"Bruno," Caroline muttered. "I'm so glad you're here." She threw her arms around his neck, shocking the hell out of him.
"Yes, ma'am," he said, grinning like a kid. "No place I'd rather be."
I was no fool. There were going to be difficult times ahead, especially since there was continued speculation regarding drug-related activity, but I was cautiously optimistic that Drummand would spend a significant amount of time behind bars. Slave trafficking was indeed a heinous offense that crossed state lines, much more so than anything my family could cause.
As far as I was concerned, the Lugiano family was out of the drug business.
At least under my regime.
We both remained quiet after Bruno started the engine, pulling away from the curb. He'd already broken off his cast, insisting he was healed. Soon enough, he could become a capo, one of the few men I could trust with my most valuable possession.
I took her hand, wishing I could make the information easier for her to learn. "I'm glad the box was recovered."
"And opened. You already know what she was desperate to tell me."
"I wish you'd shared that with me, had trusted me enough."
Caroline sighed. "I do trust you, Dominick. Maybe I'm crazy or the attraction I feel for you clouding my judgment, but I know in my heart I can trust you. I'd forgotten about her plea before she... Before Drummand imprisoned my mother. Bastard. If only I'd found it earlier, she wouldn't have suffered. You have no idea how terrible I feel."
"What I can tell you is that even if you had found the box, you couldn't have known that he was capable of something so devious. My guess is you wouldn't have believed it even if you suspected."
"I suppose you're right. I just... Why didn't I follow my gut? I knew something was off about her death. It happened in the blink of an eye. She supposedly was very sick and didn't call me, dropping into a coma and dying and my own father didn't contact me?" Hissing, she looked out the window. "I was played but I'm the one to blame."
"No, baby. You're not."
"Well, you know all my tawdry little secrets. No wonder my father was happy to sell me off."
The comment seemed out of place. "I had to know the connection, why Drummand would go to so much trouble in order to take down the Lugiano family. What I uncovered was a man hiding from himself."
"How could Drummand do such horrible things to those girls?" Shivering, she glared at the box with hatred. This was the second time she'd used his first name.
She already knew.
"You should look inside before you meet with your mother. That will make it much easier, at least for her."
"I already know what she needed to tell me," Caroline said quietly.
"You do, huh?"
She looked into my eyes. "Drummand isn't my father."
I eased a strand of hair from her face before shaking my head. "No."
"I guess I always knew that. He tried to care for me, especially when I was little, but I could tell by the way he looked at me that he was..." She huffed. "He was frightened of me, like I was the devil's spawn."
"You're an amazing woman, Caroline Hargrove."
She placed two fingers across my lips. "I'm just me. Thank you for protecting me, loving me."
"And I'm just me, Caroline. All I can offer you is a promise that I'll love and care for you as my heart." After kissing her fingers, I eased the box into her lap. There was nothing else I could say, no promise that her pain would be eased. Her reaction might alter the course of our future, but this was her choice.
I refused to remain the man chaining her to a life she didn't want.
She took several deep breaths before sliding the lid to the side, fingering the envelope. After a nod of her head she opened and removed the contents. Only two minutes later she replaced everything, closing the lid and placing the box on the opposite seat. She remained quiet, staring out the passenger window.
I'd promised her privacy, time to spend with her mother and I was going to honor that promise. Bruno had already swept the safe house earlier in the day. I remained in my seat, unable to find the right words.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Why are you thanking me?"
She moved closer, kissing me on the cheek. "For helping me learn the truth. I will never forget it."
As she stepped outside, the wind lightly blowing, a sparkle of sun floating in through the open door, I clenched my fist. She was so damn beautiful.
My greed and anger had almost allowed me to lose the only good thing that had ever happened in my life. Caroline
Love. L. O. V. E. The concept was honestly ridiculous.
And beautiful.
And breathtaking.
And exhilarating.
And maddening.