Chapter 28 #2
"Parker is what’s fucking wrong," he ground out.
What?
"Care to elaborate?" Joaquin cleared his throat. "Do we need to make a break for it instead? Head to the nearest airport?"
My stomach dropped. I didn't want to leave the life I was building for myself. What about the club? About Books?
We were almost in the clear and would be soon with Parker’s help.
In the next breath, I realized that if we were all going together, that would be enough.
Shit. The boys were the only consistent thing I'd ever wanted for myself. If we were together, I would start over a hundred times. Nothing was irreplaceable, except them. And they wouldn't flee without a damn good reason.
"With the Pesci brothers out of commission, and Gio on everyone's fucking shit list, there has to be a new head of the mafia or we have to kill every single one of those asswipes so they don't retaliate." He dropped his head so his chin hit his chest.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Kim's nose scrunched up.
Dropping his head back against the headrest, Lake said, "Sure. I'd be fine with mass extermination of those fucking rats. But Parker wants me to be the next leader."
All the boys exploded with curses and questions. Even Atlas, who usually didn't care about any of this stuff.
"But," I started, and they quieted. "We killed Danny. We've killed several of their guys. They can't actually want you to lead them." If anything, this sounded like a good way for Lake to get stabbed in the back when no one was looking.
Breathing became hard, and what I pulled in burned my lungs.
"Breathe, Beasty." Atlas cupped my nape as Kim worried his lip while rubbing my back. "In and out."
"I said fuck no."
As soon as the words left Lake’s mouth, my panic attack magically stopped, leaving only lingering remnants behind.
"He said I should think about it," Lake griped.
"What did the men have to say?" Joaquin flicked a worried glance at me in the rearview mirror.
Lake laughed humorlessly, swiping a hand over the top of his head.
"They were all for it. They reminded me of fucking predators in the forest. They don't want to die, and they apparently don't have any attachments to the brothers.
They just want to be led by the strongest of them all.
All it took was one glance between me, Parker, and Grey, and they decided that I was the better option. "
Joaquin pulled up to Linda's. The bar was on the edge of town with only two cars in the parking lot, one of which was Linda’s old Camaro.
The lights were off in the studio over it.
My chest twinged. I had good memories there.
Maybe not happy ones, but good ones, where I had provided for myself, and that felt good.
"Linda's inside. Come in. I'll introduce you to her."
"Like we're going to let you go anywhere by yourself." Atlas turned my head from his hold on my neck and kissed me. "Let's go meet the woman who taught you how to drive."
He remembered that. It must have been all the excitement of the day, because my eyes threatened to tear up.
Atlas got out of the car and stretched his arms over his head, his shirt riding up to show a slip of luscious skin. I traced my fingers over it as I moved past him.
Standing in front of the bar I'd once called home felt different with the boys at my back. They didn't crowd me, simply letting me take it in.
This place didn't feel like home anymore, if it ever did. Especially not now that I knew what that word meant.
It was a feeling. No, people. The ones who accepted you unconditionally, who you couldn’t live without. And I would never have that level of acceptance anywhere but with my boys.
The only feeling this bar gave me was a bit of nostalgia. Yet, I still wanted to go inside, see the place through new eyes. Maybe even thank the lady who had saved me by giving me a chance.
I pushed the door open as the scent of stale smoke and beer wafted over me. It wasn't a great smell, but it was Linda’s.
"Linda!" I called, weaving through tables to get to the bar.
"Cressida?" Her voice was hoarse like she'd smoked all night long for the last thirty years.
I grinned. "Yeah! Where are you?"
It sounded like she called from the office, but I waited until she answered.
"Office!"
"I'll grab her." I looked at the clock. It was almost lunch time. "Have a seat, and we'll have lunch here. It's nothing fancy but she offers sandwiches and chips. Be right back."
They leaned against the bar, only half-listening to me as they took in the place. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a typical dive bar.
I glanced back, before I disappeared down the hallway and this time, they were all staring after me. All it would take was one distressed noise and they'd break walls to reach me.
Knowing I mattered so much to them healed some of my childhood scars.
"Sorry to come by on such short notice." I shoved the office door open and stuttered to a stop.
Linda was tied to her chair with Adrian behind her, holding a gun to her head.
No.
She shook her head, squeaking around the gag. Red marks chafed her arms from the rope biting into her skin, and black streaks ran down her face from crying.
Adrian gave me a two-finger salute with his free hand.
Linda started thrashing against the restraints, still trying to talk, but I couldn’t understand her.
What the hell was I doing? I needed to help her!
I jolted forward, but I was so caught off guard, I hadn’t noticed Gio until he pressed his gun to my head.
"Don't make a sound or she dies. I'll wait for the boys to get here before I kill you." Gio's words were barely a whisper.
I nodded. Of course, I nodded. I would not have Linda's death on my conscience. The Pescis and all those other assholes were a different story, but not someone who had helped me.
"We're going to leave, and if you're good, we'll leave Linda alive. The boys will let her go, all right?" He gripped my arm, squeezing until the pain was bone-deep.
"O-okay." I raised my hands so they knew I was no threat to them.
Gio took the gun from the holster Atlas had strapped on my waist, then walked me to the side door that led to the outside.
Linda was claustrophobic. Everywhere in the bar had two ways in and out. The door to the outside was open, so the boys wouldn't hear it when we left.
I closed my eyes.
As they strapped me in the back of their car, the other vehicle in the parking lot, I watched the doors. Hoping they came running while praying they didn’t. Gio was ready for them with that monster of a rifle he had.
We drove away, and the boys had no idea.
This was going to kill them.