Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War (33 page)

Her chest rose and fell rapidly with her angry breaths as she waited for him to scream at her for ordering him to do something. Closing her eyes, she fought not to pass out from the now severe pain in her side. Her pain pills had completely worn out, and the rapid movement of her lungs only worsened the throbbing pain of her wound.

After another minute, Silas took a deep breath and sighed. “I’ve gone about this all wrong again, haven’t I?”

She didn’t say a word.
Don’t listen to his apology, Anastacia, it’s all bullshit. That’s all it has ever been.

“You have a right to be upset with me. Aziz explained to me the severity of what I did. I should have been a better husband to you, a better father to Cec—
Carterina
… and Gabriel. But as usual, I fucked up. I’m sorry, pet. I just get so upset because I love you so much, but I promise you I’ve changed. I’m not the same man I was when we first met. I was sick then, and I’m better now. I let them go, pet, all three of them.”

Anastacia hadn’t heard half of the words he’d said to her. Everything else was tuned out the moment he said Carterina … and
Gabriel.
Why would he say that? Why would he say that if not to hurt her?

Anastacia immediately began to weep. “Why do you say such things to me, Silas? You claim to love me, yet you speak my son’s name as if I still don’t hurt, as if I still do not mourn the loss of my baby.”

“Anastacia, I—”

“I am a mother, Silas. I carried him within my womb. You will never know such a feeling, such a connection as the one a woman has with her children. I felt him kick me, I spoke to him, watched him and his sister move within my belly, and heard his heartbeat. You killed him, then speak of him as if he were still alive to … what? Hurt me more than you already have?”

“Anastacia, he lives.” He paused, apparently allowing what he had said to sink in, and the words replayed in her mind over and over again. “Our son lives and breathes, pet. I have set him free so that he may be with you, and his sister. I have done this for us, for our family. I will show you that I have changed. Does this make you happy, pet?”

Does this make you happy, pet?

Anastacia shook her head and wiped the tears from her face. “No, Silas,” she answered. “It doesn’t make me happy.”

She didn’t believe him. Once again, he had shown her how cruel of a man he truly was.

“Do not ever call me again, Silas Steele. We are not family. I don’t love you, and I haven’t loved you for twenty-three years. I want my divorce. And if I ever see you again, I will kill you. Obviously you haven’t seen my army in a long time, it’s not so pint-sized anymore. I owe that to your old friend Shadow.” Shadow Walker, formally Shadow Steele. The man who helped Anastacia escape Silas, and the man who is now head of all things security within her empire. He had just made it to America the day Carterina was taken. Shadow was like her big brother, and she loved him dearly. “I’m ending the call now, Sil—”

“Not so fast, pet. Just a couple things before you go.” He cleared his throat. “Divorce or not, you and I will always be married in the eyes of God. I know you think I am lying to you, but I assure I am not. You of all people,
my wife
, know I do not lie. Such a practice is sinful. I have enough sin in my life without adding breaking a commandment to it. Gabriel lives, and so does Robbie—”

“That’s it,” she cut him off. She’d had enough of his cruelty. “Good-bye, Silas.”

She hung up her phone. The moment she did it began to ring again, and against her better judgment she picked it up.

“What?”

“Don’t you
ever
hang up on me you, bitch!”

“Wow, Silas,” she exclaimed sarcastically through her tears. “It really sounds like you’ve changed, my dear, loving husband. Leave me alone you fucking lunatic!”

“Do not shout at me. You keep up with this tantrum and I’ll have to give you something to really be upset about.
Silas giveth and Silas taketh away, pet
!”

“Fuck you,” she screamed. “You were a shit husband, and an even more disappointing father. Burn in hell!”

She hung up the phone again, and it immediately began to ring. Anastacia released an enraged scream and picked it up.

“
Leave me alone!
” she screamed.

She heard him shouting as she lifted the phone in the air and slammed it on the counter repeatedly until it was in pieces.

