Chapter 34
When we get back in, I head straight for my room. I’m exhausted, emotionally and physically. What else are they going to throw at me? I strip off my dress and get under the warm covers, lying there staring up at the shadowy ceiling with the curtains blowing in the breeze.
When I close my eyes, I can imagine I’m still her. That carefree girl who’s content in her life. But I can’t close my eyes and pretend tonight. I need a cold hard dose of reality. I need to save myself before I end up with a real Moretti baby inside of me. I thought I had considered the worst-case scenario, but I hadn’t. The idea Alessandro planted in my head tonight truly scared the shit out of me. I won’t bring a child into this world. Not while Enzo is still alive. I know I have to get out of here, but I can’t run. It’s too dangerous. Too many people I care about could get hurt trying to protect me. I need to make them believe I don’t need protecting anymore so I can just disappear.
A slight knock comes at my door. I don’t bother answering. I’m too worn out after having to explain to the boys what I know about Enzo. They didn’t even question me, they knew it was true, and after the show he put on tonight, he’d gone and proven it. Alessandro was quietly seething and headed straight for his office as soon as we stepped in the door. Geovani followed him.
The door opens and closes with a creak, and I feel the bed dip beside me. I smell his cologne and know it’s Ricky without even looking his way. As he laces his fingers with mine, a wave of affection and tenderness washes over me. I don’t want to hurt him by leaving.
Tears well in my eyes at the thought. He deserves so much better than to love someone like me. Someone who can only ever bring him pain. There is no good outcome here. There can’t be. Even if we all survive, where do we go from here? I can’t keep fucking the four of them. “When is this nightmare going to end? I want my life back,” I whisper through the pain now lodged in my chest.
“I know, baby doll. Just hang on a little longer. I wish I could take you away from all of this and start a life with you somewhere else. But it’s impossible.”
Facing him, I wrap my arms around him, savoring the warmth and security as I nestle my head on his broad shoulder. Why couldn’t I have met him in another lifetime when things were less complicated.
He strokes my hair, playing with the tangled curls as he brushes through them. The two of us lie there silently for a while, just enjoying each other’s warmth. I know he’s right; we could try to run away together. The idea is so romantic it hurts my heart. But we both know how dangerous it would be. We would be like sitting ducks out there alone. As much as it pains me, we need the protection of the family around us. And the truth is, I couldn’t just walk away from the others. Everything Maddox has done for me, the risks he’s taken to protect me are huge. And Geovani killed his pa to save me. He might have an odd way of showing it, but he would literally do anything to keep me alive. And even the overprotective asshole himself, Alessandro, has caused all sorts of trouble to have me by his side, creating a rift with his parents that his family will never recover from. They all deserve better.
And if I weren’t here, they could have it. Couldn’t they? I’m the reason they’re all trapped and fighting this war. If I disappeared, there would be no one left to protect. They could all get on with their lives and have a chance at some sort of happiness.
I kiss Ricky’s arm, staring up at him. “Ricky, can you promise me something?”
Piercing blue eyes meet mine. I feel how much he adores me, and guilt eats at me. “Anything.” His lips curve into a smile.
“When this is all done, you go back to medical school and become a surgeon.”
He kisses my forehead. “That’s a nice dream, baby,” is all he says, then he lays his head back down and closes his eyes; he doesn’t make a promise he knows he can’t keep. But I wish so badly he could have had a different life.
What would have happened to him if Enzo never found out he was his son? His mother would probably still be alive. He could have grown up a normal kid and lived out his full potential. I’m so sad for him. He could have been someone incredible, saving lives every day, but instead, he’s forced to play his part as a Moretti enforcer. Loyal to the bone but living in the shadow of his older half-brother. I wonder how he really feels about that situation.
Before I know it, his sleepy breathing sounds beside me. I wish it was that easy for me to find sleep, but I can’t. I’m so on edge. I know I have to change something; we can’t all keep living in this cycle of madness. Even with Alessandro supposedly in charge, I can see Enzo still has all the power. Otherwise, why lie about me being pregnant with his baby? He did it because he felt backed into a corner, and he believed I was in enough danger he had to lie.
I move past Ricky’s sleeping body and throw on a robe before creeping out of the room as quietly as I can. I take the elevator down to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of milk. As I’m walking past the office Geovani has set up, I hear what sounds like Enzo’s voice.
