Like a Fox (22 page)

Vikki keeps that same pleased grin, “Never said I wasn’t. I did feel bad for your pain, honestly, but you would have demanded to see him. We were all safe last night. I couldn’t take the chance of you going to him and ruining it all.”

I kind of understand. I
would
have demanded to see him. Instead of continuing with Vikki, I ask her brother, “How did you know Kazamir would come for us?”

“That’s why I got a hold of Bones. Besides being one of the few people I would trust with your life, I also knew Kazimir would recognize him and be aware of his association to me.”

“So you planned for him to rat you out?”

“Yes.”

I curse under my breath, “When did you have time to plan all that?”

“Please,” Vikki rolls her eyes. “This is an old move we’ve played countless times.”

I’m flabbergasted as I inspect Vic’s bare chest that is free of any scars. “How many times have you been shot in the chest?”

Vic opens one eye at me, “That part was new, but the rest of the angles were used.”

“What if he had missed?” I ask, referring to Bones.

“He wouldn’t,” Vic says at the same time Bones says, “I wouldn’t.”

Bones comes closer to the bed, “I’ve told you Freya, his life means more to me than my own. No way was I going to fuck it up.”

I shake my head in disbelief, “You played that so well, with the twitching and being jittery.”

The room laughs, including Bones. “That was legit. When I’m nervous I can’t fucking control it, but we knew in this instance it would work in our favor and make it appear like I was nervous because I was hiding something. Which I fucking was,” he smiles, bringing out his boyish features, “just not what they thought it was.”

I turn my head towards Doc, “What about you? You were in on this the whole time too?”

Vikki steps in, placing a hand on his shoulder, “He’s an old friend and I knew he could be quick when it came time to save my brother.”

“Jesus, I didn’t know shit like this actually happened in real life.”

Vikki laughs my response away, “Please, that was a regular night for me.”

She actually looks like it was fun, like she really does enjoy it.

“You all are crazy!”

They grin, no one arguing.

“Does this mean it’s all over, my father is safe?”

“Yes,” Vic guarantees with an authoritative tone. “Vault got what he wanted.”

“Thank you.” I meet each one of their eyes, “Thank you all so much for putting yourself out there for me.”

Vikki disregards my gratitude, “We didn’t do it for you. We did it for Vic.”

Doc chimes in, eyes solely on Vikki, “With the exception of myself. I did it for
you
.”

Vikki tries to conceal a smile, her eyes softening for the man before her as they share a quiet moment. She is the first to break contact with a cough into her hand.

Doc moves his attention to Vic as he addresses the room. “My patient needs his rest.” He follows behind Vikki, who leaves a kiss on her brother’s forehead before retreating.

Bones turns on his heel to leave but Vic speaks up, “Stay for a minute.”

Bones comes closer with his hands in his pockets, posture hunched over, and one arm jittery, making the change in his pocket jingle.

Vic tries gaining eye contact with him, “You carrying through with your plan next?”

Bones nods several times, eyes looking anywhere but at Vic.

“We’ve already talked this out.” Vic takes a fatherly tone, almost loving and definitely protective, “I just want you to be careful and make sure you have this planned out. Leave no room for mistakes.”

Bones finally meets his eyes, “I have to do this.”

“I understand. I just want you to be careful.”

“I will.”

“You land yourself in a situation, you get a hold of me or Vikki. Trust no one else with this.”

“Thanks, man. I’ve never had anyone give a shit about me like you two.”

“Growing up, all Vikki and I had was each other. Because of that, I learned it’s important to make sure at least one person has your back. Now you have two–”

“Three,” I interject with a smile.

Bones half-smiles at me, almost shyly. Vic squeezes my hand.

Bones gives us a salute and heads for the door.

“Keep in touch. You know how Vikki gets,” Vic says, but not loud enough to know if Bones heard him. Vic’s body rests back, his eyes closing.

I frown, “You’re tired.” I’m concerned, this was a lot of activity for someone who was just shot in the chest.

“Mm,” is his groggy response.

“I’ll let you rest.” I move to leave, but his grip tightens.

“Stay,” he says through a breath of air, half-asleep already.

I do, lowering down onto the pillow, eventually falling asleep beside him.

I don’t wake up for what feels like hours. The room doesn’t have a clock and the windows have been drawn. I can barely make out Vic’s silhouette. That doesn’t stop me from soaking him in. I almost lost him, and it was the most soul-shattering feeling I’ve ever experienced. Tears fall at how close I was. I move for a tissue.

Vic stirs besides me, rotating his head to look at me, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to live my life without you,” I sniffle into the tissue.

He wipes away a tear with his thumb, “You don’t have to.”

My eyes have adjusted to the darkness and I can see how concerned he is over my tears. “I can’t believe you did all that for me. It could have gone bad.”

“Vikki wouldn’t have let it.”

I stroke his jaw, moving my hand up to play with his hair, “Vikki doesn’t think I’m a good match for you.”

Vic sighs, “She doesn’t understand, that’s all. She’s never allowed herself to really feel much of anything.”

