

“Shhh, it’s okay. I’m here, and they can’t hurt you now. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”

Peter had been horrified the first time he’d seen Lucien shoot a man. I’d been the one to drive him home and watch over him until Lucien could be there. He’d been pale and shaky when he’d gone to his room, but he’d found a way to love Lucien anyway. Could I be that lucky?