Two big hands resting on her shoulders startled her until she turned and saw it was Cesare. Throwing her arms around his neck, she clung to him.

“Cesare, I do not understand how he got my number.” She buried her face in his neck. “What if he has found me? He sent that man to the hospital, what if he has found me out here?”

“Shh …” he soothed, running his fingers through her hair. “Be calm, my sweet Ana. You’re shaking. You must be calm. He cannot find you here. He can’t trace you. Just relax.”

“I am in so much pain,
mon amour
. I can barely move.”

“Ana, you must rest. You haven’t rested all day. Let me help you to bed—”

“No,” she cried, the pain and fatigue now pushing her into a delirious state. “I must wait for my baby to return home. I have to see.”

“See what, my love?”

If Silas had lied to her or if he told her the truth. If he lied to her, then it would be the first time he ever had. Silas did not lie. Ever. He didn’t have to. Everything he did, he did unashamed and unafraid. He didn’t need to lie about anything.

“My son.” Anastacia looked up into his eyes. “He said that my son lives. He said my Gabriel is well, and with his sister.” She shook her head. “But it cannot be. He died at birth. Then he said that Robert is alive as well. Why would he say—”

The sounds of multiple cars pulling up in front of the house caught their attention. Not too long after the sound of doors opening and closing followed. Everything in Anastacia’s body was telling her to run outside, run outside and see. Run outside and asked Carterina if what Silas said was true.

Abruptly she broke away from Cesare and ran as fast as her tired body would allow.

“Ana!” both Cesare and Angelo called after her.

She didn’t stop because she couldn’t. She was determined to see … she had to see.

Once she made it to the front door, she quickly yanked it open and went outside. Inhaling a shaky breath, she stumbled down the steps when she saw his face and quickly looked away.

“Anastacia?”

His voice … it was the same, but he wasn’t who she needed to see. Not even the shock of him being alive stopped her from looking for her child.

“Carterina,” she called. “Carterina!”

“Mama!” Out of the back of an SUV, her baby girl jumped out and ran to her. “Mom,” she cried.

Anastacia smiled and a sob escaped her lips as she watched her precious daughter run to her, crying for
her
. She opened her arms just as Carterina ran into them.

“Mama. I missed you so much.”

Anastacia kissed her daughter’s hair as she hugged her protectively tight and cooed to her in French. “Shh … do not cry my baby. Mama is here.” She closed her eyes and let her tears fall freely as she held her weeping baby girl in her arms. “I’m so sorry, baby. Mama is so, so sorry. I never meant for this to happen to you. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Mama … I love you just as much.”

Anastacia’s heart soared when Carterina spoke the words she’d been so afraid she wouldn’t say. She didn’t even know why she’d doubted her baby in the first place. Carterina was strong, understanding, and compassionate. Anastacia should have known to expect more from her baby girl than she expected from herself.

“Mom,” she said softly, pulling back to look at her, “I’ve been calling you non-stop. Where have you been? I needed to talk to you about something important.”

Anastacia smiled and ran her fingers through Carterina’s thick hair. “Well you are here now, baby girl. We have plenty of time to talk, okay? Mama just needs to take her medication first.”

Concern filled her expressive eyes. “What happened?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you soon, baby. I promise that I’m feeling better, I just haven’t gotten much rest. I needed you back home first.”

“Well I am here now, Mama. You and I will rest together. Turns out we are both in need of the same thing.”

She kissed her baby’s forehead, and nodded. She was about to pull her daughter into the house when she saw her eyes dart to someone behind her. A million different emotions flashed through Carterina’s eyes as she looked to whomever stood behind Anastacia. Nervousness, fear, irritation with the person, then a hint of amusement.

Anastacia frowned. “What are you looking at, child?”

Carterina’s eyes quickly cut to hers as alarm flashed through them.
Okay
,
that’s odd
, Anastacia thought. She was about to turn around when Carterina stopped.

