Page 57 of Dangerous King (Savage Kings of New York #2)

Later that evening, Cat and I go outside into the park, and she watches me train the dogs. Shadow, who, for a change, is not growling at me, follows the training program of the older dogs with interest.

I give Cat some pointers, and she tries to teach him, while Dexter and the others go through our routine like the champs they are.

We go at it for a while, but her heart doesn't seem into it.

Halfway through the training, I throw the ball into the woods for the bigger dogs and give them the command to find it, knowing this will occupy them for a bit. Then I turn to Cat, who seems subdued.

"Cat," I walk towards her, after the dogs take off. Instantly, Shadow growls at me. I growl right back, and he hides between her legs.

"Come here." I pull her into my arms. "I don't want you to be worried about this."

"How can I not be? I don't want to be the reason your family has a falling out with the Don."

I tilt her chin up with my thumb. "This is about more than that, Cat. Don Edoardo has been overstepping for a while; it's about time someone stood up to him."

Her beautiful eyes fill with tears. "But… your family."

"Will be stronger for it."

She shakes her head. "I'm not an idiot. I know why Giovanni blackmailed my father. The port is important to your entire organization, not just Giovanni's."

I shake my head in return. "No, that's where you're wrong.

The port needs to be shut down. It's only still running because certain people think trading in human lives is acceptable.

We have other ways to move our product—ways that don't involve that kind of filth.

Giovanni's crew has made a fortune from human trafficking, true, but it's a recent addition to their business.

They did without it before and can learn to do without it again.

For the rest of us, it's always been a stain on the name of La Famiglia. "

Her large, whiskey eyes take me in, as if she's gauging my honesty. "Cat, we might be mafia, and we might operate outside the legal system on a lot of things, but most of us abhor human trafficking. And those men will side with us."

She pulls her lower lip between her teeth and mulls my words over. I can see the but forming even before she utters it. "But going against your Capo dei Capi…" She shakes her head.

"Cat, listen to me." I take a deep breath, the things I'm about to tell her…

I haven't even talked to my father about them yet.

Mainly because he doesn't want to hear anything against our Don.

I'm betraying confidences, but I feel like Cat deserves to not only know the truth, but to be trusted with it.

Because she's right. We're getting married.

And the truth is, I don't want a puppet in a dress or a pretty shadow trailing me through life.

I want someone I can trust—really trust. Someone who'll stand in the fire with me, not just smile through the smoke.

Someone I can talk to without watching every damn word.

Someone who knows the darkness I walk through and still chooses to reach for me.

That's what she's offering. Not obedience. Not fear. Something deeper. I love?—

Fuck when did that happen?

But I do. I love the way she stands up to me. The way she listens, not just to my orders, but to my silence. I love how she looks at me like I'm more than the monster they all whisper about in dark corners.

Love?

Yeah. Love.

The word hits harder than I expect, a weight behind my ribs that tightens my chest. It knocks the air out of me. Not because I didn't see it coming, but because I didn't want to. But there it is, settled in my gut like truth that's been waiting to be said.

Yeah.

I love her.

I swallow. I want to yell the words out loud—hug her, kiss her, fuck her—but this is not the moment. Instead, I hear myself say, "You know who Antonio DeLuna is?"

She nods. "Yes, Carlos Orsi killed Antonio's father a few months back. He is the new capo of the DeLuna clan."

She's informed, good. "Toni is also my… best friend," I hate using this term.

It makes me sound like a frat boy, but I don't know how else to describe our complicated relationship without going into another lengthy explanation.

"Edoardo has forbidden Toni from taking revenge on his father's killer.

Toni has been at me for months to go against our Don because of that.

Carlos has accused Edoardo of ordering the hit, something he was forced to recant later. "

Amber eyes regard me thoughtfully, but her lips stay quiet.

So I continue, "I haven't supported my best friend," there's that word again; I suppress a cough, "because I didn't want to go against my father.

Which, as it turns out, was a mistake. Edoardo has stepped over the line, with Toni, with me, and it will continue with the others, unless we stop him.

Whatever happens has nothing to do with you; it has been coming for a while. "

Her hand falls lightly to my arm. I rolled my sleeves up earlier, and the contact of her skin on mine is like a jolt of electricity, but also strangely comforting.

