Never Say Never (Vitale Brothers Book 4)

Chapter 36

I peeredthrough the door as Gianpaolo slept. He”d been out of it for a few days now, his body wrapped in so many bandages that he looked like a child dressing up for Halloween to be a mummy. I knew if I told him that, he would laugh and tease me. The thought almost brought a smile to my face, but I couldn”t quite manage it.

”How is he?” I asked Melony as she walked out of the bedroom.

”Much better than before. Thank God, I had a team ready, because I don”t think I could have helped him on my own.” She shook her head, pink hair bouncing around her face. ”I”m going to continue to stay in the building until he”s better. Gianpaolo is my main concern right now.” She glanced at me. ”How are your kids?”

”Still shaken up. They witnessed a lot.”

”I”m so sorry,” she whispered, laying a hand on my arm gently before giving it a squeeze. ”There are several good therapists I can recommend. All of them are discreet and stick to their oaths.”

”Not too sure that”s allowed,” I muttered.

”You”d be surprised how many of these guys are in therapy on the side. Giancarlo”s therapist only takes him as a client and no one else. I don”t blame the man. Can you imagine trying to wrap your head around another kind of crazy besides Gin?”

I stared at her in shock. Giancarlo was in therapy? Maybe they should fire his therapist, because clearly, something wasn”t working.

I shook my head. ”Thank you for looking after him.”

”He”s part of the family,” she said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. ”I”ve been beating up both the twins since we were in school together. I”m so glad Gianpaolo”s home.”

”Me too.” Gin said as he came up and draped an arm over my shoulders. ”Hey, fed.”

”It”s York,” I said before I removed his arm from my shoulders. ”How did you get in?”

”I convinced one of the guards to open up.”

”He means he threatened to cut their balls off,” Benito grunted. ”How”s Paolo?”

I turned to the oldest Vitale brother. Enzo stood beside him, his eyes roaming over me before he nodded briefly. I returned the gesture before I looked at Benito again.

”Better,” I said. ”Melony said he shouldn”t be so out of it in a few days. The pain medication he”s on is really strong.”

”Is it all right if we see him?” Benito asked.

I stared at him. Was he asking me? Both of us knew that he was fully capable of ignoring and bypassing me as if I was nothing. As I opened my mouth, Giancarlo was already on his way to the primary bedroom.

”Excuse him, he was raised in a barn,” Benito said.

”Sure, go on back,” I said, shaking my head. ”They really do look alike. And act alike.”

“They’ve been like that forever,” Enzo said. “Heard you had something to do with them making up. Gin likes your kids.”

I stared at him in shock. Had Enzo Vitale really just spoken to me? The man never said two words in my direction.

Enzo excused himself and headed after his brother. When I turned back to Benito, he stayed in the same spot. He sized me up for a moment, and I felt like I was under a spotlight.

”I also heard something. That you didn”t call in the feds like you could have at the factory. Thank you. I know we don”t do things the way you do, but we stopped the war. I don”t want the streets filled with blood anymore than you do.”

Nodding, I shoved my hands into my pockets. ”For some reason, I actually believe that.”

Benito gave me a hesitant smile. ”What do you plan to do now?”

I raised a brow. ”Meaning?”

”Surely, you”re going to want to return to your job. Are you moving out? What are you doing with my brother?”

I saw the tenseness in his jaw, the way he held himself so stiffly. Part of me wanted to tell him it was none of his business what I did with Gianpaolo, but I wasn”t crazy. This was more than a surface level question. Benito was probably trying to decide what to do with me, if he needed to make me disappear or not.

”I plan to speak to him when he wakes up and is doing better. Until then, I”m not going anywhere. He saved my life. Our girls’ lives. I can”t, no, I won”t disappear on him.”

Benito looked me up and down. Slowly, he nodded. ”I”ll go and say hello.”

We parted ways, but for some reason, I felt like I could breathe after that interaction. Things were already rough. Hunter had been arrested, Shelly was dead. The people in my life I thought I could trust were gone, and the one man I”d treated horribly, the one who had been a criminal all along treated me like a king. How was that for a fucked up twist of fate?

I walked into the living room and stopped short. There were people there. I recognized Tex and Ash from their files, and of course, Harlow. Although, he looked different, bouncing a baby in his arms. Not as menacing. Even though I”d just seen him hold up a human head a week ago.

Everyone stopped and stared at me. I felt the tension in the room, weighing on me so heavily, I felt like I would be slammed through the floor to the one below.

