Copyright © 2024 by Elizabella Baker

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced, or transmitted without written permission from the author except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by the law.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Editor: Raechelle Downing

Proofreader: Judy Zweifel, Judy's Proofreading

Photographer: Golden Czermak/ FuriousFotog

Model: Tyler Caussey

Cover Design ©KiWi Cover Design Co.

Paperback ISBN: 9798322865513

Printed in the United States of America

Created with Vellum

BREAKING THE CHAINS BLURB

Francesca was the wife of his enemy. A woman on the run. And the only person with information on the man his team was hunting.

She was also harboring a major secret.

Blayd Caldwell was the team troublemaker. The one who rarely took things seriously. But when his team gets an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night, he suddenly wants to be a better person. To prove that he can be the man who takes care of Franni and the problem that brought her to their doorstep.

Franni Accardo never had a say in her life. Not who she married or how she lived. But when information falls into her lap, she grabs her daughter and escapes her horrible life with one goal in mind. Find the team looking for her husband, give them the information they need, and start a new life without a man in it. Too bad nothing was ever that easy and there’s more than one threat to her new plan.

Will Franni stay on the original course or will Blayd be able to convince her that not all men want to control her?

Tropes:

⛓️ Seeking refuge

⛓️ Finding herself again

⛓️ Reformed bachelor

⛓️ No third-act breakup

⛓️ Abused wife of his enemy

⛓️ Little girl steals his heart

⛓️ She has secrets

For all my survivors of domestic violence. This one’s for you. Sometimes violence IS the answer to solving your problems.

CHAPTER ONE

Franni checked the rearview mirror for what felt like the hundredth time since she bought the piece-of-crap car outside of a bus stop in Vegas. The car salesman, if she could even call him that, assured her it would get her to where she was going, but she had questioned that multiple times over the twelve-hour commute. Every bump and strange noise that she heard felt like it would be the last one before the car stopped running. Fifteen more minutes. That's all she needed from it. Fifteen measly minutes.

It was the middle of the night and Gia was fast asleep in her used car seat, just like she had been for a majority of the trip. Her daughter was exhausted. She was as well, but only one of them would be sleeping tonight because she wasn't far from her destination, and the closer she got, the more she wondered if what she was doing was a great idea. Traveling halfway around the world to unexpectedly show up on a stranger’s doorstep didn’t scream “brilliant plan” but it was the only one she had. She needed away from Italy and away from Vito.

There was no way for her to know if these people would help her. By all accounts, they shouldn't. She was married to the enemy. The man they wanted revenge against. And that was exactly why she was going to them for help. She needed someone willing to do what she couldn't. Something she couldn’t possibly manage without putting her daughter in danger. What she had hoped and prayed the last five years to happen. Maybe now she and Gia could finally be free.

She looked out across the dark desert, where she saw nothing except the glow of her headlights bouncing off the occasional rock or cactus. Once again, Franni questioned if she was headed the right way. All she had to go on was a set of coordinates she quickly scribbled down after eavesdropping on a conversation. What if she had misheard or copied down the wrong thing? This was her one shot. It wouldn't be long before her husband came looking for her, and when he found her, she was dead. Running away wouldn't be tolerated. It was a sign of disrespect and she’d learned long ago how severe the punishment for that was.

Bright lights suddenly illuminated the immediate area. They flooded the interior of the car, scaring the crap out of her. With a quick glance in the back seat to ensure the lights didn't wake up Gia, she eased off the gas but didn't stop. She was committed and nothing would stop her. Not even the six men who appeared out of thin air with their guns drawn and aimed her way. She had to hope that the men, who were after her husband, were honorable enough not to shoot an unarmed woman. With both hands firmly on the top of the steering wheel, she did her best to look as vulnerable as possible.

When she was close enough that she assumed they could see she wasn't a threat, Franni stopped the car. She waited a few moments to let the dust settle before deciding it was now or never. The rest of her life hinged on how she approached the next few minutes.

Not bothering to hide just how scared she was, she opened the driver’s side door, but kept her hands where everyone could see them. She had seen the gesture often enough in movies that she figured it couldn’t hurt to give it a try.

"Please don’t shoot!" She did her best to keep her body directly in front of her daughter, just in case someone got trigger-happy. "My daughter and I are here to seek refuge!" She yelled just loud enough to hope they heard her without simultaneously waking up Gia. She needed them to know that she wasn't alone.

"Refuge from who?" a scary-looking man demanded.

"My husband." She couldn't keep the tremor out of her voice. It was now or never. "Vito Accardo."

Just as she knew it would, her husband's name put the men back on high alert. She could've sworn when she mentioned her daughter, their arms slacked ever so slightly but now those guns were trained with deadly accuracy on her. Crap on a stick. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. Franni calculated her chances of getting back into the vehicle and speeding off. Based on how serious the men looked, she figured her chances were slim.

"You expect us to believe he didn't send you?" the same scary man hollered at her.

If she wasn't so terrified, she would laugh at the notion. The fact that Vito would think a woman was useful for anything other than spreading her legs for him and producing a child was hilarious.

"I assure you, he would rather die than believe a woman was capable of such a thing." The tremor was still evident in her voice, and it caused a slight stutter. Such an indiscretion would've resulted in a beating back home. She hoped that wasn't the case here. She needed to believe this was her one opportunity for a change.

She didn't know a single one of these men, but based on the way they were protecting the women that slipped in behind them, she had to hope that they wouldn't harm her. She had noticed the shift in their stance the second the women approached and had assumed they would be reprimanded for possibly putting themselves in danger, but none of that happened. The men simply repositioned themselves to guard the new additions, while keeping her in their line of sight.

"Do you mind if we check the car just to be sure?"

She swung her head around to figure out who the new voice belonged to. Unlike the first man who spoke, this guy appeared nicer. Maybe nicer wasn't the right word; his features were certainly softer, and he didn't look two seconds away from murdering her, so that was an improvement.

"I don't mind. We only have the clothes on our backs and the one blanket and stuffed animal my daughter adores. I do ask one thing though.” She had no right to ask for anything else but she didn’t want Gia to wake up and see men with guns pointed at her. “Please be quiet around my daughter. She deserves to stay asleep as long as possible." Her daughter was scared of men already, Franni didn't need to add more trauma. She’d already lost her Mother of the Year status. Further traumatizing her daughter would simply lower her ratings.

"We'll be quiet."

The two men who didn't have women standing behind them approached her slowly. One focused on the car, but the other didn’t take his eyes off her. She was used to catching a man's attention, but she wasn't vain. Vito liked to remind her that he only married her because of her looks. That she was only good for one thing—to be his trophy wife. But somehow this man's attention didn't annoy her the way it normally would. There was certainly interest in his eyes, but not the leering kind she had gotten used to from Vito's men.

Franni kept quiet as they searched the vehicle. True to their word, they did it without waking up Gia. Her daughter was great about sleeping through most noises, but she had worried they wouldn't be gentle. They were, in fact, the opposite. They showed Gia nothing but kindness while still doing a thorough job.

"The car is clear," the one who barely looked her way announced as he walked back to the rest of his team.

The other man stayed close to the car, and her little girl, like he was Gia's self-appointed protector. Franni wasn't sure how she felt about that. No man, other than Leonardo, ever showed any type of affection toward her daughter.

"Let's take this inside. We can work out the rest after that."

CHAPTER TWO

Blayd took a step forward to pick up the little girl at Black's request that they move inside, but stopped himself. It wasn't his responsibility to help even if every fiber of his being called for him to protect the little angel. And that was exactly what she looked like with the car's interior light shining around her dark brown hair; a sweet angel born from the loins of the devil himself. The knowledge of who her father was should’ve been all he needed to stay away, but somehow he couldn’t blame the child for the sins of a father.

"Excuse me." The woman’s sweet voice filtered through his ears and wrapped around him like a soft blanket, the kind he wanted to run along his smooth face.

Vito's wife was gorgeous. There was no mistaking the way her clothes clung to her petite body, or the natural glow of her olive skin, that she was a true beauty. Even the way her brown hair was tossed in a careless ponytail with little pieces hanging around her makeup-free face didn’t deter from her natural beauty. There was nothing fake about the woman standing to his left, begging him to move so she could get to her daughter.

"Sorry." He shuffled out of the way but kept close. “I’m Blayd, by the way.”

He didn’t understand what possessed him to tell her his name when his team didn’t know if they could trust her or not. Sure, they didn’t find any explosives or weapons in the vehicle, but that didn’t mean Vito hadn’t sent her to distract them, despite her assurances he never would. The asshole was devious and not above allowing others to take the fall for him.

“I’m Francesca, but I prefer to be called Franni.” Her voice was soft and unsure, as if she too didn't know if she could trust his team. The boldness with which she drove straight to their location was a complete contrast to her demeanor.

Franni. He liked the way that sounded rolling around in his head.

“Franni.” He liked it even better sliding off his tongue. “Can I help bring her in?” He pointed to the still-sleeping little girl all wrapped up in a blanket. A very worn and stuffed unicorn was smooshed against her cheek.

“Her name is Gia, and no, thank you. I have her.”

Blayd didn’t think Gia weighed much more than thirty pounds. The little girl was either very young or on the small side, like her mother. Either way, he doubted Franni needed assistance carrying her, but he still felt useless just walking behind them. His parents raised him to help, which was impossible when that assistance wasn’t welcome.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old is she?”

Okay, so no one would ever say that silence was one of his strengths. His team joked that he liked to hear himself talk, but that wasn’t it at all. Silence just made him nervous because it allowed others to find a way to fill it. He preferred to be the one in control of the narrative.

“She just turned four last month.”

He looked at the girl in her arms again and decided that fit. From the little he could see, the child looked well cared for. Add in the fact that the two of them traveled across the desert to seek refuge said Franni cared very much for her daughter. He just wondered what led to her leaving now.

The words were on the tip of his tongue but, for once, he stopped himself. His team deserved to be privy to the answer and it wouldn’t be fair to make Franni repeat herself. Not when she looked moments away from collapsing from exhaustion.

“Here, let me grab that,” Blayd offered, punching the code to the exterior door of the building.

He didn’t mention that she wouldn’t be able to enter without him anyway. Their security was top-notch, and unless someone wanted to blast the door, they weren’t getting in without a code, a handprint, and in certain areas, a retina scan. It was a bit overboard in his opinion, but he was just a peon. No one was interested in his thoughts on the matter, even though he had voiced them a time or two when the silence got to be too much.

“So, this place is secure?”

He watched her watch him. Her concentration was borderline obsessive, and the way her voice shook put him on edge.

“Very. Is that going to be a problem?”

He scrutinized her every gesture as he waited for her to answer. Blayd didn't want to think his first instinct was wrong.

“The opposite actually. I came here because I knew you were hunting my husband and I need someone who can get rid of him for me. I don’t want him anywhere near me or my daughter. So no, a secure place isn't going to be a problem.”

There was so much of that he needed to unpack, but it would have to wait. They were just outside the conference room and the rest of what she had to say would need to be said to his team.

Blayd opened the door and waved her in. Stepping through the threshold after her, he found not only his team waiting for them, but each of their significant others as well. Not that it surprised him. The lot of them were a bunch of nosy bastards. Plus, these women stuck together. Where one went, they all went.

“Would you like to lay your daughter down in one of the offices?” Karlie asked.

Steel stood next to his wife and the tension was rolling off him in waves. It was hard to forget just a few months ago, Vito had held Karlie hostage because he wanted her to be his mistress, his dirty little secret from the same woman who now stood just feet away, holding a different child.

“I would prefer to hold her, if that’s okay.” Franni’s arms tightened around the sleeping girl like she expected someone in the room to swoop in and steal the child.

“No one here is going to hurt you, or separate you from your child,” Karlie reassured her.

His friend’s wife was overly perceptive, so Blayd was sure she witnessed the same tension he had.

Franni nodded but didn’t respond as she took one of the empty seats and lowered herself into it, careful not to jostle the little girl. Once she was adjusted so that Gia rested her head on Franni’s shoulder and her body was cradled against Franni’s chest, their guest finally spoke.

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know. All I ask is that you kill my husband so that me and my daughter can finally be safe.”

Direct and to the point. He liked that.

Blayd met Black’s stare. No words were needed. Her request was simple enough considering that was the plan anyway.

“How about you start by telling us how you found this location and how you got away from Vito in the first place?”

A humorless snort was her first response. “Married nearly five years and my husband thought he had the perfect wife. Seen and not heard. He didn’t realize that I spent every minute looking for a way out. I knew my luck changed when I overheard him screaming about some person named Maddox. Whoever was on the phone raddled off a set of coordinates. I made sure to memorize them.”

The team knew she was referring to when Bree’s stalker found her, but that was months ago. It spoke volumes to the efforts it took for her to finally get away.

“So your marriage wasn’t mutual?” Black confirmed.

“If by ‘not being mutual’ you mean my parents sold me to him for a better life, and then he murdered them so I had no one left, then yeah, it’s safe to say there was nothing mutual about our marriage, or how it came to be.”

Fucking asshole. The urge to put Vito six feet under just grew tenfold. The man was a classic narcissist; isolating his wife from everyone she knew so that she didn’t have any resources to fight back. Not that he expected her parents would’ve been helpful anyway. Selling their daughter kinda implied they didn’t give a shit about her. Thankfully she found a way out in the end.

“As to how I got away, I was lucky. His housekeeper and gardener took a liking to my daughter. They knew what kind of life she would live if we stayed there. They always said when I was ready to leave, they would help me. It took a few months, but we managed to pull it off. At least for the two of us.” Franni looked down at her daughter.

She didn’t have to voice the rest of that sentence. If Vito found out that two of his employees helped his wife and daughter escape, they were dead. There would be no mercy.

“Do they know where you were going?”

Franni vehemently shook her head. “I didn’t want to involve them more than I had to. They gave me money and passports for the two of us. After that, they didn’t know anything, and it was how they preferred it. That way if Vito questioned them, they wouldn’t be lying when they said they didn’t know where we were. They also didn’t know I was coming to find you. I only told them I was ready and had a place to go.”

That was good news, but it wouldn’t stop Vito from killing them. Everything they learned about the man showed that he was ruthless. Killing the help didn’t even make the list of the shitty things Vito had done.

“Are you willing to give us the location of his permanent residence?”

Black continued to be the only one asking questions. The rest of his team practically faded into the background since Franni’s attention was solely on the owner of their company.

“I already told you, I’ll tell you anything you want. I just ask that you protect my daughter and me until he’s dead. Then we’ll be out of your hair.”

She had guts, he would give her that. Not many people were brave enough to stand up to Black, or a room full of mercenaries. She was putting on a great front, but because he was standing so close, he could see the slight tremor where her arm was wrapped around Gia. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay, that he would personally make sure the two of them were protected, but he doubted she would believe him, or any man for that matter. He would need to earn that trust.

“You’ll have our protection. We have apartments inside the building here that you can stay in. That’s around-the-clock security until we end Vito.”

And it meant she would be right next door. He would make sure of it. Because if anyone was going to protect these two, it was him. That was further cemented when a sweet voice snagged his attention.

“Mama?”

CHAPTER THREE

She would never get tired of hearing that word. Every night when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, her daughter would call for her and she would remember what she was living for.

“Hey, beautiful.” She swiped some of her daughter’s unruly hair out of her face. “Go back to sleep, baby girl. Mama will get you in bed soon.”

She would gladly tell these men anything they wanted to know about Vito. She had no loyalty to the man who bought her and raped her countless times over the years. She would sell her soul if it meant protecting her daughter from the mistakes she made.

“Blayd will show you to your room,” the man who had been questioning her said. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

She didn’t know his name, but her first assumption was that he was in charge in some way. Maybe that was wrong of her, but honestly, she was exhausted. The last forty-eight hours were filled with nothing but terror as she traveled halfway across the continent. She had been too afraid to close her eyes in fear that Vito would find her before she made it to her destination. Adrenaline had been her only friend but now it was starting to wear off and the idea of laying her head down even for a few minutes sounded like heaven. Sleep was calling her name and she could no longer ignore it.

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

It took some shifting, but she managed to stand up without falling back on her butt. Blayd stood next to her, ready to assist, and she appreciated that he didn’t assume she needed it. The thought of someone touching her, even to help out, made Franni nervous. She couldn't remember the last time she willingly allowed anyone to touch her. Scratch that. Five years. That’s how long ago.

Other than to open the door, Blayd stayed a few steps to the left of her, never once crowding her. She was surprised to find that he was nothing like the rest of the men she was forced to spend her time with. The men Vito employed didn't understand the meaning of personal space if it slapped them in the face.

“My place is right next door to yours. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to knock. All the apartments have actual keys. Black is the only one who has a copy of all of them, so there is no need to worry that anyone will come in without your permission.”

“Black?”

“The owner of the company, and the man who was asking you questions.”

So her assumption was correct, then.

“Thank you for telling me his name.”

“I figured you had more important things on your mind and asking wasn’t a priority. It’s okay. His name isn’t all that important anyway.”

She didn’t want to, but she liked this man. He had a way of putting her at ease. He recognized that she needed a little humor after the few days that she had.

“Not sure how he would feel about you saying that.”

Franni peeked between her lashes and found Blayd smiling down at her. Eye contact with a man when they were alone was never a good idea, but somehow he didn't make her regret looking at him.

“He would agree with me. Don’t worry about that.”

If he said so. It was a problem for tomorrow anyway. Right now, she just wanted to fall flat on her face, but she needed to get her daughter settled, so that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.

“Can I ask for one more small favor?”

It was clear she hadn’t thought this all the way through. At the time, she hadn’t wanted to chance packing bags in case she was required to run and she didn’t want Vito to think anything was amiss. Now she realized the error of her ways because neither she nor her daughter had anything to sleep in, or wear for the foreseeable future.

“You can ask me anything.”

She wasn’t touching that with a ten-foot pole. Everything about his words screamed sexual innuendo and that wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter how good-looking she thought he was or how nice he seemed to be. There was no room for a man in her future.

“Can we borrow some shirts to sleep in and maybe a pair of shorts?” She felt so stupid asking. “If not, I completely understand,” she rushed to add when his jaw flexed.

“Of course you can. Go ahead inside and I’ll bring them right over. I’ll also send someone out in the morning to get you both some stuff. Just let me know what sizes.”

She had been so focused on the conversation and feeling like an idiot that she hadn’t realized they had stopped in front of a door. Likely the one that led to her new home.

“You don’t need to do all that. I have some money. I can go get what we need.”

The last thing she wanted to be was more of a bother to these people. They were kind enough to house her, she couldn’t expect more.

“Get your daughter inside.”

Blayd had the door open and was practically shoving her through it before she realized that he hadn’t responded to her last remark. She would make sure to remind him when he brought some clothes back for them.

The apartment was nothing more than an oversized hotel room. There was a fridge and microwave but no actual kitchen. However, the bed was large and looked comfy. The living area, while not big, would suit them just fine until they could figure something out.

“Mama?”

“We’re here, beautiful. How about you go potty and then I can wipe you down before we cuddle up in bed?”

“Okay, Mama.”

Gia rubbed her sleepy eyes but didn’t fuss when she set her little girl down inside the bathroom. She was such a good girl and it broke Franni’s heart that the reason was because of how she had been treated. Despite every attempt to shield Gia from Vito’s tirades, her young daughter was forced to see too much. And forget being a normal child who ran around the house and played. Gia had to begrudgingly learn at an early age to be quiet around adults, even when Franni encouraged her to play when it was just the two of them.

She was just finishing up wiping Gia’s face and hands when a soft knock sounded on the door.

“Stay here, sweetie. That will be our clothes.”

She wasn’t ready to introduce a conscious Gia to Blayd or any of the other men. She couldn’t hold off forever, but she could shield her daughter for at least a few more hours before she was forced to explain the situation.

Even though Black had said this place was safe, and she had seen firsthand the sheer amount of security protocols they had, Franni still opened the door only a fraction to see who was on the other side.

“I’m glad to see you’re so cautious. That’s smart.” Blayd gave her a lopsided smirk. “Here are a couple of shirts and a pair of shorts. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to knock. I’m just right there.” He pointed to the left.

“Thank you so much.” She slipped a hand out and grabbed the small pile, effectively using her body to block any view into the room, but it was unnecessary. Blayd was the perfect gentleman and only looked her in the eye.

“Sleep well, Franni.”

There was something comforting about the way he said her name. It sent shivers down her body and not in a bad way. More like a caress. Unable to find her voice, she gave him a smile in return and closed the door. Spinning around, Franni leaned back against the door and allowed herself a moment to gather her wits. She didn't want to feel that caress. She didn't want to know if there were good men in the world.

She was swearing off men. Nothing good came from having them in her life, so her focus needed to be on her daughter. At least that’s what she tried to remind herself as she pulled his clothes to her nose and inhaled.

They smelled like him. A pine scent. She wondered if it was the detergent he used or if his scent was just that embedded in the fibers. It didn't matter. It couldn't matter. Men were nothing but a giant red flag.

“Mama?”

She shook the thoughts away.

“Coming.”

Gia was standing in the same spot she left her. It made her both proud and broke her heart. Little girls should feel the need to explore, not be conditioned to follow rules down to the letter in fear of the consequences.

“Go ahead and take your clothes off. You can wear this shirt tonight, and we’ll get you some new clothes tomorrow.”

“Are we at our new home?”

Explaining to a four-year-old that they were leaving behind everything they knew had been easier than she expected. On the flight, the only question Gia had asked was if their new home would mean more time outside. She had almost broken down and cried right there on a plane full of strangers. It showed just how much her daughter had been denied in her short years. Making that promise was a no-brainer. She would do anything to give that normalcy to her.

“Not yet, sweetie, but we will be staying here for a little bit until Mama can get everything worked out. Then yes, I promise we will go to our new home and it's going to have the biggest backyard so you can play outside any time you want.”

Gia had yet to ask about Vito and she wasn’t going to bring him up.

She slipped the large shirt over her daughter’s slender frame.

“It’s like a dress, Mama.” Her daughter giggled, and twisted side to side.

It was much longer than a dress. The hem just barely missed the floor but it would do for the night, and if it made her daughter happy, then who was she to complain?

“Look! Mama has a matching one!”

Franni stripped out of her jeans and shirt. She would’ve killed to have something more comfortable while she was forced to travel but leaving in anything other than jeans would’ve made the guards suspicious. She had an appearance to keep up, and Vito never allowed her to wear something like sweatpants or leggings in front of their staff.

“What does Army mean?”

“It’s a branch of the military, sweetie. Now how about we brush our teeth and climb into bed? Mama is ready for Gia snuggles.”

Someone had enough foresight to leave brand-new toothbrushes and toiletries in the bathroom. The apartment was truly treated like a hotel room, and she wondered how often they were required to house strangers. It was a question she would have to ask tomorrow.

Gia’s eyes were starting to droop again by the time her daughter climbed into the big bed. It wasn’t even two minutes after she tucked them both in and turned off the light that Franni could hear her even breathing that signified the little girl was already well on her way into the land of slumber. How fortunate it was to be so young that sleep came easily.

Despite how tired she knew she should be, sleep wouldn’t come. Instead, every decision she made since learning about the coordinates for this place played on repeat. Was she doing the right thing? Would Vito find her? And if he did, what would be the consequences? She doubted it would be as simple as the smacks to the face she had received over the years. She had been careful not to anger him too much; Gia needed her and she couldn’t protect her daughter if she was incapacitated. Running away was beyond anything she had ever done, and would be sure to result in a beating that would end her life.

And taking Gia from him? Even though he never showed interest in her daughter, that was a crime that would surely be punishable by death. At least until he figured out her secret.

CHAPTER FOUR

Sleep was never something he struggled with. Unlike many of his friends, he had learned to compartmentalize, even while unconscious. Until last night. Sleeping just a wall away from the woman who was married to their enemy had caused him to toss and turn all night, but not for the reasons one would suspect.

He wasn’t worried that she was there to hurt him and his team. He didn’t fear that her reasoning was malicious or diabolical.

No, what kept him awake more than half the night was that he wanted to slip next door and make sure they were comfortable, that they felt safe despite running from a man who wouldn’t think twice about killing a mother for leaving him and taking their child. Blayd had a deep-seated need to protect his two new neighbors, and it was fucking with his head.

“You’re up early,” he remarked.

He expected to find everyone starting late after being up until the wee hours of the morning.

“I wanted to get a jumpstart before Black asked me to dig into our new guest.” Bree swiveled in her office chair so she was facing him. “Why are you up so early? Don’t you need your beauty sleep?”

“Har, har.”

It was sad how little his team knew him. They assumed his superficial personality was real and not just a mask to keep everyone at arm’s length. It shouldn’t bother him so much. He worked hard to make them believe that part of him. So hard that he flirted with every woman just so their men could be pissy with him, rather than let them get close, let them see who he really was.

“I’ll have you know I slept just fine and don’t require that many hours to keep these good looks sharp.”

Lies. Most of what he said was a lie. The mistruths came so easily these days that he wasn’t even sure if he knew what was true and what was made up anymore.

“If you say so, but the bags under your eyes tell a different story. But hey, what do I know?”

He gave Bree the finger and he knew how little she minded when she laughed in his face.

“What have you learned?”

“That Francesca is Vito’s fourth wife, and that all three of the unlucky women before her suddenly vanished off the face of the earth within the first five years of their marriage.”

Based on Gia’s age, it was a good assumption that Franni was coming up on the fifth year of her marriage with Vito. Did that mean she knew what was coming for her, and that’s why she left when she did?

“Did he have children with his other wives?”

“Nope, the only child of record is Gia. A good thing too because adding ‘rescuing children’ to this mission would’ve made things dicey.”

So maybe birthing a child would’ve saved Franni, or maybe not. There was no way to tell what a psychopath like Vito would’ve done, or why five years seemed to be his limit with his previous wives. Maybe that's how long they lasted before offing themselves. He would need to ask Franni what she knew about the women before her.

“What do we know about the families of the ex-wives?”

“All of their circumstances were similar to Francesca’s. Only child. Not much family. Parents were paid off and then murdered within a few months of the wedding taking place.”

“He wanted to isolate them.”

The bastard had perfected a system over the years that worked. Four wives at five years each. That was twenty years, give or take, of being the worst type of human being possible.

“Do we know why he killed them, or if he even killed them?”

It was a dumb question. Blayd knew it the second it left his mouth and Bree didn’t disappoint when she spun around to respond to him.

“Gee, I don’t know.” She rolled her eyes. “Let me call him up so that I can ask him, and maybe while I’m at it I can also see where the cuntcake is hiding. Oh, wait! We have his wife here who plans to tell us. Looks like I won’t be asking him about those exes.” Bree snapped her fingers in an aw-shucks motion.

“In my defense, I realized how stupid the question was after it left my mouth,” Blayd said quickly.

“I’m glad you’re self-aware enough to realize that. It tells me there is some hope for you after all.”

“The sarcasm isn’t needed or appreciated.”

It was a wonder how Chance put up with her on a daily basis. He dodged a bullet when flirting with this one. There was no way he would’ve been able to deal with her level of craziness on the regular.

“You love my sarcasm just like everyone else, and don’t think I’ve forgotten how many times you tried to flirt your way into my pants.”

If only she knew the truth.

"No one is flirting their way into your pants anymore."

Of course, at that exact moment, Chance walked into their conversation. Blayd threw his hands up at his teammate's I'll kill you glare.

"We all know Bree belongs to you. I'm officially done trying to torment you by flirting with her." Besides, he didn't need a certain new guest of theirs to see him acting that way. He wanted her to trust him and the easiest way to lose someone's trust was to act like the obnoxious asshole he usually wore like a coat of armor.

"Change of heart?" Chance frowned at him. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Ouch! Warranted, but ouch. He hadn't realized just how far he took that asshole personality. All he’d wanted was for people not to look too closely at him, and instead, he pissed off the men and women he worked with. He needed to figure out a way to fix that, while also not letting them see too much. Not an easy feat, now that he thought about it.

"I don't appreciate you slipping out of bed on me. I had plans for you this morning."

That was his cue to leave. It was great that these two were madly in love, but he didn't need to hear about all the ways Chance wanted to start his morning with Bree. Blayd wasn't a prude, nor did he get embarrassed when talking about sex. Hell, half of what came out of his mouth was sexual innuendos. But that was the fake him. In reality, he much preferred that what happened in the bedroom, stayed in the bedroom.

With everyone else likely still asleep or at their houses on the other side of the cul-de-sac, it was the perfect time to grab a quiet breakfast, or so he thought. But the building kitchen wasn't empty as he expected it to be.

"Sorry." He stopped mid-stride, but obviously not loud enough for Franni to hear him.

Gia was sitting on the counter, with his olive-green Army shirt dwarfing her already small body, while her mother was busy digging in the fridge. A similar shirt hung off her lean frame and covered what he assumed were the shorts he had given her last night.

At first, neither of them knew he was there, so he took the time to silently observe the two. The smile on Gia's face and the enthusiastic way Franni spoke to her daughter while deciding what they would eat for breakfast were adorable. He felt like a stalker spying on their private moment.

In hindsight, he should've walked away. He should've left them to eat in peace. He definitely shouldn't have been standing in the archway like a damn creeper, and he realized his mistake as soon as Gia turned his direction.

"Mama!" The little girl's voice was laced with fear and he was sure that, if she’d felt brave enough, Gia would've hopped off the counter to hide behind her mother.

Franni spun around, ready to defend her daughter against the perceived threat, and in the process dropped the carton of eggs. His first instinct was to jump in and help clean up the mess when Franni gasped, but he figured he already caused enough problems that it was best he took his cues and steps from her.

