2. Tommy
2
Tommy
I’ve felt rage before. Hell, it’s what fuels me to keep going as each day passes. I’ve used my emotions as a weapon, dulling them down to leave nothing but emptiness when it comes to feeling anything else.
Rage keeps me alive in this life. My tasks get finished, and it’s worth the praise I get from this family. I’m able to serve them, functioning like a weapon at their disposal.
However, despite my anger, I’ve learned how to keep myself in check. I don’t have time to be angry all the time.
Something about seeing this woman, the one I let slip through my fingers, makes thinking impossible. If I can’t think, I can’t control myself.
If I kill her because I can’t think, then this family will be unforgiving. Her wrongdoings aside, she’s still directly related to the Bertelli family. The only daughter amongst the offspring of Leon and Bia.
Killing her isn’t on the table. Not until I get the clearance I need. So, what to do with her? If she continues to dig at my hand, my fingers are going to be bloodied and raw from her nails. They’re sharp, but she’s not using them in ways she should.
Dragging her around is an option. I could tire her out until she has no choice but to give in. If she’s got the fighting spirit of her siblings, I know I’ve got my hands full until I make a decision. I need to do something.
Touching her plenty, I’ve listened to her labored breathing and her grunts. My body might’ve forgiven her, my cock in particular. It’s why my slacks feel so fucking tight. My damn eyes had betrayed me as well, drinking her in during our little struggle outside. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
Maybe I’d inhaled too much disinfectant, and my mind was hazy. It’s not usual for the ghosts of my past to haunt me. Except it wasn’t some teenage brat staring back at me. Instead, it was a full-grown woman. A sight for sore eyes.
Then she tried to run, and it was like getting hit with deja vu.
Valeria’s grown thicker and softer in places I’ve touched. Unfortunately, I haven’t mapped her out entirely. Didn’t stop me from touching her earlier, but not by choice. She’s a fighter, born to be one.
I could search her body for any other weapons. The knife pissed me off, but I’ll be damned if she has a gun and chose not to use it. She might have the blood in her, but she’s not smart when it comes to dire situations. It’s an insult to her family name.
“Tommy.” She uses my name against me, pleading once more. “ Tommy .”
Not even the lure of her voice is going to make the cracks show. I’ve worked on myself over the years. I’m not the man she used to torture for her amusement.
I’ve become something else entirely. Whatever Santino needed me to become. It’s why the options in my head are clashing, unable to come to a decision.
I can’t tell if I want to drag her to my room and tie her up to my bed so she can’t leave, or drag her down below and strap her up to one of my favorite chairs and torture all the answers I need to know.
Where the hell has she been all this time?
During my intense search for her over the first couple of years, how did she stay hidden from me?
Why is she back?
If I ask her any of my questions now, she’ll lie to my face while pursing those plump lips and batting those long eyelashes at me.
Fuck. I need to tie her to something so she can’t escape again. If I don’t have to worry about her leaving, I can calm myself down so I can think clearly. Right now, on the path I’m headed down, I’m not sure what I’ll do if I get both my hands on her.
The answer is obvious. I’d wrap my fingers around her dainty throat. Wouldn’t put them anywhere else. Every inch of her body is dangerous, if not lethal.
Fuck.
“Tommy!” In the distance, I hear a familiar voice. One that helps clear the fog a bit.
The man I swore my life to has got his eyes set on us, his face serious. Santino must’ve seen us outside and the scene that played out.
As much as my body screams to disobey and take her somewhere to release whatever this is knotting up in my chest, my feet suddenly gain enough weight to keep me grounded.
“Let her go,” he orders once he’s caught up to us.
She flinches beneath my grip, and I feel the way her body stiffens. The fear in her voice revealed it earlier, and her reaction now is no different. She didn’t come back to her family. Rather, she hoped to sneak in without being noticed.
I want to know why .
“Valeria.” He takes her in slowly and shakes his head. He doesn’t immediately ask me to take her somewhere she can’t escape. No, he’s got this look in his eyes that makes my rage flicker up. The look of longing, the one a sibling would give after not seeing each other for a while.