”You must be York,” Ash said as he stood up and walked over to me with his hand out. ”I”m Ash. This is Tex, and that”s Harlow.”

”Don”t insult the fed, Ash,” Harlow said. ”I”m pretty sure he knows more about you than you know about you. Don”t you have a bunch of files somewhere on us?”

The challenge in his eyes was mad. I could see it, the insanity that lurked in those gray depths. I stared into the abyss, but refused to flinch. Harlow wasn”t the first crazy man I”d gone up against and he wouldn”t be the last.

”Haven”t been in the office in weeks,” I said off-handedly. ”I don”t know what”s in those files.”

”I”m sure,” he said.

”Goddamn, that”s a lot of tension,” Tex grumbled. ”Can we all please have a drink or something? Come on, I”ll make everyone one. What”s your poison, York?”

”Whiskey, but I”ll take anything.”

Tex grinned. ”Mind if I use your kitchen?”

”Knock yourself out,” I said. ”Hey.” I stopped him and walked over. ”You used to be a cop, right? What was it like to quit for Enzo?”

Tex glanced behind me before he lowered his voice. ”It was the best thing I”ve ever done. Then again, I wasn”t really cut out to be a cop. Bartending, being around my boyfriend, hanging out with my mom; I love my life a whole lot more now than I used to.”

He smiled as he straightened up and walked to my kitchen. I stared in his direction, torn by his words. Quitting my job would be the biggest blow I could think of. Yes, I wanted to spend more time with my daughters, and the job did stress me out, but I wanted to stay in the field for at least another ten or fifteen years. I thought about quitting, for Paolo and the girls, but it left an ache in my chest. I was good at what I did. How could I just stop?

I remembered Dawn telling me that the love I had for my job was one of the reasons why she married me. That much passion means you’re meant to do it. I’m proud of you.

When I turned back around, Ash and Harlow quickly went back to speaking as if they hadn”t been talking about me. I knew they were, all of them would. I was the FBI agent, the wolf among the sheep, at least in their minds.

”You all can stop staring at me,” I said. ”I haven”t turned anyone in yet and I’ve had plenty of time.”

”Well, you might change your mind,” Harlow said.

”Although, we hope you don”t,” Ash said nervously. ”I know things were crazy at the factory, but if Giancarlo gets locked up again...”

He trailed off, but I knew the tales of Giancarlo all too well. If he was tossed into prison again, he”d probably completely lose his mind instead of most of it.

”You know, the life he lives doesn”t exactly lend itself to not getting locked up. It might happen again someday.”

”Yeah?” Harlow cut in. ”We can deal with that in the future, instead of now, if you keep your mouth shut.”

I looked at both of them. I mimed zipping my lips and throwing away the key. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing to report. The Acetos and Triads had gone down, the Vitales were pulling back, the other gangs that had infiltrated our city had gone home. The world was quiet. I saw no need to start anything up and put me, my children, and Gianpaolo in danger. Besides, there was no way to be truthful when it would get Paolo taken away from me.

”Paolo is awake.”

I spun around and looked at Enzo. His gaze swept over me, and I felt judged immediately. Whether that was good or bad, I wasn’t sure. When he was done, he moved toward Tex and wrapped an arm around his waist.

”Thanks,” I said. ”Excuse me.”

I didn”t wait. Jogging down the hallway, I opened the door and let myself in. Navy and Nyra were already there, Benito sitting in the corner as he watched them question a spacey Paolo.

I smiled and laid a hand on both their heads. ”Girls, let me check on him, okay?”

”Okay. Get better, Paolo,” Nyra said.

”Yeah. We wanna play again,” Navy added.

They each hugged him. I watched the grimace plague his face, but he grunted and smiled when they sat back up. Both of them hugged me, and I gave them a kiss before sending them off to play. Once upon a time, I wouldn”t have let them out of my sight in a house full of gangsters, but I knew right now they were in the safest place they could ever be in.

”You”re still alive,” I said after staring at Paolo for what felt like forever.

”Are you happy about that or not?” he asked.

I crossed the space to the bed and popped him square in the forehead. ”Don”t wake up saying stupid shit,” I growled.

Paolo smiled up at me. ”Sorry. Had to be sure.” He reached out and took my hand. ”God, it”s good to feel you again.”

”I missed you,” I blurted out.

”Not me. I”ve been seeing you since my eyes closed.”

Our lips found each other”s and I didn”t want to let him go. I pressed my forehead against his, my heart squeezing tightly as he looked back at me. Words failed me. I had never felt so much sitting so close to anyone but him.