"I'm sorry." Blayd stayed where he was but kept his hands out. "I didn't mean to scare you both."

Gia was now in her mother's arms wrapped around her like a koala bear hugging a tree, with her face buried deep in her mother's neck.

"I didn't think anyone would be awake this early, and Gia was hungry."

Translation: she had hoped to avoid everyone as long as humanly possible, and he screwed that up.

"Most are still sleeping, or at their houses. I'm an early riser."

Finally, something that wasn't a lie. He loved early mornings for those same reasons. It allowed him to move freely and be himself without anyone watching.

"We'll just grab something quick and take it back to our room."

He felt like such a jerk, making them feel uncomfortable in the one place they sought refuge. If anyone was leaving, it was him. Gia had yet to look at him, and he could only imagine what made her that afraid of other people.

"No, take your time. Like I said, most everyone else is still sleeping, so go ahead and make yourselves something. The kitchen is at your disposal. I'll make sure you have alone time until you're done."

Blayd didn't wait for a response. He slipped out of the archway and moved farther down the hall. Once he was sure he was far enough away that he wouldn't be eavesdropping on them, he settled himself against the wall. If he couldn't guard them up close, then he would do it from afar. Because the look Gia gave him would haunt his dreams for weeks to come.

CHAPTER FIVE

So much for keeping a low profile. The sun wasn’t up yet, but in true Gia fashion, her daughter was wide awake and ready to take on the day. Except instead of wanting to play, Gia was hungry and eager to see their new surroundings. Of course, that all changed when she caught sight of Blayd. Just as she knew it would, seeing a man had terrified her daughter. It sucked because if there was any man she hoped her daughter would take a liking to, it was Blayd.

“We’re alone again, sweetie.”

Her daughter was squeezing the life out of her. Those little legs and little arms were wrapped tighter than she ever thought possible.

She rubbed circles along Gia’s back and repeated herself. “He’s gone, sweetie. He’s gone.”

“Who was that?” The words were muffled along her neck. Despite the reassurances, her daughter wasn’t letting go. Franni fought back a sigh.

“He’s the guy who gave us the clothes.”

That did the trick. Gia pulled her face out of her mother’s neck and loosened her tight grip. Seconds later, Franni was staring into hazel eyes that matched her own.

“He’s the Army guy who gave me my pretty dress?”

It had been so long since she had a good reason to truly smile, but that sweet, innocent question did it. Only her daughter would consider a well-loved shirt to be pretty.

“Yeah, sweetie. He’s the Army guy.”

“I’m sorry I was rude.”

And just like that, Franni’s smile disappeared, and instead, she had to forcefully remind herself to relax her jaw. Stupid Vito. She wanted to murder the man just for instilling that thought. Too many times he had forced Gia to say hi to someone even though they scared her. A four-year-old didn’t need to hear that she was rude for having feelings.

“You weren’t rude, baby. And this is our new life. Remember I told you some things would change?” Gia nodded. “This is one of those things. If someone scares you, feel free to tell me. I don’t want you to talk to anyone who makes you uncomfortable.”

“He didn’t scare me. I just didn’t know who he was. Is he nice?”

Her daughter was breaking her heart. She was so dang brave despite everything she had been forced to witness.

“Yeah, baby. He seems very nice.”

And that was the problem. Blayd was nice, too nice, and it made her want to lower her guard. That wasn’t safe. From her experience, most men weren’t safe.

“He didn’t get mad when you dropped the eggs.”

She looked down at the kitchen floor where the half-full carton of eggs was now a broken mess. The yolks and egg whites were leaking out of the sides. When she was living with Vito, an accident like that would’ve resulted in a few fresh bruises along her arms and at least one solid crack across the face for being clumsy. Not to mention a reminder that she had no business in the kitchen, all of which Gia would’ve been forced to witness.

“No, he didn’t. Most men don’t get upset by accidents. They happen sometimes.”

Maybe their time here would be helpful for another reason. Franni didn’t want a man in her life, but it wouldn’t hurt to show her daughter that not every man was like Vito and his squad.

“Okay.”

“Do you think it would be okay if I asked Blayd to come back in so that he can eat breakfast as well?”

She had a feeling he wasn’t kidding when he said he would stand guard. If she had to guess, he was somewhere in the hallway.

“It’s okay to say no,” Franni continued. “I want you to always tell me the truth and know that I will listen to what you have to say. Your opinion matters to me.”

Vito had never given Gia a choice, and despite wanting to herself, there had been times that she hadn’t given her daughter a choice either, because the consequence would’ve been too great for both of them. She had no problem handling the punishments Vito dished out, but she did everything in her power to make sure those punishments didn’t happen to Gia. For the most part, she had been successful, but not everything was in her control.

Gia looked down at the egg mess and then back at her. She didn’t know what was going through her daughter’s mind, but finally, her brave little girl nodded.

“It’s good to share with others.”

Dang it. Franni’s eyes pricked with unshed tears. How did she ever get so lucky? Gia was everything a mother could ever ask for in life.

“It really is.”

She picked her daughter up and put her back in the same spot she had been on the counter before Blayd had walked in. Once again, her daughter was smiling, but she could see the hesitation in Gia’s eyes. It was almost enough to make her scrap the whole idea, but if she wanted her daughter to have positive male role models in her life, this was the first step. She might never trust men again, but Gia didn’t need to have the same lack of faith.

“Be right back, sweetie.”

Blayd was exactly where she expected him to be. Their very own white knight.

“Gia and I would like you to join us for breakfast.” The same hesitation that was in her daughter’s eyes was written all over Blayd’s face. She could understand the reason behind her daughter’s, but Blayd’s confused her a bit. “That’s if you want to.”

“I would love to.” Blayd moved closer until he was standing right in front of her. “I just want to make sure Gia’s really okay with it. I don’t ever want to see that fear in her eyes again when she looks at me.”

“It has nothing to do with you, I can promise you that.”

She didn’t need to say anything more. He could piece together what their life was like, and over the next few days, she would confirm or deny any of his suspicions, but not right now.

Right now, she would try to give her daughter a normal morning.

“We might have to hold off on the French toast for today, sweetie,” she said, walking back into the kitchen, and looking once again at the egg carton on the floor. She should’ve cleaned that up before asking Blayd to join them. He was going to think she didn’t clean up her messes.

“It looks like a few of the eggs survived,” he commented.

How did he move that fast? One second he was behind her, and the next he was kneeling on the floor, examining the mess.

“I’ll take care of cleaning that up. I’m the one who dropped it.”

“And I’m the reason you dropped it. Here are the few eggs that survived. It should be enough to make some French toast. If you want to get started on that, I can get this cleaned up. It’s only fair.”

She grabbed the eggs out of his hand delicately, to avoid as much contact as possible. It was no use. She felt the jolt throughout her entire body as her fingertips managed to skim across his palm.

Time to look away. Nothing good would come from staring into those oceanic-blue eyes. Not when he was looking at her like he wanted to solve all of her problems and wrap her in a bubble. Solve her problems? Sure, he could do that. But wrap her in a bubble? No, thank you. She didn’t need him getting that close.

When she finally managed to look away, her eyes drifted to her daughter’s. Curiosity shined brightly, and all she could manage to do was plaster a fake smile on her face.

“Looks like we’ll be having that French toast after all.”

She set the eggs down on the counter amongst the rest of the ingredients she had gathered before Blayd walked in the first time.

“Can I dip the bread in the batter?”

“You sure can.”

This time her smile was genuine, as was the one spreading across her daughter’s face. It was like looking in the mirror nearly twenty-five years ago.

Blayd was silent as he cleaned up the mess. He was kind enough to give them a wide berth, but she couldn’t stop herself from glancing in his direction every few seconds. She wanted to say it was because she felt the need to keep him within her line of sight, but that would be a lie. There was a magnetic pull that she couldn’t stop, and it terrified her.

By the time the French toast was done, she was wound tighter than a cable. Blayd made her nervous, but not for the same reasons Vito did. Where Vito barely paid attention to her, Blayd saw too much.

And she had one secret she needed to keep hidden more than anything else.

CHAPTER SIX

Franni was nervous, that much was clear, but it was the why he couldn’t figure out. When she came out to ask him to join them for breakfast, she had been calm, but the longer they were together in the kitchen, the more agitated she became. Blayd couldn’t understand what changed in such a short period of time.

Gia, on the other hand, seemed to shed every ounce of doubt and was now dominating the conversation.

“Mama says we will be moving into our new house soon. It’s going to have a big backyard so I can play anytime I want.”

“Did you not have a backyard before?”

He figured a guy like Vito would live on a sprawling estate with lots of land to ensure no one could get close to him.

Blayd didn’t realize the stupidity of his question until the little girl's face fell. He wanted to kick himself in the ass for being such an idiot. His first conversation with her and already he was fucking it up.

“We did, but I wasn’t allowed to go out there, and there weren’t any toys. We had to go to the park to play but it was far away. Mama said we could only go on special occasions.”

He bit back the profanity that any other time would’ve slipped past his lips without thought. He could only imagine what Franni had to do to gain those special occasions for her daughter. Was it possible to kill a man and then bring him back so he could kill him again? He had a feeling murdering Vito once wouldn’t be enough.

“What would your dream backyard have in it?”

Gia’s distress was quickly forgotten and replaced with excitement. He’d read somewhere that children were resilient. He would’ve thought the article was complete rubbish if he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand.

“A swing set so I can swing anytime I wanted!” She bounced up and down on the counter like something so simple was the best gift she would ever get. “Oh, and maybe a playhouse! I saw one in a magazine, but Mama said it was all gone when she tried to order it.”

Blayd didn’t need to look at Franni to know guilt was pouring off the woman in waves. He doubted the reason Gia couldn’t have the playhouse was because it was no longer available and had more to do with Vito being the asshole father of the century.

“Sometimes that happens. Things sell out all the time.”

Even as he said the words, an idea formulated in his head. It would probably take an exorbitant amount of money and an act of God to accomplish. That, or his teammates’ help, but he would pull it off.

“Is a backyard your only requirement for this new house?”

He kept his gaze firmly locked on Gia. He didn’t want to see if Franni was frowning at him or upset by his line of questioning. If he was going to pull off his plan, then he needed all the information he could get. Who better to get the information from than the little girl herself?

“A princess bedroom.”

“A princess bedroom?” He propped his head into the palm of his hand and asked in awe, “What exactly does a princess bedroom look like?”

“Pink! Lots and lots of pink!” Gia’s hands were moving a mile a minute. “And pretty lights. Oh! And a curtain around the bed so it hides the princess from other people seeing her sleep.”

Blayd hated to admit it, but he was in way over his head. His knowledge of the female species began and ended with him pleasuring them in the bedroom. After that, he didn’t have the first clue what Gia meant by a curtain to hide the princess. And pink? That wasn’t in his color wheel.

But if there was one thing he was good at, it was faking a smile and letting people believe he knew exactly what they were talking about.

“That sounds magical. Every princess deserves a princess bedroom like that.”

“That’s what Mama says too. My old bedroom was still my baby room, but Mama promised the new house would be a big girl's room with a big-girl bed!”

Big-girl bed. Check.

That sounded easy enough. It was the rest he would need to get assistance with. Fortunately, he was surrounded by women who loved nothing more than to butt into everyone else’s business.

Just as soon as they were done with cleaning up, he was going to find a way to make a little girl’s dreams come true.

“I want one of the houses,” Blayd demanded as soon as he stepped through Black’s office door.

“I’m going to have to call you back.”

He waited until Black hung up the phone and placed it facedown on his desk before he spoke again and repeated, “I want one of the houses. Oh, and I need to run into the city, or get a few things shipped here overnight.”

His boss was looking at him like he had suddenly lost all his marbles. Rightfully so considering he had never shown interest in living outside the apartments since he had been hired. In fact, he cracked jokes about the suburban feel they gave off on more than one occasion.

“Why the sudden change in living arrangements?”

“It’s not for me. Well, not really. I’ll be sleeping on the couch, or in a guest bedroom. There are more than two bedrooms in the houses, right?” When Black nodded yes, he continued. “So I’ll take one of those bedrooms, but it’s only until we kill Vito and get Franni and her daughter settled. After that, I’ll resume living in my apartment.”

He ignored the pain in his chest when he mentioned Franni and Gia leaving. Of course, they would be leaving once their problem was taken care of. This was just a pit stop on the road to freedom.

“So you want to borrow one of the houses for a week or so?”

Blayd scoffed.

“We both know it’s going to take longer than a week to find Vito and end his miserable life. Even with Franni giving us his information, you aren’t going to rush off until everything is in place. Then they need to decide where they want to live and that’s going to take some time.” The more he thought about it, the more he realized Franni and her daughter wouldn’t be leaving all that quickly, so it was even more imperative his plan came to fruition. “A month. I want to borrow a house for a month or so.”

“And the shopping trip?”

There was no denying his request left Black baffled. He would laugh at the expression his boss was giving him if the situation wasn’t time-sensitive.

“I need to purchase a swing set, a playhouse, and stuff for a princess bedroom.”

Black’s jaw dropped. “This is way out of my wheelhouse.” His boss picked up the phone and hit one button. “I need you in my office, now!”

He wondered which of the females in the building Black called. Emma had been a mother to a little girl before she was killed, so she would have some idea of the help he needed. Karlie had a little girl, but she wasn’t one yet and it was her first child. Blayd had no idea how much Karlie knew about four-year-olds. Bree and Addison didn’t have children, but they were women, so there was a good chance they could shop without screwing things up the way he would.

“I know I work for you, but whatever gave you the idea you could speak to me that way?”

Ah, so it was Bree he called. Big mistake on his boss’s part. She was the least likely of the four to accept being told what to do.

“Deal with this.” Black stepped around his desk and waved his hand at Blayd like he was a wayward child who needed to be disciplined. “I’ll get you the keys to a house, but that’s it.”

Their boss didn’t bother to respond to Bree’s disgruntled question. He stormed out of the office as if the fires of hell were nipping at his heels.

“What did you do now?” Bree stood just inside the office door. Her arms were folded across her chest, but instead of a scowl as he expected to find, she was grinning at him. Despite all the flirting he had done in the past, Bree was the opposite of everything he wanted in a woman. She was bold, where he preferred the quiet ones. Not exactly shy, but reserved. He wanted a woman who kept her feistiness only for him. Bree’s stark red highlights were the first indication she was anything but reserved. And that was just the color of the week. She liked to change it on a whim.

“What do you know about swing sets, playhouses, and princess bedrooms?”

Bree blinked once. Then twice. And even a third time. Each one slower than the one before it.

“Is this a kink thing?”

Now it was his turn to blink at Bree. Except his wasn’t nearly as dramatic, but it still gave him the time to formulate a reply.

“How the hell do you get kink out of a princess bedroom?” he huffed. “Never mind, I’ll figure it out myself. This was a stupid idea anyway.”

Bree blocked his path as he attempted to storm out of the office. What did he expect? His friend was just responding to what she knew about him.

“Hang on a minute.” She grabbed his arm and yanked hard enough that it was either stop or accidentally drag her forward with the force in which he was attempting to stomp away. “I’m sorry, but you caught me off guard.”

Some days he hated that his rouse worked so well. Today was one of those days.

“Please tell me why you’re asking about swings and playhouses.”

Maybe it was the regret in her voice or the fact that he was desperate for someone to see the real him, but Blayd confessed with a sigh.

“Those are the things Gia wants in a new house. Vito was a bigger asshole than we thought and didn’t bother giving his daughter the basic things every child deserves, so I want to fix that while they’re here.”

He knew better than anyone that the world wasn’t perfect. Plenty of children probably didn’t have the things Gia wanted, but usually the reason was a money issue. That wasn’t the case here. Vito was swimming in money, but still, he denied his daughter simple things that would allow her to be a carefree child. That pissed him off.

“I’m not an expert, but between all of us, I’m sure we can make magic happen. Did you have a timeframe in mind?”

Up until now, he hadn’t turned around. Despite wanting someone to see the real him, confronting that person head-on was a bit intimidating. No longer able to continue being rude, he turned to find a compassionate expression marring his friend’s face.

“Is tomorrow an unreasonable request?” He gave his most dazzling smile.

Some things just couldn’t be changed yet. Blayd knew he had Bree when her lips turned up into a smile and she shook her head.

“If the request wasn’t for a sweet little girl, I would say yes, your request is unreasonable, but since it’s for Gia, I’ll make it happen. But you owe me.”

For once he didn’t let a dirty remark slip past his lips.

“Anything,” he quickly agreed.

“I want a conversation with the real Blayd. Not the playboy you pretend to be.”

He tried to keep the smile plastered on his face, but he figured his eyes screamed something else since Bree was staring right into his soul.

Bree explained further. “Everyone has secrets and a past. It doesn’t mean the people in the present are going to like you any less if you show them who you really are.”

Even if he had a response for that, Bree didn’t give him a chance to respond before she pushed past him and walked back down the hall, likely to recruit help for the impossible task he wanted to get done.

Bree swore his teammates wouldn’t judge him, but Blayd wasn’t so sure they would like the real him either.

CHAPTER SEVEN

How many times could she straighten the same blanket before she admitted there wasn't a single wrinkle in the blue comforter?

Ten wasn't the correct answer. She passed that an hour ago. Maybe twenty-five? She was more than halfway there already.

"What are we doing today, Mama?"

She wished she knew the answer to that. Yesterday had not gone as she expected. Once Blayd hightailed it out of the kitchen after breakfast, she assumed someone would come to collect her so that she could give them information on Vito. Instead, the place had been practically deserted. Not that she roamed around and snooped, but the few times she left the apartment with Gia, she hadn't run across anyone. Other than a visit from Addison to drop off clothes, it had been radio silence.

Now this was the second morning here. She and Gia had eaten breakfast and there was no way she could stay holed up for another day inside the tiny apartment. It didn't matter how much practice she had at doing exactly that over the last five years. She needed freedom.

"How about we take a walk?" she finally answered. "I'm sure it's beautiful outside."

And if it wasn't, oh well. It would be better than looking at the same four walls and feeling like the place was caving in on her.

She thought nothing could be worse than her time at Vito's compound. It would seem she was wrong. She could add small spaces to the ever-growing list of things she found uncomfortable.

"Okay!" Her sweet daughter bounced on her knees across the couch until she vaulted herself off and onto the floor. What she wouldn't give to have even an ounce of her daughter's energy.

Franni winced as soon as the thought flittered through her mind. This was the happiest she had seen her daughter in her life, and instead of being overjoyed that the transition wasn't affecting Gia, she was griping about the amount of energy her daughter had. She needed to do better.

"Let's go, Mama!"

"I'm coming." This time the smile she gifted her daughter was genuine. It didn't matter how stressed she felt; at the end of the day, seeing Gia smile was all that was important. It was infectious and any worries she had felt moments earlier were pushed into the back recesses of her mind.

"Do you think they have a playground close?"

Gia's hand was wrapped in hers and she was doing her best to keep up with the skipping. For someone who had teeny-tiny legs, she sure could skip far. Deciding it was better just to join in on the fun, Franni skipped with her daughter down the long corridor. No one had been around yesterday, so the odds of someone seeing her were slim.

She barely had the opportunity to finish the thought before the universe decided it would be fun to prove her wrong.

Coming around the corner was none other than the man she swore was avoiding her. It was probably best. In fact, that was exactly what she should’ve been doing.

"Hi, Blayd!" Gia stopped skipping and waved her arm excitedly. "We’re going outside. Would you like to join us?"

"Sweetheart, maybe Blayd's busy."

She could kick herself for the immediate response that slipped from her lips. Living with Vito meant constantly making excuses as to why he never wanted to spend any time with them. Not that she minded, but Gia hadn't understood for a while. Months before they left, her beautiful daughter had stopped asking altogether. But of course, the first time Gia showed interest again, her knee-jerk reaction was to make up an excuse. Just how long would it take for her to break some of those habits?

"Actually, I was just coming to find you. I have a surprise and it so happens to be outside."

"A surprise?" Gia gasped. "For me?"

"For you and your mama, but mostly you." Blayd winked.

There was so much excitement radiating off her, Gia looked five seconds away from coming out of her skin. Franni supposed it was warranted. There had been very few good surprises in her daughter's short life.

"Mama, can we go see?" Gia tugged hard on her arm. "Please, Mama? Please?"

She hoped more than anything it was a good surprise. Blayd owed her nothing and Gia would be happy with anything, but the level of excitement was so over the top right now she didn’t want her daughter to experience disappointment.

“Lead the way.” She extended her arm out in front of her and smiled down at Gia.

“Don’t worry, it’s a good one.”

Blayd’s movements were so smooth, and his voice so low, that her daughter was none the wiser of what he said. That didn’t worry her as much as the fact that he could read her so easily.

Too afraid to meet his gaze, Franni kept her eyes down on her daughter and followed along quietly.

The walk wasn’t nearly long enough for her to regain her composure. Before she knew it, they were standing in front of one of the many houses that circled the back of the main building. Each one was a cookie cutter of the next one to it. Her first thought was it should be weird, but somehow it fit with the secluded vibe the area had going on.

“What’s this?” She finally found her voice as they climbed the few concrete steps and stopped in front of the wooden door.

“Your house.” Blayd dangled a set of keys from his middle finger. “Temporarily, of course,” he tacked on quickly when she frowned instead of matching his gorgeous smile.

“I don’t understand. What’s wrong with the room we’re staying in?”

She was well on her way to having a panic attack. It was a good thing they were standing outside on the small porch because if not, she was sure any walls that were around her would have felt like they were closing in.

“Nothing.” Blayd’s voice sounded far away. “But it’s just that, a small studio apartment. No bigger than a bedroom. The house will give you more room and there’s a great surprise in the back for Gia.”

This was too much, all of it, and she had yet to step foot in the house or see what Blayd meant by a surprise. Stopping here was only supposed to be a way to deal with her husband. A necessary evil. These people weren’t supposed to be so nice and welcoming.

“We don’t need anything more.” She tried to keep the panic out of her voice but there was no mistaking the sound as it hit her ears.

“Maybe not, but I think Gia deserves it.” Blayd met her gaze. “Don’t you?”

Damn him. Blayd knew exactly what he was doing. There was no way she could turn down the offer, not if it made her daughter happy. She wasn’t sure she liked how quickly he learned her weakness or the best way to manipulate her. Maybe she was wrong and Blayd was just like every other guy in her life.

“Ten minutes,” Blayd pleaded. “That’s all I ask. Give me ten minutes to show you around and then you can make the decision to stay or go back to the apartment.”

Franni knew what her answer would be even before the words left her mouth. She would do this for Gia.

“Okay.”

“Excellent.” She wished she could match Blayd’s enthusiasm as he pushed open the front door. But just as she expected would happen, the second she stepped foot through the threshold, the walls felt claustrophobic despite the beauty of the place.

The open concept should’ve made the house feel large, and if she was in a different mindset, she was sure that would’ve been the case. Instead, her first instinct was to run right back out the way she came.

“The first surprise is upstairs.”

Her normally shy daughter was completely entranced by Blayd. She was hanging on to his every word, and for the slightest moment, Franni was jealous of a four-year-old. She wanted desperately to feel the same carefree excitement. As quick as the thought came, she pushed it back down. Blayd was right. Gia deserved to feel this way.

At the top of the stairs, they made a quick right. Franni knew, even before the bedroom door was opened, what she would find on the other side. The princess door hangar with Gia’s name on it was the first clue. The lingering smell of paint was the second.

The final reveal proved the bedroom was everything a princess bedroom should be. Pale pink walls. A white castle bed with pink tulle falling from a canopy above. White dressers with pink handles that matched the bed. A small sofa topped with pillows and stuffed animals took up space on one wall while a princess dress-up area lined another. There was even a fancy chandelier hanging in the middle of the room.

“Is this for me?” For one split second, Gia looked like every other little girl experiencing something amazing for the first time. But then training kicked in and gone was the excitement. Gia tucked herself behind Franni’s legs and waited for the usual repercussion that occurred any time her sweet daughter asked a question.

Before she could explain to Gia that there was no reason to hide, Blayd was squatting down and speaking to her daughter in such a patient voice.

“It is for you. Do you like it?” Blayd did his best to coax her daughter from behind her legs but the only response Gia was willing to give was a small nod.

Damn Vito and damn the whole stupid universe that put her in the awful man’s path. This should be a happy moment for her daughter, but instead, Gia was likely worried about what the catch was because that’s all her daughter had ever known. That nothing in life was free.

“If you like this, then wait until I show you what’s outside.”

Despite Gia’s hesitancy, Blayd continued to stay upbeat about everything. He quickly ushered them back down the stairs and through the kitchen to a set of sliding glass doors. From her current vantage point, Franni could pinpoint the surprise in the large backyard.

“Is that . . .” Her daughter didn’t finish the question. Whether it was because she was too excited for words or conditioning had taught her the ramifications of asking questions. Either way, Blayd proved once again that he knew how to handle Gia.

“A swing set just for you? It sure is.”

“Mama?” There was so much hope in that one-word question, Franni had no choice but to nod her head.

“Go ahead and play, sweetie. Mommy is going to talk to Blayd for a minute.”

She waited as Blayd slid open the door and left it open so that she could listen to Gia’s excitement. It was slow to emerge but soon there were soft giggles flowing through the yard.

“What is all this?” For her daughter’s sake, she tried to hide the tremor in her voice. She figured she missed the mark when Blayd’s quizzical expression met hers.

“It’s nothing.”

“A house with a big backyard and a swing set isn’t nothing.” Panic was starting to take over. “A princess bedroom isn’t nothing. Not when those are the exact things my daughter requested.” She was seconds away from a full-blown meltdown, she could feel it coming on. People didn’t do nice things just because. They always had a reason. It was just a matter of sussing out what the reason was.

“You’re right, it’s not nothing.”

She knew it.

“It’s the bare minimum that your daughter deserves after everything she’s been through.”

That hurt. Even if it was true. But Blayd didn’t know the half of it, and she hated that he felt the need to give Gia things that she never could.

“That wasn’t your decision to make. We won’t even be here that long.” Things were spiraling out of her control. Coming here was supposed to be her way out of being controlled by a man. Not immediately being indebted to another one. Her next words weren’t said with much confidence, but they were all she had. “I can’t repay you for this. I don’t have that much money and I can’t give you anything in return.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

She couldn’t possibly mean what he thought she meant.

“I’m sorry, what?” Blayd needed some clarification because the way she said give was bothering him.

“This is too much and I can’t afford to repay you, in any way, right now.”

He was normally a calm man. He could laugh almost anything off. But right now, he couldn’t find that calm if a gun was held to his head. The urge to punch something was strong. It took Herculean efforts to stuff it down. The last thing Franni needed was to see another man fly off the handle.

“I know you don’t have money, but what exactly do you think I would want as a repayment otherwise?”

Any other time, the look of shame on a woman’s face would be enough reason to back off and find a better way to gain the information he was seeking. But right now, he needed things spelled out to make sure he wasn’t jumping to conclusions. If she meant what he thought she meant, he was going to wring Vito’s neck with his bare hands.

“I’ll do anything for my daughter, but trading favors for items is a line I’m not prepared to cross just yet.”

Yet? Fuck he needed to walk away before he ruined a beautiful moment. But first, he needed to make one thing very clear.

“I didn’t do this because I expected anything in return. Not money and certainly not any favors. I did this because that little girl over there”—he pointed to where Gia was sitting on the swing—“deserves something special, and seeing her smiling face is the only payment I ever want.”

Blayd didn’t bother to stick around for Franni’s response. He had the feeling that no matter what she said, he was going to be pissed off considering his current mood.

Fuck Vito for making her believe that men only did things to get into her pants.

Fuck Vito for being the lowest form of scum on the earth.

“Let’s take a walk before you do something you’re going to regret.” Suddenly, Bree slipped her arm through his and yanked him toward her house. He hadn’t even known she was outside or paying attention to his conversation. He shouldn’t have been surprised though. Bree was up in everyone’s business, but if it weren’t for her help, he never would’ve pulled everything off.

Bree didn’t stop until they were standing in her kitchen and she was tossing a bag of candy at his chest. “Licorice?”

“Uh, no offense, but you’re the only one who likes that shit.” He tossed the black licorice bag back onto the counter.

“You don’t know what you’re missing.” Bree reached into the bag and pulled out one of the pieces.

“Pretty sure I do.” A shudder ran through his entire body. Just the smell alone was enough to make him want to barf. Some days he thought Bree purposely taunted them all with the disgusting candy just to see how they handled the pressure. She would excel at mental warfare. She knew how to fuck with people’s heads.

“Gia loved the play set and princess bedroom, I see.”

Yeah, she did. The little girl’s excitement had been everything he had hoped it would be. Her smile had lit up the bedroom and he would never forget the squeal and dance that erupted before Gia shut it down. It took a little convincing that she could show off her excitement. Another reason Vito would suffer.

“I hadn’t known you were watching.”

“I’m always watching,” Bree stated matter-of-factly.

He pursed his lips and titled his head. There had to be a better way to express his next thought. Fuck it. Honesty was best. "There's nothing creepy about that at all."

Bree wiggled her eyebrows. "Keeps everyone on their toes." God bless Chance. That man deserved a medal. "Now that you've calmed down a bit, how about we talk about how you're feeling?"

"Did I miss the part where you became a therapist in your spare time?"

"Pshh." Bree said it more like a word than a sound. "I don't have that much spare time, but I have been talking with Molly and a lot of what she says is starting to rub off. Now stop trying to change the subject and tell me how you feel after what Franni said."