“I thought I had killed a woman. It was the most horrible feeling, next to thinking you had died.”

Vic slowly exhales, “I understand. I will forever be haunted by the men I’ve killed. I’m sorry you had to experience that.”

My fingers stop combing his hair, “How many
have
there been?”

He grunts in the way that he does when he likes something I’m doing and doesn’t want me to stop. My fingers go back to stroking while he talks. “I’ve killed five men. One was to save my sister. Two were in self-defense, and unfortunately, the fourth was forced upon me.”

“And the fifth?” I ask after a moment of silence.

“My father.” Vic has no emotion behind his words and I wonder how bad it could have once been for him. How bad of a father was he if his own son could care less that he’s gone, and what’s worse, his son was the one to do it?

“Can I ask how it happened?”

“You can,” Vic permits with a sharp nod. “It’s not much of a story. My father wasn’t a good man, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, in all avenues: his business, personal life, and as a parent. At fourteen, Vikki and I had had enough of his abuse and his belief that he had complete control over every aspect of our lives. We believed we could make it on our own. We were young, and although we weren’t naïve about my father, we still had youth working against us and presumed we could escape his hold over us.

“We quickly learned that no man could escape from under his thumb. He needed to be stopped. Vikki worked hard at bringing him down, wanting to tear down the empire he had created. She wanted him to hit rock bottom, to feel what it was like to be the scum men like him went after. Vikki would have succeeded too, if I hadn’t stepped in. I wanted my father gone. I knew I would never feel free until he was. I would always have his shadow darkening me.” Vic sighs, “So I killed him.”

I go to speak but the word gets stuck. I clear my throat and try again, “How?”

Vic motions for me to continue stroking his hair. I hadn’t even noticed I had stopped. My fingers rake through the strands and he continues to reveal more to me, “As his son, I’m the only person he would ever allow a private meeting with besides his wife. He also didn’t think I would ever have it in me to do it. He always said I was too soft, that I didn’t have what it took. I proved him wrong that day. I won’t go into detail, it’s a day I don’t like to ponder much on.”

“It’s okay,” I whisper, for no reason other than anything louder would echo in the gigantic bedroom. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

We’re silent for a moment, staring at each other.

“I’m not going back with you,” Vic divulges apologetically.

“What? Why?”

“I need time to recover, then I need to tie up some loose ends.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Only a few weeks.”

A few weeks!
I want to shout, but instead I take a deep breath.

“You are welcome to join me, but I figured with your business…”

He’s right, I can’t leave my family stranded. We have staff of course, but they’re not invested in the business like we are; it’s an extension of our family. “Where are you going?”

Vic pats the bed with his hand, “I’ll recover here, then spend some time to rehabilitate and finish business at my villa in Italy.”

“
You have a place in Italy?!
” I shout, not having meant for it to come out so loud.

“Yes,” he says like it’s no big deal and something most people have.

My mouth drops open, “When were you planning on telling me this?”

“You never asked.”

I shake my head at him, “You know, when this is all over you’re going to have to start sharing things with me without me having to ask.”

“Mm” he nods, pondering like he had not ever thought of it, “I suppose you’re right.”

“You really don’t know what it means to be in a relationship, do you?”

“I didn’t know it was so complicated.”

I laugh at the innocent tone in his voice and features. “You still want to move in together?”

“Freya, I still want to marry you.”

“So do I.” I’m shocked at how true this is. Yesterday taught me that our time together may have been short, but the way we feel for each other isn’t. He’s it for me. My body is singing its truth, buzzing with clarity and joy. I want to be his wife more than anything I’ve ever wanted. I want us to be a family. “I love you.”

He smiles at me, “You have no idea, Freya. You have no idea.”

Chapter 27

It’s been ten weeks since I’ve been home. Vikki was the one to bring me back. She even went as far as to fly me home. I still can’t get a read on her. Her actions scream her distaste for me, but she has moments that make me doubt it. I’m beginning to think her messing with me so much is her form of affection, as crazy as that sounds. I feel like if she truly didn’t like me she would be the type to not even bother with acknowledging me. I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll ever figure her out.

Vic told me he would stay in contact. I got one phone call the day he was healthy enough to fly and have yet to hear from him again. Everybody is beginning to doubt that he’ll be back. I don’t. I know what we have is real.

He did leave me with a gift. I rub my belly, forever grateful for the life growing inside of me and the daily reminder that a part of him is here with me.

I go about my morning routine, in a fog that I can’t escape. I know one day life won’t feel so forced, but for now I can only go through the motions until Vic is safely at home.

The morning crowd dies down and I take the opportunity to clean tables and restock supplies, trying my hardest not to remember what this time of day used to signify. The distractions never work. My chest tightens like it has since I got back. Nothing helps to keep my mind from worrying about him; not even the uplifting music Sammy switches to, trying to raise my spirits.

This particular morning, Sammy was distracted and forgot to switch the records out. His wedding song comes on and it hits me full force that I don’t know where Vic is or if he’s okay. Now I understand why Sammy would devote his life to finding his lost albums. If anything were to happen to Vic, I would do anything to keep the memories I have of him fresh and alive.

