25. West
Chapter 25
West
T he private plane touches down at Charleston International Airport. As the engines wind down, I gather my thoughts.
Minutes later, I step out of the plane and into the warmth. The southern air wrapping around me like a hot blanket.
I slide into the black Escalade, gripping the leather seat as it moves away as if it might ground me.
My heart pounds with each bump in the road.
Hilton Head Island is a short drive away, but each mile feels like an eternity.
Finally, the car pulls up to Amelia’s former home. A sprawling two-story with a wraparound porch and well-kept gardens at the front. The blue sea to the rear.
It’s picturesque.
I step out of the vehicle to the sound of sails flapping in the wind and the smell of salty air.
As I approach the front door, my pulse quickens.
I knock, each rap echoes in the stillness of the afternoon.
A moment later, a woman answers. A smile across her face as she wipes her hands over her apron.
“Can I help you?” she asks, glancing behind me at the car and my bodyguards inside.
“I’m looking for Amelia,” I reply, forcing calm into my voice. “Is she here?”
“Amelia?” She shakes her head slowly. “I’m sorry, nobody here is called Amelia.”
“She used to live here with her parents.” I swallow hard and pull out my phone to show her a picture of Amelia. I stare at it for a moment. Her blue eyes stare into mine and the way she smiles is like she loves me.
Turning my phone to the lady, I ask, “Are you sure? She used to live here with her parents.”
The woman studies the photo closely. “Ahh. No. I never got to meet her. Poor child.” Her eyes soften with pity as she hands me back my phone. “I wish I could help.”
My heart shatters.
After leaving my business card, I take a step back from the door and nod politely. “Thank you. Please call me if she turns up here.”
As she closes the door, reality sinks in like lead in my stomach. I turn back to the Escalade.
I thought I knew her.
Thought this was where she’d run.
Silently, I sink into the backseat, the leather cool against my skin. Jackson glances at me through the rearview mirror.
“Where to?” he asks, his voice steady. “Airport?”
“I don’t know.”
“Sir,” Jackson begins, glancing into the rearview mirror again. “Have you remembered every conversation you had with her? Is there anywhere else she could be?”
“She won’t go back to Italy. And I hoped she’d be here rather than California, which is where she used to live. I just thought—” I sigh. “I thought she’d want to feel close to her parents.”
“We could try the cemetery,” Callum offers just as his cell rings. He sits opposite me in the Escalade. “Any news?” he asks the caller.
Callum disconnects the call. His face grimaces.
“West,” he says, leaning forward. “Vincenzo’s son was in Boston on a hockey trip. He’s been kidnapped.”
A chill runs down my spine. “By O’Reilly?”
Callum nods. “It’ll only be a matter of time before Vincenzo is dead.”
“Thank fuck. O’Reilly’s not going to harm his son, though?”
Callum’s brow furrows as he scans the traffic behind me. “It’s best not to think about O’Reilly’s methods.”
A shiver runs down my spine. I don’t want to be the person who is the cause of this kid’s death, but Amelia is more important.
“What’s our next step?” Jackson asks.
“We need to think bigger.” I pull out my phone and dial East’s number.
It rings once, twice... then he picks up.
“West!” His voice is taut with tension. “Where the fuck are you?”
“Trying to find Amelia,” I reply, keeping my tone steady despite the chaos swirling inside me. “She’s missing.”
“What do you mean, missing?” His voice sharpens.
“Look, I don’t have the time to go over everything right now. But can you find out if Amelia Morelli took an international flight anywhere?”
“Morelli?” East replies after a pause that stretches uncomfortably long. “Is that your Amelia?”
“It is. I was stupid. I only checked Amelia Ross and there were no flights, so I assumed she was still in the US.”
“Where are you?” East asks.
“In South Carolina. I thought she needed to be close to her parents.” I sigh. “This is where they died in a boat—” Then reality dawns on me. “Fuck! I know where she is.”
“Then go and get her. I take it she’s more important than ousting dad,” East says but there’s no malice in his tone.
“Sorry bro, but she is.”
“Lucky bastard.”
I chuckle as I hang up and lean back against the seat, staring out the window, and say, “Go to the beach.”
Ten minutes later, the beach comes into view. White sand glistens under the sun like diamonds scattered across the canvas.
“Take us closer,” I order.
Jackson drives down toward a quiet stretch where people stroll by the water’s edge.
I glance around at the beach goers, trying to see if one person stands out, but nobody does.
“Pull over here,” I tell Jackson. I can’t leave without at least trying to find her.
As he parks, I roll up my shirt sleeves until the cuffs are at my elbows. I lean forward. “Keep an eye out for her.”
“And you?” Jackson asks.
“Just stay here but have my back.”
I trudge through the sand, each step heavier than the last.
My heart pounds in my ears and gets louder with every shift of the hot grains beneath my feet.
My lips are dry, and I lick the saltiness that the breeze brings as it tugs at my shirt.
The sun burns my eyes. I cover them with my hand at my brows and scan the area again. I feel I have searched every person at the beach as I shift through the sand, then stop and turn.
But I can’t see her.
I run my hand through my hair as desperation twists in my gut as I turn in all directions.
The pier stretches out before me, an old wooden structure jutting into the sea with a few boats attached. But it’s the figure sitting at the end of the pier, silhouetted against the sunset’s glow, that takes my breath.
“Amelia,” I breathe as relief washes over me for a moment, but then it crashes just as quickly when I realize it’s not her.
With a heavy heart, I turn away, ready to retrace my steps, when something catches my eye at the bottom of the pier. The figure is just underneath. But as a flash of brunette hair dances in the wind, my heart leaps and I rush ahead.