Molly was Addison's best friend and a licensed therapist. From what he gathered, all of the women spent a lot of time video-chatting with her. Suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. Maybe that's what he needed to do, see if Molly would consider talking to Franni about what she went through.

"I know that look and Addison already took care of it. As soon as Franni is ready, Molly will take her on as a client."

Relief flooded through him. He should've known Addison would be on top of it. These women took care of each other.

Blayd was still lost in his thoughts when a slap to the chest pulled him back.

"What the fuck?!"

"Stop daydreaming and spill."

"Does Chance know how violent you are?" When Bree raised her hand like she was going to smack him again, he held his own hands up and rushed on. "Okay, okay, okay. There's no need to keep smacking me." Blayd huffed. "I was pissed, okay. Is that what you want to hear? Having to listen to Franni's fucked-up thought process pissed me right the fuck off."

"Good! What else?" Bree pushed.

"It fucking irritates me that the sweet little girl next door forced herself to stop being excited because that's what the motherfucker taught her. She's four. Fucking four years old and doesn't think she can show excitement. How fucked up is that?"

"It's completely screwed up. What else?"

Now that he was on a roll, he couldn't stop. "I fucking hate that it only took one look and I knew without a shadow of a doubt I wanted to protect both mother and daughter with my life. And that if it weren't for Vito fucking Accardo, I would never have met them."

"Is that it?"

No, it wasn't it. "I can't wait to get my hands on that prick because I'm going to enjoy crushing his throat with my bare fucking hands."

Blayd was slightly out of breath. He couldn't remember the last time he used the word fuck so much in a short period of time. Damn, it felt good.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Actually, yeah, I do. Thanks."

Now he understood why people cussed a lot. It was cathartic. All the pent-up frustration he had been feeling just minutes early was nothing more than background noise at this point.

"You're welcome, and wasn't it better to let it all out on me rather than Franni, who more than likely had to endure the brunt of Vito's anger a time or two?"

Shit. He hadn't even thought about that. Sure, he walked away rather than express himself at the time, but what if Franni would've asked him similar questions? Would he have responded in a similar fashion? He would like to think the answer was no, but he had never been that pissed about something before.

"I don't know how to handle this."

"Sure you do." Bree sounded more convinced than he felt. "You were already walking away when I swooped in. You were removing yourself from the situation. That to me is knowing how to handle it."

"And if Franni pushed for answers like you did?"

Now that the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't get it out of his head.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear right now, but that woman next door is in no shape to push you like I did. It's been drilled into her for five years that she is simply a pretty piece of art. Talking back like I did just now probably would've resulted in a beating. It's going to take some time before Franni is ever comfortable enough to speak up."

Bree was right. He didn't like hearing that, even if he knew what she said was the truth. Men like Vito Accardo used violence to get what they wanted. There was no way Franni hadn't learned that harsh lesson.

“I hate when you’re right,” he grumbled.

Bree simply laughed. “Of course you do. Tell me one of your teammates who likes when I’m right?”

Blayd could probably guess one, but he didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole. With his luck, he would learn more about their relationship than he ever needed to know. Bree already enjoyed torturing everyone with her fetishes.

“I plead the Fifth.” He didn’t care that Bree was laughing at him. He would much rather be the butt of her joke than listen to whatever sexual innuendos she had up her sleeve.

“Okay, fine. I accomplished the goal I set out to achieve. I guess I can’t ask for much more than that.”

“I probably should get back to Franni and Gia anyway. I walked away before I got the chance to fully explain everything. I’m sure they have a million questions.”

He turned around to leave but Bree’s next words stopped him in his place. “You’re a good man, Blayd. Don’t forget that. Show Franni the real you. I’m sure she will love it just as much as the rest of us would, if you ever gave us the chance.”

Forcing his feet to move was the hardest thing he ever did. There were no words for what Bree said. Any hope that he had that his friends didn’t realize the front he was putting on just shattered around him. The truth was going to come out sooner rather than later and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

CHAPTER NINE

She was going to put a hole in Blayd’s well-loved shirt if she didn’t stop twisting the hem around her fingers. She could already feel the fabric stretching where her fingers continued to play. No matter how many times she attempted to stop herself, her hands had a mind of their own. This was why she should’ve changed into one of the many clothes she was given rather than tossing the same shirt back on.

“Look, Mama! Look how high I can swing!”

Now that it was just the two of them in the yard, the vibrancy that Gia normally showed when they went to the park was in full bloom. But even her daughter’s excitement couldn’t stop the fidgeting.

“You’re doing amazing, baby girl.”

One would think with how sheltered Gia had been, that there would be some delays in her daughter’s development, but instead, it was the opposite. Everything her daughter did, she did to the extreme. When she was taught something new, it was done in full force. Franni wondered if Gia did that because she was afraid the opportunity to do it again would be taken away, so she lived every moment to the fullest. If that were the case, what did it say about her as a parent?

On the other hand, it was great because by three years old, Gia could swing herself. She had learned to pump her legs like a champ. But the reality of it was that it was slightly sad because her baby no longer needed her. She didn’t beg anymore to be pushed. Nope, not Gia. She proudly stated she was a big girl and Mama only needed to watch as she attempted to go higher and higher.

“I’m going higher than at the park swing,” Gia giggled.

And she was. Franni had to stop herself from asking Gia not to swing so high. She had learned her lesson on that one. It was a delicate balance. Any sort of discouragement would cause Gia to shut down. Another thing she could blame Vito for. The only time he spoke to Gia was to chastise her for something.

“Yes, you are. Just be careful.” Franni winced. The suggestion slipped out before she could gauge how it would be received.

“I’m always careful, Mama.”

Relief washed over her. The words weren’t misconstrued. Her daughter was still the happy, carefree child she rarely got the opportunity to be.

Franni felt his presence long before he finally opened his mouth and confirmed that he was standing slightly behind her right side. She wondered what it said about her that she felt safe when this man was around. Hadn’t life taught her to be cautious? After everything she went through with Vito, just the thought of a man being close to her should’ve sent every warning system on high alert.

“She has your smile.”

Her body went rigid. How would he know? As far as she remembered, she had yet to smile at this man or any of the people she met here.

“I watched you smile at Gia.” It was like he could read her mind. “Don’t worry, none of us have had the pleasure of being graced with that rare gift.”

Franni was conflicted about his observation. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her smile but there hadn’t been sufficient reasons to smile in the last five years. Except toward her daughter. Gia deserved every smile she could muster.

That sounded horrible even to herself. Every smile her daughter received was well-earned. Gia was the light of her life in a very dark world.

“I’m sorry I upset you earlier,” Franni offered. Ticking off the people that she sought out to help her was the last thing she needed to be doing.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

Sure there was. It was clear Blayd was genuinely upset by her assumption. Not that she could’ve known that would happen. Almost every man in her life expected something from her.

“Yes, there is. You did something nice, and I questioned you. It won’t happen again.”

It was easier to let the words out when the person wasn’t looking at her. Too bad Blayd was no longer giving her that luxury. He stepped right into her line of sight and forced her to either look at him or continue to be rude.

“Don’t apologize for questioning anyone when it comes to your or your daughter’s life. You had every reason to ask what you did. Did I hate that you assumed I would expect something in return? Damn right I hated it, not because you were asking but because you felt the need to. It means nothing in your life was ever given to you with no strings attached and that pisses me right off. But I’m not mad at you.”

“You sounded angry and stormed off.”

“Because I was angry. I’m angry at that piece-of-shit husband of yours and I stormed off before I said something I would regret. You don’t deserve the wrath that I would prefer to unleash on Vito.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that. No one had ever stuck up for her. Not her parents and certainly not the people who worked for her husband.

“I see that surprises you, so I’m going to drop it for now, but know this. I don’t want, nor do I expect, anything from you while you’re here. I don’t care if it’s three days or three weeks. Hell, it could be three years and I still wouldn’t ask anything from you. Either way, I was going to give your daughter her wish list because she deserved it. Sure, you could’ve stayed in that small apartment, but why not let her be comfortable while you’re here? That’s all this was.”

If that were true, then she would accept it. For Gia’s sake.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “It must’ve taken a lot of work, so thank you for doing it for Gia.”

“You’re welcome.”

Blayd never said it was for her and she was grateful for that. A gift for her daughter she could accept. One for herself wasn’t allowed. Not while she was still married to Vito. It was a line she just couldn’t cross, even for a man who made her heart beat just a little faster. Nothing could happen between them no matter how much she wished things were different. Even if her heart longed to befriend this man, her head knew better.

“Mama, come look!”

Gia had moved on from the swing set and was now playing inside the pink-and-purple plastic playhouse. They were the only two pieces of equipment in the entire yard. Not even the back patio had furniture. At least she could take comfort in the fact that she hadn’t stolen someone else’s house.

“What’s this?” She leaned down and peeked inside the small window.

“It has a kitchen set. Now I can practice my cooking just like we talked about.”

Blayd really had thought of everything, and that wasn’t something Gia had placed on her list. Not the list she told him about anyway. Cooking was one of the things Vito used to say was only for staff to handle. Fortunately, Alice, Vito’s housekeeper, would let them putter around in the kitchen when Vito wasn’t home.

“You sure can. What are you going to make first?”

Gia rolled her eyes up and genuinely took the time to think about her answer.

“Biscuits like Mrs. Alice used to make us. The special ones.”

Just the thought of Alice’s special biscuits was like a punch to the gut. The sweet housekeeper refused to make them unless Gia was helping her in the kitchen. She would say it was their special bonding time and no one could know about it. Of course, by that, she meant Gia couldn’t tell Vito or any of his men. And her daughter never did.

“That’s perfect. Mrs. Alice would be so proud.”

If the woman was even still alive. Franni hated to think like that, but in her heart, she knew it was a possibility. Which was why she had to make sure Vito died. She wouldn’t let Alice’s and Leonardo’s deaths be in vain.

“Who’s Mrs. Alice?”

Blayd’s sudden question startled her. She had almost forgotten that he was next to her; how she didn’t know considering his presence was overbearing. Whenever he was near, he sucked all the oxygen out of the area, making it hard for her to breathe, or think, around him.

“The housekeeper.”

“The one who helped you get away?”

Franni merely nodded. It wasn’t enough and she didn’t do Alice a lick of justice by simply calling her the housekeeper. Alice was much more than that. She was their saving grace. The only reason those five years didn’t feel like a lifetime.

“We’ll get her out if we can.”

She liked that Blayd didn’t make false promises or give empty reassurances. He seemed like a man who understood how life worked and was a realist.

“And Leonardo, her husband, the gardener,” she added.

“And him too.”

That was more than what she planned to ask for. Even though they had been on her mind since the moment she and Gia snuck away, she didn’t want to push her luck by asking for him and his team to rescue people as well. It was already enough that she was asking these men to commit life’s greatest sin. She was essentially sending them out to murder someone.

“Thank you. I don’t want to ask for too much, but it would mean the world to me if you were able to help them. If it’s possible, that is. They did so much for us.”

“Franni, look at me.”

Their entire conversation had taken place while she watched Gia play. She could feel Blayd’s eyes on her, but she had been too afraid to meet his gaze. Now she had no choice.

“It’s not asking too much to request help for the people who helped you and your daughter. My team would’ve done it anyway, but you should never feel like you can’t ask for something.”

“You don’t understand. Requesting anything wasn’t just frowned upon, it was a punishable offense, and I don’t just mean in my marriage. Growing up, I learned at a young age never to ask for anything.”

It was the same lesson her daughter had learned. Throughout her entire pregnancy, she had prayed that her daughter wouldn’t be subjected to a similar fate. Unfortunately, her daughter’s upbringing had been worse, despite trying to shield her.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that, but things are different here. We take care of our own.”

“But we aren’t one of you.” The words fell from her mouth so quietly she wasn’t even sure Blayd heard them.

Of course, she should’ve known that wasn’t the case.

“That’s where you’re wrong. You both became one of us the second you drove onto our property and declared you were seeking refuge from Vito. You might not have realized it at the time, but every single person here would do anything for you.”

Blayd was right. She never would’ve believed it if she didn’t see the truth in his eyes. No one in her life had ever had her back before. Not unconditionally. Even Alice and Leonardo had their limitations when Vito was in residence. She never blamed them. They too needed to survive and she would never put her life before anyone else’s.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing to say. I know words don’t mean much, so I’ll just let our actions speak for themselves.”

Maybe things would work out after all. Or maybe she was getting ahead of herself. Only time would tell.

CHAPTER TEN

Normally he didn’t mind questioning a witness. In fact, he was the team clown, the one who made the person comfortable because he cracked a joke every now and then. Not today. Even thinking about Franni as a witness rubbed him wrong. He wanted to scoop both her and Gia up and take them right back to their house.

“What can you tell us about the compound?”

Black was leading the questioning once again and Franni had already provided them the location of Vito’s primary residence.

“The main house is set farther back behind the gate and the guard tower. There is a guesthouse behind the pool, and a servants’ quarters behind that. Vito didn’t want the help in the same house except when they were working.”

Yeah, he bet Vito didn’t. Fewer witnesses to the shit he liked to pull. Each new detail Franni divulged was another nail in Vito’s coffin.

“How many guards does he keep on the property?”

“Ten to fifteen at any given time. A few at the guard house. The vast majority patrol the grounds, but only one in the house. Renando, Vito's second-in-command, is the only one allowed in the house."

There was something about the way she said his name that had the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

"Why does it sound like you aren't the biggest fan of Renando?" The question was out before he could stop himself.

"Does anyone like the devil himself? Because that's who Renando is. He doesn't have a soul and it's clear from just one look at him. Vito doesn't even need to ask Renando to do something. The man anticipates what Vito wants and does it with a calculated smile on his face."

There was more to it but it would have to wait until another time. Whatever happened wasn't something she wanted everyone to know, and he would respect that. For now.

"Why have we never heard of Renando? We knew about Il Diavolo but never heard of Renando, or any second-in-command for that matter."

"That's how Vito preferred it. Those in his inner circle know about him but the rest just think he's the head of his security. A minor player. Vito used to joke that Renando was his secret weapon because his enemies knew nothing about the lengths to which Renando would go to protect him."

That didn't sound good. In their line of work, unknowns were dangerous.

"We are going to need you to give us as much information on Renando as you can."

Franni was nodding her head even before Black's request fully fell from his lips.

"I'll give you anything you want. Just as long as we never have to see Vito again," Franni whispered. Her gaze was firmly locked on her daughter who sat across the room playing with Karlie and Anna. His teammate's wife was gracious enough to spend time with the little girl so that she wasn't forced to hear what her mother was saying about her father.

So far it didn't appear that Gia even noticed what they were talking about, nor had he heard her once mention her father's name. Not that he was around them all that often up to this point. That would be changing soon. Franni didn't know it yet, but her new house came with a guest. He wondered what she would say to that.

They spent the next several hours going over every painstaking detail that they could. Bree was able to pull up drone footage of the area and get them a layout of the land. That, paired with the details Franni was able to share, they had a pretty good idea of Vito's home.

They only took a quick lunch break during the entire process, and then they were right back at it. The sheer amount of information Franni had acquired was shocking. Five years was a lot of time to plot and plan, not to mention the amount of information she was able to store. Vito's biggest mistake was not realizing the threat he had right in front of him that whole time. His downfall would be one of his own making.

"Thank you, Franni." Black had done all the questioning, but it was Steel that offered gratitude at the end. "I'm not sure you know this, but we've been looking for Vito since we found Karlie, after he held her locked in a basement."

Franni looked back at where the woman in question was still playing with Gia. "I didn't know it was Karlie, but I remember how mad he was when she was rescued. I had no idea why at the time, but he came home that night so furious there was nothing I could do right. It was the first time Alice expressed interest in helping us leave. She saw the … aftermath and knew my time was coming to an end."

Blayd wanted to puke. What the hell happened that night? He looked around at the rest of his team and the anger in their eyes said it all. They all wanted to know the same thing, but no one was willing to ask the question. Not now. Not in a room full of people.

Franni didn't allow them to say anything more. With a quick farewell, she grabbed her daughter and moved swiftly out of the room, and Emma and Bree were hot on her heels. Knowing those women would have her back made it easier to take the extra few minutes he needed to calm down.

"Dig ’em out, man."

It took him a minute to realize Daniel was speaking to him.

"Excuse me?" He didn't have the first clue what his team leader was talking about.

"That woman right there has more demons than any one person should ever have to carry. Dig them out. Dig every damn one of them out and make sure you help her put them to rest. That's the only way she's going to be able to move on."

So many questions swirled through his mind. The biggest one being, why the hell did his team leader think he would be the one to accomplish that? No one on his team hid the fact that he annoyed them or that they thought he was a goofball. So how was it that Daniel saw through all that and figured out already what Franni meant to him?

"Daniel's right," Karlie whispered from behind him. "I was only forced to spend small amounts of time with Vito, so I can't imagine the emotional trauma Francesca holds. Make sure she shares that with you and the sooner the better. Don't let that poison hold her captive for any longer than necessary."

Jesus Christ, not Karlie too.

"I'll do my best." That was all he could manage before he stumbled out of the room. He needed fresh air and some space to think. It was easy being the team clown. No one took him seriously, and outside of assignments, he didn't have responsibilities. Now in a matter of a couple of days, the mask he carefully wore around his team was starting to slip. They were seeing things he wasn't ready for them to notice about him. Would they even like the more serious person he was?

It took nearly two hours before he was finally able to get up the nerve to knock on Franni's door. He wasn't sure what he expected when it finally pulled open, but a ticked-off Bree wasn't it.

"Oh, I see you have finally decided to grace us with your presence?"

By us, she pretty much meant his entire team. At least, every one of them who had a significant other. The house was packed full and some of the other furniture he had ordered was now being moved around. How the hell had he missed delivery trucks showing up?

"I needed to pack a bag." He lamely picked up and showed her said bag, but Bree wasn't buying it.

"It doesn't take two hours to stuff some clothes in a bag. Not even for a pretty boy like you."

Well, hell. If anyone was going to call him out for his shit excuse, he should've known it would be Bree.

"I needed a few minutes to wrap my head around a couple of things. I'm straight now."

That was yet to be determined, but maybe if he said it often enough, he could convince himself.

"You sure?" Damn, he wasn't prepared to get the third degree from Bree. "Because you better be damn sure before you make yourself a houseguest and spend even more time with that amazing little girl."

Gia chose that moment to squeal with laughter at something Anna was doing on the floor. Maybe he didn't have everything figured out, but he sure as hell knew that it wouldn't be anyone else protecting that girl.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He put his bag down just inside the entryway and moved around Bree. He needed to find Franni and see that she was okay for himself. There were a lot of people in her house, and not too long ago, those same people had been listening to her reveal pretty detailed information about her husband.

He found her huddled in the kitchen with Karlie. By the look on her face, they appeared to be in a deep discussion. Blayd made a mental note to ask her about it later after everyone left. As he moved through the house, he realized why everyone had converged here. They were helping set it up.

Emma and Kendra were folding laundry. From the looks of it, the items from their latest load consisted of clothing for Gia. He didn’t remember asking Bree to buy that much but he doubted that stopped his friend. Bree tended to go rogue when she wanted to.

Speaking of Bree, now that she wasn’t on his ass for taking time to himself, she was back in the kitchen. Only instead of partaking in whatever conversation Franni was having with Karlie, Bree was stocking the cabinets and fridge with food; another thing he didn’t ask her to buy, but she clearly knew was needed.

He’d thank her for that later. She took his crazy idea to give Franni a place where she felt safe and went beyond even his wildest expectations.

“What’s that look about?”

He had been so lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t heard Chance sneak up on him.

“It isn’t nice to be sneaking around on people.”

Chance laughed. An honest-to-goodness hearty laugh like nothing he had ever heard from the man before. Months ago, there wasn’t a single thing in the world that could’ve made his teammate even crack a smile. Then Bree stormed into their world and suddenly his serious teammate wasn’t just smiling, but laughing as well.

“Maybe if you weren’t so inside your head, you would’ve heard me when I cleared my throat as I approached.”

Damn. He was worse off than he thought.

“So you want to tell me what that look is all about?”

“I’m not sure what look you’re referring to.”

“If I had to guess, that look has something to do with why you were thinking so hard that you missed me coming up behind you.”

It was times like this when he missed the old Chance—the man who kept to himself and wouldn’t have dared to ask him something personal. Bree changed him, and maybe it was for good, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying sometimes. He was happy for his teammate, but dammit, now it was hard to hide things.

“Bree went a little overboard, don’t you think? I asked for a bedroom and play set. What she delivered was a fully furnished house with all the accessories. Not to mention clothing that is probably going to last Gia for years.”

Of course, he didn’t know that for sure since children weren’t his specialty, but by the sheer amount of piles of clothing on the available surfaces, he figured it was safe to make that assumption.

“Bree’s a sucker for someone in need and you started this by asking. I’m not saying she wouldn’t have done it on her own, but you opened Pandora’s box. Bree just set everything free.”

“She deserves the world.”

He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. It was bad enough he was doing a shit job of hiding his feelings from his teammates. He didn’t need to be giving them more ammunition to work with.

“That she does. And the man lucky enough to win her heart after all this better realize just how fortunate he is.”

Shit. He hadn’t realized Chance would figure out he was talking about Franni and not Gia this time.

His teammate moved away as silently as he had approached, giving Blayd even more to ponder. The first being, was he good enough for her?

It was another two hours before everyone finally cleared out. The house was completely put together and dinner was eaten. If it weren’t for Gia looking like she was ready to pass out, he was sure many of them would’ve stayed.

Now Franni was upstairs helping Gia get ready for bed and he was setting up his own bed on the couch. He had yet to speak to Franni about the sleeping arrangements, so when she came down a few minutes later, he wasn’t surprised to find her eyebrows were scrunched up and a frown marred her pretty lips.

“What are you doing?”

“Setting up my bed for the night. You didn’t really think we would leave you without protection, did you?”

His team hadn’t spoken about it, but he figured they all knew what the plan was when he showed up with a bag. If he hadn’t laid claim, he was sure one of his other teammates would’ve done it. Until Vito was effectively removed from the earth, Franni and Gia wouldn’t be alone. They didn’t need the order from Daniel to know that was the case.

“I mean, I guess not, but I didn’t think it meant someone would be sleeping in the house with us.”

“This is a much better option than sitting in a car out front. Now that would look a bit suspicious.”

He gave Franni time to digest what he was telling her. He could tell based on the way she mutilated her lip that she was thinking hard about it. He wanted to walk over and use his thumb to save the piece of abused flesh, to run his digit over the pouty pink pillow that begged to be kissed.

“You’re right.”

It was a blow to his ego that those two words were delivered with such dejection. He hadn’t thought she would be happy about the idea, but would it have been too much to ask that she hid her disappointment just a little? You know, to save a man’s ego and all that.

“You won’t even know I’m here.”

He was pretty sure she mumbled something about yeah, like that’s possible, but he wasn’t sure. He did hear what she had to say next though.

“I’m going to bed. Today was emotionally draining and I don’t have the energy to discuss this right now. Good night, Blayd.”

“Good night, Franni. Sweet dreams.”

At least one of them would be getting some sleep that night. He had no illusions it would be him and maybe that’s what he deserved after the day he’d had. But Bree had been right. He needed to get his shit together and that started immediately.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Sleep eluded her, at least for most of the night. Tossing and turning was something she was used to, but this time it was for an entirely different reason. She wasn’t scared of what would happen to her or her daughter. In fact, she had never felt safer knowing Blayd was sleeping just one floor down. But him physically sleeping on her couch was a double-edged sword.

Her lack of sleep had more to do with the fact that she was attracted to Blayd. She didn't want to be attracted to him. She didn't want to think he was sweet for providing her daughter with everything on her wish list. She didn't want to admit that she was starting to realize that there were some good men in the world.

She didn't want any of that because it would make it even harder to leave when the time came, and the time would come. Staying with these nice people wasn't a forever solution. It was a stop on her way to their final destination. So then why the heck did the thought of leaving make her chest feel heavy?

Gah! This was not a problem she was going to be able to solve on the very little sleep she got. If she even considered falling asleep around four a.m. and waking again by six thirty sleeping.

Since there was no use wasting any more time, Franni tossed the comforter off and reluctantly crawled out of bed. Gia was normally awake by now, and since it was their first night in a new place, she needed to check that her daughter was okay.

Speeding through brushing her teeth and using the bathroom, Franni walked down the hall to where Gia's room was located. She expected to find her daughter snuggled up under the pale pink comforter. One look at the tossed-aside sheets and the lack of a little human anywhere in sight sent her heart racing a million miles a minute.

Where the heck was Gia? And how in the world did she let her defenses down enough to think they were ever going to be safe from Vito? Without a second thought, Franni charged down the stairs in search of her daughter, only to come to a screeching halt at the scene in her newly furnished kitchen.

Standing on a chair, next to the stove, was her adorable daughter. But it wasn't that part that had her heart somewhere in the middle of her throat.

Nope, it was the man standing next to Gia. The one whose ass and back shouldn't look so good in a pair of gray sweatpants that hung off his hips and a plain white shirt that was molded to every muscle.

Every. Single. Damn. One. Of. Them.

That look should be a sin. And she needed to find the closest confessional because there was no way she wasn't considering acting on that sin.

Holy moly, she was seriously sleep-deprived if that's where her thoughts were headed.

Sworn. Off. Men.

It needed to be written in big letters and tattooed to her eyelids so she could be reminded that looking was not okay.

To make matters worse, the two of them were laughing. Full-on belly laughs while they used what she thought might be a waffle iron, but from her current vantage point, she wasn't one hundred percent sure.

What she did know was that her daughter was having the time of her life with someone other than her. Someone she just met a couple of days ago. And someone who was of the opposite sex. Never in her wildest dreams did she think this would happen.

Franni wanted to cry happy tears. And maybe a few sad ones because now, she had to share her baby. But mostly they were happy ones.

Blayd must've sensed she was near because without ever turning around, he leaned down and whispered something to Gia.

Whatever he said caused her little girl to spin around so fast that she flung some of the batter onto Blayd's cheek.

"Mama! You're awake!" There was no hiding the excitement. "Blayd and I are making you breakfast!"

She looked over at the man in question. He was still smiling despite the batter sliding down his face. It was wrong, on so many levels, that her first thought was she wanted to walk over and be the one to remove it. Preferably with her tongue.

Yup, it's official. Lack of sleep isn't healthy for me.

"I see that, sweetie. What are you guys making?"

"Waffles!" Her daughter's voice level was still a few octaves too high, considering how early in the morning it was. "Blayd said I could put as much syrup as I wanted on them."

"Oh, did he now?" At least he had the decency to look a little sheepish at her daughter's confession. "Then Blayd can deal with you when you're all sugared up," she laughed. The excitement in the kitchen was too infectious not to.

"I think it's time to pull that one out, peanut. We don't want to burn it."

And just like, that she was no longer important. Her daughter spun around just as fast, only this time, no batter managed to fly through the air. A pity really. She would've loved to see a few more droplets running down Blayd's body.

Swearing off men! Maybe if she screamed it, the thought would finally sink in.

Since it would appear Blayd and Gia had everything under control, Franni moved to the opposite end of the counter in search of the one substance that would help her survive the day and kick-start her brain. Maybe even help her to remember the reason she was supposed to stop eyeing up Blayd.

Coffee.

The nectar of the gods.

The most important meal of the day.

There were probably a million more ways she could explain how important her first cup of coffee was, but first, she needed to actually drink it. If only she could remember where they put the mugs, the downside of having someone else set up her house.

"Left cabinet, second shelf."

Sure enough, they were exactly where Blayd said they would be. She waited until she popped the pod into the machine and hit start before turning around and responding to him.

"How did you know where they were and what I was looking for?" With her arms folded over her chest, she leaned back against the counter and watched him continue to make waffles with her daughter.

"It's the first thing I looked for this morning after Gia came downstairs. I also had to search the entire kitchen to find what I needed to make breakfast, so I had a slight advantage." He looked over his shoulder and gave her a mischievous smile. "Oh, and your daughter might've mentioned that coffee was your love language."

That made sense. She doubted Gia used those exact words, but her daughter understood that coffee was life.

"Did she also tell you that she needed to start her mornings with hot chocolate?"

"I made hers before I made mine. Although I'm pretty sure we got batter in them both at some point, so we've abandoned those mugs for now."

Well, dang. Just how long were the two of them up?

"Since five thirty."

She whipped her head in his direction, despite wanting to grab her now full cup of coffee.

"You mumbled the question out loud." He winked.

Coffee. She needed an IV of it pronto if she was expected to deal with that man for another minute. He was proving to be efficient at sliding under her walls and she didn't know how she felt about it.

She knew how she should feel. She should hate it.

But for reasons unbeknownst to her, her heart skipped a beat, rather than sank to the depths of the ocean in dread.

"Mama, waffles are ready."

That was the understatement of the century. The plate in Blayd's hand was practically toppling over with the sheer amount of waffles stacked haphazardly.

"Wow, sweetie. Are we feeding everyone?"

"Blayd says you never know when someone from his team might stop by, so it's a good thing to make lots."

Well, alrighty then. She would make sure to store that bit of information in her brain for future reference. She didn't want to be caught unprepared.

The kitchen table was already set. Franni had to give the man credit, he seemed to have thought of everything.

"If you hadn't come down, I would've brought breakfast up to you." The words were like a physical caress. Blayd was standing close enough that what he had to say was just for her ears, but far enough away to give her space. Somehow, he managed to make her feel special and comfortable with that gesture.

"Was I thinking aloud again?"

