“No. He’s apparently taking us somewhere tropical for the holidays.”
“So, what you’re telling me is some hot, rich man wants to whisk you off to a tropical island or something for the holidays and you’re bitching about it?”
“Because we’re in trouble?” I asked.
“Semantics. Is he a good father?”
“What?”
“Does he treat Ana well?” she asked.
“He treats her… perfectly,” I said breathlessly.
I saw a grin cross Camillo’s cheeks as he walked in and picked my suitcase off the bed.
“Then go. Stay by his side. Let him protect you and keep you safe. See what happens. Girl, he’s a sexy billionaire who wants to take you away to paradise for a little while. Fucking go, you idiot.”
“Fine, fine. I hear you, okay?”
There was a pause as I walked into Ana’s room, picking up the last few things she would need and stuffing them into her diaper bag.
“I can hear you screaming in your head,” Crystal said.
“I’m nervous,” I said. “Crystal, we’re in trouble. Real trouble. There was a phone call and Camillo was so mad. He shattered his phone and threatened to do all these terrible things.”
“Was he violent toward you?” she asked.
“No, but he was just so… so angry. I’d never seen him that angry. That out of control.”
“Rose, listen to me. If you think for one second he’s gonna get violent with you, don’t go. Call the police. Run as fast as you can. Do you hear me?”
“I don’t believe that. I don’t believe he’ll hurt me or Ana. But his rage, Crystal…”
“Was turned onto someone else. Someone he viewed as a threat to his family. Do you feel safe with him?”
I realized I did. I did feel safe with Camillo. I knew he would never turn his anger on us or take it out on us in any form. I knew he would fight to defend us until his very last breath, just like I’d do for him.
Holy hell, I’d fight until my last breath for him.
“I do,” I said.
“Then go, Rose. Tell Cassie I’ve already purchased her flight to LaGuardia. It leaves in three hours.”
“I’ll let her know,” I said.
“And Rose?”
“Yes?”
“Call me the moment you guys are safe,” she said. “Don’t jeopardize anything. I’ll take care of Cassie. You just take care of your family.”
“I’ll come into the city soon so we can have a legitimate conversation about all this,” I said.
“Oh, trust me. You’ll give me an entire week of your time so we can unpack all this. But for now, enjoy what part of this you can.”
“I will. I promise.”
I hung up the phone with Crystal and looked at it in my hand. I could feel Camillo’s presence outside the door, his body fighting between curiosity and giving me my privacy. I tossed my cellphone into Ana’s bed, leaving it behind as I stepped out into the hallway. Camillo took her diaper bag from my hand.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said.
“Feel what way?” I asked.
“That you’re safe with me.”
The intensity behind his eyes was no longer stern, but filled with something else. Something I couldn’t quite identify.
Something that seemed familiar, but still different.
“I do,” I said, nodding.
“Come with me,” he said as he held out his hand. “It’s time to go.”
“Can I at least know where we’re going?” I asked as I took his hand.
“In time,” he said.
I was just going to have to get used to his cryptic ways. Especially if I wanted his protection.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – CAMILLO
Getting all of us in the truck and to the tarmac took much longer than I would’ve liked. There was still the obstacle of properly storing Ana’s car seat as baggage, as well as trying to figure out a way to sit all of us in the seats of my truck. Cassie had already left the house, heading for the airport so she wouldn’t miss her flight to New York and part of me sighed with relief at the notion.
It was one less person I had to worry about and watch over on the island I was taking us to.
Ana was fussy the entire time we were waiting on my jet. She was wiggling around and trying to get out from my grasp. She wanted to run around and take everything in but I didn’t want to put her down. I bounced her in my arms while the boys sunk themselves into their portable gaming systems. All the while, Rose was mindlessly staring out her window.
We still had to refuel and maintenance had to double check a couple of things before we could head to Italy, which meant we had to wait another two hours before the jet could finally take off safely. Rose made the suggestion of flying out of an airport on a commercial flight so we could get into the air earlier but I discarded her suggestion. If I was going to have them on the run for their holiday season because of my misplaced feelings of safety, then they were at least going to be comfortable while it happened.