Chapter 3
Nate
Julian and I are about twenty feet away from the table where Lexi and her friends are sitting. She looks even more amazing than I remember. I can tell Julian didn’t let her know I’d be here by the look on her face.
“You didn’t tell Lexi?” I ask quietly, pushing his arm.
“Sorry man, my bad,” he says with a grin that tells me he is anything but sorry.
“Dick move, man,” I say with a huff as I try my damndest not to stare at her.
I took a risk and called my contact this morning. He still doesn’t have confirmation on what he’s found out about Matteo. The need to protect her is consuming me.
I watch Lexi drinking a glass of champagne. Then, a second one.
I walk over around the booth bench near her. “Maybe you should slow down,” I rumble in her ear.
“Maybe you should mind your business,” she says with a little hiccup.
“I’m serious, Lex,” I rumble.
“Leave me be, Nate,” she spits.
“Nate!” Grace Graziano shrieks and stumbles as she walks toward me. I catch her, and she leans into my body.
“Thanks,” she purrs, looking up at me, her arms around my neck.
“How about we go someplace quiet?” She mews. “You must need some relief after all those years in the Army,” she says with a smile, her fingers are moving up my chest.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Awe, let me take care of you,” she says, touching my belt. I move her hand away and her arm from around my neck.
“Asshole,” she hisses. She then starts after another one of Carmine’s security guys.
My eyes snap to Lexi. Her eyes are narrowed, and her mouth is twisted as she looks at me.
She breaks her gaze and pulls Scarlett’s hand up; Ellie follows, and they head for the dancefloor.
“You need to let her be. She’s entering into a nightmare. This is her last night of freedom before being chained to a monster,” Deirdre says, looking at Lexi with sadness in her eyes.
“I know, Deirdre, but she’s vulnerable this way, even with all of the security around her.”
“Let her have this, Nate. You have no idea the hell she’s been through the past four years. Matteo is a sociopath who has hit her more than once.”
I growl low in my chest, and I see red, “And Carmine knows?”
“Yes, and he doesn’t care.”
“What the fuck is wrong with him?”
“He’s always been weird when it comes to Lexi, you know that. He uses her to his advantage; he always has.”
My fingernails are digging into my hands. Hearing that monster put his hands on her makes me want to rip him apart.
Lexi danced with Scarlett and Ellie late into the night. Now she’s drunk off her ass and half asleep on the booth bench.
“I’ll get her back upstairs,” I say to Julian with a rumble.
Lexi
Seeing Nate threw me for a loop. I was already on edge; then, he had the audacity to tell me to stop drinking. This is my last night of freedom before I’m married to a monster. I’ve been told what to do my entire life, so his getting after me just pissed me off even more.
“Let’s get you home,” Nate says as he places my arm around his neck.
“I don’t want to go home yet,” I say.
“You can barely stand, little mouse.”
I poke him in the chest, “I hate when you call me that. I’m not a little kid anymore.”
“I am very well aware,” he says with a smirk tugging at his lips. He places his arm around my waist, leads me to the elevator, and pushes the button.
The elevator starts to move, and I lose my balance and lean into his chest. He makes an annoyed rumble noise in the back of his throat, and I right myself and take a step back.
The elevator reaches my floor, and the door opens. I reach into my bag and take out my key, which slips out of my hand, so I bend down to pick it up. I get dizzy as I stand up straight. I touch the frame of the door, and Nate’s strong arms are around me again.
“Give me the key,” he says.
I hand it to him, and he opens the door and flips on the light.
“It looks like the nineteen eighties threw up in here,” he says, taking in the surroundings.
I’ve been obsessed with the nineteen eighties since my dad first played me New Kids on the Block when I was seven. It was our thing, and it helped me get through some tough times when Mom and I were on the outs, which happened a lot. She was never an affectionate person, but my dad loved her. That’s how I knew even before my uncle told me that my parents were killed that it couldn’t possibly be a murder-suicide. Dad would never do something like that.
When you walk into my suite, you’ll see eighties pop references, furniture, and knickknacks I’ve collected over the years. My walls are covered in posters of rock bands and celebrities from the eighties, like John Stamos and Jon Bon Jovi.
“You don’t like my decorating style?” I ask, almost offended.