"Nope. I just got lucky. Glad to know I can read your body language."

God, she hoped not. Right now, her body was betraying her. It wanted to be closer to him, but her brain knew that was a bad idea. If she were smart, she would be listening to what her mind had to say and ignoring her heart, and body. Unfortunately, she had a feeling the organ she needed to listen to the most would come dead last in this race.

Blayd had been correct. Not only did Bree and Chance pop in for breakfast, but every female she had met so far stopped in at some point or another throughout the day. Even some of his teammates strolled through.

"You weren't kidding about feeding other people." Franni walked through her kitchen with a stack of dirty paper plates and dumped them into the garbage.

It was fortunate that the patio furniture was delivered that morning. Currently, Emma, Bree, and Karlie were occupying the new set.

"Sometimes I think we’re a little too co-dependent on each other,” mused Blayd. “Then I remember that we live in the middle of nowhere, so really we only have each other to talk to."

That was for sure. Aside from the delivery trucks coming out to drop off more things that Bree ordered, there wasn't a single soul that came out this way. Emma explained it was a good thing because it meant they knew long before someone showed up that they had a trespasser. She was just thankful that she didn't have to look over her shoulder every minute.

"I know I don't know everyone yet, but I feel like a few of the guys were missing."

The women had come through or were still hanging out, but not nearly as many of the men. She hoped they weren't avoiding her.

"Liam, Jaxson, and Gage flew out early this morning to do a little recon of the area you told us about."

"Oh." Suddenly everything felt so real. It was one thing to give these people the information. It was something completely different to know that the information she provided was now being used to stop Vito. "So, will it be three men against Vito's guards?"

"No,” Blayd answered, “they're just verifying the information you gave and hoping to add to it. When the time comes, the whole team will go."

Panic set in. "Does that mean we will be left alone?"

"Absolutely not." Blayd stepped closer, but still gave her enough space. "Kendra would stay with you and then either guys from her team or guys from one of Black's other teams would fly out to guard you both."

Franni didn't know how she felt about strangers watching her and her daughter. She knew these people, she was comfortable with them, but having others around would make her nervous. But Blayd mentioned Kendra and that was someone familiar at least. She would just have to ask that Kendra stay in the house, while whoever came stayed outside.

Yes, that's what she would request. She would feel much better about the situation if she had some say in it.

"Mama, look!" Gia raced into the kitchen and crashed right into her legs. "Miss Bree let me have a cupcake!"

"I see that." Boy did she ever. Pink frosting covered almost every inch of her daughter's sweet face. At least the bottom half of it: chin, cheek, and even her nose. She had to wonder if her daughter managed to get any of it in her mouth. "What else did Miss Bree let you have?"

Her daughter wasn't used to having so much sugar. First, it was the waffles smothered in syrup for breakfast, then cookies after her lunch, and now she could only imagine what else Gia had indulged in.

"A juice box, or was it two." Gia scrunched up her little nose. "I can't remember. And another cookie. Oh, and don't forget the scoop of ice cream. Miss Bree said you can't have a cupcake without ice cream."

Oh, geez. She was going to have to remember to have a talk with Bree. It would appear her daughter had the same sweet tooth that she did. If she didn't put a restriction on things, her daughter was going to be spending a lot of time in a sugar coma. Not to mention develop a mouth full of cavities.

"That's a lot of sweets. I hope you ate some dinner while you were out there."

"Don't worry, Mama, I did. Miss Bree said it was important that I ate dinner before I had dessert."

Well, thank goodness for that.

"Hey, peanut. Where's my cupcake?" Blayd reached down and tickled her daughter. Gia jumped into his arms and wiggled around. She was one of those kids who loved to be tickled. Franni could never understand it.

"You have to ask Miss Bree!" Gia continued to squirm around and laugh.

"But I don't want to ask Miss Bree. She's not my best friend. You are!" Blayd continued his tickle assault, and it was evident by the huge smile on Gia's face and the belly laughter coming out of her mouth that her daughter was loving every minute of it.

Of course, her daughter was soaking up the attention. Vito never took the time to have fun with her, and despite how much Leonardo loved Gia, he couldn't afford to give her that kind of attention. Not without suffering the consequences.

"Miss Bree can be your best friend too,” Gia cackled. “She already said she's my friend!"

Franni didn't think it was possible to love these people any more than she already did. In a matter of days, her daughter was already smiling more, laughing more freely, and overall just having the best time of her life. It was going to suck when Vito was dead and she needed to leave this all behind.

She couldn't think about that right now though. There was still time for her daughter to soak up all the love. Speaking of her daughter, she was still laughing as Blayd continued to tickle Gia's belly. And then Franni heard the dreaded hiccup.

Oh no . . .

"Blayd . . ." She tried to warn him, but she wasn't loud enough.

One moment Gia was giggling up a storm, and the next her daughter was spewing all of the sugared treats from the day. And not just spewing a little bit. Oh no, that wasn't how her daughter did things. She was a go-big-or-go-home kinda girl, and she definitely went big.

Gia projectile vomited a wave of pink out of her mouth, which covered the entire front of Blayd’s body. Franni froze in horror.

How mad was he going to be and how quickly would it change the way he felt about her daughter?

CHAPTER TWELVE

So maybe tickling Gia wasn't his best idea. Not after she’d explained how much sugar she had. And he could attest to just how much, considering he was wearing it now.

Blayd rubbed her back, as he squatted down to face her. "Does your tummy feel better, peanut?"

He used the nickname for the first time that morning while making the waffles. When Gia had told him no one other than her mom ever called her anything other than her name, and how much she liked it, he swore to himself to use it as much as possible.

"I’m sorry," Gia whimpered.

"Oh my God, Blayd. I'm so sorry. Please, let me take her so you can get cleaned up."

His poor little peanut was looking at him with such fear in her eyes. He didn't need to look at her mother to know that she probably wore a similar expression. Just the sound of her voice told him everything he needed to know.

"You don't need to apologize, peanut. Does your tummy feel better now?"

Gia nodded her head, where it now rested in the crook of his neck.

"I can take her," Franni urged.

This time he did look up and met Franni's scared gaze. Her hazel eyes were begging him not to be angry.

"We’re both covered. It’ll just be easier for the two of us to step into the shower and rinse off."

If Franni thought a little vomit bothered him, then she was sadly mistaken. He had been covered in worse bodily fluids over the years. None of which looked nearly as pretty as the pink mess he currently wore.

"I can't ask you to do that," Franni insisted.

"I don't remember asking you." He gave her a smile to lessen the harshness of his words. She needed to realize he was nothing like Vito or any of the men she previously knew. "I'm saying I don't mind."

Instead of waiting for her to continue arguing with him, Blayd scooped up Gia into his arms, and started towards the steps. It wasn't until he was upstairs that he realized he hadn't paid much attention to where the full bath was, and all the doors were closed. Rather than open ones randomly, Blayd turned back to Franni, who was following closely behind.

"Which door is the bathroom?"

He thought it was cute that she stood behind him wringing her hands together. It was clear she didn't know how to accept help, and that was just too bad. She was going to have to learn sooner or later that they were in this together and that meant sharing responsibilities.

Finally, Franni caved. "It's that one." She pointed to a door a few feet away.

Without waiting for him to ask, she slipped by him and opened the door. She must've realized the chances of her winning the argument were slim to none because without hesitation, she was leaning into the tiled shower-tub combo and turning the water on.

"I'll go grab a few towels."

Blayd toed off his shoes and tried not to jostle Gia as he stripped off his socks. The rest would have to wait until he was in the shower. Checking that the water wasn't too hot, he stepped under the spray, with Gia still in his arms.

"How are you feeling, peanut?"

He brushed her wet hair out of her face and did his best to keep the spray from hitting her head-on.

"My belly hurts a little."

"I bet it does." He continued to rub her back and let the hot water wash away the chunks of pink icing that were regurgitated all over his shirt. He needed to get them both out of these clothes, but he would wait for Franni.

"Here are some towels." Franni placed a few on the ledge of the sink. "Sweetie, do you want Mommy to take you so I can help you wash up?"

"No," Gia groaned. "I want to stay with Blayd."

If the situation weren't so serious, he would have laughed at how large Franni's eyes grew at her daughter's response. She looked like a cartoon character.

"I need to take our shirts off, peanut. Are you sure you don't want to go with your mama?"

"I stay with you," Gia insisted, tightening her grip on Blayd’s neck.

Well, okay. Clutching Gia with one arm, Blayd tried his best to reach back and yank his shirt off. Any other time it wouldn't be a problem one-handed, but considering it was plastered to his back from the water, the shirt might as well have been glued to his skin.

He looked over to where Franni stood with her hands tangled together. "Any chance you wouldn't mind helping me get this off?"

His words seemed to pull her from whatever trance she was in, and she jumped in to help. It took a little more finagling than he liked, and by the time his shirt was tossed to the shower floor, Franni was almost nearly as wet as he was.

"Sorry. I guess I didn't think this fully through."

He hadn't been thinking at all, to be honest. He just knew that it was his fault Gia threw up, so he needed to be the one to take care of her.

"Gia, sweetie. Mommy is going to take your shirt off as well so we can get you washed up."

The little girl merely nodded, her arms still around Blayd’s neck. He was forced to separate their bodies so Franni could take off Gia's shirt and shorts, but as soon as they were tossed to the ground, his little peanut was snuggled right back up to him. It was crazy how natural it felt to have her in his arms.

"Let's get you washed up, peanut."

Blayd quickly learned just how difficult that would be while only having the use of one of his arms. Despite the challenge, he didn't give up. He massaged a dab of shampoo into her hair and rinsed it off. He added a little bit of conditioner to the ends before taking a washcloth full of strawberry body wash and cleaning her up. By the time he was done, he was giving himself a solid eight out of ten. Not bad for his first time. With enough practice, he could become an expert. And he wanted that, more than anything.

Franni stood just outside the shower with a towel in her hands. As gently as possible he tried to pass Gia to her, but the little girl wasn't having any of it.

"No, I want Blayd."

Those sweet words tugged at his heart.

"I'm not leaving. I just need a minute to wash myself up and put on new clothes. Mommy is going to get you dressed, then I’ll come back to tuck you in."

"I want to sleep in Mama's bed tonight."

"You can sleep with me, baby girl."

"I want Blayd to sleep with us too."

That stopped him dead. He had no idea what he was supposed to say. He wasn't ashamed to admit he looked at Franni and begged her with his eyes to please help him. This was her decision. He was taking his cues from her, but what he saw in her eyes didn't comfort him. She looked just as tormented as he felt.

Franni finally spoke up. "We can talk about it after mommy gets you dried off and dressed. Blayd needs to shower and get dressed himself."

Gia must've realized that she had pushed things as far as she could because, without another word, the little girl slipped out of his arms and right into her mother's. Three seconds and already he was feeling the loss. He needed to shake himself out of his slump and get a move on. He promised Gia he would be there to tuck her in, and he refused to break that promise.

Peeling his jeans and boxers down his legs, he made quick work of scrubbing himself. Since the bathroom belonged primarily to Gia, he used her strawberry body wash; if his teammates could only see him now. Drying off and wrapping the towel around his waist, he realized they just might. His stuff was still downstairs near the couch, and when they had come up to shower, several of his friends had still been in the house.

Thankfully, by the time he made his way down the stairs, the house was quiet. A quick peek into the kitchen and outside showed that everyone had gone home. He would have to remember to thank whichever friend had thought far enough ahead to get everyone out.

His bag was next to the couch where he left it, so grabbing a pair of shorts, fresh boxers, and a shirt, he got dressed as quickly as possible. When he had initially packed his bag, he had known he wouldn't be able to sleep like he did in his own apartment. If Gia, or God forbid Franni, had come down in the middle of the night and found him only in boxers, he was sure there would be hell to pay.

Sleeping almost fully clothed wasn't ideal, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He was exceptionally glad for the foresight tonight as he climbed the stairs. If Gia got her way, he would be sleeping in bed with two of his favorite people. It was best that it was done with as many clothes on as possible.

"But I want Blayd …"

"I'm right here, peanut." He probably should've stayed outside the room, to give Franni a chance to voice how she felt about the matter, but instinct had him responding before he could change his mind. Worst-case scenario, he could sneak out after Gia fell asleep and sneak back in before she woke up.

"Blayd!" Gia popped up out of her mother's arms and reached for him. The color of her cheeks looked a little better, but the glossiness of her eyes showed she wasn't fully back to herself.

"Did you give your mother a hard time about getting dressed and into bed?"

He stepped up to the side closest to where Gia was lying. Franni was curled up on the other side and it didn't take a genius to tell that she was uncomfortable. It was written, clear as day, in the worry lines on her face.

"Nope." Gia snuggled back into her mother but extended her little hand to him. Without thinking too much, he reached over and took it. "Lie down with us." For someone so small, she tugged awfully hard on their joined hands.

He met Franni's gaze and waited for her to work through the reservations she had. As much as he wanted to give Gia everything she ever asked for, he would follow her mother's lead. The last thing he needed to do was ruin the trust he’d gained from the two of them.

It felt like forever, but was probably mere seconds, before Franni gave him the tiniest nod. He took it for what it was worth. This was a huge step, something he would cherish because he knew better than anyone that people like Franni didn't trust easily.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Was it possible to fall asleep when a person was as stiff as a board? If Franni had to guess, the answer was no. But she was going to try her darnedest for her daughter's sake.

Gia was curled up next to her side with her little arm stretched out to hold Blayd's hand. She had fallen asleep rather quickly after Blayd finally lay down on the other side of the bed. Franni had to give him credit. He tried to take up as little room as possible, which was difficult considering the man was over six feet tall and built wide, but he tried.

It was Gia who had pulled him closer, who made it so that if Franni reached her arm out, she would have no issues brushing her fingers across his skin. And the crazy part about it all was that she did want to reach out. Her fingers itched to trace along his arm, to feel the muscles she had gotten a glimpse of in the shower when she helped him remove his shirt. She wanted to grab his hand and intertwine their fingers as easily as Gia had.

But she couldn't. There were a million reasons for her to stay right where she was; the biggest being why she was in this house to begin with. She was on the run, seeking refuge from a man who wouldn't hesitate to kill her. The same man who would burn down the place if he knew the secret she had kept from him all these years.

No, it was safer to stay on her side of the bed. To not move a single muscle. She could sleep like this.

Yeah, right.

"I can leave if it would make you feel more comfortable,” Blayd suddenly whispered. “Gia's asleep. I can slip out and come back early enough in the morning so that she never knew I left."

Dang this man. Why did he have to go and say sweet stuff like that? Of course, he would offer to slip away for her sake. He was proving over and over again what a great guy he was. Not just a pretty face and a hot body, but a decent human being.

"No, it's okay,” Franni whispered back. “If she wakes up in the middle of the night and you're not here, she’ll be upset."

She had to give herself props. She managed to say that without a single tremor in her voice. Heck, she even sounded convincing to her own ears.

"Franni, you're not comfortable with me in this bed. I can tell just by the way you're lying there staring at the ceiling. Please let me slip out so you can get some sleep."

She closed her eyes and concentrated on relaxing every part of her body. First her legs, then her arms. She took several deep breaths until she was sure she no longer represented a piece of wood. Finally, she opened her eyes, turned her head and met Blayd's stare. She had assumed he was watching her, but it was good to see she was right.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to give me a chance to look at your beautiful eyes."

She was surprised when a chuckle slipped past her lips. Not a full-blown laugh but it was a start. How long had it been since she laughed at anyone who wasn't her daughter? Too long if she had to think about it.

"Are you this charming to all the ladies?"

She wanted to take back the question as soon as she saw the way the walls came down around him. It was like a physical force that if she reached her hand out, she was sure she could touch.

"I wish I could say no, it's just because it's you, but that would be a lie. I've spent years perfecting this quality as a defense mechanism."

"A defense mechanism against what?"

She couldn't imagine what this amazing man could possibly have to hide. She knew better than anyone that looks could be deceiving, but he presented such a carefree attitude that it was hard to envision him being any other way.

"Against getting hurt. It only takes one time to learn a lesson, and I learned mine pretty early on. I realized it was easier to let people think I was this fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy who didn't do anything seriously than to actually put myself back out there. After a while, it became second nature, and now, I'm not sure I could turn it off if I wanted to."

Halfway through him talking, she rolled onto her side to give him more of her attention. Blayd didn't realize it, but him opening up to her made her feel more comfortable about him being in the bed.

"Who hurt you?" she asked finally.

Blayd turned onto his side as well so the only thing separating them was Gia's small form. Somehow, the way they were both positioned was intimate in a way she never felt before. Vito wouldn't have been caught dead lying in bed when Gia was sick. Or at all. The one good thing about her marriage was Vito's insistence that they had separate bedrooms. The only time he came to hers was when he raped her. Otherwise, he left her blissfully alone.

"It was my second year in the Army. I met this woman who seemed perfect. Unlike other women, she didn't seem to mind that I was deployed for months on end or that there were times I had to go radio silent. I thought I was the luckiest son of a bitch because so many of my friends would bitch about their girlfriends harping on them or others getting divorced because their wives couldn't hack the lifestyle. And here I was with a woman who was damn near perfect."

Blayd sighed. "Turns out she wasn't perfect at all. The reason she didn't care was because I was the other man. She was married to a guy in the Navy, and when he was deployed, she would sneak off to see me. All those times I was videoing with her, she was in her damn marriage bed. And the worst part? I wasn't the only guy she was cheating on her husband with. Turned out she had a few guys she would rotate through, so she was never actually alone."

That was terrible. What kind of woman could do that to a man? She was running from her husband and was actively asking other people to murder him, and still she refused to be with someone else because technically she was married. Her morals dictated that she stay loyal, despite hating Vito.

"How did you find out?"

"A buddy of mine, from my unit, had a best friend. The two of them enlisted together, but got assigned to different units. They stayed in touch. One day he got a text from his friend with a picture of his buddy's new 'girlfriend.' He recognized her and showed me. I didn't want to believe it could be true, but at the same time, I knew there was no way a woman could be that perfect. I called her out on it and she didn't even have the decency to try and cover it up. She admitted it and acted like it was no big deal. Even had the audacity to say that it was all our fault for being gone all the time. She had needs that could only be met by multiple men."

Franni hated to curse, but hearing the way this woman treated him had her calling her a bi-otch in her head. How dare she?

"We were together for three years and I never suspected a thing. If it weren't for my buddy, who knows how long I would've let things go on. I mean, I was considering marriage.” Blayd sighed. “I swore I wouldn't have a serious relationship again."

That was sad. A man as kind as Blayd deserved a good woman who would cherish all the things he would do for her.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, but you shouldn't let her win. You deserve to find a great woman who is going to love you for you."

Pot, meet kettle. Wasn't she the one who, just days earlier, was swearing off men because of what Vito did? Was still swearing them off, she reminded herself. And she had the nerve to tell another person that they should just move on and find someone new.

"Are you going to find a great man who treats you right, or do you plan on letting Vito win?"

"Touché." She giggled.

The noise coming out of her mouth was so foreign she wasn't even sure it sounded right. Suddenly the relaxing moment was awkward.

"Hey." Blayd pulled her attention back to the moment. "Don't do that."

"How is it you always know what I'm thinking and feeling?"

"That's an easy one to answer. Your face gives you away. You wear your expressions so openly."

Huh. No one had ever mentioned that to her before. Not that anyone ever paid her that much attention; not even Alice had that much time to focus on her.

"I'm not sure that's a good thing," she mumbled.

She dropped her gaze to her still-sleeping daughter, and in the process, a piece of hair slipped in front of her eye. Franni watched from her peripheral vision as Blayd's hand reached across but stopped just shy of her face. Her heart rate sped up, at the same time she stopped breathing.

"May I?"

Oh, wow. He was actually asking for permission to touch her. No one had ever asked to touch her and here was this kind man proving, once again, that not all guys were jerks.

With a small nod, she gave him the permission he sought. It was the simplest of touches but somehow she felt it throughout her entire body. Every nerve ending went on alert, and if she thought before that her heart was racing, it was nothing compared to the rate at which it beat now.

"I hope you don't let Vito win. I hope you find someone who treats you like the queen you are."

She wanted to tell him that he was right, that there was no way she would let Vito win, and she could imagine him being that guy, but she kept her mouth shut. They had only known each other for a couple of days and she didn't need to fawn over the first man who treated her decently.

Instead, she changed the subject back to their original topic.

"You can stay in here tonight. It would make Gia happy if she woke up, and I'm not uncomfortable anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Goodnight, Blayd."

Franni rolled onto her other side. It was several moments later before Blayd spoke again.

"Sweet dreams, Franni. You and Gia deserve the world. I hope one day you get it."

She smiled in the dark. Blayd didn't know it yet, but for the first time in five years, she had hope, and it was all because he took the time to heal a tiny part of her shattered heart. It was a start, and even if she never saw him again, she would always remember what he did for her.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"You stayed all night."

Blayd startled awake by a set of small hands on his chest. As he forced his eyes open, he realized the voice he heard was a lot closer than he realized. As in, Gia's face was mere inches from his own.

"Good morning, peanut. Feeling better?"

"You stayed the whole night!"

It was a good thing he did too because based on how dark the room was, it was barely the ass crack of dawn.

"Of course I did. I told you I would sleep with you. Now tell me, how are you feeling?"

It was way too early to be this excited, and he wanted to gauge how the next few minutes were going to go. Did she feel better, and this was normal excitement? Or was he about to get puked on for the second day in a row? Not that he minded, but a man liked to be prepared.

"My tummy is good. I'm hungry. Is it time for breakfast?"

Blayd wasn't sure it was even time to be awake yet, but if Gia was hungry, then he would get up and make her breakfast.

"How about we sneak down to the kitchen and let your mommy sleep some more?"

"I'm awake."

Was it bad that he liked hearing her voice first thing in the morning? The husky tone of someone who was in between sleep and waking wasn't something he thought would be sexy, but Franni pulled it off. It would be so easy to get used to that sound.

"Good morning. Feel free to stay in bed. I can get breakfast started."

Now that he was awake, he needed to move. Lounging in bed wasn't something he had ever been good about. Even as a kid, once his eyes popped open, it was time to start the day.

"You don't have to do that," Franni tried to argue.

By the way Franni kept her head buried under the pillow, he would guess she wasn't a morning person. He could think of a few ways to change that, but none of them were appropriate with a kid in the bed.

And the fact that she was still married. That was a hard line for him. Had he really confessed his dirty little secret to her the night before? No one knew about that time in his life except the men he served with. It just proved how quickly Franni was able to slip past his mask.

"Rest some more. We’ll bring breakfast to you."

His first instinct was to lean over a kiss her neck. Also not appropriate and it wouldn't help his current situation. The one where he had to perform some serious ninja moves to slide out of bed and adjust himself before Gia got an eyeful of something she didn't need to see.

Morning wood wasn't uncommon for him, although the boner he was sporting now had more to do with the woman on the other side of the bed. So much for not being attracted to a married woman. All of his self-made rules disappeared when it came to her.

"Let's go, peanut. What should we make for breakfast today?"

"Pancakes!" Gia shouted as she launched herself into his arms. Any doubts that she might not be feeling better were swept away, as were the chances that Franni would be able to fall back to sleep.

"Pancakes it is, but how about a little less syrup this morning? We don't need another belly ache."

They continued their conversation as he walked down the stairs with her still in his arms. She was so damn small and curled up nicely into the crook of his arm. It amazed him just how comfortable she was after only a few days.

"My tummy no longer hurts."

"I know, and I would like to keep it that way, so a smidge less syrup." He gave her a smile in hopes that it softened his words. He didn't know the first thing about parenting, but the fact that she got sick from too much sugar was probably a good indication he was screwing up early on.

By the time they finished making the pancakes, the kitchen looked like a flour bomb had gone off. He had forgotten to add the wet ingredients to the mixer before starting it. Needless to say, whipped pancake mix flew everywhere. He would need to get that cleaned up before Franni woke up.

"Umm, wow."

Busted. He spun on his heel and came face-to-face with an amused Franni.

"We had a slight mishap." He gave her his most dazzling smile. The one that usually made women putty in his hands. He didn't get quite that reaction from her, but at least she didn't look upset.

"I see that," Franni teased.

"I was just about to bring your breakfast up. This is two days in a row you’ve deprived us of bringing you breakfast in bed."

"Yeah, Mama. We wanted to bring you breakfast!"

"Would you prefer I went back upstairs?"

Franni was trying her best to look serious when she asked the question, but he could see by the lines around her mouth and eyes that she wanted to laugh.

"Yes, Mama." Gia huffed.

She was going to be a handful as a teenager and damn did he hope he was still around to see it. Each day she came a little more out of her shell, and he was all for it.

"I guess I'll go crawl back into bed."

Blayd tossed her a wink before she turned around and he was happy to see she smiled at him in return. It wasn't just Gia who was coming out of her shell. Little by little, it was clear he was breaking down the walls that surrounded Franni. But did she know she was doing the same to him?

He waited until he heard Franni on the stairs before he turned back to Gia and said, "Let's finish putting Mommy's breakfast on the tray and then we can take it up to her."

"She ruined the surprise." Gia didn't look nearly as upset as her words implied.

"Don't worry. There will be plenty of times to surprise her in the future." At least he hoped so. He had to assume he would have a few weeks to work with after they got rid of Vito. Finding a new place to start over wouldn't be easy, and if there was anything he learned from Franni so far, it was that she didn't jump feetfirst into anything. She took the time to make sure she had a plan in place. He would just have to use that time to make her realize there was nothing wrong with staying.

Not waiting for him to give her the go-ahead, Gia charged up the steps as soon as the last plate was set down on the tray. Following her up with a shake of the head, Blayd listened as little feet charged across the floor and onto the bed.

"Surprise!" Gia hollered before he had the chance to get into the room. "Well, not really, but that's what I planned to say." The little girl's excitement was infectious. Sliding into the room, he set the tray down on the nightstand.

"Yeah, surprise." His words were said much softer and only a few inches away from her face. He had to fight down the urge to brush his lips across her cheek. It was becoming harder and harder for him to remember why he needed to stay away for a little bit longer.

"Thank you."

The hint of pink on the apple of her cheeks just might be his new favorite color.

"I have to meet with my team this morning, but I want you to enjoy breakfast. Gia was excited to make it for you."

He left out the part where he was equally excited to serve her in bed. Normally the thought of anything romantic would send him running in the other direction, but for her, he wanted to do the little things.

"Okay."

It was best he slipped away now before he said, or did, something he would regret. They had an enemy to eliminate before he could even think of getting too close to her.

"So we can't find anything on this Renando guy? Seriously? Is that what you’re telling me right now?”

"Nothing. Zilch. Nada," Bree confirmed. "Vito doesn't exactly have a directory for his guards, so it’s not like there’s a list of people who work for him. Franni wasn't lying when she said his enemies have no idea who the man is. Even Interpol doesn't have a name for him or a picture. Every surveillance shot shows a different guard. It's rare that one is pictured more than twice, and based on the description Franni gave us, I haven't been able to lock in on one guy being the man she's referring to."

"So he's a damn ghost," Daniel grumbled.

"Pretty much." Bree's voice was full of regret. "At least with Il Diavolo, we had a reputation to work with. This guy has nothing. If I wasn't so sure that Franni was telling us the truth, I would think the man didn't exist."

He agreed with Bree. There was no mistaking the fear in Franni's eyes when she spoke about Vito's head of security. That fear wasn't something that a person could fake. She was truly petrified of the man, and knowing they had no way to identify him was a problem.

"Our best bet is to take pictures of every man we kill at the compound and show her their faces so that we can confirm his identity," Black sighed. He didn't like that option any more than his boss did. "Liam reported in this morning. They can't get close enough to recon or get us pictures. Not without tipping off Vito that we know about his location. The compound is secured up tight. The only good thing is they seem to keep to a rigid schedule. It’ll be easy enough for us to hit at a designated time."

Yay for small favors.

"I'm surprised that someone as good as Renando seems to be would allow a predictable security rotation. Anyone with experience knows to change up patrols," Steel questioned.

"Unless they have fail-safes in place."

Daniel was right. They would need to make sure they were cautious when moving through the compound. Vito's men have proven over the years that they don't have any issues taking themselves out if it meant protecting Vito.

"You think Renando and the guards will also end their lives before we can torture them for information?" Not that torture was the plan. As long as Vito was on the compound, the mission would be to eliminate everyone.

"We don't want it to come to that," Black confirmed. "Liam is set up so that they can keep tabs on the comings and goings. So far, Vito hasn't left the compound. The plan is to fly over in a few days and end this."

"Who are you bringing in to stay with Franni and Gia?" Kendra would stay, so he knew that would make her feel comfortable, but strangers would be a tougher sell. He saw it in her expression as soon as he told her. She didn't have to say anything for him to know how she felt about the situation.

"I'm flying one of the teams out from Boston. They’ll be here at oh three hundred. Kendra's team will also be an hour out, monitoring incoming flights and travel. Kendra, of course, will stay in the house with Franni. The Boston team will rotate between staying outside and getting rack time in some of the apartments. Hopefully, Franni will never have to interact with them, but she’ll be briefed of their faces in case someone breaches the property."

That made him feel better, and would make Franni more comfortable.

"Are we interrogating Vito or just killing him." He wanted to know how quickly he could kill the man.

"Ending his miserable life and all those on the compound. I want this over once and for all."

He agreed with Black. It was time this was done. For Franni's sake. For Karlie's sake. And for every other woman who was forced to endure his level of hell. All because Vito had a complex.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The longer Blayd was gone, the more time she had to think about everything that happened. Or more importantly, what didn't happen, unfortunately.