Someone cleared their throat. Both Paolo and I looked to the right at the same time, and Benito stared back at us with a raised brow. Sheepishly, I tried to pull away, but Paolo grabbed my hand harder and yanked me into bed with him. I carefully navigated his IV line and sat close to him. There was no way he would let me go anyway.

”I”m going to go, just wanted to make sure you were okay first,” Benito said as he stood up and adjusted his jacket.

”How are things?” Paolo asked, his voice scratchy.

I reached over and grabbed a water bottle. Opening it, I held it to his lips and he drank a bit down before he groaned. He smiled at me before Benito stole his attention again.

”The city is still in shambles, but we”re getting things under control. I have a meeting with the new head of the Triads and the Aceto’s.”

I stiffened. ”Really?”

He shrugged. ”This is how things are done. However, it”s one of Qiang”s younger sons and a cousin from the Aceto family who will be taking his place. Each of them just wants to put this whole thing behind us and come up with a peaceful cease fire. Everyone is sick of the blood.”

”I”m surprised any of them are sick of murder.”

Benito shrugged once more. ”Blood isn”t good for business, Agent Washington. All that fighting has wreaked havoc on our finances. We all just want to get back to work.”

Work is a funny way of putting it. More like committing felonies, but whatever.

”I know that judgemental look,” Paolo mumbled. ”York does not approve.”

Benito grunted. ”That can”t be helped. You”re the one that wants to date a fed.”

”Yeah.” Paolo grinned up at me. ”I do.”

”I”m getting out of here before I vomit,” Benito muttered. ”I swear all of you give me indigestion.”

”See you soon!” Paolo called. As soon as Benito was gone, he pulled me down to him. ”It”s so good to see the real you. And to see you being all badass. As soon as my dick works again, and I”m not full of drugs, I”m fucking you. Or getting fucked. Whichever sounds more fun. Both, definitely both.”

I grabbed his cheeks as he rambled on. ”Stop. Talking.”

Paolo chuckled. ”There”s the man I know and love.”

My heart flip-flopped. ”I love you too.”

Paolo continued to smile as confusion colored his gaze. He blinked, opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again. I gave him a moment until he collected himself.

”I”m sorry, I”m hallucinating. What did you say?”

”I love you,” I said. ”And I”m sorry. I treated you like shit and I probably shouldn”t have. Even if you did betray me.” I glared.

”For how long?”

”What?” I asked.

”How long have you loved me?”

”Longer than I”d like to admit,” I muttered.

Paolo”s face stretched into a smile so wide, I thought he”d hurt himself. He reached out, pushed his hand against my cheek, and cupped the back of my neck. I leaned down, kissing him softly until both of us had to unwind to breathe and calm ourselves down.

”Then that”s all that matters. I”m sorry I hurt you in the first place, and I love you too,” Paolo whispered against my lips. ”For a long ass time. That”s never going to change.”

I actually believed him. Every word. I”d seen the way he stood up for and protected us. No one who was just doing it for pretend could last this long, right? Maybe I was naive and I only wanted to see what I wanted to see. But no, I didn”t think so. I could see right through Paolo now. He cared about us more than he did his own life.

”How is this going to work?” Paolo asked. ”You”re not going to quit anytime soon.”

”No,” I said.

”Then how?” he reiterated, a desperate look in his eyes that made me hold his hand even tighter.

”I don”t know. I don”t have answers right now. All I know is I”m not letting you go. I refuse to do that.”

”That”s all I need to hear.”

The sound of the toilet flushing and water running made both our heads snap in the direction of the bathroom. Standing there, washing his hands, was Giancarlo with a huge grin on his face.

”Yo,” he said. ”Don”t mean to interrupt this really sweet moment but I might have clogged your toilet.”

I groaned. ”Goddamnit.”

”Get out, Gin!” Paolo laughed so hard he started coughing. ”Fuck, that hurts.”

I glared at Paolo”s twin after making sure he was okay. ”Ash!”

The fluffy haired man ran in and grabbed his fiance’s arm. ”Sorry, sorry. Whatever he did, I”m sure it was dumb, but he can”t help it.”

”What”s that supposed to mean?” Gin asked as he was pulled away. ”Hey, are you calling me dumb?”

I shook my head as the door closed behind them. When I turned back to Paolo, he was still trying to catch his breath.

”You really want to deal with my crazy ass family?” he asked.

I groaned so hard my throat hurt. ”Do I have a choice?”

”Not a chance in hell, sweet cheeks. Kiss me again.”

I melted against him and did just that.