Chapter 38
She's going to run. Hard and fast in the opposite direction. Far from me. Back to the island. To save the man she feels guilty for leaving behind.
Too bad I love the chase.
My entire being rattles with the prediction as I watch her leave, like an omen hanging over my head.
I know it's going to happen. The question is when.
My wife hides her emotions behind a thick mask. Most wouldn't be able to discern her moods. As for me? I watch her decisions swirl behind her expressive eyes. That's where she tells the world what she's up to. And there I saw the desperation and fear for Shepp's safety.
If I could have soothed her, I would have. Shepp is a big boy. A man who can take down an entire room with a toothpick if he wants to. So, I'm sure that with his father off to play mafia man and his girl missing, he's escaping.
Come hell or high water, Sheppard Mondelli will stand before us in a matter of hours.
"You think she's actually going to do what she says?" Arrow asks, pursing his lips. “Like walk in there and murder him?” He pouts, thinking more about it. “Without me?”
With what? Her bare hands. I think not. Although, she seems to have tricks up her skirt. Besides, she mentioned speaking with him as opposed to murder.
I'd love to see her pull it off, though. Unfortunately, I can't let her. Considering he's my new ally and all.
Bummer.
Arrow's gray eyes roam around the vacant room, taking in the opulent decorations. Elias sure went all out for Jenni. I don't blame him, though. I've thought about it since the moment Journey chastised me for marrying her without her knowledge. But what else was I supposed to do to keep the money safe from my father's grubby hands? Not marry her? Let him take it? Absolutely fucking not.
When we're done warring with my father and Shadow and have successfully knocked them to their knees, I'll give Journey the wedding of her dreams.
Until then, she's my wife. I'm her husband. I will protect her with every fiber of my being.
Leading up to the night of our initiation ball, I knew something was amiss. My father was cagier than usual. Acting strange and benevolent. Wouldn't you know? He had something vindictive up his sleeves, a nefarious plan to take Journey's money and use it for himself. Considering that's the entire reason he held her hostage all those years.
Well, fuck him.
He'll get what's coming to him in due time.
That money will never get into his hands. Thanks to some friends in high places with untraceable accounts, I was able to keep it out of reach, even if he got the name associated with it or the account numbers. The only person who can access the funds is Journey herself. Now, Journey will do whatever she wants with it when the time comes.
"Not a chance in Hell," I say, shaking my head. "Journey is going to march in that room and demand Elias help her get back to the island to retrieve Shepp.” She won't harm him because she needs him.
Arrow rolls his eyes and digs out his phone. Without a few touches of the screen, he grumbles under his breath. "Well, he's still there in the middle of the damn ocean."
"He's going to be so damn thrilled you installed that device without his knowledge."
Arrow grins. "That'll teach you to take drinks from me," he quips.
I rub the side of my neck with a frown. "Bastard."
Although, it's come in handy having tracking devices in each of our ass cheeks. He's been able to know where we've been. But also? Fucking invasive.
"You're just mad because the last time it was lights out, Jericho, I tied you to a chair and made you watch me fuck her repeatedly." He wiggles his brows and then stiffens. Realization lights up his face, and a knowing grin lifts his lips. "Her tits feel bigger to you? They do to me. Like plump watermelons. You think our little seedling is inside her yet?"
That perks me right up. All the more reason to whisk Journey away to our cabin on the mountain. Oh, she'll hate it. But it is what it is. That woman is never leaving my sight again.
"All the more reason she can't go back to the fucking island," I growl, cutting a hand through the air. Determination takes me over the longer we stand here, watching the empty room with frowns.
"Shouldn't we hide or something?" Arrow asks, scratching at his jaw.
I'm not convinced that's what we should truly do. If we hide and trust my wife to do as she says, she'll run for the first boat without a plan.
No.
"And miss the action? I'm sure he knows we're here by now and has some delightful words for us. Besides, we're the Devils of Briar Cove. We don't fucking hide." Ever. We're here for the fucking fight. I'll murder Shadow with my bare hands before I let him take my wife again.
Something clicks on the opposite side of the room, drawing my attention to the lone shadow looming in the darkness.
Wonderful. He's made this easy for us.
"Not even when a gun is pointed at us?" Arrow whispers dramatically, pointing toward the corner of the room with big movements.
So much for discretion on our end. Arrow has thrown that out the window. We could have gotten the jump on him and taken him down without all the dramatics he's about to display.
"Especially not that," I say with a tight smile, drifting my gaze again to the man I haven't seen since he died.
It's a shame he didn't stay that way.
