Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
Madi
“ H e’s a liar.” I can feel how shaky my voice is as the gun wobbles between my fingers. “Tell us the truth, Adrian. You wanted us dead.”
Concern is etched across my husband’s face, his hands still extending as he looks between John and me.
“Madi,” he says, trying to keep his voice calm. “Let’s talk about this.”
“Can you be honest?”
Adrian winces at my words.
“What is she talking about, Russo?” John is standing now, his focus on my husband as he keeps Zoe protected behind him.
I haven’t had a chance to check on her since we killed our intruder. Things are moving too fast. I pull myself up to standing, taking a second to glance over at my friend, who’s clinging to John. She seems okay for now.
Adrian doesn’t answer, his lips pursed as his dark eyes look at me pleadingly. “Madi, please. Let’s talk. Just us.”
“No,” John cuts in before I can say the same thing. “Tell me what she’s talking about now.”
“Tell him,” I press. “I heard you talking to Uncle Damien after we got back from New York. You’re planning to get Sam out, just so Damien can kill him. Aren’t you?”
Adrian looks at John. I can’t see my cousin’s face from where I’m standing, but I can only assume it’s one filled with anger. John and Sam have been closer than the rest of us since they were kids. They’re practically brothers, always having each other’s back.
“Did you just lead my cousin into a trap?” John asks.
“No.” Adrian shakes his head. “Damien doesn’t know he’s coming.”
John launches at my husband, his fingers gripping around his throat before Adrian can even try to defend himself. “Are you fucking lying?” he growls.
Adrian wraps his hands around John’s wrists, attempting to pull my cousin off him. “No.” The word is strangled. “I’m not lying. I didn’t tell Damien that Sam was out of prison or that he was coming for him. That wasn’t my plan.”
“But you did have a plan?” John squeezes harder.
There’s a war raging inside me. I want to see my husband pay for his scheming and I don’t want to see my family hurt. But the sight of John’s hands around his throat has my heart pounding.
I don’t want him to die.
Suddenly, my gun clatters to the floor. I wasn’t even aware my grip had loosened on it. “John,” I say urgently. “Let him go.”
“You said it yourself, Madi, he’s a liar. Worse than that, he’s a rat. And rats don’t live.”
The confirmation that my cousin wants to kill my husband makes my stomach churn, heart dropping to my feet.
I can’t let that happen.
“No.” I move forward, tugging at John in a feeble attempt to pull him off Adrian.
“Listen,” Adrian croaks.
“Let him talk!” I shout, pounding on John’s back.
Reluctantly, my cousin lets go, and Adrian sucks in a breath, his hand holding his own throat.
“I had a plan,” he admits hoarsely. “I wanted to hurt this family because you hurt me.”
“What are you talking about?” John snarls.
“My father…” Pain laces Adrian’s eyes as he looks at me. “My father was killed in prison because he worked for Big Al.”
I shudder at hearing my father’s nickname, and immediately something inside me softens. I recall the pained look on Adrian’s face when he told me his father was murdered while waiting for trial. But he didn’t tell me this. That it’s my father’s fault his is dead.
“He was a drug runner, and he got caught. Al didn’t want to take a chance that he would turn on him, so he had my father killed. He didn’t even give him a chance to have a decent attorney. If my father had a good lawyer, he could have been released. He didn’t need to d-” Adrian chokes on the word, and my heart aches for him.
I can’t imagine the anger he felt at his father’s death. That he was murdered simply for doing a job for my family. We should have protected him, and instead, at the first sign of trouble, my father had him killed.
Guilt floods my brain. Even knowing that I was a child and there was nothing I could have done doesn’t stop the anguish I feel for the boy Adrian once was.
Suddenly, everything about my husband makes sense. Why he’s a defense attorney, why he defends the men my family lets take the blame for our actions. Why he would want to hurt us.
Beside me, John lowers his gun and hisses out a curse.
“I was angry.” Adrian is looking at me, his eyes pleading. “I wanted revenge. It was all I thought about for twenty years. I never intended to hurt you, princess. At first, I only married you because I couldn’t stand the thought of your brother marrying you off to some prick in exchange for better shipping routes. But I didn’t expect to fall in love with you.”
My heart pounds fiercely.
In love with me.
My husband just said he’s in love with me.
“I love you, Madalena Ricci. And when Damien called me and said he was coming after you and Zoe, I couldn’t breathe at the thought that something might happen to you.” He faces John. “I was going to follow Sam. My plan was to video the two of you killing Damien so I could put you both in prison. Ending this family.” He turns back to me. “But I couldn’t let you get hurt. I don’t care about revenge anymore. I don’t care about hurting your family. All I care about is you .”
Tears fall from my eyes when Adrian reaches out for my hand, his dark eyes still pleading with me for sympathy.
I take his hands, pulling myself into his embrace and wrapping my arms around his body.
“You love me?” I ask against his chest, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“I love you more than anything. You are the sun in my sky, and I would do anything to earn your forgiveness.” His head is tucked into the crook of my neck, and I can feel the emotion that flows from him as he breathes heavily against me.
“I forgive you,” I say softly, pulling back to look up into his eyes. “You were a kid.” I choke on the last word. “You didn’t deserve that pain.”
Tears cloud Adrian’s eyes.
“I don’t deserve your forgiveness, princess,” he says with a shake of his head. “You were almost-”
“Shh.” I shake my head, placing a finger over his lips. “But I wasn’t.” Adrian nods, and the first tear falls from his eyes. I wonder how long it’s been there, how many years he’s been holding back his emotions, not letting himself feel anything but hatred?
“I love you,” I tell him softly. Adrian’s eyes bore into mine. “I was going to tell you the other night, but then I overheard your conversation with Damien and wasn’t sure what to think.”
“I could never be loyal to Damien.” Adrian says my uncle's name with disgust.
“I know that now.”
“This is touching,” John interrupts. “And I won’t kill you for your betrayal. But I can’t promise Sam won’t.” John has his phone out, likely calling my cousin to tell him the turn of events.
Adrian swallows thickly and nods. “That’s okay,” he says, and the words have more tears falling from my eyes, my heart cracking.
“No-”
“It’s okay, princess,” he cuts me off, leaning in to press a soft kiss from my lips. “Can I have one more night with her?” he asks John.
My cousin sighs. “I’m putting Roman outside your house. If you hurt my cousin-”
“I won’t,” Adrian says before John can finish.
There are still tears clouding my vision as Adrian takes me home. Roman settles in our front room and my husband carries me upstairs, carefully undressing me and taking me into our master shower, where he cleans this day from my body.
I cry more, and he gently wipes the tears from my eyes. “Madalena Ricci, if I get only one more night on this earth, the only thing I want is to spend it with you.”
We spend the evening wrapped up in each other’s bodies, and for the first time, my husband makes loves to me rather than fucking or punishing me. We confess those three little words of I love you , over and over, like a secret prayer only the two of us understand.
And when the morning light breaks through our dark cocoon, I know our time together is almost over.