I freeze, my heart kicking up a beat. I listen in, but from out here, I can’t make out what he’s saying. So, I move a little closer and push open the door just a little, to find Geovani on his computer, the large monitor filled with Enzo’s stupid face. Thank God he’s not here. For a second, I thought he had come to the house again.
“Having trouble sleeping, Red?” Geovani’s voice echoes through the room without him even turning around.
I close the door behind me and move to sit on his lap. “I’m turning into you,” I mutter. I watch the screen. Enzo is in the same suit as he was wearing tonight except now the tie is gone and the top couple of buttons are undone. “Is this live?” I ask.
“Sure is. Now be quiet so we can hear what he’s up to.”
I watch the screen, waiting for some insight into the fucked-up mind of Enzo Moretti. He has a cigar in one hand and a tumbler of amber liquid in the other, but I can’t make out who he was talking to when I was walking by the room. It looks like he’s alone.
A young, slender woman appears, dressed in a delicate set of lingerie adorned with attached suspender belts. I can only see her from behind, but her walk is different from Valentina’s. Her plastic surgeon’s not good enough that he’s literally taken thirty years off her ass and legs. The girl does a slow spin for him, showing off her incredible body.
I recognize her immediately as the server from the dive bar, The Precinct, who was all flirty with Geovani. “Pia,” I gasp in shock.
“What the fuck is she doing with him?” he growls out, irritated. But it’s not jealousy, he’s genuinely worried for her.
I glance back at him, eyes wide. She must be a good forty years younger than Enzo. “How well do you know her?”
“Well enough to know she doesn’t work for Enzo, she’s one of the Strykers’ gang, and if she’s getting mixed up with Enzo, she’s in deep trouble. You know how dangerous he is.” Geovani takes out his phone and dials a number, waiting for it to ring. It goes right to voicemail. “Fuck.” He runs a hand through his stubble.
I raise a brow, curious. “You have her number?”
“I know anyone of importance, Red, and Pia has been close with the Strykers for a long time. I’ve crossed paths with her a few times over the years, when one of us has needed a favor.”
I store that little nugget of information away for later. I knew there was something more to her flirtations that night at the dive bar.
“Can I have my reward now?” she purrs seductively, dropping to her knees in front of him, staring up at him like he’s some sort of god. Disgusting, the man’s a pig.
He undoes his fly, and his cock flops out. She greedily takes it in her hands, licking her lips.
“She doesn’t look like she’s in any sort of trouble. She looks like she’s there for a good time if you ask me. Is she seriously going to suck his flaccid dick? I can’t watch this shit.” I go to stand, but Geovani’s arm comes around my front, stopping me.
“It might be disgusting, but it will be over quickly, and I can bet you’re going to want to stay till the end of this one, Red. I just know him and Valentina are up to something tonight, and if they’re trying to get in with the Strykers, we need to know about it.”
I stiffen under him, not sure how I feel about this. “What does that mean?”
“Shh. Just watch.”
I flick my gaze back to the screen, mortified but fascinated at the same time. It’s like a train wreck, and I just can’t take my eyes away. He laces his hands in her hair, gripping it roughly as he uses her for his pleasure. I can’t see how this is a reward for her, but maybe that comes later. Somehow, knowing Enzo, I doubt it. He holds the back of her head tighter and jerks forward, filling her mouth. Bile rises in my throat I’m so grossed out for her. But Geovani was right, it was fucking fast. Enzo pulls back with a sinister smirk, and she smiles up at him all doe-eyed. “Do I get my reward now, Daddy.”
I gag. I feel so bad for this girl. Was this my ma? I fucking hope to God it wasn’t.
He looks down at her. “What did Daddy ask you to do for him?”
“Make sure the Havardi girl loses everything she cares about. And I’m getting closer. I thought it would be easier to separate her from the boys or Geovani but they’re inseparable. If they had been where I left them the night they came to The Precinct, they all would have died when that truck went through the wall.”
“But they weren’t, and they all escaped, didn’t they, sweetheart.” His fingers press into her chin.
“My men nearly killed them last week as well, after Geovani’s fight. Maddox was seriously injured. I’m so close to truly bringing you what you want, the girl, so you can steal her papa’s businesses, and the boys gone so you can take back all control again.” She smiles up at him.
I look at Geovani again, confused. “But Enzo sent those men so we would kill Carlo and get him out of the way. That’s what he told Alessandro.”