“It’s unique, to say the least,” he says, flashing a killer smile.
I flop on the couch. I unstrap my shoes, toss them on the geometric patterned rug, and pull my granny square blanket off of the back of the couch, covering myself.
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” I say, rolling away from him staring at me.
He is a huge presence hovering over me, so I sigh and roll back over.
“What?”
“What you did tonight was reckless, Lex,” he says with a glower, brows knitted.
“So I had too much to drink, so what? It was my bachelorette party. I get a pass.”
“No, you don’t. You always have to be aware of your surroundings.”
That makes me sit up; now I’m the one doing the glowering. “You don’t think I know that? I’m in cybersecurity. I know every inch, every dark corner of this place. I was surrounded by armed security and people I know; I was just fine,” I spit out, crossing my arms over my chest.
He lets out a big sigh and sits on the couch, “That’s all well and good, but you still need to be careful and keep your wits about you all the time. You’re in more danger now that you’re associated with Matteo Russo. More than you were with your uncle.”
“I know that too.”
“Then why keep drinking?”
I don’t say anything for a minute, but a small smile inches my lips.
“You did it to piss me off, didn’t you?” He looks at me with one brow raised.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say, trying not to laugh.
“Not cool, Lex.”
“I had fun tonight. I won’t have that after tomorrow,” I say.
He lets out a big breath, “Lex, I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
“Told me what?”
“That your uncle was going to announce your engagement the night after your party.”
“You knew?” I ask. I feel like I’ve been kicked in the chest.
“Yes, but I had no idea that he was arranging for you to marry Matteo, I swear.”
“Oh, that makes it all better then!” I shriek and jolt off the couch. “You could have warned me, at least!”
He stares at me, not saying anything.
“You need to leave,” I say, sitting back down and pointing to the door.
He looks deeply into my eyes. “Now!”
He pulls himself off the couch, walks to the door, and turns the handle before turning and looking at me again, “I’m sorry Lex,” he says, his eyes sad, as he looks at me before closing the door.
Nate
I punch the down elevator button when I get a text from Julian telling me to meet him on the casino floor.
I walk over to Julian and see a guy about a head shorter than me being dragged on his knees away from one of the tables by two other security guys. I look over across the bar, and one of the cocktail waitresses is standing by another who’s crying; her dress is torn.
Sal comes over, and I try to hide my disdain.
“Please follow Tom and Gregg in escorting Mr. Bryant to the garage. It seems he’s having trouble understanding what the word, no means.”
The space we call the garage used to house various cars and van transports for the casino until Carmine built a bigger one. Ever since, security has used the space, bringing all sorts of low-life scum to be questioned. Mostly small-time assholes who got caught counting cards. From the stories I’ve heard, most haven’t made it out under their own power.
Finding out Matteo put his hands on Lexi more than once had me seeing red; add on the fact that I feel like a complete asshole not telling her that I knew she was going to be married off has made the night a shit show. Now, I have to question some drunk asshole who thought it was a good idea to force himself on a waitress on the casino floor. My patience is long gone, and all I want is to find a release for this pent-up rage.
As Julian and I follow Tom and Greg, I can feel the anger simmering just below the surface. My fists itch for the boxing ring, for that sweet release of pounding flesh. The ghosts of my past are whispering in my ear, their voices mingling with the chaos of the casino.
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. I need to handle this scumbag, and maybe, just maybe, I can keep the darkness at bay for one more night.
Lexi- 3 AM – day of the wedding
The loud pounding on my door matches the pounding in my head.
“Yeah, yeah, just a second!” I shout, immediately regretting it, as I hold my head. Fuck, I drank a lot last night.
The banging gets louder, “I said I’m coming! What the hell is wrong..”-
Bang! The door slams into the wall; Matteo is on the other side, looking murderous, rage in his eyes. I instinctively step back three steps as he slams the door closed.
“You little slut!” He hisses. “Embarrassing me by going home with another man!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask with a dare in my voice.
“Don’t you take that tone with me, you little bitch! Where is he? I can smell him on you!” He screams as he stalks into my room. I follow behind.
“No one is here!” I shout. He grabs me by the wrist and pulls me against him until we are inches apart; I can feel his fury rolling off of him.
“Don’t lie to me, you little bitch. Grace saw you bring him up here! You better still be untouched, or so help you!”
