Page 40

Milo

E ven with the intervention of the healer, it was still a couple of days before I felt like myself again.

Havoc hovered over me the entire time, annoying me, and I had to ask Renzo to give him some work so I could get a little peace.

It wasn’t the first time one of us had been injured, and I hovered over him when he was the one in bed too.

But it had reached a point where I needed to be alone with my thoughts.

Isabetta was on her feet before me, but she also hovered, spending more time in bed than she needed.

She wasn’t sleeping well, and dark circles bloomed under her eyes.

Any time we turned the lights off she woke up screaming, so Renzo had brought in an extra lamp to calm her.

I had taken to sleeping on the outside of the bed, letting Havoc and Renzo bracket her.

It was guilt more than anything that drove me from the bed and into the shower.

Isabetta had been kidnapped and hurt while on my watch.

She was still suffering because of it, and every time she reached for me, my guilt got worse.

I appreciated her worry, cherished it even, but I wasn’t sure I deserved it.

And I certainly didn’t deserve her tears.

Renzo kept himself busy around the house, trying to involve Isabetta too.

There were more security cameras now, and every room was monitored.

Havoc had cracked a joke about Renzo wanting to video us fucking in every room in the house and we had all laughed, even Isabetta, but it felt a little hollow.

I wasn’t sure if it was enough. Havoc had told me the Alps were gone, and Renzo was just being overly cautious, but honestly, I wasn’t sure if he was being cautious enough. One group had attacked us. What if others did the same? Maybe they thought we were injured and now was a good time to strike.

A week after the kidnapping, Havoc, Renzo and I were seated in his office. Isabetta was taking a bath, as Renzo and I had both insisted she indulge in some self-care. But really, we needed a chance to talk without her around, and with everyone jumpy when one of us was on our own, it was difficult.

Renzo had hugged Isabetta from behind while she was making herself some coffee this morning, and sparked a full-blown panic attack.

It had taken almost half an hour to calm her down.

Watching her like that, feeling the panic coming off her in waves, and seeing her thoughts as she flashed back to that room, had almost sent me spiraling as well.

“We need to do something about Isabetta.” Renzo sounded more tired than I had ever heard him. None of us were sleeping well, either waiting for Isabetta to have a nightmare, or woken up by the last one.

“It’s only been a week. This sort of thing takes time to get over.” I wasn’t over it and I didn’t know if I ever would be. Although I was doing my best to keep a calm face, Havoc knew I was lying. He wouldn’t out me, or so I thought.

“We need to do something about both of them.” I glared at Havoc as he spoke, but he raised an eyebrow in return.

“Just because you ain’t fucking talking about it doesn’t mean I am going to ignore it.

You should count yourself lucky I haven’t just ripped the memory out of your head and been done with it. ”

Renzo leaned back in his chair, looking at Havoc in contemplation. “I hadn’t considered that. It could be the best path forward.”

“You can’t just erase things that go wrong to keep her happy.

Her body knows it went through a trauma.

I think she needs to talk to someone about it.

” Havoc had never used his memory abilities on me before, and the thought of him using them on Isabetta made me sick to my stomach.

Sure, it might stop the immediate problem of the nightmares, but it wasn’t a solution to everything she had been through.

Renzo frowned, looking between us both. “Her safety is more important to me than anything. Find her someone to talk to who can be trusted. But if it doesn’t help, Havoc will take her memory. And yours too. If you can’t talk to us, you need to find someone.”

I looked away as he spoke, gripping the arms of the chair. Havoc glared at me, knowing the guilt of her capture was consuming me, but I refused to do anything other than nod. I could do that much.

Renzo turned his attention back to Havoc. “How’s the cleanup going?”

I had wondered how Renzo had gotten him to leave the house, and now I had my answer.

“Warehouse is cleaned out and burned down. I’m sure they will build something else there, so if you want to buy the land, get on that.

There were a few rats we had to hunt down, but the Alps are dead or fled.

