Chapter 28
Chapter twenty-eight
Eli
Four pairs of eyes stare back at us.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Anger. Fury. Vengeance.
It’s all right there on their faces.
“I know.” Madeleine twists her hands together and clears her throat.
“I know you’re probably very disappointed in me for seeking help from an outside source, but please know that I was desperate, and it was the only way I could think of to save Eli.
I didn’t know what else to do. I panicked, and I just hope—”
Vin’s chair slams against the wall as he stands, his eyes locked on Madeleine as he strides around it, heading straight for her.
I step between them, placing her behind me. “I will not let you hurt her,” I bite out. “She did what she thought was right. It’s because of her that I’m even standing here right now.”
Vin gives me a disbelieving look and inches closer to me. “Let. Me. See. My. Sister.”
Hesitantly, I step aside, keeping one hand over the gun tucked in the back of my pants.
Vin approaches Madeleine, staring down at her, making her appear even smaller than usual.
“I’m so sorry, Vin.” She sniffles, struggling to hold back tears. “I didn’t mean to get the family involved in all of this. I just wanted to save Eli.” She pauses before continuing, “I know I’ve let you down, but please don’t look at me like that. I can’t bear disappointing—”
Vin’s bulky arms wrap around her, cutting off her words as he pulls her against his chest.
“Dammit, Madeleine,” he says firmly. “Why didn’t you come to me? I’m your big brother. I’m supposed to take care of shit like this. I’m supposed to take care of you, and I failed you.”
She softens in his hold, her armor breaking as tears slide down her cheeks. Throwing her arms around him, she says, “I couldn’t tell you. Not any of you. I wanted to. So many times, I came close to it, but I couldn’t risk it. I’m so sorry.”
“Shh.” He rubs his hand in soft circles against her back. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You took care of one of our own, and you did it knowing what that would mean for you. You’re so fucking selfless. I just, I wish I had figured out what was going on sooner.”
Leo, Mauro, and Alex approach her as Vin releases her.
“We’re family,” Leo says. “There is nothing we wouldn’t do for you.”
Mauro’s hand lands on her shoulder, and her eyes look up to meet his. “Fam… Family,” he manages to say in a gravelly whisper.
“You’re the glue that holds us together,” Alex tells her with a slight smile. “Besides, we’re the Alaries. We’ll take care of this in the same manner we always take care of things.”
Madeleine glances between all of them. “With guns, blood, and violence?”
“But, of course,” Vin answers, flashing a wide, white-toothed grin. “Would you expect anything less?”
She shakes her head, a small smile briefly appearing before just as quickly fading away. “What are we going to do?”
“Well.” He rubs his palm over his cheek, scratching at his facial hair, appearing deep in thought before turning to Alex. “If I get you Alastor’s phone, how long will it take you to decode the calls and find what we need?”
Alex shrugs. “If I preprogram my system with the correct code words to flag, I can have the information ready in a matter of minutes.”
“Good,” Vin replies as he rolls up his shirt sleeves.
“What are you thinking?” My hand reaches for Madeleine’s. Our fingers interlock, and all four brothers notice, their eyes fixated on our connected hands until Vin speaks.
“We act as if this wedding is still happening,” he affirms.
“And why would we do that?” I ask, not liking this idea one bit.
“Because tonight, at the rehearsal dinner, we’ll take Alastor’s phone, and then Alex will do what he does best. I want physical proof that the Vasiliev brothers are involved with this.
And once we have it, I’ll call a meeting with them and the Manacordas.
Tonight, after the dinner.” He sighs, rubbing his temple.
“We may be a powerful family, but the Vasilievs are just as powerful. We can’t afford to make any mistakes, and we need hard evidence to back up our claims before taking action.
Because when we do, this will, no doubt, start a war between our families. We need to approach them tactfully.”
“And how do you expect to get your hands on Alastor’s phone?” Madeleine asks. “He keeps it securely on himself at all times, never letting it out of his sight.”
“I have my ways,” Vin answers.
“I don’t like this idea,” I tell him. “No offense, but it feels like we’ll be outnumbered by too many of our enemies with no escape route and no backup if we need it.”
“Oh, we’ll have backup,” he affirms with a firm grip on my shoulder. “Just trust me. My plan will work. And after tonight, this whole nightmare will be over.” He motions between me and Madeleine. “Then, you two lovebirds will be free to do whatever the hell you want.”