Gritting my teeth, I don’t speak a word. I’d rather bite my tongue off than speak back to this man. My opinion doesn’t mean a damn thing compared to his.
Pulling away, I watch the way her hand immediately moves to cup her arm, soothing the marks I’ve stained with the pressure of my fingers. If I have to guess, the little red ovals will bruise over the next few days.
I don’t feel better. Not in the slightest. Even worse, when I put distance between us, actually.
“Let’s go to my office. We can speak there.” He sighs through his nose and shakes his head as he grumbles. “Made me leave my family picnic for this.”
She looks at him curiously, her brows bunching together. “A picnic ?”
Valeria’s been gone, so she’s missed the last few years of peace. After clearing the air with one of Santino’s rivals, he’s been able to settle down with his wife and even have a kid.
“Yes, a picnic.” He motions us to follow.
Hovering in her shadow, I notice the way she looks back cautiously at me before trudging forward. If she considers trying to run, then I’ll catch her all over again and drag her right back.
Santino doesn’t ask me to leave once we’ve reached our destination. I’m practically his brother with the way I’ve climbed up to be right at his side. Ever since his brother Lazaro left his side, I’ve claimed it for my very own. Despite not being blood, he still treats me the very same, putting his trust in me.
It’s a position I’ve bled for and sacrificed my body for over the years.
She doesn’t take a seat, like she’s afraid to be trapped against the cushions.
Santino doesn’t address where he wants her to be; instead, he circles his desk so he can take a seat. Once comfortable, he fixes her with such a heavy gaze that she squirms.
“Are you going to tell me what has made you come back?” Santino leans back in his chair, his arms crossing over his chest. “We thought you were dead. Our mother was the only one who refused to believe it, so you’ve got some fucking explaining to do.”
Now that the longing phase is over, he’s radiating more with betrayal. Good.
Valeria frowns and jerks her chin as she settles against the seat across from his desk, now realizing there’s no escaping this conversation. Despite the age gap between the two, she hardly shows him the respect he deserves.
Even if Santino has calmed down over the years, he’s still the man he needs to be at times. While he’d never get his hands dirty, he’d turn to me, and I’d be happy to do him justice.
I don’t wait for him to ask me to get the answers from her. Instead, I drift behind her. Like her body senses my presence before she does, goosebumps prickle up along her skin.
Clapping my hands down on her shoulders, she jumps. Using this as an intimidation tactic, I tell myself whatever excuses I need to hear to justify my actions. The truth is… I can’t stop touching her. If I touch her, I know she’s here, she’s real .
Giving them both a squeeze, I feel the shiver that rolls up her spine.
“Valeria,” he snaps, his patience already worn thin. He really gets upset whenever anyone interrupts his family time. “You’re wasting both of our time by holding back. You’d be better off not keeping any secrets so we can all move on accordingly.” His brows narrow when she keeps up the act of silence. “Are you in danger? Is that it?”
My brows furrow at his question, and I notice the way her body stiffens up more than anything I could bring out of her. Her throat bobs with her next swallow. He’s hit it right on the spot, hasn’t he?
Someone had scared her, so she ran home in hopes the family she had abandoned would come in and save her. Despite running away from a family that loved her, she ran into another danger.
“I had a lapse of judgment,” she explains slowly, jerking against my hold before settling once she realizes I’m not moving. “I need to pay back a debt before I can return to my life. My peaceful life.”
Can’t be too peaceful if she reduced herself to doing this.
“Let me guess, you borrowed some money to buy that cute two-bedroom home surrounded by a white picket fence?” He tilts his head, “am I close?”
She jerks and scowls. “You got it spot on. Wonderful to see you’re still as bright as ever.”
For only a sliver of a second, I believe her. I can picture her wanting to settle down, to live a normal life. A nice, quiet home is only a piece of that. She’s ringless, unless she’s already sold her valuables. Can’t imagine a man being able to keep up with her. Does she want a husband in this fantasy of hers? What about kids and a dog, too?