She honestly thought that, after being raped by Vito repeatedly, sex with another person wouldn't hold any appeal. And yet that morning, when she jumped in the shower after having breakfast in bed, she found herself wanting to touch herself to thoughts of him; especially the image of him in the shower holding her daughter.

And how defined his back was after she helped him remove his shirt. Who knew a back could be so sexy? She hadn't until she got an eyeful of Blayd's. And the way his arms flexed as he held Gia and washed her up. Now she understood why in college people would talk about arm porn. It was a real thing, and Blayd had it in spades.

Then there was the fact that he had been so gentle with Gia. Last night she had been so sure her ovaries were going to explode that it had taken every ounce of strength she possessed not to snatch her daughter away from him and leave right that moment.

She had been scared. Now that Blayd wasn't around, she could admit that. Not scared of him, but of the feelings he evoked in her. There were a million reasons she shouldn't have been looking at him as anything more than the man helping her. That wasn't the case though. She saw the man he was and liked it.

She appreciated that he opened up to her. She had the feeling he didn't do that very often and something inside her clicked into place when he did. It made her feel like she was special to him.

"Mama, do you think we can stay here forever?"

Gia's question startled her out of her thoughts. They were outside. Gia was playing on the swing set and she was enjoying the sunshine on one of the new patio chairs.

"Is that what you want?"

The thought had occurred to her, but she quickly pushed it away. Could she really stay in the first place that she landed? This was only supposed to be a stopover, but after two days in the house, it already felt like home, despite not picking out a single thing for it. This place felt natural and like where she belonged, unlike the mansion she lived in for the past five years.

"I love my bedroom and that I can play outside. The people are so nice."

That was all true but was it reason enough to stay? A bedroom could be replicated. A play set could be purchased and placed in any backyard. But could she find the friendships that she found here?

Karlie had been victimized by Franni’s own husband, and yet she never felt closer to a person in her life. The woman didn't blame her, nor did she hold any ill will for what had been done to her. One conversation and she knew they would be fast friends.

Bree had gone out of her way to help in every way she could. The woman was everything Franni wanted to be in life. Outspoken with a don't-care attitude that she loved and wanted to emulate. Not to mention how sweet Bree had been, and not at all overbearing. The first thing Bree told her, as things were being delivered, was that anything she didn't like could be returned. And it was said with complete honesty. Maybe that was why she loved everything Bree picked. There was no pressure to enjoy it.

Addison, Emma, and Kendra were amazing in their own rights. They appeared fearless and ready to take on the world. She wanted to possess a quarter of their confidence.

"Mama, are you listening to me?"

"I'm sorry. Mommy was thinking about what you said about the people being nice. I got lost in my thoughts. What did you say?"

Her daughter huffed like the thought of repeating herself was the most annoying thing she would have to do today. "I said I really like Blayd and Addison's dog, Lady. Maybe we can get a puppy one day, so I have someone to play with."

Oh geez. That conversation escalated quickly. From friends to puppies. Where was a decent distraction when she needed one?

"Hello?"

Ask and you shall receive. Franni’s heart soared until she realized the visitor wasn’t Blayd.

"Lady!" Gia raced out of the playhouse and charged straight for the dog.

"I hope it's okay that we stopped over. The team is still meeting, and Lady was in need of fresh air. She's been missing her pups lately."

From what Franni gathered, Addison rescued Lady from a horrible owner. Not long after, Lady gave birth, but that was back in Addison's hometown. As soon as the puppies went up for adoption, Lady was brought back here. That was only a few days before Franni arrived.

"Of course it's okay. Gia was just talking about Lady and maybe getting a dog."

Her daughter was rolling around in the yard with an overly excited dog while Addison joined Franni on the porch.

"Oh no. I probably didn't help any by stopping over." Addison frowned.

"No, it's totally fine. Dogs weren't something she was allowed to have when we lived with Vito, so it was only a matter of time before she asked."

"I can't imagine all the things she wasn't allowed to have. I mean, I figured her life was a little sheltered since Blayd asked us to go all out when we ordered things, but I didn't realize it was that bad."

"I made the best out of what we had. Yes, we were stuck inside most of the time, but it allowed us to be close, to play games together, and on the rare occasion we went to the park, Gia soaked up all the fun. It was where she saw a dog for the first time."

Gia had known better to ask for one back home. She couldn't even request toys. An animal would've been out of the question.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to suggest you weren't a good mother. I was bashing Vito and how evil he was for being rich and not buying her affection." Addison winced. "Okay, that sounded so much better in my head."

Franni chuckled. "I know what you meant. And believe me, I'm happy Vito ignored her as much as he did. I know, as a mother, it's not nice that I want my daughter denied affection, but Vito didn't have any to offer. If he hadn't been ignoring her, he would've been trying to control her and mold her into the person he wanted. I refused to let that happen. Don’t get me wrong, Gia never lacked affection from me or even from the staff when they could sneak it in. The only person who denied her anything was Vito and him ignoring her was the best thing for her."

"And you've done an amazing job. As soon as you told us who you were, I was expecting a traumatized child and mother. Gia is very well-adjusted, and she looks happy. And you are a survivor. One of the strongest women I know."

She pointed to herself as if to say who, me?

"Yes, you," Addison laughed. "Strength looks different for different people. Emma's strength comes from losing her daughter and then having to spend years working for the man who was hired to kill her. Your strength comes from protecting your daughter at all costs and taking whatever punishment, I'm sure, resulted from shielding her."

Talk about hitting the nail on the head. That was a little too close to the truth for her liking.

"Is it that obvious?"

"That you would protect your daughter with your life, or that Vito regularly beat you? A woman doesn't travel halfway across the world to complete strangers for refuge unless that man is the worst of the worst."

"I was lucky in some ways. There were times when Vito ignored us for weeks. We had a roof over our heads and food for our bellies. There are a lot of people who had much worse."

Karlie for example; Franni’s months in captivity were nothing like what Karlie endured. It’s fortunate that Karlie didn't have to see Vito for the majority of the time she was held, but her conditions were deplorable.

"I think it's admirable that you can find the silver lining after everything that's happened."

"Me too."

Franni nearly jumped out of her seat at the new voice. It made her feel better to see Addison had a similar reaction.

"Jesus Christ!" Addison slapped backwards and hit Blayd's leg. "You can't go around scaring people like that!"

The man had the audacity to smirk at the two of them.

"Not my fault the two of you were so entranced with your discussion that you didn't hear me come in. And what kind of guard dog doesn't bark at a new person?"

Blayd was shaking his head at Lady, who was still rolling around the yard with Gia.

"First off,” Addison shot back, “Lady isn't a guard dog. She's my best friend. Second of all, can't you see who has her attention? Would you want to stop what you were doing if someone was rubbing your belly?"

The look Blayd gave Franni was sure to set her body on fire. It was several long seconds before she could convince herself to look away from his stunning blue eyes. Meeting Addison's amused smirk wasn't much better. She could feel the heat rise up her neck and through her face.

"I'm going to go see if Bree is in need of any assistance. Why don't I leave Lady here so that she can keep Gia entertained?"

Addison had the nerve to wiggle her eyebrows before she slinked off. Next time she was alone with Addison she would need to remind the woman that she was still married, which put Blayd completely off-limits, no matter how he looked at her.

"So how did your meeting go?"

She needed a safer topic. Preferably one that didn't make her blush.

"Not great. Liam checked in. We can't seem to get a lock on Renando and Interpol doesn't have anything on him. Based on what you said, I'm assuming Vito preferred it that way."

"I never got the chance to learn anything about Renando. He was always watching me, and truthfully? He gave me the creeps. The little I do know is because Vito used him as a threat, or on the rare occasions we ate together, Renando would joke about his invisible status."

"Is that why, when you first mentioned him, you had a disgusted look on your face?"

So much for being able to hide her expressions. She had done a great job of it when she was around Vito. But Blayd? Not so much. Guess it was time to give him a little more insight into what her life was like.

"Vito liked to have people watch when he came to my bed. He didn't much care who saw or heard, but Renando particularly seemed to enjoy it more than the others."

"Those sons of bitches," Blayd hissed. "I'm going to enjoy killing each and every one of them."

That should bother her. Talking about killing people should make her cringe, but instead, it heated her insides. Just knowing that Blayd cared enough to want to end those who hurt her sent butterflies exploding throughout her belly.

"I know I keep saying this, but thank you."

Blayd dropped down into the chair that Addison vacated and looked Franni dead in the eye.

"You don't need to thank me for dealing with Vito. He was on our list to begin with. We should be thanking you for helping us with that. But just know, I will take immense pleasure in killing him. I will enjoy every minute of it."

He sure knew what to say and when to say it. The smile that transformed her lips felt great.

"Blayd!" Gia broke the intense stare-down she and Blayd had gotten themselves into. "You're back!"

"I am and I'm free the rest of the afternoon. How do you think we should spend the day?"

Gia looked to be seriously contemplating the question. Franni waited in anticipation of what her daughter would ask for. So far there was nothing Blayd had denied Gia, but just how far would that go?

"We should have a tea party and then play dress-up. Maybe make some cookies and, oh oh oh! Watch a movie! I love princess movies!"

She needed to try and let down her daughter in the gentlest way possible. She couldn't imagine Blayd would be eager to do all of those things, but once again he surprised her.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea. How about you show me what we need for the tea party and I can help you set it up?"

"Can Lady come too?"

"Of course. Miss Addison left her with us, so it would be rude to exclude her."

"Yay!" Gia ran into the house with Lady on her heels, and all Franni could do was sit there in shock. Just when she thought Blayd couldn't get any more perfect, he had to go and prove her wrong.

"You coming?"

"I just need a minute."

Blayd tilted his head and gave her a look like he was trying to puzzle her out. Good luck. I don't even know what I'm thinking.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You don't have to do everything she asks, you know."

The words were out of her mouth before she could think better of it. Now Blayd's normally blue eyes darkened like a storm. She knew she was in for a rude awakening when he leaned down close and put his hands on the arms of her chair, pinning her to it.

"I know I don't have to do anything." His tone was deep and husky. It sent a good kind of shiver over her body. "I agreed because I want to. I want to spend time with your daughter. I want to show her that she matters and that she can ask me for anything. I want her to know that I care about her." Blayd leaned even closer and she couldn't take her attention off him even if she wanted to. "And I especially want her to know how lucky any man would be to be her father."

Holy moly. If it were possible to orgasm just from words, she would have right that moment. There was something extremely sexy about a man who showed loving possessiveness of a child. If she thought he was attractive when he took care of Gia, it was nothing compared to how those words made her feel.

Thank goodness he walked away before she could say anything in return. She wasn't sure there was anything to say. All she knew was that the minute she needed before was now more like ten. Just enough time to bring her heart rate back to a respectable rhythm. If that was possible.

Perfect. That was the only way to describe how their day was. After taking almost thirty minutes instead of the ten she promised herself, she walked into Gia's room to find Blayd sitting in a ridiculously small chair, having tea with her daughter and a few of her stuffed animals.

If that didn't melt her heart, then it was most definitely when he willingly dressed up like a princess and allowed Gia to make him beautiful. Her daughter's words. And throughout the entire process, Blayd had not only been a champ, but he encouraged each step.

The man was going to make one heck of a girl dad one day. Would it be to her daughter? The jury was still out on that one but what she did know was that with each new development, he put her heart back together.

Now it was time for bed. Gia had requested Blayd read her a story, and like the good man that he was, he had done so without a single hesitation. That was two hours ago, and if she didn't crawl into bed soon, she was going to fall flat on her face.

The problem was, she made the mistake of coming downstairs to get a drink of water and witnessed firsthand Blayd setting up his bed on the couch.

"You can't sleep on that thing. It's not even big enough for you." She really should've kept her mouth shut.

"I've slept on worse things, and I'm not sure if you noticed, but the spare bedroom set hasn't arrived yet. At least, I assume Bree ordered one."

And that was why she should've kept her mouth shut. There wasn't exactly another option for him.

"You can sleep in the bed in the master bedroom. It's big enough and we proved last night we could make it work."

When did her mouth take over? It was like the dang thing had a mind of its own. It wasn't even giving her the opportunity to think about what was going to come flying out.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"And why's that?"

"Because I'll be tempted to touch you and we both know that can't happen just yet."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Had he really spent the night in the same bed as Franni?

After she made the suggestion, he had sworn up and down to himself that nothing would change his mind. Turns out it wasn't just Gia he couldn't say no to; just minutes later, he was doing his best to take up very little room in the king-sized bed.

By some miracle, he had fallen asleep without touching her. He thanked exhaustion for that, but that's where the miracle ended. Because right now he was waking up, and he wasn't alone.

What he really meant was, he wasn't alone on his side of the bed. At some point during the night, Franni had wiggled her way over and was now using his chest as a pillow. As if by instinct, his arm had somehow snaked behind her and was holding on to her shoulder, while her arm was slung over his stomach. One of her legs was draped over his, and her knee was dangerously close to stroking a certain part of his anatomy that had no business making friends with her. Not yet anyway.

The worst part of it all? She fit perfectly in his arm and he would rather get blown up with a grenade than chance waking her just yet. How pathetic did that make him? Married women were supposed to be a big no-go. Right now he should've been putting as much distance as humanly possible, but instead, he was soaking up how she felt, knowing that the second she woke up, she would be hightailing her ass out of the bed.

Right on cue, Blayd felt the first flinch. Then the deep exhale, and finally the dreaded words.

"Oh no . . ."

Before he could reassure Franni that it was fine, she was scrambling off him and effectively kneeing him in the balls in the process.

"Shit," he hissed.

"Oh my gosh!" He didn't need to look over at her to know she was freaking out, but he found Franni's face anyway. Her mouth was dropped open in a perfect O and her hands flew to cover her mouth. They were doing their best to hide how scared she was. "I didn't mean to knee you there!"

"It's good. I'm good. Everything's good."

It really wasn't, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Not when she looked like a deer in headlights.

Keeping his hands away from his sore balls, Blayd pushed himself up so that his back was resting against the headboard.

"See? I'm totally fine."

Thank goodness for years of masking how he felt.

"I didn't mean to … you know …" She waved her hand around the bed. He wasn't entirely sure what she was referring to, so he raised his eyebrow in question. "I didn't mean to invade your space like that. I guess I slept so soundly that I don't remember rolling over to your side."

Damn, he wanted to preen like a peacock. He too had slept well, and he was thinking it had something to do with her, and not how tired he was.

"It's fine." That word was starting to annoy even his own ears, but he couldn't come up with a better one at the moment. "I only woke up a few minutes before you did."

"Are you sure?"

He really wished he could convince her to be more confident. It sucked that it was so ingrained in her to question everything.

"I promise."

"Okay, well, I'm going to go check on Gia."

Franni dashed from the bed, which was probably for the best. He had a raging boner he needed to take care of, and he wasn't sure even his ninja skills would've been able to keep her from seeing just how much she affected him. Being kicked in the nuts or not, his dick wanted her and it didn't care how many times he said “not yet.”

Once he was sure the coast was clear, he did his best to adjust himself and headed straight downstairs to where he kept his stuff. He could hear Franni and Gia talking, but he wanted to give them some time together.

Besides, he was in need of a reset. Maybe talking to someone would help. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea, and there was only one person he could talk to.

Before he could talk himself out of his plan, he was getting dressed and rushing out the door. A handful of steps later he was knocking on a different front door.

"What the fuck?" he heard from the other side of the door, right before it swung open with such force he was sure it would smack his teammate in the face.

"Is someone dead?"

"Ah, no."

"Is there an emergency?"

"Also, no."

"Then why the fuck are you knocking on my door at the crack of dawn? I know you don't have anyone warming your bed, but some of us do."

Now wasn't the time to explain to his teammate that he had, in fact, woken up with a woman in his arms. It would just make the conversation that much worse and he doubted Franni would want others to know.

"Chance, leave Blayd the hell alone."

The old Blayd would've smirked at the fact that Bree was defending him to her significant other. The new Blayd actually felt bad that he was interrupting.

"Mind if I borrow you?"

"Yes."

"No."

Chance wasn't happy, but Bree knew Blayd well enough that if he was knocking this early, then it must've been important. She was the one who wanted to see the real him. Well, now she would.

"Let me just go throw something else on. Chance, let him in."

His teammate grumbled but did as he was told. No shocker there. Everyone knew that Bree was the one who wore the pants in that relationship.

"You better not have any funny business planned," Chance snapped at him.

Blayd put his hands up to ward off the argument he knew he deserved. "I swear this isn't about that. I need some advice and Bree said when I was ready for it, she would help."

This time, Chance looked at him like he wasn't sure if he believed what Blayd said or not. Or maybe he was stunned by the seriousness in his tone. Being serious wasn't exactly something he was known for. Being a ball buster was more up his alley. Or at least that's what his team thought.

"Let's go out back." Bree skipped down the stairs and pulled Chance in for what was probably supposed to be a quick peck, but her hubby wasn't having it. Like a dog staking his claim, Chance took the opportunity to kiss her as if no one was looking.

By the time his teammate let her go, Bree was out of breath and he looked away to keep from feeling like a voyeur.

"That wasn't necessary, but I appreciate it anyway. I'll be sure to make it up to you soon."

Bree winked before taking Blayd’s hand and dragging him out onto the porch.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your morning."

Bree waved him off. "Oh, please. It's not like we don't bang multiple times a day anyway. Chance can wait a few extra minutes. It won't kill him."

That was far too much information for him.

"Now, what has brought you here so early in the morning?"

Where did he even begin? Blayd opened his mouth, and before he could overthink it, he let everything spill out.

He told her about his girlfriend in the Army. He explained how he swore off relationships and made sure that his friends only dated women who were good enough for them. He poured his heart out, and didn't bother hiding a single detail. He even went as far as to explain his feelings toward Franni and how he wished both she and Gia would stay when things were all over.

"Okay, wow." Bree blinked a few times. "That's a lot more than I expected."

He tried not to look embarrassed, despite feeling exactly that.

"So that's why you flirt with us." Bree looked at him like she was seeing him for the first time. "You're testing us to make sure we are worthy of your friends."

It wasn't a question. Bree was smart; she had already guessed that there was more to him and all it took was him giving her the final piece of the puzzle. He nodded his head in confirmation.

"I never wanted my friends to go through what I put another man through. Even if it wasn't intentional."

"Why the hell didn't you speak up and say that? Instead, you let your teammates think you were a dick, and they were mad at you left and right."

Explaining what he was doing would've meant he had to open up and that wasn't something he was ready for. Not until now. Not until he woke up with Franni wrapped around him and he didn't know what to do about it.

"It was better they were mad at me than cuckolded."

Bree didn't look like she agreed with him, but that was her prerogative. He stood by what he did.

"Does that mean you haven't made a move on Franni?"

"Not that it's any of your business, well, I guess it is since I asked you, but no, I haven't. Aside from waking up with her sleeping on me, I've kept my hands to myself."

He didn't bother to tack on that he wanted to. Waking up with her wrapped in his arms had been a lesson in self-control, one he had been so sure he was going to fail. He wasn't surprised that Bree was asking though; everyone on his team could see the sexual tension between them.

"We need to move up the timeline. If you're waiting for what I think you're waiting for, then we need it done ASAP."

"No." He shook his head. "We need it done right. We can't just take out Vito. We need to eliminate his entire organization."

He would never forgive himself if he placed a target on Franni’s and Gia's backs because they moved too fast and screwed things up. Destroying everyone in Vito's organization was the only way to ensure no one would seek revenge. For once in his life he was thinking with his proper head, not the one dangling between his legs.

"It's strange."

"What is?" He couldn't fathom what Bree was mumbling about or why she had that weird look on her face.

"Watching you take this so seriously. It's like you grew up right in front of my eyes." She wiped a pretend tear from her cheek. "I'm a proud mama."

"Shut up." He bumped her shoulder. Fake flirting with Bree had been the hardest because he genuinely liked her. Ten seconds in her presence and he knew they would be fast friends. If she had reciprocated his advances, it would've broken his heart. Thankfully, she was exactly the person he thought she was.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Well, she screwed that up. So much for convincing Blayd that the bed was big enough. She never slept well, and it was the first night in years that she’d slept completely through the night. And why was that? It probably had something to do with the fact that at some point, her subconscious had decided that Blayd's chest would make a great pillow.

The sucky part was, it really had made a fantastic pillow. When she had started to come back to the land of the conscious, the first thing her sleepy brain had thought was just how comfortable she was. It hadn't been until she moved the slightest that she realized it wasn't a pillow beneath her head but a t-shirt-covered chest. A very muscular chest, if she was being honest.

But then she freaked out and kneed him in the nuts. Blayd swore he was fine but the fact that he left the house as soon as he got dressed said otherwise. Now it had been over an hour and still no Blayd. She was starting to think he changed his mind about staying in her house.

"Mama, will Blayd be joining us for breakfast?"

And that right there was why she hadn't wanted to let him get so close. It only took three mornings and now Gia expected to find Blayd at their table. It was going to be a nightmare if he suddenly stopped showing up.

"I'm not sure, sweetie. I think he had somewhere he needed to be this morning." Gah, she sucked at lying. And did she really think Gia was going to just accept that response?

No. No, she didn't.

"Where did he have to be?" 

"Uh . . ." She was still trying to formulate a response when she heard the front door open. A moment later, Blayd strolled in with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, peanut." He winked at her daughter, but walked straight over to Franni and leaned in. "Sorry I left. I had to take care of something quick."

Okay, that was something she wasn't used to, but she found she really liked it. One sentence and all the anxiety she had felt since hearing him sneak out suddenly slipped away.

"Blayd, Mama made omelets for breakfast."

"Yum." Blayd joined Gia at the table. "I love omelets.”

"I made one for you as well."

Because she had secretly hoped he would come back and join them just like he did each morning. She was a goner. She just wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet.

"Thank you for that."

It was the way his eyes softened at her that made her heart flutter. He knew just how to weaken her, and the sad part was it didn't take much on his part. Somehow, in less than a week, he had made her putty in his hands. She wanted to be upset by it, but for some reason, the resolve she once had was slipping away. 

They chatted throughout breakfast, though Gia did most of the talking. She announced what they would do today, and asked Blayd an assortment of random questions. Franni loved that she could sit back and watch the interaction. For so long, she had been the center of her daughter's universe, but it was nice to see how comfortable she was becoming with others. Especially Blayd. Anyone looking on would assume Blayd was her father; not because of their looks but the way they interacted. The love the two of them shared was immediate and all-consuming. There was a comfort that most couldn't build, even after years of knowing each other.

When it was time to go outside, Addison came over with Lady and once again allowed the dog to stay and hang out. The arrangement was kind of perfect. It gave Gia the time to acclimate to a pet without actually having the immediate responsibility, considering they didn't know where they would be in a month.

"Are you going to let her get a dog?"

Blayd pulled her from her thoughts. The two of them had fallen into a comfortable silence on the patio.

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe once we get settled into our life."

Her response caused Blayd to tip his lips down in a frown.

"That makes sense,” he replied. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, the team and I are leaving soon. We should have enough info to finally take out Vito."

The change of subject jarred her at first, but then she realized this was it. The moment she had been hoping and praying for. She had contemplated asking for one last favor, but wasn't sure until now if she would go through with it. There was just one more confession she needed to get off her chest before Blayd left.

"I need you to tell Vito something for me. Not until you're sure he's going to die though."

"What is it you want him to know?"

It was now or never. The one secret she had kept from everyone. Not even Alice and Leonardo knew the truth.

"I need you to tell him Gia isn't his daughter."

The shocked look on Blayd's face would be hilarious if the conversation wasn't such a serious one.

"I'm sorry, what?"

That was pretty much how she expected him to respond. Her request was completely out of left field and she knew it would throw Blayd for a loop.

"Gia isn't Vito's daughter. I found out a week after we got married that I was pregnant."

"But I thought Vito required his brides to be virgins?"

This time she did allow the laugh to escape. It felt so good to know that she could finally share how she had pulled one over on her dear husband.

"Oh, he did. I was informed of the arranged marriage two weeks before the ceremony. At the time, I was seeing this guy. Nothing serious. I wasn't even sure I liked him that much, but we had been dating for a few weeks and I was mad that my parents had found a new way to control my life. I had no intention of giving this guy my virginity, but after my parents told me about Vito, I said screw it. I was going to do something for myself. I snuck out and willingly gave him the one thing Vito demanded I keep."

She stopped to take a deep breath.

"The original plan was to tell my parents so they would be forced to confess the truth, and Vito would break the engagement."

"I'm guessing you never told them."

She shook her head.

"When I snuck back in, I overheard my parents talking about the marriage. They knew I’d left and were worried about what would happen if Vito found out. My father said Vito would kill me and the man I might have been with. My mother was more concerned about losing out on the money, so they agreed not to say anything. I never let them know I overheard what they said, but I knew I couldn't say anything. I didn't care about the money, and it only took one time for me to realize I didn't have any feelings for the guy, but I didn't want him murdered. Not when his only offense was knowing me."

"Vito murdered him anyway, didn't he?"

Unwanted tears leaked from her eyes. She may not have cared for the man, but he was Gia's father. A man her daughter would never get the chance to know simply because Vito was jealous that her mother had slept with someone before him.

"He was murdered during the wedding. One of Vito’s men showed me the picture just thirty minutes after I was forced to say I do. I could see the smiles on my parents’ faces. They were so happy knowing that the secret they kept from him would never get out."

"They didn't realize Vito would kill them as well."

This time, the laugh that escaped wasn't one of happiness, but more sinister.

"Served them right. They didn't love me. They saw me as a way to make themselves rich. The agreement was they couldn't claim the money until six months after the marriage. Vito killed them the day before the six-month anniversary. They never got to spend the riches they sold their daughter for."

She remembered the day Vito told her that her parents were dead. He had thought the news would be accepted with tears and sorrow. Instead, she had laughed and told him good for them. The smack across the face had been worth it to see the anger in his eyes knowing she hadn't broken yet.

In hindsight, she shouldn't have provoked him. She had been six months pregnant and her daughter's life meant more to her than her parents, but dang had it felt good knowing they got what they deserved.

"How did you manage to keep it from Vito?"

She let out an unladylike snort. "Vito was so happy that I was immediately pregnant that he didn't bother to question it. I was prepared though. If anyone asked, I would tell them Gia came early. Fortunately for me, she was a small baby to begin with, so they would've believed it, and really? What was two weeks?"

Two weeks had turned out to be the difference between her daughter having a sweet father and the possibility of being conceived by a monster.

"Wow. So all this time, he never knew?"

Franni shook her head. "I'm guessing you looked up Vito's history." She waited for Blayd to confirm. "He was married three times before me and none of those wives managed to give him the one thing he wanted—an heir to his throne. When he found out I was pregnant, he couldn't stop shouting it from the rooftops. At least until he realized she was a girl. The disappointment was evident, but at least he was able to squash the rumors that he couldn't conceive a child."

"But they weren't rumors."

She just smiled, glad that Blayd understood where she was going with things.

"If there was one thing that bothered Vito more than anything, it was the fact that people thought there was something wrong with him. The head of the Mafia couldn't possibly be sterile. That was too much of a flaw. That's what I want you to make sure he realizes before he dies. Four wives and none of us could give him the child he wanted. Kinda means he was the problem, not us."

And boy, did he love to throw that in her face every month when she got her period, instead of giving him the boy he needed to pass down his legacy to. It was always her fault. Never his. Well, the man could die knowing that he failed and not her. He could rot with the knowledge that he would be the end of his horrible family line.

Blayd chuckled. "I would say that's diabolical, but really it's genius."

"I want it to be the last thing he thinks about as he takes his final breath."

"Remind me never to piss you off."

The upturn of his lips gave him away, and she liked that he was teasing her. The comfort they shared was something she never had with another human being.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Team one to team two," Daniel's voice came over his mic. "Radio check."

Blayd, Daniel, Steel, and Jaxson were all team one. They would breach the main house and take care of Vito and whoever else they encountered on the way.

"Team two. Radio check good," Liam answered. Team two consisted of Liam, Gage, and Chance. They were set up in sniper nests a hundred yards away. They would pick off Vito's guards and provide cover until the coast was clear, then enter the property to help eliminate any stragglers. With any luck, the whole thing would only take a few minutes.

Based on the information Liam provided from his recon, Vito's guards were a bit on the lazy side and predictable. The team chose the wee hours of the morning because that’s when the fewest number of guards were moving throughout the grounds; a fatal mistake that no professional guard would ever make. It was a good thing Vito didn't hire professionals. Or more accurately, he only hired ones that were disposable.

"Be ready to move in five, four . . ." The rest of the countdown wasn't needed by Daniel. His team moved in a familiar pattern. Shots rang out by either side, more so from his team than Vito's. The men who flooded out from the guard house and quarters were a sloppy mess. They were still arming themselves as they stepped out of the doors, allowing his team to get shots off before their weapons were ever raised.

Blayd was stepping over another dead body when a noise behind him had him swinging around, his rifle at the ready. But before he could even consider pulling the trigger, the man stumbled forward and fell flat on his face. A result of a bullet to the back of the head.

"Thank you," Blayd sighed to whoever saved his life. Unlike his counterparts, this man had been ready to shoot and would've before Blayd did. His finger had been squeezing the trigger with the faintest amount of pressure. One second more and Blayd would've been dead. He didn't like how close he had come to never seeing Franni or Gia again.

"Don't mention it," Gage replied.