It's quite a shock to the system to watch a man whose ashes were buried three years ago walking toward us with a smirk. Scars line his face and neck, and wrinkles tarnish his suit like he couldn't have been bothered to dress up and look presentable. He sure didn't spare any expense with how Journey was dolled up.
Well, this should be quite interesting.
"Thomas Mondelli," I say confidently, letting my voice travel through the large room. "After all these years. How wonderful to make your acquaintance again.”
His lips quirk again into a half smile. "Wonderful isn't a fucking word I'd use to describe this meeting," he growls, stepping slowly out of the shadows to reveal himself completely.
It's almost as if he commands the surrounding darkness, forcing it to shroud his existence. From us. From the entirety of Briar Cove for so many years. Most importantly, my fucking father.
But no more.
If Shadow has come out of hiding and is uncovering his identity, then Briar Cove and my father's loose grasp on the family is coming to a head.
War is afoot.
Wonderful. Just what we need piling high on the multiple plates we're already balancing.
I need a vacation.
"No? Me either. I'm wondering, though. How does a dead man come back to life?" I ask when he finally settles directly in front of us, pointing his guns at our chests—one in each hand.
No doubt covering all his bases, but by the look in his sparkling eye, he's come for more than bloodshed. He would have shot us dead by now from his hiding spot.
So, what does he want, exactly?
"By not dying at all," he sneers, turning his nose up. "I gotta say, Viotto. You're the spitting image of your cunt of a father." He spits at the ground right beside my feet.
I've had many people spit verbal insults at me in the past. But this one has got to take the cake. A spitting image? That's downright disrespectful to me.
"Well, if you were trying to flatter me, it didn't work. Although, I do have to agree on the cunt part." I shrug.
"So, what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Arrow asks, cocking his head. "Do you want to gossip about what you've been up to these past three years? Because I'd love a good tea- spilling session." He bats his eyelashes, unleashing a sadistic grin.
He's ready to pounce.
‘Not yet.’ I sign discreetly, attempting to shield my signed words from Shadow.
"I'm here to put bullets in your chests." So he says. If that were true, then he'd have done it by now. For whatever reason, he’s stalling. "Then I will have dealt with two of my four problems."
Or perhaps he needs us for some asinine reason.
That brings me to plan A—a way to lure him into a false sense of security. Although, it wouldn’t exactly be like him to do so. I’ll play it by ear, and I hope Thomas doesn’t unload his clips into our chests.
"How about we strike a deal?" I hum, crossing my arms.
"A deal? You think I'd make a deal with the spawn of my enemy?" he spits again, backhanding me with the gun closest to my face.
Well, then. Color me surprised. I should have seen that coming ten seconds ago. How dare I attempt to save my life with the deal of a lifetime? Or it would have been. It's too bad that I have no clue what I could offer Thomas in return for continuing to breathe.
Pain splinters through my cheek as a warmth drips from the impact. My fingers play in the blood, sending tingles down my spine and a renewed sense of justice. If this is how Thomas wants to play it, I shall unleash the demon beside me, begging to come out and play.
All is fair in love and war, after all.
"The spawn of your enemy, huh? If I recall, Thomas. You and my father were two peas in a pod. Compatible for so long. What changed?"
It's something I've been curious about since the moment Elias told me about his identity.
What happened between him and my father? Yes, Gabriel can be quite the cantankerous cunt. We all knew that. Even now, he hasn't changed his ways—only gotten worse.
Well, that is before he fell mysteriously ill.
I think I have my mother to thank for that. Which also reminds me about her and Shadow having some sort of connection—if she was telling the truth, that is. Who knows where she went all those years ago?
Shadow smirks again. "Your father knows exactly what he did to push me out of the way. It was his plan all along. He didn't like how close me and your mommy were."
I don't react at all, keeping my features smooth. "Oh? Were the two of you up to something? Hmm?"
"That's the past. This is now. I know what the Viotto name stands for. It's bullshit. Your sect of the family has taken this town far enough in the wrong direction. It's my time now." He grins, cocking the hammer of the gun. "In three, two..."
The floor shakes beneath our feet, rattling straight to my bones. Drywall rains from above us, covering us in a smattering of white dust. I quickly grab Arrow's shoulder to keep balance, and he does the same to me.
An explosion rocks through the large hotel, sending debris and fireballs in every direction. Sprinklers activate above us, sending jets of water everywhere. Frantic screams cry out in agony. Screams of death. Voices of the innocent.
My blood pressure spikes the moment the building stabilizes. The only thoughts I have running through my mind pertain to her. My wife. Our fucking girl. She walked through the reception room to speak with Elias—in the heart of the destruction.
