His to Possess (Mafia Kingpins #4)

15. Blake

15

BLAKE

A fter our target practice, Angelo and I take a trip into town and buy some groceries. He said he’s making lasagna and homemade garlic bread and cannoli for dessert. We also get a bottle of red wine. I’m not usually a wine-drinker, but the fact that he’s doing all of this makes me want to try it. No one has ever prepared a nice meal for me like this before and it’s very sweet.

I help him make dinner by doing whatever I can which really isn’t much at all—slicing tomatoes, grabbing ingredients or pots or a bowl for him. But mostly we talk and I watch as he expertly prepares the meal. Even though he says this is the only food he can cook, I’m not so sure. He seems pretty damn competent from what I’m seeing.

I sidle up onto a stool and watch as he layers the lasagna. He’s very precise and meticulous, informing me that his mother showed all of her children exactly how to do it properly. She said it was important that her kids could all prepare at least one Italian dinner excellently.

The urge to meet her and the rest of his family fills me. For years, I’ve done my best to ignore the fact that I’m all alone. Completely on my own. But it’s getting harder and harder to pretend that it doesn’t bother me when it does. After spending this time with Angelo and hearing so many stories about his family and how he grew up, I find myself yearning for a similar experience. Something to fill the holes and cracks in my heart.

It’s probably just an impossible dream, though. Because as much as I’d like a family of my own, I don’t have one.

Forcing myself to shove the lonely thoughts away, I concentrate on the amazing man entertaining me with jokes and stories. He’s teaching me to cook. He’s also teaching me other things…making me feel things that are dangerous and scary.

The most frightening thing of all is my wanting him has turned into needing him. I feel like when the time comes for us to go our separate ways, I’m going to have a very hard time dealing with losing him. The truth is my heart is going to break.

I suppose all I can do is enjoy this precious time we have now and not worry about the future. It’s like we’re trapped together in this perfect, little bubble. Eventually, I know it’s going to pop but, for now, I know the best thing I can do is focus on the present. Focus on Angelo and the amazing way he makes me feel.

What happens after we leave here and return to the city? Well, I’ll worry about that later.

Everything turns out absolutely delicious just like I knew it would. We’re finishing up dessert and I’m laughing so hard, practically snorting wine through my nose, as Angelo shares a story about his childhood. I’ve never met anyone who tells a story so well. He sucks me right into it and I can easily picture him and his brothers getting into all sorts of trouble back in Sicily. I’m about to ask him a question when his phone starts ringing.

“It’s Miceli,” he tells me, wiping his mouth. He’s laughing just as hard as I am and takes a moment to compose himself before answering. “Hey, bro, what’s up?”

From the interactions I’ve seen, along with the things I’ve heard, I really want to meet Angelo’s family. Like so badly. I clear my throat and look down at my plate. I shouldn’t be wanting impossible things like meeting his family. As soon as things are safe, Angelo and I will go our separate ways.

Right?

Unless you don’t, a tempting little voice says.

I get the feeling that he’d like to pursue something with me, but maybe I’m reading too much into things. It’s so hard to say. Especially when it’s just the two of us, all alone up here and bonding on every level. With a sigh, I think back to those moments in the lake. Being with Angelo like that, feeling him move deep inside me, is a heaven I’ve never experienced before. And, I want more.

Is that selfish of me? Stupid? Naive?

Although I can only hear Angelo’s side of the conversation, I can see he doesn’t look happy. The longer they talk, the more concerned I get. By the time he hangs up, I know something is wrong.

“What is it?” I ask, setting my fork on the plate’s edge. I couldn’t eat another bite for anything.

“Miceli said Archer was in touch. He confirmed some things about Carmine Gallo and his family. Like how they’re willing to do anything to gain power in the city. They’ve been targeting the other families, trying to throw their weight around and get a meeting. Archer thinks Gallo’s ultimate goal is to usurp my family’s place at the table. To eliminate us completely in any way he possibly can.”

“Oh, no.”

“Archer also said it was definitely Gallo who put us both on the Kill List.”

“It all makes sense now,” I say softly.

“They view my family as a threat and want to get rid of us, take our place at the table. Miceli told them to stand down and they claimed ignorance of what was going on, but my brother doesn’t trust them at all.”

“I need to get you off that list,” I say, racking my brain, trying to figure out how.

