Page 45 of Lethal Salvation

Gideon waved his hand dismissively. “Fine, I don’t care. Just make it so I can go with her.”

“I’ll handle it on my end, you just need to keep this deal with Macey going and manage your brother.”

“I can work from my laptop anywhere. Plus, Damon can handle anything else I need, unless you’re keeping him hidden away?”

“No, we think you were the target.”

“You know something?”

“No, but we’re looking into a few things. Having you out of the way will make things easier. Plus, she needs you.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Bás folded his arms across his chest. “Would’ve been nice if you said that, dumbass, rather than gaping like a fish with his dick in his hand.”

Gideon shook his head. “A fish with a dick? You’re not right in the head.”

“Ain’t that the truth. I think it’s all the oestrogen I’m surrounded by these days. My point is, you need to get up there and show her she can count on you. If you don’t feel that way about her you need to back the fuck up because if you hurt her, I’ll rip your head off and shit down your throat, and believe me, that’s only the beginning.”

“God, what is with you people and threatening me?”

Bás shrugged. “It’s our love language.”

“I’d be flattered if I wasn’t so worried about Nadia.”

Gideon began to walk to the lift so he could fix this and Bás walked beside him, both men stopping for the car to come down.

“Not that it’s anyone’s business but ours but I care about her. I won’t let anyone hurt her if it’s in my power to stop it.”

Bás slapped him on the shoulder. “Good man. I’ll be in touch about getting you a flight to Italy. We want it off the radar if possible. The less people who know where you are the better.”

Gideon nodded as he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for his floor. He spent the minute it took to reach his floor to absorb the news of her mother’s death and felt a pang in his chest. He’d been lost when his mother died and, on reflection, wasn’t sure he ever got over the loss.

Nadia was nowhere in sight when he exited and scanned the floor, so he headed into his office and stopped when he found her curled up on his couch, her shoulders shaking silently. In all his years he’d never had the urge to protect someone like he wanted to protect Nadia. Which was ironic considering who she was and why she was there in the first place.

Striding to the sofa, he lifted her in his arms and sat, settling her on his lap as she buried her face, hiding from him. He didn’t speak but held her close, stroking her back and murmuring nonsensical words to her. “I’m so sorry, Cookie. It’s gonna be okay. I’m not gonna leave you to deal with this alone.” He kissed her hair, wishing he could absorb her pain into himself.

“I never cry.”

“I know.”

Her hiccup almost broke him, and he knew without a doubt he was in love with the woman in his arms. What a time to have a revelation like that when she was broken and grieving.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. When my mum died, I cried for weeks after, and even now sometimes her loss hits me and almost brings me to my knees.”

Nadia pulled away, her face red and blotchy, eyes red and swimming with her pain. “Really?”

“Yes. The loss of a parent is hard. Even though as a society we’re taught to expect it, we’re never truly prepared to lose the person who’s our anchor.”

“I just feel like I have so many regrets right now. We were never close. She was hardly the effusive motherly type, but I loved her, and she loved me. We were just very different people.”

“I think it’s natural to have regrets, but you can’t live like that, Cookie. You will for a while but eventually, you’ll feel less raw and be able to process it all.”

Nadia tried to sit up and extract herself from his arms, but he tightened them around her.

“Why do you call me Cookie?”