34
C aleb sat in the chair he’d been placed in as soon as they’d arrived at the police station. The only thing keeping him from losing his ever-loving mind was Rose sitting next to him while a paramedic checked her over.
Keeping a careful eye on Rose in case she needed him, he glanced at the man who’d cuffed him as he talked to the officer sitting behind the desk.
He said his cousin, Midas, was the same. It can’t be the same Midas. Can it?
There was only one way to find out if his cousin Midas was Marco Guerriero, a former COMSUBIN who now worked for Gunnar McKinley and The Four X’s Group in La Spezia. When the cop left the desk and headed toward the interrogation rooms, he seized his chance and called in Italian, “Excuse me, Officer?”
“Si.”
He had no idea where to even start with Italian. “Do you speak English?”
The cop eyed him with suspicion, then lifted one shoulder. “Better than you do Italian.”
Thank fuck.
“Good.” Caleb winced at the derision in the cop’s voice. He knew he butchered Italian when he spoke it. “You mentioned Midas.” The cop’s body language stiffened, but Caleb forged on anyway. “Is his name Marco? Marco Guerriero?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know Gunnar, too?”
“The bear?”
“If you mean a grizzly bear.” He was being cryptic; they both were, he realized, but thankfully, they also seemed to be on the same wavelength.
“No.” The cop shook his head. “No, I don’t.”
Damn, did I fuck up?
All he could do was watch as the other man retreated from the room and disappeared down a corridor.
“I do not see any damage aside from bruising.”
The paramedic’s words pulled his full attention back to Rose. Grateful they had uncuffed him and the guys as soon as they’d placed them in this room, Caleb reached for her hand and linked their fingers together. He listened to the instructions.
“Drink plenty of cold drinks, and rest as much as possible for the next few days, and you will be as good as the rain again.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Her voice sounded raw, and her throat sore.
Caleb bit back the rage at the discoloration which darkened the skin of her throat, a necklace of fingerprints to remind him of how close he’d come to losing her. He lifted his arm, and Rose curled against him. “I got you, baby girl.”
The door to the interrogation room opened to reveal Wolf. He strode toward them and squatted in front of Rose. “How are you doing, Rose?”
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry.” Wolf’s solemn gaze took them both in. “I’d have warned you both if I could have.”
“You were watching me all the time?” Rose rasped.
Wolf nodded. “Me or one of my men.” He gestured to Cookie and Mozart. “Except when you were in your house, you were never alone. I’m so damn sorry I didn’t get to you on time to stop him.”
“You did.”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” His question was filled with confusion.
She reached for him, resting her hand gently on his arm. “You were behind the goons. Knowing you were there gave me the courage to fight harder. To fight with everything I had for the future I wanted.” She smiled up at him. “Like your Ice did when she needed to.”
“You are just as strong as my wife is.” Wolf leaned in and pressed a brotherly kiss to her forehead.
Caleb had to strain his ears, but he barely made out what Wolf whispered.
“Ice and the women would tell you to fight like a girl for the love you deserve.” He climbed to his feet and went to sit next to Mozart and Cookie.
“What happened?”
“I was filling them in when Midas and Grizzly called,” Wolf said. “Based on the side of the conversation I heard, I’m guessing we’ll be out of here shortly. If not, then the commander at Naples is my phone call.”
Relief slammed into Caleb. It must have been the same Midas, after all. He made a mental note to thank the cop for calling his cousin. He also wasn’t too proud to admit to himself that having Wolf Steel taking charge eased the burden on him. He didn’t have the spoons for anything more than concentrating on Rose. He loosened his hold on her when she reached for her purse and searched through it. “What are you looking for?”
“My phone.”
“I have it.” Mozart leaned around Wolf. “I picked it up after you ran.” He held it out to her. “I hope it’s not broken.”
She fiddled with the phone and the screen light up. “It’s not,” Rose turned it to show Mozart. “Thank you for saving it.”
“You’re welcome.”
Rose muttered something as she played with the phone. “Look at this.”
Caleb blinked, his eyes crossing as he tried to see what was under his nose. He nearly sighed out loud when she lowered it so he could make out the photo of the stuffed bird. “Is that...” His heart sped up, and he prayed he hadn’t misunderstood the meaning of the photo. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
A soft smile pulled at Rose's full lips. “You didn’t read the words, did you?”
There were words?
He took the phone from her hands to get a closer look.
“I was typing when I felt him behind me,” Rose whispered. “That’s why you got half a text message.”
He blinked at her in confusion. Even as his heart leaped with hope, his brain refused to connect the dots. “Um.”
“Check your phone, dumbass,” Cookie whisper-shouted. “Check your damn phone.”
Phone. Check my phone. Got it.
He fished it out of his pocket and stared at the notification when the screen lit up. “Do you mean it?”
“Yes,” Rose answered. “I may not deserve you, but I refuse to let walk away without knowing it. I’ve kept my heart guarded, but somehow you broke through and made me feel again.”
He stared at her, almost unable to believe what his ears told him was truth. “Say the words, Rosey-Posey. I need the words.”
She smiled and snuggled into his arms, lifting her face to brush a kiss over his lips. “I love you, Caleb Hunt. So much, I can hardly stand it.”
“And I love you.”
A whoop sounded behind them. “If you two are finished, can we now leave Villa Del Vesuvio?”
Caleb turned and found Wolf and his men watching them with big smiles on their faces.
“You missed them telling us we’re free to go and to come back tomorrow with our lawyers to sign our statements.”
“Are you ready?” he asked Rose as he helped her to her feet.
“With you by my side?” She slipped her hand into his and kept pace with him as they headed toward the door. “Always.”
“Then let us go. I'm ready to go home.” He leaned down and whispered the rest in her ear. “Not to mention a nice big bed to curl up in for a lifetime with you.”
“Happily ever after is a freaking awesome house to live in,” Wolf said sagely. “Don’t fuck it up, Hunt.”
“Never,” Caleb vowed. “I finally persuaded her to take a chance on me. She mine, and I’m hers. Forever.