“We both need to get off it,” he corrects me.

I nod, but I’m way more worried about Angelo than myself. I can pick up and disappear. I’m quite capable of going off the radar forever and it wouldn’t make a difference to anyone. But, Angelo has a family he loves and he can’t do that. I need to figure out a way to protect him. No matter what that means to myself.

“Hey.”

I look up and he’s studying me closely. “What?”

“You have a weird look on your face.” He scoots his chair closer then pulls me right onto his lap, grasping my chin and tilting it up, forcing me to look into his deep, brown eyes. “We’re in this together, Blake. Okay?”

“Okay,” I whisper. But my mind is going a mile a minute, trying to come up with a plan, a way to get Angelo out of this mess.

Angelo captures my mouth in a kiss, distracting me from my thoughts, and I sag against him. I’ve never responded like this to anyone before and it’s as if he’s wielding some sort of magical spell over me. When we finally come up for air, he gives me a lazy, very sultry, smile.

“You taste like cannoli,” he whispers and licks my lower lip.

My pulse rate spikes. I know exactly where this is going and, before I can comment, he swoops me up into his arms and is carrying me upstairs to the master bedroom. We end up spending the rest of the night in bed, giving each other so much pleasure that we exhaust one another out. I’ve never slept well in my life. At least, not until I met Angelo. Falling asleep in his arms is the easiest thing I’ve ever done and nothing has ever felt so right.

At some point during the middle of the night, I hear a sound and jump awake. Cocking my head, I listen closely, wondering if maybe I just imagined it. Or, more than likely, it’s just residual echoes from a dream.

But, no. There it is again. Bolting up into a sitting position, my blood runs cold when I identify the sound—footsteps outside in the hallway. Angelo is still sleeping soundly and I quickly and carefully untangle myself from his embrace. My Glock is in the nightstand drawer and I don’t waste time getting dressed. There’s not a moment to spare, so I just hurry around the bed, grabbing a blanket and securing it beneath my arms.

I open the nightstand drawer, reach inside and freeze. Empty. My fingers brush against nothing but the wooden bottom of the drawer. Where the hell is my gun? I yank the drawer out, desperately searching for my pistol when the bedroom door creaks open.

My head snaps up and I see a large shadow in the doorway. A big man steps into the bedroom and moonlight glints off the steel gun he’s lifting and aiming. But not at me. It’s like he doesn’t even see me. He’s pointing the barrel straight at Angelo.

“No!” I scream.

But it’s too late. The gun fires and the bullet hits Angelo. Shock pours through me, freezing me in place, and I cry out. But, I can’t move. It’s like my feet are stuck in place, glued to the floor. The gun keeps firing and the white sheets are now covered in blood. Drenched in Angelo’s blood. The man won’t stop pulling the trigger and I scream.

“Angelo!” Bullets keep peppering the bed, an impossible amount. More ammunition than one gun could possibly hold. I don’t know what to do, how to stop it, and just stand there and scream until my throat is raw. Finally the shooting ends and all I can hear is my own heavy breathing. And I’m crying so hard, tears streaming down my face.

“No…” I sob and drop to the floor.

Jumping up in bed, sweating profusely, I look down at Angelo and see his chest rising and falling evenly. There are no bullet wounds, no blood, no shadowy intruder.

“Thank God,” I whisper, slumping forward. It was just a nightmare. But, it felt so real and I can feel my heart still thundering in my chest. Lifting a hand, I touch my cheek and realize it’s wet. The tears I was crying in my dream came through in my reality.

I don’t think I’ve ever had such a realistic dream and I’m completely freaked out now. How much danger have I put Angelo and his family in? Oh, God, if anything happens to any of them, I will never forgive myself. Hurting the man who has been nothing but kind to me is the last thing I want to do.

Images flash across my mind of the shadow, the bloody sheets, the popping of the gun. The longer I stay here, the more I’m endangering the man I care about.

Care about? my inner voice scoffs. Really? That’s it? Who am I kidding? I’m falling so hard and fast for Angelo Rossi that my head is spinning and my heart is a goner.

It’s up to me to keep him safe and out of harm’s way. And I can only see one way to make that happen. I need to leave. Everyone is after us—because I fucked up—and I refuse to drag Angelo down any further into this shitstorm than I already have managed to do.