The healer has kept her mouth shut. The only people who know about Isabetta being taken are ones we control. ”

Renzo nodded, a little of the tension seeping from his body. “I have meetings with the businesses to discuss rebuilding what needs to be rebuilt. We are going to come back from this stronger, and no one is ever going to question us again.”

We could only hope.

As Havoc and I left the office, Isabetta was in the hallway.

She was wearing a pair of Havoc’s sweatpants and one of my T-shirts, and my heart lurched at seeing her in them.

She leaned up, kissing each of us on the cheek, and I had to resist the urge to pull away.

Isabetta shouldn’t have been kissing me, but there was that part of me that still craved her.

“What are you doing out here, princess?” Havoc was sticking with that nickname for her, but since he was treating her like a princess, it made sense.

“Before—everything happened, Renzo told me you wanted to go over gun safety with me. I know how to shoot, but I want you to help me be better. I want to carry a gun.” Her voice was soft but determined. It made sense she would look for a way to help herself feel safer.

I went to step back, hoping to leave them to it, when Havoc grabbed hold of my arm.

“Sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon, princess. Milo could use some practice as well. I even have a range out in the back shed, so we don’t have to leave the property.

I can’t wait to see you, I bet you’ll look so fucking hot with a gun in those pretty little hands of yours. ”

None of us had been flirtatious with Isabetta since the incident, as giving her time and space to heal was important.

Seeing the flush of pink across her cheeks as Havoc flirted with her buoyed my spirits.

Maybe this hadn’t completely broken her.

I wanted to argue, but Havoc gave me a look that told me he would make me regret it if I did, so I followed them quietly as they headed for the shed.

Okay, that was perhaps an understatement.

The shed was a large space, with two shooting ranges off to the far left, although he also used one for knife throwing, and all our vehicles were stored in here, plus a workspace for Havoc’s other projects.

He also had a backroom for the rare occasions he brought a person back here to work on, though I knew Isabetta would not see that part—at least not today.

I was sure he had many dreams about taking her there in the future.

Havoc led Isabetta over to one lane, unlocking the large gun cabinet on the wall and pulling out a 9mm pistol and bullets. He left me to choose my own, which I did begrudgingly. He gave her a pair of earplugs to dim the sound, helping her put in the first one.

“All right princess, it’s all yours. Show me what you know.

” The gun was laid out in its case in front of her, and Havoc crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her pick it up and check it before she loaded it.

I had to admit I was impressed. Her hands didn’t shake, there was no nervousness in her movements.

This clearly wasn’t the first time she’d handled a gun.

I wondered who had taught her. Her father?

One of his men. It certainly hadn’t been her mother, she wasn’t that type of mafia wife.

Havoc double checked everything, and then handed her the second earplug, motioning to the target. “If you hit the bullseye, I will make you come so hard your eyes will fucking cross.”

I frowned but didn’t interfere as Isabetta turned to the target with a determined look on her face.

She had a good stance, but Havoc couldn’t help himself.

His hands were on her hips as he adjusted her posture, his chest pressed to her back.

Once she was properly flustered, he stepped back and watched, his smirk firmly in place.

I was distracted as well, my target practice forgotten as I watched her aim and fire, each bullet hitting the target.

She wasn’t bad at all. Not an expert, but she would need less work than I had expected.

Havoc was excited. He had always insisted Isabetta was like us, that we simply needed to bring her out of her shell.

He was practically champing at the bit to have her throwing knives with him, but I mentally cautioned him to take it easy with her.

I didn’t take it personally when he scoffed.

Havoc always thought he knew better about things like this.

Over the next hour, the two of them worked closely together, and I turned my attention to my lane. I needed to practice, to make sure my skills stayed sharp. I wasn’t as good with a gun as Havoc, but maybe it was time for a change.

When the giggling from Isabetta became too much of a distraction, I looked over to see Havoc sinking to his knees in front of her, tugging her sweatpants down as he did.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her hand settled in his hair as he made good on his promise.

My target and gun were forgotten as I watched him pleasure her.

I didn’t join them. I watched as he made her cry out, and realized how much I had missed hearing her make that sound.

Maybe things were going to be alright after all.