Carter Reed

can’t lose you. You’ve been protecting me, but it goes both ways. I will protect you too. It’s not just you in this relationship. I love you too. And I knew you were lying to me. That killed me the most. You didn’t trust me to tell me the plan—”
    “And if I had?”
    I stopped. If he had? My eyes went down. “I would’ve done what I did anyway.”
    “Exactly.” He closed his eyes, holding my hand to his chest before he lifted it for a kiss. “The Bertal family knew an Elder was working with Franco. They knew he had been tipped off before the initial strike. I was supposed to wait until they found out who that was. When I got word, I demanded a meeting and the timing was perfect. The elder’s daughter works at The Richmond in Chicago. She was given three tickets and he volunteered to be the one for the meeting.”
    “You knew all of that was going to happen tonight?”
    He nodded.
    “And you never told me.”
    “I made a call.” His eyes grew hard.
    I didn’t care. I didn’t care what I would’ve done. My chin rose and I stepped even further back. “I won’t have that in this relationship. Take it or leave it, Carter. If you’re going to intentionally put yourself in danger, I need to know. I can’t be kept in the dark, not anymore. I love you and I will always protect you, no matter the consequences to me. And it’d be smart for you to acknowledge my side.”
    His eyes clasped shut and a soft curse slipped from him. Then he sighed again, “I forgot how much fight you have in you.” A crooked grin appeared. “I love you for it.”
    “Really?”
    He nodded, tugging me against him again. He bent down and teased me with a soft kiss. “We didn’t know who else was supporting Franco, even on my side, so I kept most everyone in the dark.”
    “Your men knew.”
    “Not until the last minute. Their calls were being monitored to see if they would send an alarm to Franco.”
    I bit my lip. “Did they?”
    “No. Everyone was loyal. They could’ve taken you, another reason why I didn’t want you to know. You were supposed to stay at your table.” He groaned and swept me tighter against him. I could feel every inch. The water slid over us, increasing the arousal in me, but I held back. He was too damaged for that. He needed to heal.
    He continued, hugging me so tight, “The plan was for the Elder to think I was almost dead. Once he made the call, we had him. We could locate Franco from the number.”
    “Did you?”
    “Yeah. He had no idea. It’s over. Franco is dead.”
    I frowned but didn’t move away. His arms clenched me tight, making his biceps bulge from the movement. I hadn’t known Franco wasn’t dead. “But the guards? You only put two on me.”
    He shook his head. “No, they were always there. They just followed you from behind in case Franco tried to snatch you. I didn’t want to alarm you.”
    “Carter.” I was so pissed at him.
    “What?”
    “You should’ve told me all of this.” He drew back, capturing my gaze and holding it. I couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to. He needed to see how I was affected. “I thought I was losing you. Do you know what that did to me?”
    He grinned. “Yeah, it made you act crazy.”
    Rolling my eyes, I almost punched him in the chest, but pulled back at the last second. His grin widened at that. I shook my head. “You can’t keep me in the dark anymore.”
    “I won’t.”
    My eyes caught his again and I searched inside of him. When he saw my suffering, he softened. He whispered, “I promise.”
    I nodded. “Okay.”
    Then he kissed me and he put all of his love into it.
    I stood on my tiptoes and hugged him as much as I could. He didn’t seem to mind his wounds, but I did. After showering, we dressed again and left to see the doctor.
    When he was being prodded, Amanda came over and stood beside me. She had put on a fresh pot of coffee since it was the middle of the night. She yawned as she flashed me an apologetic grin. “I am sorry again. You deserve to be happy and he’s the guy for you, no matter what anyone says. This is right. The two of you. You’re right together.”
    Warmth rushed up in me and I swallowed thickly. I was choked up with so much emotion, and all I could murmur was, “Thank you.”
    She patted my hand and kissed my cheek before whispering, “You deserve your happily ever after. He’s it. This is it.”
    I grinned, blinking back more tears. “Even with the mob connections?”
    “Even