Blayd continued his quest through the yard and met Steel at the front door. He tapped his teammate's shoulder, signaling the plan, and the two of them smashed the door with two solid kicks. Wood splintered through the air, the force of the kicks leaving the remaining piece of door hanging off one of the hinges.

He took the left, Steel took the right, and the two of them cleared the house methodically. The mansion was large, but based on what Franni had told them, most guards weren't allowed to enter. It wasn't until the kitchen that he finally found someone. A man, who couldn’t have been much older than twenty, was wielding a knife, and his lack of training was evident.

Dropping his rifle and allowing the sling to catch it, Blayd opted for hand-to-hand combat. The kid standing in front of him was nothing more than that––a kid. Killing him with a bullet to the forehead seemed too brutal but he couldn't allow the man to live.

The first slash of the knife was uncoordinated and easy enough to dodge. Blayd followed up the attack with a punch to the guy's kidney. Just as he suspected, the knife tumbled out of the kid's hand as he went down on his knees. It was almost unfair how unevenly they were matched.

But he had to give the kid guts. He stumbled his way back up and tried to swing out with his fists.

Enough was enough. He didn't have time for this. His primary goal was to kill Vito, and as much as it bothered him to do it, Blayd swung the kid around until he was standing behind him, his arm around the kid's neck. With one brutal twist, he snapped it.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were planning to end it."

Daniel stood in the shadows of one of the archways and didn't step out until he was done talking.

"I'm not fond of killing someone so young. I needed to be sure whose side he was on."

It was one of the deaths that would stay on his conscience for a while. While he was great at compartmentalizing, some were harder to push away than others.

"Steel found Vito. He's waiting for you."

"Lead the way."

All thoughts of the kid disappeared. Now the only thing he was focused on was ending the sick son of a bitch.

Daniel led him upstairs to one of the bedrooms, and sure enough, lying on the floor was a half-naked Vito. Steel stood guard over the piece of shit like a god ready to hand down punishment.

But it was his punishment to dole out. Blayd stormed over and grabbed Vito by the scruff of his neck.

"We got you now, motherfucker," he spat in the asshole's face. "How does it feel knowing we got your location from your wife?" Vito's eyes turned murderous. "That's right. The wife you thought you controlled. The one who was so damn obedient. She hated your fucking guts for what you did to her. She left you and sought us out. Came to us for protection and was more than happy to tell us where to find you."

Rage coursed through his veins now that he had Vito in the palm of his hand, literally. He thought about all that Franni had told him. All the things Gia had asked him for because this man was too selfish to care about anyone but himself.

"I should've killed the bitch sooner. She and that little brat both. Renando was right. She wasn't worth it," Vito hissed.

Wrong thing to say, asshole. Blayd released Vito's neck but only long enough to snap his fist out so it connected with Vito's jaw. A satisfying crunch filled the room.

He had broken the fucker's jaw.

"Speaking of your head of security, where is the man?" He looked around the room like he actually gave a fuck. "I thought for sure he would be by your side protecting his master. Or did he run scared like the rest of your guards? Not very loyal, some of them. Oh, and who trained them? I know a four-year-old who probably could've done better."

The men his team killed weren't nearly as loyal as those who had taken their own lives to make sure that Vito was protected. It would seem that some had a good head on their shoulders. Unfortunately, they sealed their fate by not helping Franni when she needed it. Nothing they did now saved them from his and his team's wrath. They would enact justice in honor of Gia and Franni.

When he had been busy snapping the guy's neck, each of his team members had called in that the grounds were clear. There was no one left alive except Vito.

"Renando knows what to do. He would've made sure that my wishes were executed with precision." Vito tried to spit at him, but all he managed to do was dribble blood down his face. Pathetic.

"And what does that mean?"

Vito was up to something, but he couldn't fathom what it would be. He had to know his life was over.

"I'll never tell. You're going to kill me anyway. I just hope the slut's pussy is worth the destruction that's coming."

Fuck this.

Blayd raised his knife and slammed it through Vito's dick, relishing the way the man's eyes bulged out of his head and how he squealed like a pig. "That's for Franni. You thought raping her and smacking her around would keep her in her place, but it only made her stronger. She's worth everything."

He grabbed a second knife from the sheath in his vest and held it to Vito's throat. His rage was no longer just coursing through his veins, it was boiling over.

"But I'm going to fill you in on a little secret before I send your ass to hell." Blayd leaned in close, enjoying the terror leaking out of the Mafia boss. He wasn't so tough now. So many months they chased the piece of shit thinking he would be a worthy opponent, but the reality was, Vito was nothing but a scared millionaire who thought he was tough.

"Gia isn't your daughter." He laughed when Vito's eyes got as big as a saucer. "That's right. Franni pulled one over on you. That sweet little girl was conceived by the man you murdered so you could steal Franni. She was never a virgin when you married her. You're sterile. Your line dies with you. Your legacy dies with you. And I'm going to enjoy sending you where you belong." In one quick slice, he severed the tendons and cut right through the jugular. "Enjoy hell, you motherfucker."

He watched the life fade out of Vito's stricken eyes, and the blood pour off of his body. He fulfilled his promise. Vito died knowing how worthless he was.

Blayd waited an extra few seconds just to be sure, not that anyone could survive a slice like that. He had cut so deep it wouldn't take much to detach the head from the rest of the body.

"Sadistic, man." Steel clamped his hand down on his shoulder. "I know I said I wanted a piece of him, but damn did you do both Franni and Karlie justice."

"Franni requested that those were the last words this piece of shit heard," he said, as he kicked Vito's dead body. "She wanted to make sure he knew how insignificant of a man he was. I was just happy to honor it."

"So Gia isn't his?" Jaxson confirmed.

"Nope, the timing didn't add up for him to be the father. She was already pregnant when she got married, she just didn't know it until right after the wedding."

Right after the asshole raped her for the first time. It all made sense now, why every time Franni referred to Vito, she said his name and never once called him her little girl’s father.

"Good for Gia. Hell, good for Franni." Daniel smirked. "Neither of them ever need to worry about what was passed down genetically."

Before anyone could say anything else, the floor they stood on shook with the vibrations from something exploding outside.

"What the fuck was that?" Daniel demanded. "Team two check in!"

The rest of the team was supposed to have moved to their location, now that the grounds were cleared. They would've been taking pictures of the dead in hopes of identifying Renando.

Steel rushed to one of the windows that faced the rear of the house. "The guards' quarters are gone."

"What do you fucking mean it's gone?" Daniel stomped to the window as did the rest of them.

"Someone blew the fucking place up." Jaxson sounded like he couldn't believe the words he just uttered.

Blayd looked back at Vito. So that's what the fucker meant.

"Team two, check in!" Daniel barked for the second time.

"Liam, checking in."

"Gage, checking in."

They all stood frozen as they waited for Chance’s check-in, but it didn't come.

"Does anyone have eyes on Chance?"

"He was headed towards the guards' quarters. Moving that way now."

Blayd held his breath as Liam relayed the message. His teammate was near where the blast went off.

No.

His teammate needed to be okay. They couldn't return home and tell Bree that they had lost Chance on a mission. They just couldn't.

"Found him." Everyone in the room let out a sigh at those two words. "The blast must've knocked out his comms, but he's okay."

"Jesus Christ." Daniel was the first one to speak. Everyone else was still frozen as Liam's words settled over them.

That was too close.

"Meet on the first floor." Their team leader sounded grumpier than usual, which was to be expected considering what just happened.

They moved as one down to the first floor. It didn't take long for the rest of the team to meet up with them.

"Sorry about that," Chance said as soon as he walked through the door. "My comms are shit." He pulled the piece out of his ear and shoved it into one of the pockets in his tactical pants.

"We need to clear the rest of the compound to see if there are any other surprises Vito left for us. Take pictures of everyone, and see if we can locate the housekeeper and gardener," Daniel commanded.

Shit. He almost forgot about Alice and Leonardo. Vito had him so pissed off that he couldn't see past what was happening at the moment. Probably what the man wanted. Now he would need to let Franni know he had failed in one of the tasks she asked for.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to question Vito about them before I slit his throat. He just made me so damn angry."

"It's okay." Steel clapped him on the shoulder. "Vito never would've told you anything anyway. The man was a narcissist and he only cared about himself."

It might be true, but these were the people who helped Franni. She deserved to know what happened to them.

They branched off into teams of two and again worked methodically over the entire compound. Over an hour later there was no sign of the two people who worked for Vito and nothing that hinted toward what happened to them. From what he could tell, food was made recently, so he had to assume Alice was alive within the past two days, but that's all he knew.

After a call to Black, they were informed that someone would be out to clean up the mess, including trying to identify what was assumed to be bodies in the guards' quarters. He hoped like hell that Alice and Leonardo weren't in there when it blew up, but there was no way to tell. Burnt flesh was all that would be left. Nothing was identifiable physically on the bodies to give them any clues.

By the time the team got back to the plane, Blayd was mentally drained. He should be excited that, with Vito dead, Franni could move on, but he felt like there were now more questions than he had answers to.

The major question being, would he be able to convince Franni to stay? Would she realize that she and Gia were meant to be with him? He really hoped so. If not, then he would do everything to change her mind because when he thought about his future, all he saw was them as a family.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The wait was killing her. Franni winced. Poor choice of words considering why she was pacing throughout her backyard while Gia played outside.

A day hadn't gone by since Blayd built her swing set that Gia wasn't outside playing on it. It wasn't just the swings though. Over the last week and a half, more and more toys arrived. Gia now had a bike, which she learned pretty quickly how to ride, a scooter, and equipment for every sport a four-year-old could dream of.

Did Gia like sports? That was still to be determined, but as Kendra mentioned, there was no way to find out if she didn't try. And boy were Blayd's friends determined to spoil her. She wasn't even sure who half of the stuff was from most of the time because no one would claim any of it. Bree would simply shrug and say it must've been the toy fairy.

That was some toy fairy Gia had.

"Are you going to sit down already?" Kendra's words sounded as if she was frustrated but the smirk on the woman's face said otherwise.

"I thought they would be back by now. What's taking so long?"

According to Kendra, the mission was successful. Vito was dead, as was everyone at the compound. No one from Blayd's team was hurt but she needed to see him with her own eyes to truly believe what her friend said.

"They're men. Speedy isn't exactly what they are known for, and they like to make sure they weren't followed. This place is supposed to be a secret. They want to keep it that way."

"What about the team Black brought in?"

She hadn't seen any of them, but she knew they were around. Black assured her that they would remain out of her way as long as she didn't enter the main building. Those who weren't on patrol would sleep in the apartments. She hadn't thought twice about agreeing to the stipulation. Black thought she would feel like she was a prisoner of her own home, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. She could live in this house forever and not once feel like a prisoner simply because she didn't need to guard her steps.

Vito's house was a prison. This was a home.

"They’re the equivalent to the team here, the black ops group for the Boston office. They know a thing or two about being discreet with locations."

That gave her some relief, but it did nothing to calm the nervous energy. She needed to see Blayd and she needed to see him now.

"Blayd!" Gia's excited announcement had her spinning around. "You're back!" Her daughter ran across the yard and leaped into the man's arms. And like the good guy she knew he was, he caught her with ease and spun her in circles. All Franni could do was stand frozen as the two of them laughed and smiled.

"Go." Kendra nudged her with a smile. "Let Blayd know Gia isn't the only one happy to see that he's back."

She didn't need any more encouragement. Before she could think of all the reasons why she shouldn't show her hand too early, Franni dashed across the space and flung her arms around Blayd's waist. She barely registered his surprised oomph before his arm circled her waist and pulled her closer to his side.

Franni still wasn't thinking when she looked up and caught Blayd staring down at her, or when she rocked up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. It wasn't a deep kiss. It didn't last for more than a moment, but as soon as the two of them connected, her whole world shifted. For the first time in her life, she felt at peace. She felt like she was home.

Then her brain came back online, and suddenly her mind wouldn't shut up. What had she done? And in front of her daughter no less.

"I'm sorry." Her fingers went to her lips. She wasn't sure if it was because she was embarrassed or if she wanted to savor the feel of his lips on hers.

"Don't ever apologize," Blayd said gently. She tried to pull away but his hand tightened on her hip. "That was the best welcome home a man could ever ask for."

It took a few moments before she could work up the nerve to look at her daughter. She wasn't sure what she expected, but her daughter said nothing. She just continued to look at Blayd like he hung the moon and was the prince in her story.

Same, sweetie. Same.

"I'm glad you're back,” Franni finally sputtered. “I was starting to get worried."

"Kendra said as much. She texted the team and said if we didn't get back posthaste, there would be hell to pay. Jaxson knows better than to tick his wife off, so he suggested we get a move on."

She hadn't even realized Kendra was texting anyone. So much for being aware of her surroundings. It just showed how comfortable she had become around these people. She knew they would keep her safe.

"So it's done?" Her voice wobbled and she hated that despite how confident she felt, Vito could still do that to her.

"Hey, peanut. How about you show me how you ride your new bike?"

Franni waited as Gia wiggled her way out of his arms and ran to where she kept her helmet and bike. Whatever Blayd wanted to tell her wasn't for her daughter's ears, and she was grateful that at least one of them was thinking properly.

"It's done. I made sure of it personally. There wasn't a single survivor left on the compound."

Her heart stopped. "What about Alice and Leonardo?"

Blayd's face said it all. "We didn't find them. No bodies either, so we have no way of knowing if they escaped prior to arrival, and I'm so sorry, but I never thought to ask Vito before we ended his life. I did give him your message though."

It hurt that she would never know what happened to the only two people she ever considered friends in her former life. She couldn't be mad at Blayd for it though. He had done what she couldn't. He got rid of her biggest nightmare.

"We won't stop looking for them though. We’ll get you answers."

That would have to be enough.

"Thank you."

"You never need to thank me," Blayd replied, but he looked uneasy. And uneasy wasn't a look she would ever associate with Blayd. He always looked confident, so it put her on edge.

"What is it?"

"We want you to look at some pictures. To help identify Renando. Vito refused to give us any information, so the only hope of identifying him is through you."

Kendra had warned her this would happen. She thought she was prepared, but now that the moment was upon them, she would need to lean on Blayd to make it through this.

She swallowed hard. "Okay."

"We don't have to do it right now."

"No, it's okay. I would rather get it out of the way."

"Blayd! Look at me go!"

Franni had never been so thankful for her daughter's timing. Or the laughter that floated through the backyard. It was such a simple thing but watching her daughter ride the bike through the yard was the distraction she needed to pull herself together. Actually, watching her daughter just be a kid was the push she needed. Gia was her why, the reason she got through every day.

"Look at you go, peanut, and without training wheels! I'm so proud of you!" Blayd leaned down and whispered in Franni’s ear. "How did I miss so much? I was only gone a couple of days."

She beamed back at him. "When she puts her mind to something, there is no stopping her. She was so excited to show you." Franni wasn't the only one who missed having Blayd around. Every day Gia would remind her that she had something new to show Blayd, just as soon as he was back home.

"She's remarkable. I'm glad I get the opportunity to be in her life." He said it with such reverence that she knew right at that moment they wouldn't be leaving. Maybe she and Blayd didn't have a future but these people, this house, were her home. There was no way she could start over somewhere new and feel the way she did now.

But Franni wasn't ready to admit her plan to anyone just yet. It was better to focus on what they were originally talking about. "Show me the pictures."

Blayd looked like he didn't agree, but he didn't argue. Pulling a phone out of his pocket, he looked at the screen for a few seconds before finally handing it over.

Shock. That was her first reaction to the picture she was looking at. Lying in her palm was the man who had made her life miserable for five years. His lifeless eyes looked back at her and there was no mistaking how he died. His head was practically cut off from his body, and blood pooled around his neck. She should've felt repulsed by the image but all she felt was relief. Her nightmare was finally over. She never had to worry again about Vito finding her or Gia.

"I figured you would want to see for yourself."

Blayd was right. She did need the proof. The only way she could move on was knowing that he really was dead.

She swiped right. Another dead man. This one with a bullet hole in his forehead. She recognized him but didn't know his name. He was just one of many nameless guards that she saw around the property but never paid much attention to. They were her prison guards. The men who kept her and Gia from freedom. Their lives meant nothing to her, just like she meant nothing to them when she screamed for help those early years as Vito raped her, before she realized that help was never coming and screaming was pointless.

Swipe after swipe but none of them were the man she was looking for. The longer she flicked through the images, the more her heart sank.

"None of these are him." She was at the end. She tried to keep swiping but the last image refused to move. It was the end of the camera roll and not a single photo proved that Renando had been one of the men killed during the attack.

"Are you sure?"

She flipped back through just for her own peace of mind. It didn't change the results. Renando's cold stare wasn't among them.

"I'm sure. None of these guys are Renando."

Blayd sighed. "I had a feeling you would say that. The guards’ quarters were blown up. There were a few bodies inside but none of them were recognizable. We have someone attempting to get us identifications but that's going to take some time."

"He wouldn't have been in the guards' quarters. Renando always stayed in the house. I don’t know exactly where his room was, but I know for a fact it wasn't with the other guards.”

"I had a feeling you would say that as well," Blayd sighed.

"Does that mean he's still alive?" Panic started to set in. Renando hated her. The only reason he never touched her was because Vito forbade him. And while the man was the devil himself, Vito was also selfish. No one touched his property. That included his wife.

But now that Vito was dead, there would be nothing stopping Renando from coming for her. She recognized that predatory gaze. Renando wanted her and something told her he wouldn't be nearly as “nice” as Vito had been.

"Hey." Blayd turned her so that she was facing him and forced her to look him in the eyes. "We don't know that, but even if he is, he will never hurt you or Gia. I won't let it happen. I'll keep you safe, no matter what it takes."

The tightness in her chest that formed from thinking about Renando loosened. Blayd had never let her down. He made sure she felt safe. He killed her husband for her. He gave Vito the message she wanted him to have. She could trust him.

"You're right." She took a couple of deep breaths. "You're absolutely right."

"That's my girl. I knew she was just hiding." He winked at her and all she could do was laugh. No other person would think to laugh during a serious situation. Yet it was exactly what she needed, and just like every time before, Blayd had known and delivered flawlessly.

"How did Vito respond when you told him about Gia?"

Maybe it was slightly sadistic of her, but she needed to know that his final moments on this earth were full of misery.

"Oh, he was pissed. Surprised. Angry. All the emotions one would expect flashed through his eyes, and honestly, I've never enjoyed killing someone so much. Even Steel gave me props after. He wanted to end Vito as much as I did, but afterwards, he had to admit my way of going about things was better."

That made her smile. Karlie deserved the same relief she had gotten.

"Is it wrong that I'm happy you were the one to do it and not Steel?"

This time, when Blayd leaned in close and spoke so that his breath tickled her ear, it wasn't just a shiver that ran through her body. Every part of her was hyper-aware of how close he was but also how much closer she wished he would get.

"Nope." That one word did crazy things to her. "I would burn the world down for you. I would kill any man who thought to touch you or Gia. I've done it once, and I won't hesitate to do it again. You might not realize it yet, but you're mine. You and Gia both. Killing Vito was just the start. I'm going to show you how a real man treats a woman, so buckle up, Franni. Things are about to get serious."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Later that evening, Blayd sat on the couch and looked down at his hands. He couldn't believe he said that to Franni.

Wait. Yes, he could. And he meant every single word. He planned to give her more time to get used to the idea, but then she went and kissed him. Every thought about waiting went out the window and he knew just from the brush of her lips that she was meant to be his.

He should've waited though. Franni wasn't ready for this level of truth. She had just left one controlling relationship and he was thrusting her back into another. That was the wrong strategy. He needed to be gentle, to ease her into how he felt and what he envisioned for their future.

Then he needed to hope in the end that she felt the same way. Because if she didn't, he would let her go. He wasn't the monster Vito was. He would never hold her against her will. She needed to come to him willingly, needed to want to stay with him.

"What has you thinking so hard down here?"

Blayd looked up and met Franni's curious gaze. Her hazel eyes looked lighter, if that was possible. As if she wasn't feeling the weight of the world for the first time in forever. She had just put Gia to bed, so it was the first time they’d been alone to talk.

"About what I said to you earlier," he blurted out without much thought and then winced at how bad that sounded.

Franni cut him off before he could apologize for his lack of tact. "Did you mean it?"

"Every word." There was so much conviction in his tone that he didn't leave any room for doubt. At least, that's how he hoped it sounded.

"But?"

"But I think I showed my hand a little too early. The intensity with which I said it might have been a little too soon."

Franni's small smile gave him hope.

"Do you know what Gia asked me the other day?"

He wasn't sure where the change of conversation was going but he would play along if that's what Franni wanted.

"Umm . . . no."

"She asked me if we could stay here forever. Barely a handful of days in this house and already she wanted to stay."

His pulse kicked up. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

"What was your response?" He waited for her answer with bated breath.

"I didn't really have one at the time. I asked her why she wanted to stay. The reasons she listed were pretty much what I expected from a four-year-old. She loves her room. She loves that she can play outside. She's fallen in love with the thought of a puppy." Franni rolled her eyes at that last part. "But what really stuck out to me was she said she wanted to stay because of the people here. Especially you. She's never had that in life before."

Pride filled him. When he concocted the idea of fulfilling Gia's wish list, it was of course with the hope that she would want to stay. That she would love all of her new stuff and never want to give it up. He didn't expect that, along with the material possessions, Gia would also find his teammates and friends to be a reason to stay. He was honored and proud that she liked him enough to want him in her life.

"Do I hear a but after all that?"

"Maybe," Franni chuckled. "This was only supposed to be a stop on our new journey. A quick refuge while you took care of my husband. It sounds so bad when I say it like that, but it's the truth. I was using you guys so I could have a new life."

"Hey, hey." He pulled her so that she was sitting on the couch with him. "It wasn't like that at all. You used the only resource you had, and if anyone was using anyone, it was us using you. Without you, who knows how long it would've taken us to find him."

His team had spent months with zero success. Then Franni and Gia showed up and were able to give them everything they needed.

"I know that, but still. My intention was to come here, have you kill Vito, and then just leave so we could start a new life."

Was? She had said “was” like that used to be her plan, but now things were different.

"Is that not your plan anymore?"

"I keep asking myself that same question. Gia wants it. We’re comfortable here and have everything we need."

"I know it keeps coming back to this one word, however, I have to ask. But?"

Franni pushed up off the couch and started to pace. "But is it okay to stay in the first place that we landed? Everyone here is great, and it would be so easy to make this our home and not have to worry about finding a fresh place to start over."

"I can't tell you that staying is the best option."

"You don't want us to stay?" Franni gasped, as if he had physically struck her. Just the thought hurt him. He would never hurt her. Not physically, mentally, or emotionally.

This time he pushed off the couch and charged over to her. With his hands on either side of her shoulders, he made sure he had her full attention before he spoke. "Of course I want you to stay, but only if that's what you truly want. Don't stay because you're scared of going somewhere new. Stay because it's what you crave. Stay because you can't imagine your life anywhere but here. Anything less than that is simply settling, and I never want you to be forced to settle again."

"What about us?"

"Us as in . . .?" He needed to know exactly what she was asking. Now was not the time for miscommunication.

"You and me."

That's what he was hoping she would say.

"I want there to be an ‘us.’ I think I made that pretty clear earlier today that I want you and Gia in my life. I'm prepared to show the two of you how you deserve to be treated, but only if that's what you want. I won't force you, or push you into something you aren't ready for. We can go at your speed. You're the one in charge here."

"I want to try." She touched his chest hesitantly. "But I'm scared."

She was opening up to him and that's all he could ask for. One small step at a time because it meant she wasn't shutting him out, or shutting him down.

"What are you scared of?" He kept his hands on her arms, not moving higher or lower. Not until he knew what was going on in her head.

"My feelings for you. I swore off men. That's what I told myself when I stepped on that plane. I didn't want another man in my life who could, one day, feel like he could control me."

"I would never try to control you," he interrupted her.

Franni smiled. "I know that. You have to be the most selfless man I have ever met."

Pain stabbed at his heart. That wasn't true. For years after what happened with his ex, he had been selfish. He only took what he wanted from women and left. Sure, he made his intentions clear from the start, but he knew there had been women during that time who thought maybe they could change his mind. They never did.

"I think you're a little biased. You see how I am now, but that's not the man I've always been. There was a time in my life when I was very selfish."

"Everyone has a past," Franni reassured him. "Not everyone is proud of what is there, but that's why they call it the past. As long as you learned from it and made changes for the better, no one can judge you."

He buried his face in her neck. "How is it you're so perfect?"

Franni chuckled and he felt it throughout his entire body. "I'm nowhere near perfect, and I'm pretty sure there are going to be times when my fear takes over and I'm tempted to run from you. I want you to remind me that I agreed to stay and that I want this. Don't let me push you away because of my past."

God, she was killing him. She had no idea what that confession meant to him.

He pulled back and slid his hands up until he was cupping her face. "I won't let you push me away. I want this. I want you. I want us." He moved so close to her that there was no mistaking what she did to him. "I've wanted you since the second you stepped out of your car. But I knew there was no chance of that until I made you a widow. Now all bets are off."

Blayd brushed his lips across hers. He was trying to keep things light between them, but his cock had other ideas.

"Tell me to stop."

"I don't want you to stop."

Jesus Christ. He backed them both up until the back of his legs hit the couch. Slowly, he sat down and pulled her with him until she was straddling his lap. He needed her to know she was in control. Nothing would happen unless she wanted it.

"Then tell me to slow down if it becomes too much."

He slipped his hands under her shirt and relished in the warmth of her skin. He didn't move them any further than that. His hands cradled her small waist.

"I don't want you to slow down and I don't want control. I trust you." She leaned in so their lips weren't quite touching. "I want you to make me feel good, don’t make me think. Show me how good it can be with someone who cares about me."

He didn't need to be told twice. He picked her up like she weighed nothing and flipped them until she was lying flat beneath him.

Blayd watched her eyes intently for any hint of hesitation. One look and he would back off, but all he could find was lust.

Wanting.

"Damn, you're amazing."

He smashed their lips together before she could think to respond. He already knew what she would say, and he didn't want to hear it.

Blayd kissed her like he was a man starved. And he was. He needed her and this kiss more than he needed his next breath. One brush of his tongue across the seam of her lips and she was opening for him. Letting his tongue explore her mouth, Franni kissed him back with equal vigor.

Their tongues didn't duel for dominance; she handed over control and let him set the pace. It was such a turn-on that he wanted to strip her bare and take her right there on the couch. But he refused to allow that to be their first time, so he backed down a bit, and took a more exploring stance to their time together.

He let his fingers travel her ribs, where his thumb brushed the underside of her breast. He waited for her to flinch, to show some sort of hesitation for what was happening, but it never came.

His tongue stroked hers in tune with the light brushes across her skin. It was a leisurely kiss, full of passion and steam.

Her back arched up ever so slightly, giving him better access and encouraging his hand to move further up. Breaking their kiss, Blayd shifted to the side so he could watch her better. Her eyes were blown wide with desire as he played with her nipple. Her tits fit perfectly in his hand, not too small, but not so big that it spilled out of his large palm. They accentuated her tiny waist.

"Do you like the way I make you feel?"

The little moans escaping out of her mouth said one thing, but he wanted to hear the words. He wanted to know that she enjoyed the things he did to her.

"I need your words," he encouraged.

"Yes, but I need more."

"That's my good girl. I know what you need."

It wasn't just her back that was arching, her legs were scissoring too. She was seeking release that only he could provide.

He snaked his hand back down her stomach and toyed with the edge of her shorts. The quiet moan at the back of her throat was the only encouragement he needed. His hand dipped below the waist of her panties and grazed across her bare pussy.

"You're soaked. Is this all for me?" He traced his middle finger up her slit and circled her bud with her juices.

"Yes," Franni panted. "All for you."

The little noises that were coming out of her throat had him close to busting a nut in his pants like a teenager touching a girl for the first time.

"Do you want my fingers inside you?"

Franni tossed her head back and moaned for him again, but he wanted her to say it.

"I need words, Franni. If you want this to continue, I need words."

"Yes." She thrust her hips into his hand. "I want your fingers inside me."

That made him smile. He noticed she never cursed, but he wondered what it would take to get her to talk dirty to him in bed. He wanted her to have a filthy mouth that begged him to fuck her.

He started with one finger, teasing her ever so slowly as he mimicked what it would be like sliding into her gently with his cock.

"More." Franni grabbed his bicep and dug her nails in. The bite of pain did nothing to calm his aching erection.

Blayd added a second finger. This time stretching her a little more and curled his fingers until he found that rough spot. Just as he hoped it would, Franni's slick walls began to flutter around his hand. He was building her up.

"Oh God."

Franni was no meek participant. She didn't just lie there and let him fuck her with his fingers. She actively sought out what she wanted.

"That's it. Ride my hand."

Her hips lifted off the couch with each thrust. The palm of his hand brushed against her bud and with a third finger he brought her to climax with a silent scream.

His cock begged to slide into her perfect round mouth, but that would have to wait. Right now, it was about making her feel good and powerful.

Blayd continued to finger-fuck her through her orgasm. He watched with rapt attention to every expression she made and memorized each of them. He wanted to take in all the ways she would come for him.

Only when her pussy stopped fluttering and he felt her body go lax in his arms did he finally slide his fingers out of her pants. Before he could think better of it, he swiped one finger along her plump bottom lip.

He almost came in his pants when her tongue flicked out and lapped up her juices.

She grinned. "I've always wondered why men in books liked that so much. Now I get it. Watching the lust in your eyes when I tasted myself was worth it."