I focus on Shadow, who grins at the damage and takes stock of what he just inflicted on the wedding party with glee.
His distracted state is his fatal flaw.
‘Get ready,’ I sign, righting myself beside Arrow, who salutes me with twinkling eyes.
But that slowly dies. Replaced by the demon that loves to come out to play, hiding any sign of light inside Arrow's soul. He knows the circumstances. The woman we love is in danger.
We need to go to her now. Not later.
"Your doing?" I ask in a cool tone, remaining as calm as possible.
Not that any of those family members aren't used to this sort of thing. They're all affiliated with Elias' gang. Or Jenni's family. Although, I didn't see many of them in the crowd.
Shadow smirks coldly, not showing any ounce of remorse or emotions. Not even when little children were in the crowd with their parents. To him, I'm sure it's just a way to eliminate his enemies in one swoop.
"Of course," he says with a shrug.
A glazed look takes over his eyes. A high blaring through him at the lives he's potentially taken with his bomb.
"But why?" Arrow asks, pursing his lips and calculating the right time to pounce. His demon is patient. But ruthless. "I thought you were butt buddies with Elias?"
Shadow's face darkens slightly. "This is my formal resignation from being associated with the Blue Spider Gang."
"That's one hell of a notice," I say, chuckling slightly at the circumstances.
I can't allude to the fact I'm aching to run and see if Journey is okay. He'll see through it all. He was my dad's associate, after all. I'm curious to understand what he and Elias had going on.
Why they were associated with each other in the first place, and how Elias knew his true identity and never said a word about it. I suppose he and I weren't on friendly terms a few months ago.
But now...
"Yes, it is. My new associates didn't like the competition. They thought eliminating them would help in our efforts."
"Your efforts, huh?" I shrug.
It's the flicker of movement. A moment Shadow lets his guard down. His eyes leave us for a split second, taking in the smoke billowing into the reception room and clinging to the ceilings with a look of pride. It burns my lungs.
But I know I won't have to wait much longer.
‘Now,’ I sign quickly to Arrow, who nods.
Arrow abruptly grins and punches Shadow straight in the fucking nose. It crunches under the blow, sending blood splatters onto the red carpet. He cries out, sending off a shot from both guns in the air.
My ears ring when one whizzes by my ears, nearly taking it off, but I shake my head, attempting to rid it of the sound blocking out the violence unfolding before me.
Arrow grunts, gasping for breath. But even a bullet doesn't stop him from jumping onto Shadow's back. He clings to him, digging his fingers into his eye.
Shadow lashes out. Crying in pain when Arrow sings him a song I don't recognize. Shouting it into the burning air until Shadow falls to his knees and loses his grip on the guns until they clatter to the floor, getting lost under a few chairs.
My ears ring with his shrill cries and pleas. But he doesn't give up. He wails and punches and attempts to dislodge Arrow. Nothing works. Arrow is stuck to him like glue. A scope fixed on his target, ready to kill. They wrestle more as I stand back. If I attempt to jump on, Arrow will likely hiss at me.
“For such a big bad Shadow, you fight like a pussy,” Arrow spits, shoving his knee into Shadow’s neck after forcing him to the ground.
I jump in, holding Shadow's flailing legs. Slowly but surely, his movements die off. Within a matter of seconds, he's out. Falling limp on the floor with blood pooling down his cheeks and his mouth stretched open.
Now, that was a dramatic takedown. Just not the one Shadow thought was going to happen.
Arrow grins at Shadow's knocked-out form on the ground. He chuckles, slamming the heel of his foot right on Shadow's dick. "If you would have just let me do this from the get-go. He was like a typical chatty villain." Arrow rolls his eyes with a huff, yanking his tie off.
"And what do you propose we do with him now?"
"Well, we aren't just going to let him lie here, Daddy Jer. He'll burn to a crisp while he slumbers. This motherfucker is going to pay. Severely. I'm tired of his fucking face," Arrow growls through gritted teeth, hog-tying Shadow with his tie. I cock my head, watching the nearly impossible feat he manages in under thirty seconds.
Sometimes, I underestimate what he's capable of.
"Okay. Now, let's go find my Kitten and make sure she's okay," Arrow says, getting to his feet, holding tight to the bindings on Shadow's body.
"And him?"
Arrow smirks, picking Shadow up and letting his drooping head bounce off the floor. "Oh, I have ideas," he says before skipping away toward danger with Shadow in his hands. "There won't be a chance for him to get away from us."
"Interesting," I hum, following close behind him.