I Thee Take (To Have And To Hold Duet 2)

His eyes narrow infinitesimally.

“You don’t remember if Felix was there?”

“I don’t think he was. I’d recognize him.”

He nods.

I squeeze the water from my hair as I step out of the shower.

“How many women were there?” he asks.

“Maybe a dozen. They killed one on the docks. She tried to run and one of the men shot her in the stomach.”

“We found her. I took her to a local morgue. We may be able to identify her. Try to find her family at least.”’

“What about my uncle’s body.”

“Fish food.”

“Good.”

I follow him into the bedroom and watch as he steps into briefs and a pair of jeans before turning to take the towel from me. I stand naked as he slips the dress over my head. It’s thin, more for summer than now, but at least it doesn’t irritate my skin.

“They were pretty young, some of them.”

“Perverts like them young.”

“I know.”

He pauses as he slips his arm into a black button down and studies me for a beat too long.

I clear my throat and glance away. “One of the women said they’ll be sold.”

“That’s right.”

“And that virgins bring in more money. They’d marked them so the crew wouldn’t touch them.”

Although I see irritation on his face, he doesn’t reply.

“Can we find them? Stop them from selling these women?”

He breathes in deeply and takes hold of my shoulders. “You will concentrate on healing. I will take care of what needs to be taken care of.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means you’ll stay on the island, in the house, and out of harm’s way.”

“No. I’m helping those women. What happened to them is partially my fault.”

He looks at me with utter disbelief now. “I’m going to guess math wasn’t your strongest subject.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“How do you get to this being remotely your fault?”

“My brothers started this. My brothers and Marcus did this. I don’t even know how many people they’ve hurt.”

“Your brothers. Marcus. Not you.” He picks up one of the containers the doctor left, reads the label and pops the lid. Two pills drop onto his palm. “Here.”

“What are those?”

“Painkillers.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. I see that it hurts. Take them.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“You punishing yourself won’t help them.”

“I said no. Remember when you didn’t want anything when the doctor reset your shoulder? I don’t want anything now and I’m pretty sure that hurt more than this.”

“Christ,” he mutters, dropping the pills back into the bottle and securing the lid. “Like I said, stubborn as a mule.” He walks to the door and opens it.

“Like I said, as stubborn as you.” I walk out into the hallway. “I want to help them, Cristiano. I mean it.”

“You leave that to me.”

“Scarlett!” Noah appears at the bottom of the stairs and it takes all I have not to charge down toward him. Well, all I have and Cristiano’s hand around my wrist.

“Easy, she’s hurt,” Cristiano tells him once we’re downstairs and I go in for a hug.

Noah nods and tries to hug, but not hug me, all at once.

“You can hug me. I want you to hug me,” I tell him.

“You hurt her, and we have a problem,” Cristiano growls beside me.

“Don’t listen to him,” I say, but this other side of Cristiano, this predator turned protector is strange. Unexpected. He’s a beast but he’s got a soft side. I like when it comes through.

Noah squeezes me hard and it does hurt but I don’t care. In his hug I feel how young he is, how much he’s lost and how much he needs me, even if he tries to act like a man.

“Aren’t you late for your lesson,” Cristiano asks him, checking his watch.

“What lesson?” I ask, looking at him.

Noah, looking guilty, shifts his gaze to Cristiano.

“Self-defense,” Cristiano answers after a beat.

I narrow my eyes. “You’re teaching him how to fight?”

“Not me personally.”

“Noah’s not some street fighter. He’s not a thug.”

“Sis—”

“He needs to learn how to protect himself, protect his family,” Cristiano says.

“And how would fighting help in a gun battle? Because all the fights I’ve seen so far involve enough gun fire to call it a war.” It dawns on me then what exactly the lesson is. “You’re teaching him how to use a gun?”

“He should already have been taught.”

“No. I told you, I don’t want this for him.”

“And I told you it’s been decided.”

Noah slips away quietly as Cristiano takes my shoulders and walks me backward to the wall. Out of earshot of anyone.

“Whether or not you chose this life, it chose you. You’re in it. So is your brother. Period. We have enemies, Scarlett. And right now, you and your brother are among the very few I can trust. The boy needs to learn how to shoot. For his own protection and for yours.”

“He’s fifteen.”

“Did you understand what I meant when I told you that Jacob was tipped off?”