Blayd teased her by licking his own fingers clean. If she thought she had seen lust before, it was nothing compared to finally getting to taste her. She was the sweetest dessert he’d ever had and knew he would never get enough.

"I'm going to need to taste you every day. Multiple times a day," he confessed.

His dirty girl liked the sound of that. Interesting. She had limited experience, so he was going to enjoy discovering every single one of the things she liked.

"What are you . . ."

Her question was cut off by a scream and Gia begging for her mama.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"Mama!"

In the past twelve hours, that one word was starting to sound like a bad song. She loved her daughter, but Gia had used it no less than a hundred times since waking up mid-nightmare last night.

She had gone from post-orgasmic bliss to frantic in a matter of seconds. The first time Gia screamed caused her blood to run cold. All she could think, as she ran upstairs the night before, was that while she was busy being pleasured, someone had snuck in to hurt her daughter.

It turned out the only thing hurting Gia was a nightmare.

"I'm right here, sweetie."

Gia skidded into the kitchen with a worried look on her face. Ever since her bad dream, her daughter had stuck to her side like glue. Franni had tried to talk to her multiple times about it, but Gia refused to say anything.

"You left the living room," Gia accused.

She glanced across the kitchen as Blayd walked in behind Gia, but at a much slower pace. She raised her brow, but he was of no help by simply raising his shoulder in return.

She brought her attention back to Gia. "I'm sorry, baby. I needed a glass of water. Would you like me to make you a snack?"

Her daughter huffed but took a seat on the stool at the counter and looked at her expectantly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Franni turned around to the fridge and started to grab a few of Gia's favorites off the shelf. She was working on rinsing, peeling, and cutting when she finally asked her daughter, "Are you ready to talk a little more about the dream you had last night?"

She had asked Gia what woke her up, drenched in sweat and screaming the house down, but her daughter refused to answer. It had taken nearly an hour to convince Gia that she would be fine and a promise that she could sleep in bed with her before Gia finally settled. But first thing that morning, as soon as her daughter woke up, Gia had searched the bed frantically until she found Franni hanging off the one end.

Gia was an octopus in bed and the only safe spot to sleep was on the very edge. It wasn't very comfortable, and she had almost forgotten what it was like not to be kicked by a young child all night.

"I already told you I didn't want to talk about it," her daughter whined.

Franni passed the plate of fruit and veggies across the counter and leaned down on the granite.

"You know I'm not going anywhere, right? We’re safe here."

Blayd took one of the other stools and assumed a similar position. "I promise to keep the both of you safe. That's why your mama brought you here. She knew we could protect you."

Gia looked up but she didn't look convinced. Whatever the dream was, it had done a number on her. She wished more than anything that Gia would talk about it so she could fix it. But she knew forcing her daughter wouldn't get her anywhere. It was better to give Gia the time to explain things when she was comfortable.

"What do you want to do today? Play outside?"

It was Gia's favorite thing. She had a hard time keeping her daughter inside, despite the dozens of toy options.

"Can we stay in today and watch a movie? Maybe play in my room?"

Franni glanced at Blayd. He was looking at Gia with an expression full of concern. He too realized this was unlike her daughter.

"Yeah,” Franni answered. “If that's what you prefer. Which movie did you want?"

"I'll show you."

"Can I watch too, peanut?"

Normally, Gia would be excited that Blayd was joining them and would overwhelm them with her enthusiasm, but this time, a simple nod was all he received.

Franni shrugged her shoulders, just like he had done. She didn't have any more answers than he did at that point. Something was definitely going on.

They followed Gia into the living room and let her put on a movie. Franni figured things weren't too bad when Gia settled in between her and Blayd. For a moment, she had been worried that her daughter’s dream had involved Blayd and it didn't bode well for their relationship, but the longer they watched the movie, the more Gia cuddled into him.

Gia was tucked into his side, but his arm rested on the back of the couch and he routinely played with Franni’s hair causing goose bumps to form on her arms. She wanted more of what he had given her last night before Gia interrupted them but knew that wouldn't be happening tonight. Not with the way her daughter was clinging to her.

Every now and then she would glance up from the movie and catch Blayd watching her. The sultry look in his eyes gave him away. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him. Maybe more.

Now that they had opened the floodgates, he couldn't seem to stop touching her. If she was within range, his fingers were grazing her in some way or another. She looked forward to those touches.

No, that wasn't a strong enough word. She craved his touch. She needed his hands on her even if it was just a brush as she passed through.

She was no better than her daughter. Gia craved comfort from her, and she craved it from Blayd.

"Blayd?"

"Yeah, peanut?"

"Do you like princess movies or do you prefer to watch boy movies?"

Oh, her poor sweet daughter. How many times had Vito or one of the guys made her feel bad about being a girl? She had shielded her daughter as much as possible but sometimes the jabs were there.

"I'll watch whatever movie you want, peanut. Nothing wrong with a princess movie. They have some of the best storylines."

She could kiss Blayd right now for that answer. Even more so when she saw how it brought a smile back to her daughter's face.

"I want us to dress up like princesses after the movie ends."

"Can I wear a tiara too?" Blayd didn't ask and then laugh it off. He was completely serious as he spoke to her daughter.

"Of course!" Gia beamed.

When Blayd finally met her gaze, Franni mouthed her thanks. She was pretty sure he replied about it being his pleasure, but she wasn't entirely sure. All she knew was that some of the stiffness in her daughter's posture eased up.

The movie ended about a half hour later, and true to his word, Blayd joined them in Gia's room to play dress-up. He wore a tiara and even helped Gia with her makeup. Unlike Vito, who could rest in H-E double hockey sticks, Blayd didn't give a crap about his masculinity. He openly expressed his feelings and showed them without restraint.

"What has you thinking so hard over here?"

Blayd slid next to her on Gia's bed while her daughter twirled around in her dress and pretended to dance with her prince. His fingers rubbed against her leg in the smallest gesture. Nothing that would cause Gia to notice but just enough that butterflies erupted in her stomach.

"Just admiring how good you are with Gia. You don't make her feel like she's worth less just because she isn't a boy."

"I would never." This time he grabbed her hand so that their fingers interlocked and rested on his thigh. "I couldn't give two shits about gender, and if Gia wants me to watch princess movies every day for the next five years, then I'm game. As long as she's happy doing so and wants to spend time with me. That's all I care about."

How did she get so lucky when she showed up in the middle of the desert? Throughout her travels, she had wondered if these people would even consider helping her. Instead, they gave her everything she didn't realize she wanted.

Just the two of them.

Her and Gia.

That's what she had envisioned for their future when they escaped Vito. What they got instead was even more than she could have imagined.

There was so much she wanted to say, but nothing felt right. So instead of forcing the words out, she dropped her head on his shoulder and let the feelings consume her.

"Do you think we will get any alone time tonight?" Blayd asked quietly.

"I'm not sure, but I hope so. I want more of what we started yesterday."

"Oh, you'll get more. That was just a tease. Wait until I get you to myself for one full night."

The promise of more sent shivers throughout her body. She couldn't wait. Things were finally going well for her and Gia. And why shouldn't they enjoy it? They deserved it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Six nights.

That's how many evenings Gia crawled into Franni's bed and refused to sleep unless her mother held her. To make matters worse, not only would Gia fall asleep in the bed, but she would wake up any time Franni attempted to move her.

If the nightmares weren't so concerning, he would be pissed that a four-year-old was cockblocking him. He knew that wasn't the case, but it sure felt like that after almost a week of flirting and sexual tension that left him with the worst case of blue balls he had ever experienced.

Tonight, Franni was trying something new. She was cuddling in bed with Gia and hoped once the little girl fell asleep, she could sneak out.

Unable to just sit on the bed and wait, Blayd moved silently down the stairs and checked that the house was locked up. He had done it before they went upstairs but there was no harm in checking again. Plus, it killed time as he waited for Franni.

She had whispered in his ear earlier that she was looking forward to getting her mouth on him. His cock hadn't gone down since and it was concerning just how much time he spent in a state of erection.

No longer able to waste any time, he snuck back upstairs and aimed straight for Gia's bedroom. One glance inside and he was able to determine the only person in the bed was the little girl who captured his heart.

That meant one thing.

Spinning on his heels, he raced back to the master bedroom like a teenager who was about to receive his first blowjob.

"Here I thought you decided you liked the couch better than my bed."

Spread out on the aforementioned bed, waiting for him in just one of his shirts, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her hair fanned across the pillow and she looked like an angel just waiting to be corrupted.

"Is that my shirt?"

"I hope you don't mind, but I slipped it on while you were downstairs. I figured if you weren't going to join me, then I needed some part of you wrapped around me."

It gave him a sick pleasure to know she had sought out his clothing as a comfort. It made him want to bang on his chest.

"I've liked you in my clothes since the very beginning."

She gifted him with one of her precious smiles. He stalked to where she was lying on the bed like a hunter tracking down his prey.

"What do you have on under it?"

"You're going to need to look to find out."

The thought excited him. She had come out of her shell pretty quickly and he knew it was because he didn't miss a chance to tell her just how beautiful she was and how much he wanted her. He’d primed her every day for this moment.

Blayd pushed one knee on the bed and towered over her.

"Just remember we go at your pace." He needed her to know that she could stop him at any time and he would back off, but the little minx shook her head back and forth on the pillow.

"No, I want you in control. That's what I need."

He would always give her what she needed from him. Sliding his shirt up her legs, he found that she wasn't wearing anything underneath and already he could see how much the insides of her thighs glistened with her juices.

"Is this all for me?"

"Only you." He hadn't even touched her yet and Franni was panting. Her perfect tits rose with each breath she took.

"I need to taste you."

There was hesitation in her eyes, but she nodded yes. He wondered if anyone had ever gone down on her before, and if that was the reason for the look.

Blayd pushed her legs wider with his shoulders and settled himself so that he was at eye level with her pink pussy lips. Using his finger, he gathered some of her juices and traced her bud.

"Has anyone done this to you before?" His lips were barely an inch away from her center and each word caused Franni to shiver.

"No."

Good. He wanted to be her first for something.

Flicking out his tongue, he swiped through her wetness, and her exotic flavor exploded on his tongue.

"Fuck, you taste so good."

He didn't ease her into it. He devoured her like a man stuck in the desert for a week and this was the first sip of water. He licked, sucked, and speared through her folds. He fucked her with his tongue just like he planned to fuck her with his cock. And all the while she was a writhering mess beneath his touch.

He didn't need to worry if she enjoyed it. The pain in his scalp was proof enough as she tugged on his roots. The noises she gave him were further confirmation, and if those things didn't convince him, the way she was riding his face did.

"Oh God, please don't stop!"

He had no intention of ever stopping. Latching on to her bud and sucking it in his mouth, he used two of his fingers to find that rough patch that would send her over the edge.

When he felt the first spasm around his fingers, he couldn't take it anymore. Blayd was seconds from coming in his pants just from the whimpers she gave him.

"Come for me," he growled against her sex, and slipped his pinkie to her back entrance. It was the push she needed to come apart around him.

He continued to work her through her orgasm, despite the clenching grip her thighs had around his head. It was like she was afraid he would move before he fully got her through it.

She never needed to worry about that. If he wasn't so damn eager to be inside her, he would see if it was possible to wring another orgasm out of her so quickly.

Finally, her legs fell apart and she was nothing but a worn-out mess. He crawled over her with a satisfied smile.

"Did you enjoy your first time?"

Franni draped her arm over her eyes and groaned. "No wonder you mentioned doing that daily. You're really good at it."

He wasn't a man who needed his ego stroked, but it was good to know that she enjoyed what he did to her. Going down on a woman was one of his favorite things, but she was hands down going to be his addiction. He doubted once a day would be enough.

Reaching over to the nightstand, he yanked out a foil packet.

"Don't tell me I wore you out already. I have more plans for us."

She dropped her arm and glanced at what he was holding in his hand. It was the spark in her eye that gave her away.

"Nope. I just needed a moment to come back to reality. That orgasm might've killed me and sent me to heaven for a bit."

"Oh, yeah?" He pushed his shorts and boxers down, giving Franni a nice view of his cock for the first time. The way her eyes drank it in told him she wasn't disappointed in what she saw. "It was that good?"

"Huh?" Franni couldn't drag her eyes away and it made him chuckle. Since she had no plans of lifting her gaze, he figured a show was in order. He took his time giving himself not one, but two long tugs, before slowly rolling the condom on. The whole time Franni watched him with hungry eyes.

"Like what you see?" he teased.

When she finally lifted her gaze, he watched her eyes carefully waiting for some hint as to how she felt.

"It's going to be a tight fit," she muttered.

He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it across the room. Then he did the same with hers, right before he laid her back down and settled his hips between her legs. His cock brushed her entrance, but he didn't push forward.

"It's going to be tight alright, but you were made to take my cock."

Her slight hesitation had dried her up some, so he needed to make sure she was dripping before he would even consider entering her.

He found the spot on her neck that he knew from past experience made her wild. He lavished it with kisses and small bites as he dragged his cock up and down her slit. Within seconds she was once again putty beneath him and her arousal was coating his hard-on.

"I can't wait to bury my cock deep inside your pussy." That was the only warning she got before he pushed forward and didn't stop until he was seated fully inside her.

Franni's back arched off the bed and the sweetest moan filled his ears.

"I didn't know it could feel that good."

Blayd chuckled. "That was just the warm-up. Wait until I start moving."

One of her legs wrapped around his hip causing him to sink just a little further inside her. "Move,” she begged. “Please. I need to feel you."

With pleasure.

He tugged her leg a little higher and secured it to his hip. With the new position, he drove into her over and over again. He had intended to take things slow, but just like every other time he was close to her, he lost his mind.

His hips pistoned but Franni met him thrust for thrust despite the way he locked her body to his.

She felt too good. Her pussy was heaven, and before he knew it, he was on the edge and ready to explode.

"I'm close, but I need you with me, Franni."

"I'm with you," she purred.

It was the way her core hugged him tighter that finally sent him over the edge. Her moans and the way her body pulled him closer, like she didn't ever want to let him go, all led to one of the longest orgasms of his life.

"You've ruined me." He collapsed on top of her and buried his face in her hair. He needed time to collect himself before he could even consider rolling off her.

"Pretty sure we’re both ruined."

This was something he never did. He wasn't the man who snuggled after sex. Normally, once the deed was over, he would roll off and leave. But Franni was different. He liked that she was running her nails along his back. Both legs were now wrapped around his waist and his deflating cock was still tucked nicely inside her warm heat. Everything about the moment was perfect.

"I'm sorry I was impatient. I’d planned to take my time with you, but once I got your taste in my mouth, that was it. I needed to make you mine."

Franni pinched his side, eliciting a small yelp from him. "Don't apologize. Everything about this was perfect."

"You keep talking like that and I'm going to start to get a big head."

She moved her hand so that her nails were now scraping along the back of his head. It felt incredible and he wished he could stay just like that, but the condom was starting to bother him.

"I need to take this off." Franni dropped her hands, so when he pushed himself back up, he found her eyes. "Don't think for a second about moving an inch. Once I get rid of this damn thing, I'm coming right back to this position."

He liked that his words caused her to give him a shy smile.

In record time, he had discarded the condom and was back between her legs. This time he pillowed his head on her boobs.

"Is this okay?"

"It's perfect."

He thought so too, and could fall asleep so easily. He thought he had known perfection when he was younger. That was nothing compared to what he had now. And he would do everything in his power to keep it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Could life get any better? She really didn't think so. Waking up in Blayd's arms every morning for the past few days felt right. Even if he snuck out before Gia woke up.

She wasn't ready to share that part of her life with Gia yet. Some mornings she was concerned about hiding things from her daughter, but then she was reminded that until she and Blayd were absolutely sure where their future was going, she wouldn't drag her daughter into it.

Gia needed stability. She needed to know Blayd wouldn't disappear one day and maybe Franni needed that as well. Blayd said he wanted her to stay, but there had been no definitive talk about their future. Until that happened, things needed to maintain the status quo.

"Earth to Franni. Come back to me."

Addison's laughter pulled her from her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what did I miss?"

Addison smirked like she knew exactly what Franni was daydreaming about. Too bad it was nothing nearly as juicy as Addison was conjuring up.

"Ladies’ night. We all get together, drink, and play some ridiculous game. You need to join us for our next one."

"I'm not sure I can leave Gia just yet."

Yes, her daughter was sleeping in her own bed, but during the day, she wasn't far from her daughter's view. It was like the roles were reversed and suddenly Gia had to have eyes on her at all times. Unless Lady was around. Like right now. Gia couldn't care less what her mother was doing because the dog had all her attention.

Maybe she needed to give that dog idea some more consideration.

"It's only a few hours and we rotate between houses. We could come over to yours after Gia falls asleep. Maybe even take the game outside so we don't make too much noise. No one is going to care where we hang out as long as we get our time together."

That could work. Among the items Bree purchased was a baby monitor. She hadn't pulled it out of its package because so far there hadn't been a need, but if she set it up, it would make her feel more comfortable being outside while Gia was inside sleeping.

"What do the guys usually do during ladies' night?"

"They get together but not as obnoxiously. One or two of them hang with Steel since he has Anna. They would do the same for Blayd if you had him stay with Gia but no pressure. I understand if you aren't ready to leave her like that yet."

It wasn't about her being ready, although the thought never crossed her mind, so maybe she would be okay with it. It was Gia she was worried about. She would hate for her daughter to wake up and she wasn't in the house. There was a good chance her daughter would freak out and she didn't want that to happen.

"How often do you get together?"

Addison shrugged. "We don't have a schedule. It's more like whenever we need to just relax and the guys aren't gone on an assignment. We also work around Kendra's schedule since they primarily live where her team is located."

She hadn't seen Kendra since the team got back from taking out Vito. Her own team needed her and that's where Jaxson was. From what Blayd said, he only flew in occasionally when the team needed his assistance for an assignment.

"Well, count me in. I'm excited."

"What are you excited about? What did I miss?"

Bree strolled through the yard and plopped down into one of the patio chairs. This week the woman's hair had a mixture of blue and purple highlights throughout. Franni had to admit she would love to be that daring about her style.

"I was just telling Franni she needed to join us for ladies' night."

"Yes!" Bree clapped. "I was wondering when we should invite you. I didn't want to be too bold and force you to come before you were ready. We can be a little invasive during those nights."

Well, now she was rethinking her agreement to join. Just how invasive was Bree talking? From what she had seen so far, Bree didn't have a filter.

"Way to freak her out." Addison rolled her eyes at Bree, then turned back to her and spoke. "We would be on our best behavior your first night. You know, ease you into our level of craziness."

Bree snorted. "Where is the fun in that? It's better she gets the full effect right out of the gate. Sink or swim, baby."

Now she understood why she took a liking to Bree. The woman didn't hold anything back and it was refreshing to see someone so open and carefree about who they really were.

"You can still count me in."

"Woohoo!" Bree pumped her fists in the air and declared, "The next ladies' night is going to be epic." Which caused Addison and Franni to erupt in laughter.

"That's not the reaction I expected when Bree said she was coming over to deliver the news." Blayd joined them on the patio, but instead of sitting in one of the seats, he walked over and brushed a kiss across Franni’s forehead.

"Ah, shit. I forgot I came over for a reason." Bree sighed. "I got so caught up in your discussion about ladies' night that I forgot I had some good news/bad news to share."

Bad news was never a good thing but sometimes it wasn't so bad when paired with the good news.

"Can I have the good news first?"

"Well, they kind of go hand in hand," Bree admitted. "The good news is the burned bodies in the guards' quarters aren't those of Alice and Leonardo. They were all males in their early to late twenties which, based on what you told me about Leonardo, rules him out. And obviously, since they are males, it rules Alice out as well. The bad news is no one has seen or heard from them since the attack. I've reached out to all my contacts, and so far, nada."

That was good news. Being burned alive was a horrible way to go. Although, from what Blayd said, they were probably killed first because when his team cleared the area, there was no one left alive.

Franni wasn't holding out hope that Alice and Leonardo were alive. As much as she wanted to, having that hope and then being told otherwise would crush her. At least by believing they were dead she could mourn their loss.

"I appreciate you letting me know. You probably have enough on your plate, so I'm grateful you’re trying to find answers."

Bree scoffed. She was starting to learn that the woman did that a lot. Or made some variation of the noise.

"Oh, please. I would've kept looking even if Blayd didn't ask. I don't like unsolved mysteries and this is a big one. I won't stop until I have all the answers."

It was great to have found a group of people who cared so much. If she was going to stay with this bunch, then she needed to find a way to contribute. Everyone seemed to have a role, and after years of being a trophy wife, she wanted to earn her way.

Why was she saying if? Her heart was already made up, and her head didn't have enough reasons to leave. Things were damn near perfect and she needed to stop trying to sabotage herself.

"Well, thank you."

"Enough with the doom and gloom. Let's get back to discussing the next ladies' night." Bree wiggled her eyebrows at the suggestion.

"On that note,” Blayd announced, “I'm out. I'm going to see if Gia will let me play with her and Lady."

Addison and Bree both gave Blayd the shooing motion. It was funny to watch him interact with his team and their significant others. It was easy to see how many of them cared for him.

"Damn, that sight could make a woman's ovaries explode." The look on Bree's face was pure awe. She understood how Bree felt. It was the same thing she thought every time she witnessed him with her daughter. "Stupid Chance. Before meeting that man, the thought of having a baby was nonexistent, but now I can't wait to pop one of his little brats out."

"Wait, are you?" Franni started.

Bree waved her off. "Not yet. We’re trying but not trying if that makes sense. We both agreed we wouldn't put pressure on the fact that we were trying. He wants kids, and I want to give them to him, but when the time is right. So far it hasn't been."

Franni glanced over at Addison, but her hands were waving her off. "Nope, don't look at me. Watching a man with kids does nothing for me. Sure, I think it's great that Liam is good with babies, but we are both in the firm not having them category. I will spoil everyone else's but give me Lady any day of the week."

It was nice to know there were men in the world who didn't pressure a woman to have kids. Vito had put so much worth on that part of her life that she wondered if it would make her resent ever wanting kids again.

"What about you?" Addison asked Franni. "Do you want to have more kids?"

She looked back to where Blayd was playing with Gia. "It's funny because when I was with Vito, the only thing he cared about was me getting pregnant. Every month he would blow up when it didn't happen. I started to wonder if I ever became pregnant again, would I resent it? You know, the whole actually-being-pregnant part? Obviously, when I ran away, the thought never crossed my mind. It was just going to be Gia and me."

"And now?" Bree pushed.

"Now I'm not so sure. Blayd changed my view a little. I like how he is with kids, but I can't say how I would feel if I got pregnant again. I think I need to figure out who I am as a person first and then go from there."

Bree leaned over and slapped her leg. "Good for you. It takes one hell of a woman to recognize what she needs in life."

Franni smiled at her friends. This was the missing piece she hadn't been sure how to find. A group of women who supported her and weren't afraid to lift each other up, or if the occasion called for it, call her out when she needed it.

Her daughter was happy. She was happy. She found a man who supported her and would do anything to protect her. And now she had a great group of friends. It was official. Life couldn't get any better.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Blayd was getting restless. They didn't have anything new on Renando, and none of Bree's contacts could figure out where Alice and Leonardo had disappeared to. He knew that Franni had accepted they were dead. As much as he wanted her to have hope, he couldn't blame her for needing the closure.

But there was something in his gut that told him he was missing something. So instead of sitting around waiting for an answer, he went in search of it.

Blayd stepped into Bree's office but quickly stopped when he noticed a small change to her desk.

"What is that?"

To the right of Bree's monitor was a plush waffle. It had eyes and even a smile. The whole thing was slightly bizarre. Maybe it was the fact that the stuffed waffle wore a face. Or that it even existed in her office to begin with.

Bree barely glanced at the plush before she answered seriously. "That's Wanda, my twatwaffle."

"I'm sorry." Blayd was completely baffled. "Your what?"

He’d heard some pretty crazy things come out of Bree's mouth but this was by far above and beyond even her level of having a few screws loose. His friend often called people a twatwaffle but to actively have one in her office? He wasn't following.

"Wanda. She's my twatwaffle, so when someone annoys me, I can throw her at them."

Apparently, Bree felt the need to prove her point because seconds later, the waffle was flying through the air and smacking him in the chest.

"What the hell did I do to deserve that?"

"You questioned my new friend. Wanda didn't appreciate that, so she felt you needed to be slapped."

Well, alrighty then.

Blayd couldn't tell if she was serious or not. He figured it was best to assume that she was and go from there.

"I'm sorry I offended Wanda."

He picked the waffle up off the floor and handed it back to Bree. His friend didn't smile, but she did put the plush back in its rightful spot. He wasn't sure what was going on with Bree, but he felt it was best to stay on her good side. He didn't need her to get into the habit of throwing things at him on the regular. They had finally gotten to a good spot in their friendship since Franni arrived. He would hate for them to go backward.

"If you came to ask me about Renando, Alice, or Leonardo, you're shit out of luck. I don't have anything new to tell you."

He slumped into one of the rolling chairs in her office and slid back a good foot before he was able to get his bearings. Damn rolling chairs. This was why he didn't work in an office.

"I feel useless. Killing Vito was supposed to make Franni feel safe but now we have a missing Renando, and I know until we find him, she will never truly feel safe."

Bree sighed. "I wish I had better news but Interpol doesn't find him a threat, so they aren't putting much stock in finding him. Vito's rivals didn't consider Renando more than a head of security, so really, they don't care. We have several burned bodies and at least two that can't be identified but I don't think they fit the right age range. I really do wish I had something more for you, but I don't."

Blayd knew showing up wouldn't amount to anything. If Bree had anything to share, she would've sent for him right away. Everyone was aware of how important this was to him. No one would keep this kind of information to themselves.

"I know. I just don't do well when I feel helpless. I'm not used to it. I've always been given a target to go after. The waiting game isn't my strong suit."

"I never would've guessed."

Now he wanted to throw the plush waffle at her sarcastic reply. If he didn't fear the retribution she would dish out, he wouldn't have thought twice about it.

"On a serious note, I'm glad she found you."

He raised his eyebrow in question only for Bree to roll her eyes back at him.

"Franni, duh. I'm glad she found you. I think the two of you needed to find each other. It's not just about you healing her, but she's also healing you."

It wasn't like they hadn't had a similar conversation before, but something told him Bree had a different reason for bringing it up.

Luckily for him, she didn't keep him waiting.

"I'm not just talking about getting over relationships. She helped you change overall. You spend so much time with Gia and you're good with her. I mean, really good with her. You treat her like you already love her and see her as yours."

"I do love her and I wish she was mine. I want her to be mine," he implored.

"What if I said she could be?"

He looked at Bree like she had suddenly grown an extra head.

"You know I can do almost anything with computers, right?" Blayd nodded his head. "And if I can't, then I know others who can. Well, one of the things I could do is change her birth certificate so that Vito wasn't her father and you were."

Sometimes he remembered how stupid he had been to piss Bree off in the beginning when she first joined them. It was clear she had unlimited power and could use it at her will.

"It would have to be something Franni would want."

"I'm just letting you know the option is always there. I'm not saying you have to do anything with the information but just know that it's possible."

Now that she put the idea in his head, it was hard not to think about it. He wondered if Franni would even consider it. They still hadn't discussed their future. He was almost positive that she planned to stay, but as far as talking about it, there never seemed to be a good time. He needed to change that.

"Thank you."

"Anytime. Now get going so that I can get back to work. There has to be a line I can tug somewhere that I haven't thought about yet."

He doubted so. Bree was nothing if not efficient at her job. She looked under every rock and scoured every source.

Before he could tell her as much, a loud screeching siren filled the room. He knew that sound. They all knew that sound.

"Someone has breached the property."

He didn't wait for Bree to confirm what he already knew. Without a second thought, he shot out of her office and raced to find Franni and Gia. He needed to protect them, and he needed to do it now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Franni could listen to her daughter laugh all day long. There was something so innocent and sweet about the young sound that she wanted to bottle it up so it would be with her always, no matter how old her daughter got.

She and Gia were outside like usual. Blayd had gone over to the main building to check in with Bree. There was still no update on Renando; he was a ghost, and she was starting to think he always would be. The thought that she would have to spend her entire life looking over her shoulder bothered her. The death of Vito was supposed to take care of that. Instead, there was a new problem on the horizon.

Her thoughts drifted off to Alice and Leonardo. It felt wrong that she didn't get the opportunity to mourn them. Blayd wanted her to keep up the faith that they were still alive, but she knew better. Vito wasn't a merciful man, and if he was willing to blow up pieces of his compound, then he wouldn't care about killing the hired help. It was a horrible thought, but it was better than getting her hopes up.

She also had a nagging feeling that there was more to the explosion, but for the life of her she couldn't put her finger on it. All day it had bothered her, and the longer she stood outside, the more the feeling took over. Maybe it was time to go inside. Put a movie on and binge on popcorn. Gia loved it when they snuggled on the couch together. They could watch one of Gia's favorite princess movies. Maybe Blayd would join them soon.

Franni was about to call out for her daughter, but her body froze. Something wasn't right. She couldn't figure out what it was, but her gut was telling her something was wrong. Things were quiet. Too quiet.

Wait. It was quiet. Minutes before, Gia had been singing and laughing, but now it was deathly quiet.

"Gia?" Panic consumed her. Her daughter hadn't stopped laughing or singing the entire time they were outside.

"Mama."

Franni sprinted in the direction of her daughter's scared voice. There was no mistaking the tremble in that one word.

She skidded to a halt when she realized why her daughter sounded so scared. Crashing into a brick wall would've hurt less than how she felt seeing who was standing behind Gia.

