Chapter 79 Every. Single. Tear!!
Chapter 79 Every. Single. Tear!!
Cole’s POV
The adrenaline that had been fueling my rage for hours curdled into something desperate and entirely focused on the woman in my arms.
I didn’t ask... I just took her mouth in a possessive, rough kiss... I cupped the back of her head, my fingers tangling in her hair, forcing her to take everything I was throwing at her.
Celene gasped against my lips, her hands instantly wrapping tightly around the back of my neck. She didn't pull back. She met the intensity head-on, molding her body perfectly against me until the frantic roaring of fear in my ears finally began to quiet down.
When I finally pulled away, I kept my hands clamped onto her waist, my breathing ragged.
"Don't you ever do that again," I rasped, my voice dropping into a harsh whisper.
She blinked up at me. "Do what?"
"Step in front of my gun. Use your life as a bargaining chip." I pressed my forehead hard against hers. "Fucking hell, Celene... I know you're right... but you didn't have to prove it like that...Do you understand me? I have watched men die since I was a boy. But when I saw you choking on that floor..."
The words caught in my throat... I couldn't even bring myself to finish the sentence.
"Do not ever test me like that again. Do not scare me into submission either, Kitten. Its too dangerous... I won’t forgive myself...If I lose you, there is no balancing anything. I will burn this entire city to the ground, and I won't care who is breathing when it's over."
Celene stayed perfectly still. She didn't flinch away from the darkness that was rushing out of my mouth...Instead, she brought her hands up, her warm palms cupping my jaw.
"Hey," she murmured. "Look at me, Cole."
I opened my eyes, meeting her gaze.
"I'm right here," she said softly. "I'm breathing. The poison is gone. I am not going anywhere, and I am not letting you become a monster over a mistake. I've got you. You don't have to be afraid of me dying anymore."
I let out a long breath, my eyes closing as her warmth finally sank in. For a few seconds, I just held her, listening to the steady rhythm of her heart against my ribs.
Then, she patted my chest lightly.
"Now, as much as I love holding onto a grumpy mafia boss, I desperately need a shower," she said, a trace of her usual dry humor bleeding back into her tone. She pulled back, her hands dropping from my face. "I still smell like antiseptic and vomit"
"No you don't... You smell perfectly fine to me" I said, burrowing my head into her neck.
My hands reluctantly slid from her waist as she stepped out of my embrace.
She offered me one last, lingering look before she turned around. She walked across the floor, opened the heavy door, and paused.
"Don't stay in here staring at that desk all day," she called back over her shoulder, not waiting for an answer before she stepped out into the hallway and let the door click shut behind her.
The door had barely clicked shut behind Celene before the handle turned again.
I expected Jeffery, but my mother stepped into the office instead.
The frantic panic from last night had settled, leaving her looking exhausted, her face lined with worry. She closed the door softly behind her and stepped into the room, her eyes immediately searching mine.
"How is she?" she asked, her voice quiet and thick with genuine empathy. "I just saw Celene at the door... Is she really alright?"
I let out a slow breath, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly at the sight of her. "She’s fine, Ma. The doctor flushed the rest of the toxins out. She's weak, but she’s going to make a full recovery."
Relief washed over her face, and she let out a breath she seemed to have been holding since yesterday. "Thank God. When she collapsed... I've never been so frightened, Cole."
"I know," I said, stepping away from the desk. I looked her dead in the eye, my voice dropping into a firm, unyielding vow. "It won't happen again. I'm handling the security breach, and I will continue to look out for her and protect her. Nobody else gets near her food, her room, or her perimeter. She's safe."
My mother nodded slowly, her expression remaining soft and full of motherly concern. She stepped closer, reaching out to gently touch my arm.
"I'm glad, Cole. Truly," she murmured, her voice laced with that quiet, nurturing warmth. Then, she paused, her eyes widening slightly with a look of pure innocence. "But… why did I just see the cook running out of here alive? Why has he still not been executed? He was a part of it too, wasn't he?"
"Celene asked me not to do it," I said flatly.
My mother’s hand dropped from my arm, her eyes widening in genuine shock. She looked at me for a long moment, her expression completely bewildered, though her voice remained laced with that same soft, motherly concern.
"Oh, Cole..." she murmured, shaking her head gently as if worried for my sanity. "Why on earth would you listen to her about something like this? I know she has a good heart, but she doesn't understand our world. Why is Celene telling you how to run your empire, sweetie? You cannot let a girl's naivety dictate how you protect this family."
I studied her face, her gentle tone doing nothing to ease the sudden, cold stillness settling in my chest.
"She balances me, Ma," I replied, my voice dropping an octave. I stepped back, leaning against the edge of the desk, my green eyes locking onto hers. "And right now, I need that balance. Especially when the threats are coming from the inside."
She blinked, her expression soft and questioning.
"Which brings me to Kenneth," I continued, watching her closely. "How do you feel about your own trusted driver being the one our enemy used to get into this house?"
My mother blinked, her lips parting as the words hung between us. A sudden, fragile look washed over her face, and her hands began to tremble.
"I... I..." She stuttered, the words catching in her throat before a soft sob broke through her lips. Tears quickly pooled in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks, her shoulders dropping as she fell apart right in front of me.
"I'm so embarrassed, Cole," she wept quietly, pressing a tissue to her face, her voice thick with absolute shame and heartbreak. "I am just so incredibly embarrassed. And I'm scared... I’m so terrified."
She looked up at me, her eyes red and swimming with genuine fear, vulnerable.
"Kenneth has been with me for years," she whispered, her voice cracking. "To think that the monster was sitting right in the front seat of my own car... I don't even know who to truly trust anymore. No one. No one but my family. You're the only ones I have left, Cole."
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and wrapped my arms around her shaking shoulders. I hated seeing her like this. I hated what this world did to her.
"Hey, it's okay," I murmured, my voice softening as I rubbed her back, trying to ground her. "It’s not your fault, Ma. You couldn't have known."
She sniffled against my chest, her fingers clutching at my suit jacket like she was trying to hold onto the only safe thing left in the house.
"Go get some rest," I told her gently, pulling back just enough to look down at her pale, tear-stained face. "You spent the whole night awake. If you stay up any longer, you're going to fall ill too, and I can't handle both of you in bed. Go lie down."
She sniffled, nodding weakly as she dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. "Okay... okay, sweetie. I'll try."
With a shaky breath, she excused herself, turning toward the door. She let out another quiet, broken sob as she opened it, keeping her head down as she walked out into the hallway and let the heavy wood click shut behind her.
I stood frozen in the center of the office, the silence crashing back into the room like a physical weight. My jaw clenched so hard a sharp pain shot up into my temple, and my hands curled into tight, rigid fists at my sides.
The anger hit me all over again, hotter and sharper than before. It wasn’t just a security breach anymore. It wasn't just a failure of perimeters. Seeing my mother reduced to tears, watching the pure terror and embarrassment shatter her peace because the enemy had used someone she trusted...it tore at my chest.
They had brought the violence right to my doorstep. They had made my woman bleed, and now they were breaking my family.
I turned back to the desk, my green eyes locking onto the cold steel of the Beretta resting on the dark wood. The temporary peace Celene had given me was gone, replaced by a dark, suffocating need for retribution.
Whoever orchestrated this was going to pay. And I was going to make sure they bled for every single tear my family shed.