I figure the only way to fix this mess is to make a bargain. My life for Angelo’s. It’s a risky plan and I don’t intend to die, but I am willing to sacrifice myself to save him. It’s the least I can do. He has people who love him and far too much to live for.

Looking down at him, my heart clenches. He’s going to be so mad when he wakes up and realizes that I’m gone. But I know it’s for the best. I don’t want him to worry, though, so I’ll have to leave him a note.

Shit, shit, shit. I wish things were different and that we had more time. But Miceli’s phone call earlier tells me that our time is running out fast. Like the sands in an hourglass. Pretty soon we’re going to find ourselves without any options or time left. And I need to fix things before that can happen.

Silently slipping out of the bed, I quickly get dressed and don’t allow myself to think with my emotions. Just my head. I have a job to do. Even so, after I grab my Glock from the nightstand, I pause and watch Angelo sleep for a moment longer than I should. He looks so peaceful and I’m so tempted to crawl back into bed with him, wake him up with a kiss and then let him make love to me.

But, I can’t. I’m going to save his life and get him off the Kill List and Carmine Gallo’s radar.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him. Instead, I clench my hands into fists, bite my cheek, then turn and walk out, and leave the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Downstairs, I find a scrap of paper and a pen. After quickly writing a note to him, I leave it on the island countertop where I know he’ll see it. Tears blur my vision as I snag his car keys and sneak out the front door.

Luckily, he has an SUV that he keeps parked in the barn at the rear of the property that also serves as a garage and storage area. He told me he likes to fly up here in the helicopter, so that’s why he has a car which allows him to drive into town for groceries and supplies.

After getting situated in the driver’s seat, I start the car up then hesitate. Am I making a huge mistake by leaving? I hate sneaking out, but if I wake him up, there’s no way he’s going to let me leave and track down Carmine Gallo. And I can’t risk bringing Angelo with me. It’s far too dangerous.

Dammit. I don’t have a choice if I want to keep him safe.

Shoving the gear into drive, I press my foot down on the gas and roll out of the barn. Then I quickly hop out, pull the door shut and pause, glancing back over at the log cabin. I long to return, climb back into bed and curl up against Angelo so badly, it’s almost an ache. Instead, I get back in the SUV and start driving down the long driveway toward the road. Even though I hate leaving like this, maybe it’s time I face the reality of the situation—whatever is going on between me and Angelo can’t last.

The longer I stay with him, the more my hopes and expectations for a future with him will grow. But it’s silly to consider because I’m not good enough for him. While he’s light and playful, I’m the gloomy loner. My life has been far from easy, always a struggle, but that’s just my luck. Besides, I don’t attract men like Angelo Rossi. At least, not for long. I have no doubt that he would lose interest and break my heart, anyway.

So it’s best if I walk away now before I make the mistake of becoming too invested. The further away I drive away, the more I have to convince myself I shouldn’t turn right around and go back. But, no. I have to look at the bigger picture and that’s saving Angelo. It’s because of me that he’s even in this situation to begin with. I fucked up and now it’s time to correct my mistake.

More like mistakes. The moment I accepted this job it’s been nothing but one clusterfuck after another. Maybe I’ve been bounty hunting too long and it’s time to hang up my stun gun and handcuffs. Hell, the more I think about it, the more I seriously start considering it.

I could easily retire on the fortune I’ve stashed away. Just ride off into the sunset…all by myself…

Or invite Angelo to go with you? a little voice asks.

No. Impossible. He’s far too close to his family to ever pick up and leave town. And, the brutal truth is once I track down Carmine Gallo, he might not grant my request to remove us from the Kill List. Or, maybe he’ll only remove Angelo and not me. Then I’m going to be on the run and that’s a mess I can’t drag Angelo deeper into. I’ve already done enough damage.

Guilt washes through me as I consider what I’ve done and what I need to do. I glance over at the clock on the dashboard and sigh. Looks like it’s going to just be me and my thoughts for the next five hours or so. Again, I find myself wishing for someone I could call and talk to, maybe ask for advice.

Doubts plague me throughout the entire ride back to the city and I hate it. But I’m determined to make things right. I’ve decided to quit my shady job, although I know that Fox won’t be happy. Oh, well.

First though, it’s time to track down Gallo and offer myself in exchange for Angelo’s future. I want him off the Kill List and I’ll do anything, even sacrifice myself, to make sure he is safe once and for all.