“Don’t be smart,” I order from above and squint when she tilts her head up to look at me. I look at those pools of darkness her eyes are made up of, and refuse to be the one to break contact first. “What did you do?”
At the accusation in my tone, she’s easily insulted and looks at her brother once more. “I gambled a little. Got good at it until I got cocky. By then, I didn’t notice how bad it was until–”
Like she’s catching herself spilling a secret, her jaw snaps shut, and silence fills the air as her body tenses beneath my touch.
Finally, “That’s all there is to it.”
I’m not satisfied with her answer, but it’s a start. While Santino pulls out more information, which casino she spent her time at, his brows pinch together.
“That’s Marino territory. He’s the one who manages that revenue.” Murmuring the information, he sighs and settles back. “Might be one of his men under his payroll.”
His frown is instant, and I already know why. His wife’s brother, a man he detests, has married ties to that family. It’s thanks to all these ties that the peace has lasted for so long. Valeria doesn’t have any idea what she’s stirring up by bringing trouble from one territory to another.
“I need a name. Something to go off. Or do you plan on keeping that to yourself, too?”
“I can get the name,” I promise him as one of my thumbs traces the vein along the back of her neck. Her skin is warm and soft, a constant tease. “Quickly, too.”
He snorts. “He is really good at getting information, Val. Unless you want to deal with him, then just make this easier for both of us.”
“Elijah Sutton.” She doesn’t hesitate, but I notice the way her fingers dig into her thighs. “If he finds out I’m here, he’ll send someone, Santino. If I take too long, and I hit his deadline, money won’t be enough.” Her voice waivers. “It won’t be enough.”
He’ll want her dead, I assume. Makes sense. We don’t deal with those who catch up on their debts, either. Why risk letting her do the same thing? Might as well take her out of the equation.
If she’s afraid of dying, then she shouldn’t have mixed with the guy to begin with. But to think a threat can make her voice catch and leave her trembling, it can’t help but make me shake my head.
She might still have the last name for all I know, but she’s not like the rest of us. She’s gone soft, spooked far too easily. There are worse things in this world than the thought of dying.
“I’ll look into this. In the meantime–” Santino’s eyes flick up toward me, and I can already see the words forming on his tongue. “–why don’t you two catch up? Looks like you’ve got your old job back, Tommy. Keep her here, and please, try not to kill her.”
My old job. I haven’t had to protect someone in a long while. With Valeria, I wasn’t just her bodyguard. I was her babysitter. Had to follow her around to make sure she stayed out of trouble.
The woman she is now, I can see that she dances with danger. She’ll test my patience, I’m sure of it.
Try not to kill her . So, as long as she’s breathing, is everything else on the table?
“You can’t keep me here,” she argues, “just do your thing. Lend me money and add interest. Whatever it takes to get my name off that psychopath’s list.”
Santino snorts as he moves to stand. “I’m not blind or stupid, Val. I know a poor investment when I see one. Take all the offense you’d like, but I’m not trying to be charitable here.”
While she sputters at his insult, I snort.
Good to see Santino is thinking clearly. He’s never been the handout kind of guy to begin with. If she thinks she’ll be able to slip out of our lives once more with ease, then she’s got another thing coming.
Rounding the desk, he ignores the glare she sends in his direction.”While you’re at it, why not catch up with Urzo when he gets back with his wife? Oh, and you’ve got a niece, too. With all the time you’ve got here, don’t worry about rushing to catch up on the years. Take your sweet time.” Sending us away with words, he leaves, under the assumption of returning to his picnic.
Valeria doesn’t take his words too well. She growls her frustrations and yanks out of my grip. Moving to stand, she stares at me like I’m a brick wall in her path.
Now that I’ve got an order, I don’t stop her when she moves past me. Instead, I turn onto my heel and mold into her shadow, stalking right behind her to make sure she stays out of trouble.