I pull my arm away from him and rub my wrist.
“Nate brought me up here and then left,” I say, looking him directly in the eyes. “Nothing happened!”
“I don’t believe you!” He hisses. He starts moving toward me. I back up into the couch, and he forces me to spin around, pushes me down, and tears off my shorts and panties.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I scream, kicking my legs and trying to get away from him.
He grabs my legs and hovers over me as he begins to move his hand between my legs.
“Don’t touch me!” I hiss and kick him in the balls. He snarls and doubles over.
“You’d better be intact, you little bitch. Because Saturday, the moment we are out of the sanctuary, I am going to make sure that little cunt of yours is still unbroken!”
“Fuck you! Get the hell out!” I roar, throwing a little round clock at him. It hits him in the forehead, and he rises up over me again, smacking my thigh so hard it turns red immediately.
“Maybe I’ll just check now instead!” He says with an evil laugh, grabbing me and pushing over the back of the couch, smacking my ass. I hear his pants unzip, and I reach over to the side table for the first thing I can grab as he kicks my knees apart. The next thing I know, he’s howling on the floor, pants unzipped, blood running down the side of his head, and my floor is covered in shattered glass.
“Get the fuck out, you psychopath!”
His eyes are black as night; his face is red as he gets up, zips up his pants, and takes out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face.
“You little whore! I am going to fuck you raw once we step out of that church,” he hisses. “And I will continue to do so until you have my heir in your belly. Once my line is secure, I’ll lock you back in that little tower of yours for the rest of your fucking life,” he spews. The wall shakes as he slams the door behind him, and I crumple to the floor.
Nate
The sun wasn’t even up on the day of the wedding and I was feeling sorry for myself, hanging out in Julian’s suite.
“Dude, would you take it easy? You are halfway through my top-shelf bourbon!” Julian shrieked as I poured myself another.
“You should have seen her face when I told her,” I say with a slight slur in my voice. “Pure betrayal. It killed me,” I said, taking another swig.
“You’ve said that. Over and over for the past two hours.”
“She’s never going to forgive me. Ah, hell!” I howl, “I guess it doesn’t matter anyway; she’s going to be married to a monster in less than ten hours. What does it matter anyway? I’ve done so many bad things- I’m just as much as a monster.”
“You are not fucking Matteo Russo! Yes, you have a dark side to you; we all do. Trauma fucks us all up, but you’d never ever hurt her, and you know that!”
I let out a big breath of air.
“You’ve heard nothing from your contact?” Julian asked, changing the subject.
“Do you think I’d be sitting here drinking if I had? I can’t stop this wedding without confirmation; Carmine would never trust me again!”
“You can still be there for her. You will kick yourself if you don’t go, and you know it.”
“I should have told her. You should have seen her face..” –
“Yes, yes,” Julian says, “I know, pure betrayal,” he sighs and moves the glass away from me, leading me to his lumpy, brown couch.
“I’m going to make coffee,” he said.
I woke up five hours later with a monster headache. I haven’t drunk that much since my graduation in the Army. Fuck! I roll over with a groan and see a white suit bag hanging over the door of Julian’s kitchen with a note attached:
Put it on and just be there for her, you asshole.
Dickhead. I hate it when he’s right. I may not have heard from my contact, but I can be there for her. I will figure out how to protect her from the asshole she’s marrying before anything else. I have to. I made a promise a long time ago.
Yeah, you’ve been doing a bang-up job at it, too, walking away from her. Asshat.
When I made that promise, I was young and thought I could do anything. How hard could it be? She was like an annoying kid sister, getting into trouble, sneaking into the casino, dumb kid stuff.
She tried to kiss me when she was sixteen. I said some really awful things to her. I avoided her my entire summer break, making Julian watch over her. He wasn’t thrilled.
I had no idea that I’d develop feelings for her. She was five years younger, and I felt like I was taking advantage. That’s part of the reason I enlisted. To keep away from her. Julian kept me updated, and it only made me want to be with her more, to protect her like I promised. But I didn’t.
I throw on the black suit and step over to the mirror to put on the green silk tie. The same color as her eyes.
I feel like such a failure right now.
By some miracle, my phone buzzes on my way out the door.
Maybe the universe doesn’t hate me after all.