Madeleine looks up at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Like we haven’t been doing that already.”
Vin quickly covers his ears. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.
” He walks around his desk and takes a seat, leaning back in his chair.
He steeples his fingers before him, his eyes darkening.
“It’s time to remind everyone who the Alaries are and what happens when you mess with one of our own. ”
I reach for Madeleine’s hand, intertwining our fingers as I bring her hand up to my mouth, brushing my lips over her knuckles. “I won’t let you be anywhere alone with Alastor tonight. Someone will always be with you, understand?”
She looks up at me, smiling. “Yes, hu—”
“Where have you two been?” Vin’s deep voice cuts off her words as he appears by her side, fastening the buttons on his jacket sleeve.
I offer a casual shrug. “We had something we needed to take care of.” Madeleine looks up at me under her dark lashes, her eyes bright, her face glowing. “Something that couldn’t wait,” I add.
“If that’s code for a quickie, I don’t want to know about it.”
Madeleine pats Vin on the chest. “Don’t worry, dear brother. There’s nothing quick about the way we do it.”
He grimaces before dragging a hand down his face. “Alex!”
Alex strolls up casually. “Are we ready?” We all nod, and he gestures for us to follow him inside.
Madeleine steps after him, glancing over her shoulder at me. Her long, dark hair caresses her bare shoulders. The strapless black velvet dress hugs her figure, accentuating every part of her body that I just ran my lips over merely hours ago.
Vin and I follow closely as we walk through a sea of people.
We enter the main room of the venue, where the rehearsal dinner is being held, bypassing the gold curtains when Alex mentions, “By the way, the family just arrived.”
“The family?” Madeleine regards Vin with wide eyes. “You don’t mean our—”
“Cousins.” A gravelly voice comes from behind me, and I quickly turn to find five intimidating figures standing before us: Marco, Caine, Romeo, Cassio, and Marcello Marchetti. They’re cousins of the Alaries and currently reside in Italy when they’re not in the States for business.
“Family.” Vin takes a step forward, straightening his jacket. “We’re honored you could be here.”
Madeleine glances at Vin, arching a brow.
“They know the wedding is off, but they’re not here to witness your vows; they’re here as our backup, should we need it.” Vin clasps my shoulder. “I told you to trust me.”
“Anything for family,” Marco declares coolly, running his fingers through his dark hair. “Especially when someone tries to hurt one of our own.”
Alex takes a step toward Caine, eyeing his tactical gear. “You look ready for battle. Not a wedding.”
“From what I’ve been told, I dressed appropriately,” Caine responds with a shrug. He turns to Vin and adds, “I heard you got everyone tanks for Christmas.” A sly grin pulls at his lips. “They must have loved that.”
Vin rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “Some more than others.”
Leo walks up to Madeleine’s side and leans down to place a kiss on her cheek.
“Scarlett and I thought it would be best for her to stay home today. Being in close proximity to the Vasiliev brothers might trigger old memories for her, given her knowledge of who their father was. Alina is keeping her company.”
“Of course,” Madeleine responds. She looks around the room. “Where’s Mauro?”
Alex adjusts his glasses. “Don’t know. He was here a few minutes ago. Maybe he went to get some air. You know Mauro has a hard time in crowds.”
Madeleine frowns. “With everything going on, I didn’t even think of that. He should go home if he wants. It’s not like this is real, anyway.”
“He wanted to be here for you,” Vin states. “Besides, we’ll need the numbers.”
“Oh, boys, there you are.” Mrs. Alarie appears, stepping around Vin and opening her arms to the Marchetti men, embracing each one in a hug.
Vin had informed her earlier about the unfolding situation, and to say that she was upset with Alastor would be an understatement.
Despite Vin’s objections, she insisted on being here at least for the start of the evening to present a united front for the Alarie family.
Reluctantly, he agreed. “We’re always so happy to see you. ”
“Some more than others,” Leo mutters under his breath. She gently smacks his shoulder and narrows her eyes at him.
“And how is my dear brother doing?” she asks.
“Enjoying retirement,” Romeo responds with a grin.
“Mrs. Alarie.” A woman in a chef’s coat appears. “Sorry to interrupt, but we need you in the kitchen. It seems there was a mix-up with the proteins; there’s too much fish and not enough steak.”
Mrs. Alarie sighs. “Of course.” She glances around at everyone before adding, “Well, if you’ll excuse me.”