Page 44 of Loving the Enemy
“Anything else?”
“I spoke to Darius briefly, asked him why he turned, but he never gave me a direct answer.” I pause, trying to remember if there was anything else I needed to tell him. “I found out Darius has a sister.”
“Yeah, it’s how we caught him. We had his phone at his house bugged.” He looks down at his desk and, without looking up, says, “So that was all they said?”
“Yes.”
He looks back at me. “Did Romeo stay in the house with you?”
“For a time, but then he did come into the room and said he needed to go into the city to pick up something for his wife. So he left.”
“I see.” I can’t help but notice how worn Michael looks. He’s tired. I can see it in his eyes. I want to go to him to comfort him, but then he asks, “How are you?”
“Thankful to be home. By the way, does Vince know everything?”
“Yes, he knew you were kidnapped, and he also knows you are here. He’s coming by later today to pick you up and take you home.”
“Oh.” His words cut like a knife. I know now that he no longer wants me and my attempt to win back his heart has failed. I have nothing else to say but “thank you, Michael, for saving me.”
He puts his cigar in the ashtray and gets up from his chair again. He walks to in front of my chair and kneels before me. Taking my hand, he says, “Zaira, don’t you know by now that I would give my own life to save yours? I love you, sweetheart. I’ve always loved you, and I always will.” He looks down at our intertwined hands. “But you fucking ripped out my heart. You tore it to shreds, and I can’t go through that again. I’m a strong man, Zaira, except where you’re concerned. Nobody, man or woman, can bring me to my knees like you can. Right now, I need to keep my distance. I can’t think about you coming back. I’m not ready to take the risk.”
I blink, trying to process his words.
He kisses my hand. “I’m not saying no. I’m just saying not now.”
Tears well in my eyes, and he reaches up to wipe them away. “Let’s just take it slow. I’d hate for us to rush back into things and then you change your mind again. If that happened, it would kill me.”
“Okay,” I say. “Do I have to go home? I can move back here into my old room.”
“Let’s get through the next couple of days. I need to deal with Darius and check on Hawk and my dad. When things settle, we’ll see about you moving back. How does that sound?”
“You promised I could be there when you deal with Darius,” I remind him.
“Yes I did, and we will be taking care of the situation with him tonight. So let me propose this: why don’t you stay tonight and then tomorrow you can go back home. I want you to seriously think this through and be absolutely sure that I’m who you want. Cause I’m telling you now, I won’t let you go a second time.”
“Agreed,” I say, and the smile has returned to my face. He still loves me. He still wants me. I totally understand why he is being hesitant, and I won’t let him down this time. He’s my soul mate, and we’re meant to be together.
He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “I’m going to the hospital. Wanna come?”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
“I’ll have Ricco bring the car around.”