The bells on the door ding and I call over my shoulder as I make a fresh pot of coffee, “Pick any seat you like.”

“Great song,” the person says in an eastern European accent, and it stops the very world from moving.

I slowly turn around to find a man about a decade older than me with perfectly groomed dark hair, a newspaper tucked under his arm, and zero expression on his stern face.

He strolls over to the far back of the café, unbuttons his peacoat, hangs it on the back of a chair, and slides into it. He unfolds the paper in front of him and reads.

I go over to his table with cautious steps, believing he may be an illusion, that my desperation for his return is controlling my reality.

“Coffee?” I can barely get out.

A slight smile curves the side of his mouth as he remains focused on the newspaper, “Can’t stand the stuff.”

I revel in the pure elation that is erupting from deep inside, “We have hot or iced tea?”

“Iced, please,” he says to the paper.

I love you
I want to respond back to him, but instead I stand there staring like the very first day he came in and I was instantly enamored with him. I couldn’t move that day either, fixated on him while he pretended not to be aware, but he must be have been. I was so obvious. And exactly like that first day, I swear I see a smile try to peek through that he covers with a cough into his fist as he remains aloof towards my presence.

“I’ll have my usual,” he prompts with a side glance and a smirk.

I redden in embarrassment, “Oh, right.”

I turn on my heel and leave to put in his order. I’m unable to stop staring over at him, fully expecting this to still be an illusion. Even when I bring him his plate of food and refill his glass six more times (most of the time it didn’t need it, I just wanted to be near him). It isn’t until I’m done with my shift and leaving the building that reality hits me: Vic is finally back!

Vic’s waiting for me as I exit. He taps his watch with a frown, “You’re late.”

I shake my head, unable to contain a fat smile spreading across my face, “No, you are.”

He smiles, and it livens anything in me that had been dormant since our separation. I jump into his arms and kiss him, both of us smiling as our mouths meet.

“God, I’ve missed you,” Vic breathes into my mouth, hands roaming my body as though we are alone and not on a public sidewalk.

We make our way to my townhome, unable to keep our hands off each other.

“Why didn’t you call me?” I ask as he trails kisses down my neck while I unlock the door.

He nibbles my neck, “I couldn’t.”

I groan, opening the door, “Why not?”

“I had business to take care of.” He removes my shirt at the foot of the stairs, letting it drop at our feet. His hand unsnaps my bra. “I’ve told you before that my job doesn’t always allow me an opportunity for contact.”

By the time we make it to the top of the stairs we are both naked. “I know, but after everything that happened I was worried.”

“Don’t be.”

I drop to my knees, wanting to taste him before I have him.

“How can I not be?” I mumble around his cock.

His fingers entwine with the strands of my hair as he moans my name. “Nothing can keep me from you. I promise.”

I pop my mouth off and glance up at him, “You can’t make promises like that.”

He strokes the side of my face, pure love in his eyes, “Yes, I can.”

I slide my body up his, his cock grazing the skin as I go. “Nobody can be sure.”

“Freya,” Vic takes hold of my chin so our eyes are forced to meet, “we
will
grow old together. I won’t let anything stop that from happening.”

I believe him. Call me crazy, but I do.

Vic lifts and carries me to my bedroom, “This will be our last night here.”

I stop my sucking along his jawline, “And why’s that?”

“We have our home,” he replies, like he’s surprised I would ask.

“You bought it?”

“Of course, it closed while we were in New York.”

“How the hell did you have time to do
all
that we did
and
close on a house?!”

Vic throws me on the bed with a bounce and a mischievous grin, “I’m good at multitasking.” He proves this to be true by demonstrating his tongue and hand skills all over my body.

When he finally enters me I can only describe it as bliss. He takes his time making love to me, never allowing our eyes to waver from the other. After his final stroke he collapses on my body, panting into my neck.

I open my mouth to reveal the big news to him, then shut it. What if my pregnancy isn’t something he wants? I stroke his hair to put him in a calmer mood, “How do you feel about surprises?”

“I hate them,” he mutters into my skin.

I figured as much.

I swallow, my heart rate accelerating, “How do you feel about babies?”

His breathing stops and his whole body stills, “Why do you ask?”

I swallow again and I wouldn’t be surprised if my heart is a drumbeat that is vibrating into his ear.

He shakes my body, “Freya?”

My stomach does a loop-de-loo, “Why do you think?”

Vic lifts his head, and his eyes search mine, “Are you serious?”

I bite my lip and nod, praying that this is something he wants too. I already love this baby with everything that I am and I want him to as well.

Vic smiles, showcasing his white teeth, “Nothing would make me happier.”

“I guess it’s your lucky day,” I smile back.

He kisses my lips softly, but it morphs into wild, uncontrollable desire that lasts the rest of the night as we make up for lost time.

I don’t think I could ever be happier, and what’s even better is I know I will be. I have so much more in my life that is going to turn my world upside down and I can hardly wait.