I know it’s her.
I rush across the sand and when I reach her. My heart pumps like crazy against my rib cage.
Amelia sits on the edge of the beach, her knees pulled tight to her chest, chin resting against them. She stares out at the ocean, lost in thought. The waves crash, but she seems miles away from everything.
I approach with caution, afraid to startle her.
“Amelia,” I say her name softly to break through whatever spell has wrapped around her.
She doesn’t turn at first.
“I’m here.”
Her shoulders tense before she slowly lifts her head and glances over her shoulder.
Our eyes meet, and for a heartbeat everything else fades, and it’s just us.
“West,” she breathes, surprise flickering across her features. “You shouldn’t have followed me.”
“Why did you run when I told you I’d look after you?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “You shouldn’t be here alone.”
Her gaze drifts back to the horizon as if searching for answers hidden in the waves. “I never ran from you. I needed to be closer to them.” She bites her lip and shrugs slightly. “I know that’s stupid because they’re dead. But everything I’ve tried to bury—” Her voice shakes, and she stops talking to swallow her sob.
I sit down beside her and wrap my arm around her. She rests her head on my shoulder.
“Tell me everything.”
Amelia takes a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the horizon. “My family came to the US with a plan. We escaped the mafia, and the life they’d mapped out for me.” Her voice wavers. “My parents...” She swallows. “We were safe…but Giovanni Vincenzo...” She spits the name like poison. “He wasn’t about to let us go. He never gave up looking for me. We left California because my father heard through his contact that Giovanni had located us.”
“And you came here.”
“We did. My father moved us across the country, somewhere quieter, somewhere he thought we’d be safe. It was supposed to be perfect; it only has a small Italian population. But he was wrong.”
I feel my jaw clench. “What happened?”
“He killed them,” she whispers. “It wasn’t an accident like everyone thinks. His son held me captive while Giovanni took my parents out on their boat.” Her fingers dig into her knees. “He drugged their drinks, he murdered them, then sank the boat. They ruled it a misadventure.”
My blood runs cold. “Jesus, Amelia. I’m so sorry.”
She nods, blinking back tears. “I managed to escape at the airport. Told them I needed the bathroom.” A ghost of a smile flits across her face. “I stole a baseball cap that someone left while they went to the toilet. Hid my hair underneath and slipped across the hallway to the men’s bathroom. When they went into the ladies’ I ran and hid.”
“Smart,” I murmur, impressed despite the horror of the situation.
“I’d already stolen cash from Giovanni’s wallet. So, I had to bide my time. I hid for hours and when they left the airport, I hopped on the next flight out of South Carolina.” She shrugs. “Ended up in New York. A city which is the opposite of here. I mean... Where better to hide than a city so highly populated, right?”
I stroke her arm, gentle movements to keep her calm. “You’re incredibly brave, you know that?”
“I’m not brave.” She turns to me, her eyes red and shimmering with unshed tears. “But I am tired of running. I’m tired of being afraid and alone.”
I squeeze Amelia’s shoulder, my heart aching for everything she’s been through. “Then stop running,” I say softly. “I’ve got you. I can protect you. You’ll never be alone again.”
She looks at me, her eyes wide and still full of fear. “Nobody can protect me from the mafia,” she whispers, shaking her head. “Or you.”
I lean in closer, my voice low and firm. “I have a man already looking for Vincenzo. Within days, he’ll be dead.”
Amelia’s breath catches. She stares at me, searching my face for any sign of deception. “What? How?”
“I have connections.” It’s an exaggeration of the truth, but she needs to hear it. Holding her gaze, I add, “Powerful ones. The moment you told me about your past, I started making calls.”
She blinks rapidly, processing this information. “But...why? Why would you do that for me? You’ll put yourself in danger.”
I turn and cup her cheeks in my hands, brushing away a stray tear with my thumb. “Why do you think, Amelia? I’ll do anything for you. Ask…and I’ll crawl for you. I’ll kneel for you.”
Amelia leans into my touch, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opens them again, a single tear trickles down her cheek, but there’s a flicker of hope in her gaze.
“What happens now?” she whispers.
“Now,” I say, standing up and offering her my hand, “we go home. Together. And we face whatever comes next as a couple.”
“A couple?”
I can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. The lengths I’m willing to go to for this woman. But as I look into Amelia’s eyes, I know it’s all worth it.
“A couple,” I confirm. “If that’s what you want. I know you doubt me every time I say you’re mine, but you are Amelia. And Giovanni Vincenzo will not get anywhere near what is mine.”
Amelia’s lips part in surprise, her eyes searching mine. “West, I...I don’t know what to say.”
I help her to her feet, keeping her hand in mine. “You don’t have to say anything,” I tell her. “Just come home with me. Let me keep you safe.”
She bites her lip, hesitating for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”
As we walk back along the beach, Amelia’s grip on my hand tightens. “I can’t believe you came here for me,” she whispers. “It’s not...it’s not a transaction anymore, is it?”
“A transaction?” I stop and turn to face her as the setting sun casts a warm glow on her face, highlighting the vulnerability in her eyes. “No, Amelia. I promise you, this is real. You’re real to me.”
She takes a shaky breath, her eyes glistening. “I’ve never had anyone put me first like this before.”
I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs gently stroking her cheeks. “Get used to it, princess. Because from now on, you’re my priority.”
“I am?”
“You told me once you needed a lifetime of being looked after, not a year.” I recite the words she told me when we agreed on the fake fiancée deal. The words I could never forget. “And Amelia, I’m honored to be the one who gives you that.”