"Renando." The name was nothing more than a whisper on the wind.

"Did you miss me, Francesca?"

"How did you find us?"

Gia was standing in front of Renando, and from her current position, he didn't look to be touching her daughter. But then why hadn't Gia run to her yet?

This place was supposed to be safe now that Vito was dead. She should have never let her guard down.

"I always told Vito you were too smart for your own good, but he refused to listen to me. He thought you were too stupid to ever leave him. He learned his lesson in the end though."

Renando had always seen too much. It was one of the many things she hated about him. Almost as much as she hated the leering looks he would give her, like the one he was giving her right now as he raked his eyes over her body.

"Looking good as ever."

Franni puked a little in her mouth.

"Gia, come to Mama, baby."

A lone tear slipped down her daughter's cheek, but still, Gia didn't move.

"She can't do that." Renando gave her one of his signature sinister smiles. "See, I told her if she moved from that very spot, I would kill you. Gia was always so good at following the rules."

Franni hadn't thought it was possible to hate someone more than Vito, but in that moment, she wanted to kill Renando. She wanted to claw his eyes out, inflict as much pain as she could possibly imagine for what he had done to her little girl. Gia was flourishing here, and in a matter of seconds, Renando had destroyed all of that progress.

"Leave Gia out of this. Let her go inside, this is just between us."

She didn't want her sweet daughter to see what was about to happen. Blayd had told her the entire area was monitored with alarms. There was no way they didn't know by now that Renando was on the property.

Renando laughed at her request. "Do you really believe I would give up my leverage that easily? I don't even need to use force. I could if you would prefer." He pulled out a gun and Franni froze. Fortunately, Gia was looking straight ahead and hadn't seen the weapon. "Would this make you more compliant?"

"That isn't necessary," she begged. Franni would do anything, say anything, if it meant no harm came to her daughter. "What do you want from me?"

Renando wasn't pointing the gun at Gia, but it was still in his hand and that terrified her. She knew he was a wild card and wouldn't think twice about ending either of their lives.

"I want what I've always wanted. You." The admission made her shiver. "Vito refused to share you with me despite asking him countless times. He said watching would have to be good enough, but I knew it was only a matter of time before he got sick of you. He always got sick of his wives. Your time should've been up, but he was keeping you around all because of this brat." He pushed Gia to the ground.

She could hear her daughter's soft cry as she tumbled onto the hard ground. Without a care for herself, Franni jumped into action, but Renando's sharp tone stopped her mere feet away.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Franni looked up and realized that, in her haste to get to Gia, she hadn't seen him move. She was now staring down the barrel of his gun.

"Take another step and I'll put a bullet in your forehead. You don't want your daughter to watch you get your head blown off, now do you?"

"Gia, sweetie, close your eyes. Go ahead and cover your head for me, baby."

She glanced down quickly to make sure her daughter had followed her direction. Sure enough, her perfect little girl had done exactly as she asked. Gia was curled in a ball and her head was buried between her arms.

"He's going to kill you, you know that, right?" Franni told Renando, her voice low.

She couldn't see him, but she knew he was close. Just like every other time Blayd was within her vicinity, she felt his presence. Now that Gia wasn't in the way, it was only a matter of time before Blayd ended this standoff.

"Who’s . . ."

Renando didn't get the chance to finish his question before his head exploded and blood sprayed her face and chest. She didn't wait to watch his body fall. Throwing herself to the ground, Franni cocooned her body over her daughter's.

"I'm here, baby. Mama's got you." Gia continued to whimper underneath her but made no attempt to move her small body. "It's okay, sweetie. You can move now. The bad guy is gone."

She wrapped her arms tightly around Gia and shifted so they were facing away from the graphic scene.

"Franni! Gia!" Blayd skidded to a stop right next to them.

"Please get us away from here," Franni cried. She was too afraid that her legs wouldn't carry her weight. Her entire body felt like lead, but she needed Gia away from everything that was happening around them.

People were shouting and feet pounded the ground.

Blayd didn't respond to her request, not with words anyway. As with every other time since she crashed into his life, he used his actions to speak for himself. Without breaking them apart, Blayd scooped the two of them up and carried them away.

"I got you both."

She had never been more grateful for him as she was right now. Blayd carried them straight to the house and didn't stop until they were in the master bathroom.

"I want to get the two of you cleaned up."

She understood—he wanted to get rid of the blood before Gia came out of the shock she was in. She didn't need to look in the mirror to know she had a lot on her. She could feel the stickiness against her body. It was better she didn't look either. The visual would only add to the nightmares she knew would plague her sleep.

As soon as the shower started, she climbed into the tub with Gia and slid to the floor. Her body was so numb that she barely felt the shower spray pounding down on her. Franni knew for her daughter's sake that she needed to keep things together, but it was harder than she expected.

"Let's get these clothes off you."

Gia didn't protest when she peeled the shirt over her head, nor did she talk when the rest of the clothes were stripped away. Franni started to worry that her daughter had suffered more than she realized.

"Talk to me, baby."

Gia didn't respond but she did tighten the hold she had around Franni’s belly. It was a start. Without letting go of her daughter, she managed to slip her own clothes off, and the two of them continued to sit on the floor of the tub with the water pouring down around them.

Blayd cleared his throat. "I'm going to get rid of these clothes."

"Burn them," she croaked. She would never be able to look at them the same way again anyway. There was no reason to have the reminder of the day.

"I'll be right back."

She knew Blayd leaned down and brushed his lips across the crown of her head. She could see his hand on her shoulder, but for some reason, she couldn't feel either. All her focus was on the arms that were clamped tightly around her daughter.

"I got you, baby."

She wasn't sure how long they sat there. At some point, Blayd came back but he didn't say anything. He just sat there and watched over them like the sentinel she knew he would always be. It wasn't until the water turned cold that she knew it was time to move.

Franni tried to get up until she realized how silly that notion was. She was wet and the tub was slippery. Add in that she was holding an extra forty pounds of wet child and the task was impossible. Thankfully Blayd was there to help. He turned the water off and scooped them both up, without any effort or concern.

"We’re soaking your clothes," she tried to protest, though her voice didn't hold much conviction.

"I don't care about my clothes. I care that the two of you are safe. Let me help you."

He wouldn't get an argument from her. Nothing could pull her away from holding her daughter close.

Blayd used towels to dry them off the best he could and wrapped her up in a robe while gently laying her on the bed. He pulled several blankets over them so that she and Gia were cocooned and warm. She wasn't making it easy for him, but at no point did he complain.

"Sweetheart?" She tried talking to her daughter again.

Gia had yet to speak.

"She fell asleep while you were in the shower. She didn't wake up when I moved you both, but I've been watching her chest rise and fall like a hawk. She's okay, even if her body has decided it's best to let her rest."

Franni breathed a sigh of relief for the first time since she realized how quiet it was in her backyard. She had known something was wrong and yet it took her a few minutes to act on it. Would things have been different if she trusted her gut from the beginning?

"He hurt my baby." Her voice broke, and tears that she hadn't known were threatening to fall, poured down her cheeks. "I let him hurt my baby."

Just as she knew he would be, Blayd was right there to comfort her. He brushed his thumb across her face and caught her tears. "You didn't let him do anything. He's the one who came here. If anyone is at fault, it's me. I should've killed him sooner, but I needed Gia away from him before I took the shot. I didn't know he would push her. I'm so sorry I didn't find a way to end him sooner."

"You saved us. You always save us."

She was so tired and just wanted to let sleep take her under. The thought of keeping her eyes open any longer was too much, and before she knew it, she succumbed to the darkness.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Blayd watched Franni and Gia sleep. It would be a while before he felt comfortable enough to leave them alone again. His heart had stopped beating when he saw that asshole standing directly behind Gia. He didn't need confirmation from Franni to know exactly who had infiltrated the location.

If it hadn't been for Daniel's command to stand down and wait for an opening, he would've charged straight into the mix. Luckily, his team leader had been able to keep his head about him. Otherwise, he was afraid today would've ended much worse.

He was still playing the what-if game when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he looked to see which of his teammates was checking up on them. He hadn't spoken to any of them since shoving the wet clothes into Steel's arms and demanding that they be burned immediately. Franni wasn't the only one who didn't want the reminder from them.

Bree

How're our girls holding up?

Blayd

They are both sleeping right now. Gia still hasn't spoken and she won't even look up. She's been buried in Franni's chest since I carried them both upstairs.

They had just gotten past the nightmares that caused Gia to cling to her mother like a monkey. Now they would be back to square one. Only this time he feared the nightmares would be worse.

Bree

Addison asked Liam to fly out and pick up Molly. She agreed to come. It won't be until sometime tomorrow, but I figured Gia wouldn't be up to talking to anyone tonight anyway.

Once again, he was grateful for the forethought of his friends. Molly was a skilled therapist and the fact that she was willing to drop everything to come work with Gia was exceptional.

Blayd

Thank you and please let Addison know I said thank you as well. I don't think I can leave them just yet. I'm not sure I will ever be able to. I don't know how Steel does it.

He watched the little dots appear and he waited anxiously to see what she had to say. The whole team knew it had been difficult for Steel to continue working after he found out about his daughter. Now Blayd understood why the man struggled so much.

Bree

Based on what Karlie tells us during ladies' night, he still has a hard time leaving them alone. It's going to take time. Hover over them as much as you need to. Franni will let you know when to back off. Our girl is stronger than you think.

Bree was wrong. He knew exactly how strong Franni was. She wasn't the one he was worried about. He was the one who wouldn't be able to cope. The whole debacle only lasted a few minutes, but it took years off his life.

"Who's that?" Franni's scratchy voice jolted him.

"It's Bree. She was checking up on the two of you and wanted to let me know that Liam was flying out to pick up Molly."

Franni hadn't met Molly yet, but they had discussed counseling and it was something she had been open to before this happened.

"Is that who you wanted me to talk to?"

He nodded his head up and down. Emotion was threatening to take over, and he couldn't speak. Words were simply lodged in his throat.

"I'm glad she's coming. I think it will be good for Gia to talk to someone."

"And you?"

Gia wasn't going to be the only one who needed to speak to Molly. Hell, it might even be good that he talked to her as well. In the Army, he had seen some pretty shitty situations but none of them affected him the way it had seeing Renando hurt Gia.

"I think it's best we talk to her as a family." Franni's throat bobbed. "All three of us."

Damn, he loved the sound of that.

"I think that's a good idea." Blayd cleared his throat. "Did you want to talk about it? I know we started before you fell asleep."

He was out of his depth on this one. Was it better to wait for Molly? Would holding it in until she showed up cause more damage? He hated that he wasn't equipped to help the two people he loved more than anything in the world.

Suddenly, Blayd's mind short-circuited.

He loved Franni. Deep down a part of him had known he loved her, but this was the first time he was admitting it, even to himself.

He loved Franni and Gia. He would do anything for the two of them.

"All I have ever wanted for Gia was to feel safe. Killing Vito was supposed to be the solution. Then Renando came here. How can we know that someone else from Vito's organization won't do the same? Gia will always be a target because the world thinks she's Vito's daughter."

It bothered him just how right she was. Unless . . . He thought back to what Bree had said just before the sirens had gone off.

"I have a crazy idea, but I want you to hear me out."

Actually it wasn't that crazy. It just required Franni to put all her trust in him.

"I'm listening."

"We change Gia's birth certificate. Pay to have the original destroyed and erased from all databases and then give her a new one. This time we list me as the father rather than Vito. No one will be the wiser, and if need be, we can spread the word that the two of you perished with Vito when we took him down. That way both of you can start fresh."

Franni was looking at him like he lost his mind, and for a second, he wondered if he had overstepped. They had talked about her staying, they had discussed how much Franni liked his friends, but that was all before Renando had made her feel unsafe here. Would she still want to stay?

Then a tentative smile pulled at Franni's lips. "You would do that for Gia?"

Blayd reached for the hand that was resting between them on the bed and cradled it between the two of his. "If you would let me, I would marry you today. This isn't just about Gia. It's about me wanting both of you in my life forever."

"Why?"

He made sure he had her full attention for his confession. "Because I love you. I fell in love with your little girl when you pulled up seeking refuge and I had to search your car. It only grew more and more as I spent time with her. My love for you wasn't as immediate but I knew there was something special about you. That doesn't mean my love for you isn’t as strong as it is for Gia, I just realized the feeling later. I can't picture my life without you both in it."

Franni's gaze dropped to where Gia was sleeping in the crook of her body. The little girl was exhausted. Rightfully so, but he also wondered if her brain was protecting her from everything that happened and that's why she was sleeping so much.

"You really want to marry me?"

"Give me a day and I'll have an engagement ring and a proper proposal planned."

No one could say he was the most romantic man in the world. That wasn't what their relationship was though. It was real. It was messy and it was everything he wanted. He would have his whole life to romance her.

"I don't need a proper proposal. I don't need some big gesture. I just need to know that this isn't changing. That the way we are together now isn't going to suddenly become different just because we get married."

He brought her hand to his lips and vowed, "What you see is what you get. You already know every one of my secrets. You've met my crazy team and you know to what lengths I will go to ensure both of you are safe. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're in charge in this relationship. We move things at your pace. I will never force you to give more than you're willing. If you want to wait to get married, then so be it. I still think we should change Gia's birth certificate sooner rather than later for her protection, but again only when you are ready. You're the boss."

"Except in the bedroom. Then you're the boss."

She glanced up coyly and gave him a knowing smirk that had him chuckling for the first time all day. One simple statement and he felt a million times lighter.

"Correct. I'm the boss in the bedroom."

The smile she gave him told him all that he needed to know. Everything would be fine. They would make it so.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Gia woke up the morning after the incident as frightened as she expected. Her daughter had clung to her, but at least she was willing to talk. It was a step in the right direction.

Breakfast had been a bit of a strain. Thankfully Blayd was willing to make them food while she held Gia. By the time they entered the therapy session, she wasn't sure who was more frazzled. Her, Gia, or Blayd. They were all equally close to their breaking point.

"That went better than I expected." Blayd held her hand as they walked back to the house. They agreed that it was better to hold the session in one of the apartments rather than at the house. That way there was no more trauma added to where they lived.

"I agree." She nodded and glanced over at her daughter.

Gia was sleeping in Blayd's arms; that was the first giant hurdle. At some point during the session, she had sought him out for comfort. It was at that point that they felt comfortable bringing up the topic of her birth certificate.

"I wasn't expecting you to discuss the birth certificate so soon, but I think it was a good idea to do it with Molly. Gia seemed to really like her."

Molly was a godsend. The woman had been so patient and understanding. At no point did she push Gia to talk, yet she was somehow able to get Gia to open up not just about yesterday's incident, but also the nightmares she had been having a week ago.

"It felt right, but I can't believe we were in there for over three hours. We are going to owe her so much for that and future sessions."

"I'll pay whatever it takes to make sure you and Gia feel safe again."

"What about you? You said some stuff in there as well."

She hadn't realized how much Blayd had been affected by what happened yesterday. He always seemed so indestructible that it was crazy to think he could be scared of leaving them alone.

"I think it's going to take some time before I'm comfortable leaving the two of you to go on an assignment. Daniel and Black will understand. My job is important to me but right now you guys are more important. I need to know everyone associated with Vito is gone. Bree is looking into it, so until I'm sure no one else will come looking, I'm staying put."

She loved that he felt that way, which reminded her …

"You said something yesterday and I'm ashamed to admit with everything going on I didn't give you a proper response."

Blayd looked at her with confusion.

"You said you loved me and I never said it back." She held up her hand when it looked like he was ready to cut her off. "Nope, it's my turn to talk. I didn't say it back, not because it wasn't how I felt. I didn't return the sentiment because I was overwhelmed by everything else you had said but I want you to know that I do. I love you, and I want to marry you. I'm not sure I want to do it today but certainly in the future. No grand gesture is needed and I want it to be small. Just the people here. I don't want big or flashy."

She was getting ahead of herself. It started with her wanting to make sure that he knew how much she loved him and now she was discussing weddings and proposals.

Blayd chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind for when I propose."

Just the thought had her belly flipping with excitement. She never would've thought she would get married again, but somehow Blayd had quickly changed her perspective on that.

"How long do you think it will take Bree to change Gia's birth certificate?"

Gia was on board with Blayd being her legal father, something Franni thought would take much more convincing. But once again, her daughter surprised her. Gia had pounced on Blayd at the mention of it. There had been so much joy on her daughter's face, it brought tears to not only her eyes but Blayd’s as well.

"Knowing Bree, not long. It was her suggestion to begin with, so I'm sure she has a plan in place."

She wanted the whole Vito thing behind her for good. This was just the first step to make that happen. The next would be changing her last name back to her maiden one, something else they discussed during their session. Blayd wanted her to have as much distance from Vito's identity as she could. Franni didn't care either way because it wouldn't be long before she took Blayd's last name.

Once they were back at the house, Blayd set Gia down on her bed. Her daughter didn't stir and for that she was grateful.

"Did you hook up the baby monitor?"

Franni never felt the need for it before but sometime during the night she had thought about how it would make her feel better. Especially when she wanted to close their bedroom door and have some time alone with Blayd, like she was feeling now.

"I did. The camera faces her bed, and the monitor is on our nightstand."

Ours. She really liked the sound of that.

She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the door.

"Okay, good, because I plan to spend some time with you while our daughter naps."

"Our daughter, huh? I like the sound of that."

So did she.

Franni dragged Blayd back to their bedroom and gently closed the door behind them. Once she was sure the monitor was properly working, she walked back to where Blayd waited for her.

"I'm not sure how long she's going to sleep, but I wanted to show you how much you mean to me. I know I just gave you the words, but sometimes a demonstration is better."

"A demonstration, you say." Blayd hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her so their bodies were flush against each other. "I think I can work with that."

She giggled but the laughter quickly switched to a moan when Blayd nibbled on her neck and ground his erection against her core.

"You are wearing far too many clothes."

He lifted her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist and carried her over to their bed.

"So are you."

Another moan slipped past her lips. He was far too good at trailing kisses along her neck and jaw. Blayd seemed to know where each of her sensitive spots was.

"I think we should remedy that." The words were nothing more than a breath across the shell of her ear, but they flipped a switch inside them both.

It was a race to see who could shed more clothes faster. Shirts flew. Shorts were shoved down legs until they were both tumbling onto the bed, naked and with limbs wrapped around one another.

"On all fours, Franni. I'm in the mood to watch your ass as I fuck you."

She scrambled to do his bidding. There was something about the way he talked dirty to her that lit her body up. She knew, even before he said anything, that she was dripping wet for him.

"You're so wet . . ." he groaned as his dick slipped along her folds. "I love how responsive your body is to me."

Blayd seemed to want to play while she was ready for him to be buried deep inside her. Pushing her ass back, she silently begged him to fill her up.

"Patience." Blayd's hands gripped her waist, but he didn't stop teasing her.

"I don't want to be interrupted," she groaned when he slipped only the tip inside her, but then pulled out just as quickly.

Blayd tapped her ass. "Fair enough."

She heard the sound of foil ripping and sighed in relief.

Blayd didn't give her time to adjust. One minute he was rolling the condom on and the next he was balls deep inside her, each thrust harder than the last, the force of which had her sliding forward on the bed.

"Is this . . . what . . . you wanted?" He was setting a punishing pace, but as he taught her the first time, there was a thin line between pain and pleasure. Blayd was great at walking that line and making her feel amazing in the process.

"Yes," she purred. "More." Her fingers dug into the bedspread as she tried to gain some purchase, but it was no use. He was using her body to work through all his feelings, and she was loving it.

Each thrust reminded her that she would feel him for days after. He was bigger than she was used to, and they hadn't been together long enough for her to get acclimated yet.

"You feel so damn good. I love the way you hug my cock."

Oh God. The combination of his words and the way he was hitting that magical spot over and over again had her close to the edge.

"Don't stop. I'm so close."

"I know you are. I can feel your pussy beginning to milk me. Come for me, Franni."

Her body obeyed his demand. Her legs vibrated. Color exploded behind her eyes and the sounds of Blayd's own release filled her ears. The only thing keeping her upright was his firm grasp on her hips. She was sure there would be bruises where his fingers dug into her.

Finally, Blayd collapsed his large body over her back and pulled her over until the two of them were spooning.

"I know you wanted a quickie but damn." Blayd's labored breathing slid over her neck. "I've never come so hard in my life and never so fast. I think I owe you a redo."

It took her a minute to catch her own breath. "I don't think my body could handle a redo right now, but I'll take the rain check."

She didn't mention that what they just shared was perfect. It was raw and real. Everything she ever wanted from him.

"I need to get rid of this condom and we should probably get dressed. I think I hear Gia stirring in her room."

Sure enough, her daughter was moving around more than normal which meant she would be fully awake in a matter of minutes.

Franni hated that she felt the loss as soon as Blayd slid out of her. She was getting attached quickly but she couldn't find it in her to care.

She watched as Blayd strutted his fine ass to the bathroom. Once he was out of her sight, she scrambled off the bed and quickly got dressed. By the time she had her clothes back on and looked halfway presentable, Gia was almost fully awake.

Blayd slipped out of the bathroom just as she was heading to the door. As much as she wanted to watch him get dressed, she had a daughter who needed her more. And she would always choose her daughter over everything else.

It was a good thing Blayd would too.

EPILOGUE 1

It had been several weeks since the incident with Renando. They had continued counseling sessions with Molly as a family, but after those first few times, the sessions were switched to virtual. Molly had to get back to her life and it wasn't fair to keep the woman hostage just because they were working through things.

Gia was doing much better. She was back to the same little girl she had been before the first set of nightmares. The ones where her daughter witnessed her dying because Blayd couldn't save them both. Franni never told her daughter, but she was glad to know that even in her dreams, Blayd had chosen her first. That was all she could ever ask of the man.

Bree had managed to change Gia's birth certificate and she now had her maiden name back. Word had traveled fast that Vito's entire family had perished the same day he did, so Blayd was confident that no one would come looking for them again.

"Mama, did Daddy say why Miss Bree wanted to see us?"

And that had started recently as well. After they had discussed Blayd being listed as the father on Gia's birth certificate, her daughter had started to call Blayd dad. Franni had thought he was going to cry the first time Gia said it. Later that night, when they had been alone, Blayd had broken down and explained that's all he had wanted from Gia since the moment he met her. He wished every day that he had been there since her birth, but he planned to make up for the time by being there every day for the rest of her life.

"I'm not sure, baby. I think they have a surprise for us."

Blayd had sounded way too excited for it to be anything else. She just couldn't fathom what kind of surprise he would have in Bree's office, of all places.

"I like surprises."

Franni laughed. "I know you do, sweetie." And she didn't see that changing anytime soon despite the number of surprises her daughter got on the regular.

Once they managed to get through all the security protocols, Franni and Gia wove through the halls until they found Bree's office. Standing in front of one of the computers was both Blayd and Bree. Both wore equally happy smiles on their faces.

"You two look like you've been up to trouble."

"Bree has been, but I wanted to come here first and make sure things were good before we asked you to come."

"And what exactly has Bree been up to?" She lifted her brow when the two of them looked at each other but neither spoke up.

Finally, it was Bree who answered. "Okay, so as you know, I'm not a fan of unsolved mysteries. I promised you I wouldn't stop looking and it paid off."

Wait. Was Bree saying what she thought she was saying?

"Did you find . . . " She couldn't even finish the question.

"I did, and I've got them waiting to video conference in. Black didn't want me to bring them here for obvious reasons, but I set it up so that you guys can talk."

Oh my God. Franni didn't even know what to say. She hadn't wanted to have hope but there had always been a small part of her that figured if anyone could find them, it would be Bree.

"Can we talk to them now?"

"Oh, yes." Bree scrambled in front of the computer. She watched in awe as Bree's fingers flew across the screens and within seconds, a video popped up. Sure enough, on the other side of the screen was Alice and Leonardo.

Her first real true friends.

"Oh, Franni and Gia! My babies!" Alice started to cry which caused Franni to cry. Leonardo wrapped his wife up in his arms, and Blayd did the same for her.

"I thought you didn't make it. When the team went in to take out Vito, they couldn't find either of you."

"That's because we snuck out when we heard the shots. We hadn't known that would be the plan, but when we saw Renando using a secret passage, we decided to follow,” Leonardo explained.

"It took us out to a nearby village. We managed to make it to a friend's house that we trusted and they agreed to hide us. It wasn't until we learned that everyone in Vito's compound perished that we felt safe enough to move freely," Alice added.

"That's when I found them," Bree explained. "And it was why I couldn't locate anything before that. No one from that village was talking, but I had feelers out."

"We heard that an American was looking for us and that it was the same person who had killed Vito. We had our friend get in contact with your person because we needed to know if the story was true. We are so glad you two are safe."

"We need the world to think we’re dead so that no one from Vito's past comes looking for us," Franni said.

"You don't have to worry.” Leonardo smiled. "That nice gentleman holding you explained everything. He wouldn't let us talk to you until he was sure that we weren't a threat."

Franni smiled up at Blayd. Of course, he would have her best interest at heart. He swore he would do anything to protect them, and she knew that meant keeping people away if he thought it was best.

"I'm so glad to see you're alive. I was so scared to hope."

"We didn't know what to think either," Alice whispered. "I know we agreed that once you left, we couldn't stay in touch, but it was hard not knowing. Every day we waited to see if Vito would stomp around and confirm that he had found you. When we heard those shots that day, we knew you made it to your destination and got the justice you wanted. We were so happy for you."

Tears were streaming down her face again.

They talked for another half hour before Bree said that it was time to get off. They agreed to have weekly communications, but for safety purposes, they would need to keep it under thirty minutes and vary the times and days.

Franni didn't care as long as she had the chance to stay in contact with them.

Once they were all done and the three of them headed back to their house, she grabbed Blayd's hand and thanked him.

"You have no idea how much that meant to me. I love you."

"I keep telling you, you never need to thank me, and I love you too. I would do anything to make you happy. Seeing your smiling face was enough for me."

Franni wasn't sure how she got so lucky, but she wasn't about to question it. She would live her life to the fullest and prove every day that Blayd made the right choice in loving them.

EPILOGUE 2

He was once again at another party. This one didn't require that he bring a present, so he knew it wasn't anyone's birthday. It seemed like every time he turned around, one of his teammates was having a party for something. He was pretty sure they just liked to get everyone together as often as possible despite the fact that they were always together anyway.

The team he was on was located in the middle of nowhere; literally, the middle of the desert. They didn't interact with anyone other than themselves, so it baffled him that they felt the need to throw parties constantly. Or even call them that when really, it was just another day.

"What's that frown for?" Emma walked over and nudged his boot to get his attention.

"Pretty sure this is just my regular face at this point."

How sad was that? Somewhere over the past few months, after he got shot protecting Karlie, he had started questioning his existence. For most of his life, he had simply gone through the motions. He followed the orders of his superiors and didn't question them. That had gotten him into trouble alongside Steel and Jaxson, so when he was offered this job, he thought his life was finally going to turn around.

So far it hadn't gone that way.

"I'm worried about you."

Well, wasn't that just fantastic? His team leader's wife was worried. And Emma wasn't just Daniel's wife. She was an integral part of their team. He didn't want her worrying about him. That meant she cared. He didn't want her caring, especially because he hadn't decided if staying with the team was his best move.

"There's nothing to be worried about."

"Bullshit." Emma dropped down next to him. One of the bad things about her was the fact that she used to work for the CIA and calling someone out on their bullshit was her specialty. "I might not have known you before coming here, but Steel and Jaxson both say you're different now. Even more so after being shot, so tell me why that is."

Saved by the bell. Or more accurately, saved by the phone ringing in his pocket.

"Excuse me, I need to take this."

He hadn't even looked to see who was calling but it didn't matter. He would talk to anyone if it meant getting away from that conversation.

"This conversation isn't over," Emma hollered after him.

He merely waved her off. Without looking to see who was calling, Gage answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"You have a collect call from Lackawanna County Prison. Do you wish to accept the charges?"

Gage nearly stumbled over his feet. He hadn't heard the name of his home county in over fifteen years.

"Yes, I'll accept them."

"Gage?"

If he thought hearing the name of his county had tripped him up, it was nothing compared to the voice on the other end of the line.

"Gage, are you there? If you are, I need your help. I've been arrested."

Don’t miss who Gage needs to bail out of jail in Overlooking the Past.

Check out my Small Town Romantic Suspense, Willow Creek, featuring silver foxes. These 7 men served with Wes and are now starting their own security team.

WHERE TO FIND ME

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Because yes sometimes even authors need some help. Thank you Sharon Caldwell for helping me name our Male Main Character.

And to my amazing husband for standing by me throughout this crazy journey.

ALSO BY ELIZABELLA BAKER

Charlie Team Series:

Ashlynn’s Savior

Leah’s Warrior

Zack’s Redemption

Missy’s Champion

Jaime’s Vengeance

Bentley’s Forever (novella)

Stand-Alone:

Bridge between Charlie and Bravo Team

Westley

Bravo Team Series:

Protecting Ember

Chasing Trista

Guarding Jewels

Hunting Kendra

Securing Abigail

Harboring Shantae

Deserving Maddie

Heroes of Lone Star Series:

Fighting for Charlotte

Burning for Chloe

Caring for Lucy

Arguing for Alexa

Blackguard Security: Phantom

Crossing Enemy Lines

Reclaiming What's Mine

Flirting with Temptation

Resisting the Spark

Breaking the Chains

Overlooking the Past

Kringle Security

Challenging Luke

Willow Creek:

Rugged Fox