at Vita passing us by. She seems so small in the seat, but it’s her strength that makes her a mountain.
There’s not a single soldier in sight as I drive toward the house, and it’s the quietest I’ve ever heard the place when I cut the engine. For a second, I don’t move. I don’t speak. I breathe. Inhaling the life I still have and exhaling the past, I let it float away in the wind.
Climbing out, I go around to open her door. She doesn’t even look at me.
For now, I don’t care where she is mentally, because she’s physically here with me, and that’s all that matters.
Lifting her in my arms, I walk her into the house and up to my bathroom. Trey’s blood hits my nose as I put her down on her feet. Wobbling, she rights herself while I run her a bath, adding soap and bubbles, and anything I can get my hands on. Turning to her, I strip her out of her clothes and throw them behind me.
Her face is smeared with his blood, her hands stained with it. It’s even in her hair.
When the tub is halfway filled, I lift her into the tub where she pulls her knees up to her chest and finally looks at me. They’re full of pain. So much so, it reaches my heart and I look away.
Reaching for the sponge, I dunk it in the water and squeeze a couple of times before wiping the side of her face, allowing the soapy water to wash away the blood. There is so much I want to say, but she sits silently, letting me wash her without breathing a word.
We go through the motions of washing her hair, and I shampoo it twice before holding my hand out for her to step out of the tub. Drying her down, she only moves to hold my shoulders as I dry her legs.
Wrapping her up in my robe, I take hold of her hand and lead her into my bedroom where I sit her on the bed.
Over at the cabinet, I pour her a large whiskey and myself a double vodka. Throwing mine back, I take hers and kneel before her, spreading her legs so I can be closer to her.
She grips the glass and takes a small sip. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but he was… important to me.”
I’ve always known they were close. I didn’t like it, but I’m not going to make it worse for her by sharing that I feel nothing over his death. However, I don’t like her in this position. If I had a bullet left in my gun at the time, I would’ve pulled the trigger myself and saved her the memory of having to do it herself.
“He knew what he was doing. But from this point on, you won’t lose anyone else,” I vow to her.
“All I have is you.”
“And I’m not going anywhere.”
A tear falls from her eye and I swipe it away so she doesn’t have to. This is all I want, to look after her, to be there in her time of need, to wipe away her tears, to catch every smile, to hear her laughing. The good, the bad, the painful—every moment spent with her is a moment I’ll cherish. They’re what I’ll live for. Fuck, I used to live for her threatening to kill me, so anything else is a given.
A knock at the door breaks the silence, and I turn to Cristian as he opens the door.
“The fight is over. We lost forty-seven men, and many are wounded. In the end, DiMarco’s men surrendered. What do you want me to do with them?”
Turning to Mila, I wait for her instruction. I’m hers to order; this is her call.
Personally, I’d have them all executed, but I already know she’ll choose a different path.
“Throw them out of the city. They have no reason to return. Make sure they cross the border and know what awaits them if they do choose to return.”
Cristian nods and closes the door as he leaves.
“Don’t ask me to do anything tonight. I’m tired, and I want to lie down.”
“Anything you need, my love.”
Standing, I strip down to my boxers and watch as she shuffles farther onto the bed and under the sheets. She doesn’t push me away as I climb in beside her and pull her up so she’s lying across my chest.