“He probably did. Didn’t mean she wasn’t in on it as well. Enzo probably sent Carlo in afterward so we would take care of him, and he could keep his fingers clean. He hasn’t stayed so long at the top dirtying his own hands,” Geovani agrees with me. But they’re talking again, and our attention goes back to the screen.
“Oh, you mean the night I lost my confidant. Because my son believed he was the one responsible for the attack. And now that little slut is having a Moretti baby, taking even more from me than she already has,” he growls, making it a little more obvious he’s furious. “I don’t want my sons dead, I want control over them. You were supposed to seduce Alessandro and Geovani, turn them against her, be the little slut we both know you are, and get them to fucking bow down to me again instead of that little whore.”
Goosebumps rise over my skin hearing the hate in his words. He blames me for losing his sons.
Pia’s eyes go wide in panic. “I… I didn’t know. I’m sorry Daddy, I misunderstood. I can fix this, just give me more time.”
“You will get your reward for the job you have done.” Without warning, he produces a knife and slits her throat. Blood gushes from her neck as she tries desperately to stop the bleeding, her hands clamping over the wound.
Geovani’s hand closes over my mouth as a terrorized scream leaves my lips. My body shakes uncontrollably, not able to believe what I just witnessed. “Oh fuck!” I mumble around his hand, tears instantly springing to my eyes. I turn my head and sob into his chest. Enzo is a fucking monster.
He strokes my hair, trying to calm me, but I know he’s still focused on the screen. This is the most information we have had, or that I have seen anyway. “Enzo wasn’t alone,” he mutters.
I rise my blurry eyes back to the screen. Valentina appears, gliding her way toward him with a seriously oversized dude by her side. He carries some sort of a bag with him, and we both know this was a well-planned-out attack on Pia. I watch in horror as the poor girl is shoved in the bag, and he carries it out of there, while Valentina kisses Enzo’s lips like she’s happy to see him and that awfulness didn’t just go down. Was she hanging back and watching him the whole time? This is getting more depraved by the second.
“What now?” she asks, staring up at him. “How do we get the boys back? Or is it too late and we go to plan B? Alessandro is getting more powerful by the day, you know he is.”
“I have a few ideas. Pia wasn’t my only little spy in the Stryker organization. The little Havardi whore will be delt with soon enough and her papa’s businesses handed over to us. Even if we have to lose a few of our own to make it happen.”
“Not Alessandro?” she whispers and his eyes lock with hers.
“Not Alessandro.” He nods, a subtle, chilling smile playing on his lips, confirming that their full son is safe, but the others are fair game. He’s willing to lose them to make sure I give him what he wants. To give him what he thinks he’s entitled to.
I turn to Geovani, my heart racing out of my chest. They’re going to die because of me. The four men I love are in danger. He just killed this girl because she didn’t succeed in taking everything from me, and my boys will be next. “Make me disappear,” I cry, knowing I can’t let anything else happen to them because of me.
I notice a shift in his demeanor as he looks back at me, his eyes filled with a newfound seriousness.
“Please, Geo. You can do anything with your skills. Use them for good this time. You and I both know how much trouble it causes if I run. I don’t want the boys or you to get hurt because of me. You heard what they said. And we both know I’m their weakness. I’m petrified they will get killed because of me. If they think I’m gone for good, so far away that even they can’t get me back, they have nothing left to protect. They can get on with their lives without me causing trouble. Please, I don’t want to end up like that girl, and I don’t want any of you to either.”
“They love you. It will kill them if they think you’re gone for good.” I hear the emotion in his words. I know it’s him it will kill. I don’t want to be away from any of them either. Not now when this thing we have is working so well. But it’s not safe for me to stay.
“It’s better than them being dead. Please, you have to help me. If you really care about me like you say you do, you’ll help me.” I sob, pain radiating through my chest.
“I’m not going to let you see the same fate as Pia.” He kisses me, trying to calm me. But I can’t be calmed down right now. My heart is racing like crazy. I need to know he’s going to help me.
I pull back from him. “Tell me you will help me. Please.”
As he closes his eyes and takes a deep, slow breath, I sense the weight of his emotions, knowing that the mere idea of me vanishing is too overwhelming for him to handle, when for so long he’s watched my every move. But he has to know I’m right. “I’ll see what I can do.” He sighs heavily.