“Mama, look over there,” she said pointing to her … father. “Mom, Daddy’s alive. Do you see?”

Anastacia looked over to the man and locked eyes with him. She didn’t speak, yet she couldn’t deny that she had the sudden urge to run into his arms and kiss him … but after that kiss, kick his ass until he was unrecognizable. Just mere months ago she was still so in love with him. Things had changed drastically since then. She was happy to see he was alive, but she didn’t want him around her daughter. She no longer trusted him. Especially since for the past six years he’d been with Silas.

He gave her a sudden sly look, as if he knew exactly what she wanted to do; both the kiss and beating.

“
I know of your betrayal,
” she said to him in Arabic. “
It took a moment, but I figured it out.
”

He chuckled. “
And I know that my daughter was alone for five years because you couldn’t handle the simple task of finding a seventeen year old girl.”

She smiled warmly as to hide her true disdain for him from their daughter. “
We’ll talk later. You and me, away from the eyes and ears of my daughter.”

“I agree. But to keep her happy … shall we?”

Anastacia nodded and walked forward. Robert met her halfway, and took her into his arms. For one weak moment the hug she gave him was genuine. For that one weak moment she reveled in being in his arms once again, but the moment was gone when she pulled back and looked at his face. She saw Silas. There was once a time when she saw them as two individuals, but now that she knew what he’d done, that he’d allowed that monster to see her baby, she saw nothing but a Steele. He was her enemy.

Leaning forward, she place a lingering kiss to his cheek. “Welcome back, Robert,” she whispered.

“We’ll talk,” he said, kissing her cheek. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“I look forward to it.” She couldn’t wait to hear what type of explanation he could possibly give her for his actions. For this reason only, she was happy that he was alive. Maybe there’d be a way they could salvage what was left of their relationship. They could at least be friends for their daughter’s sake. There was no chance of a romance blooming between them once again.

“Gabe, wait—”

Anastacia barely heard Carterina’s soft plea to someone behind her before she turned away from Robert and found herself nearly colliding into a young man. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sun and settled on his face.

“Hello,” he said softly, an English accent thickening the word. “My name is Gabriel. I am your son, and I just have one question for you. Did you leave me with him because you didn’t want me, or did you truly not know that I was alive?”

One second she was looking at him, and the next . . . darkness.

Chapter 14: Gabriel . . .

She was his mother—
his mother
—and she was stunning. Gabriel had his mother’s eyes, he’d never known that until he had met his sister. He also looked a great deal like her. Gabriel smiled as he listened to the exchange between his mother and Carter’s
faux-father
. He even found himself feeling a slight bit of anger when the man insulted her. The moment she perfectly executed the fake embrace with him for the sake of Carter’s feelings he could no longer stand back. He had to meet her.

He quickly walked forward despite the protests of his dear sister. He could no longer wait. He needed to know if she knew he was alive. If she didn’t, if she was truly innocent and believed she had lost her son, then Gabriel could safely give his mother his heart. He wouldn’t hold back if he gave it to her either. He had nothing to lose. Gabriel knew hurt and rejection all too well; his father had given him plenty to cry about. He wasn’t afraid to be hurt anymore. If this Anastacia was truly interested in being the loving parent he’d never had, and never thought he’d have, he would embrace being her son without hesitation. He would honor her, protect her and his sister to the best of his abilities, and love them as a man should love his mother and his sister.

When he stood behind his mother, Carter’s faux-father cut him a look to which Gabriel responded with an expressionless stare. It wasn’t that Gabriel didn’t like him—because he did, it was obvious the man was a good stand-in father to Carter—it was just that Gabriel honestly didn’t care to know him, get to know him, or develop a relationship with him. It was a not so appealing quality Gabriel had inherited from his and Carter’s actual father. Gabe wasn’t a people pleaser, and in the opinion of most, he came off as an elitist and a bit aloof. But that was because many just didn’t take the time to understand who he was, to get him. Carter had, and Gabriel believed his mother would, too.