"That must be hard. Choosing between your father and your friend," when she says the word, it doesn't sound as bad as when I say it. "I'm sorry, you have to be in that spot."

"My father will see the light," I say with confidence, because he will. It'll take him longer than some of the others, but in the end, he will be on our side, I know it. Loud barking announces the return of the shepherds; this time, it's Cosmo in the lead. He's got the best nose of the whole pack.

Cosmo gallops back, tail high with triumph, the ball gripped tightly in his jaws. The others chase him in a frenzy of competition, nipping and barking, jostling for bragging rights.

I grin and whistle once, sharp and commanding. Instantly, the pack stops. Cosmo trots over and drops the ball into my hand like the proud soldier he is.

Cat watches them with a look that's soft and sad at once. I see it in her eyes, the storm of emotion, the fear that she's pulling me into something she can't fix.

I toss the ball again and let the dogs scatter. Then I turn back to her.

"Look at me," I say quietly.

She does.

"I'm choosing this. You. Every minute. Every complication. Every fight that comes. I'm not a man who stumbles into things, Cat. I see a future with you. And I'll bulldoze whatever stands in our way to protect it."

Her throat moves as she swallows hard. "Even if it's your Don?"

"Especially if it's my Don."

She stares at me, stunned for a second. Then slowly, she exhales and leans into my chest. My arms go around her instinctively, like they know it's where she was always meant to be.

Behind us, Shadow lets out a sleepy little grunt. He's sprawled on the grass like a miniature guard dog, still watching me out of the corner of one suspicious eye.

I snort. "You know, I think he might be warming up to me."

"He hasn't bitten you tonight because he's too tired," she murmurs against my chest.

"Progress." I kiss the top of her head. "Let's go shopping."

She pulls back, blinking up at me. "What, now? It's nine o'clock."

I grin. "Exactly. Which makes it the perfect time for a surprise."

Her brows knit. "What kind of surprise?"

"You'll see." I tap my wrist like I'm checking a watch. "But you've got exactly fifteen minutes to throw on something nice. Or else I'm picking the dress."

She narrows her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would. In fact, I already have one in mind. Velvet. Black. Slit up the thigh."

She gasps, mock horror blooming on her face. "You're dangerous."

I lean in, mouth brushing her ear. "You have no idea."

Shadow barks once as if to remind me I'm still on thin ice. I smirk and whisper to her again. "Fifteen minutes, Piccolina. Don't keep me waiting."

I watch her and Shadow run up the stairs back to the terrace. I listen to the receding sound of her laughter, and the backyard already feels ten degrees cooler and infinitely emptier. Figuring I'm in for a wait, I walk back inside as well, running straight into Mamma.

"Ah, just the boy I wanted to see," her face is set in a stern expression I know well.

"We're on our way, just waiting for Cat," I ward her off.

She narrows her eyes, "On your way, where?"

Conspiratorially, I lean forward and whisper, "I'm taking her to Volare ."

Her eyes light up instantly, and she pinches my arm, "Good boy. I knew I raised you right."

She leans up, her hands caging my head, pulling me down for a big, smacking kiss.

I return her embrace. Mamma is the more affectionate parent in this house, and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy her hugs.

They've become rarer in the last few years, probably due more to my growing status and the respect I demand, rather than her lack of desire to bestow them. She's a good woman.

Speaking of good women… Cat appears at the top of the stairs, and I go still.

She took my request to heart; the black cocktail dress clings to her in all the right places, elegant and classic, with a high neckline.

No slit, but somehow, she still looks like sin wrapped in moonlight.

Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and her makeup is soft and smoky. My breath catches, hard and fast.

"Jesus, Cat," I murmur as I meet her at the bottom of the steps. "Are you trying to kill me?"

She smiles, that mix of shy and proud that she wears better than any diamond. "This okay?"

"This is more than okay, Cat, you're breathtaking. A vision."

Mamma pats my shoulder with one hand, wiping the corner of her eye with the other. "Figlio mio." And to Cat, "You look stunning, Cara. I couldn't be happier for either of you."