Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
Marchello
Getting arrested came with the territory. There was a time when the Feds had a hard-on for my family, and for a few months, either my father, me, or Milo were being hauled in for some fabricated charges.
The cuffs were familiar, almost comforting in their predictability. But this time, they weren’t just a game between me and the law. This time, Lissia was watching, her eyes filled with a fear that made me want to break every rule I’d ever followed.
I learned from an early age to be polite, keep my mouth shut so nothing I said could be used against me, and always wait for my attorney. If I did those three things, I would be released without incident.
Lissia didn’t get the memo.
“Chello.” Milo met me in the lobby. “They didn’t haul you in?”
“No.” I hugged my brother, surprised to see him. “Lorenzo had no footage of the alleged incident, and they said Diego recanted his statement.”
“Why would he do that?” Milo asked.
“Because a few minutes before I got arrested, I struck a deal with the cartel Diego came with. I’m assuming they had something to do with getting the cops to back off. I’ll sort it out later.”
“You have a lot to fill me in on.” Milo patted my back. “But my news is more important.”
“I figured that since you flew down here.”
“This is going to be a job for both of us.” Milo glanced around the lobby. “I have reason to believe Collins is in Miami.”
“What?” I clenched my fist by my side. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“He’s crazy. He probably followed you and Lissia.”
“Angelo knew Lissia was coming to Miami. The night we eliminated him, he told her to have fun.” I shook my head. “Angelo said something bigger was coming. He couldn’t have meant Collins.”
“We need to take Collins out fast. As soon as we find him, we get him out of our lives for good, then we can worry about the bigger threat.”
Milo was right, but I had a feeling dealing with Collins wasn’t going to be as simple as he made it out to be.
“I’m sure there is a place we can dump him around here and the gators will do the rest,” Milo said. “I’ll set it up with Lorenzo.”
“Someone is helping Collins.” I ran my hand along my jaw. “He isn’t coming at us by himself. He’s crazy, but I don’t think he’s stupid. He knows he doesn’t have the resources to bring us down.”
“I’m having his bank records looked at. If there are deposits, we’ll figure out where they’re coming from now that Gian isn’t funding him.”
“Do you have an idea where he might be?” I asked.
“We’re working on it, but he took a commercial flight. It landed a few hours ago. Once I have his bank and credit card information, I’ll be able to pinpoint him.”
“I need to get to Lissia,” I said. “She’s probably freaking out over me getting arrested. I need to get her situated before we go on this kill mission.”
“Okay.” Milo scrolled through his phone.
“Okay?” I asked, suspecting he had more to say.
“It’s funny that you think you’re going to get her situated.” He didn’t look up from his phone, but I sensed his agitation. “We both know that’s not possible.”
“Don’t start.”
“Maybe you should lock her in the bedroom and have Dom stand guard outside the door.” He rubbed his temple. “Tying her up might not be a bad idea either.”
“Is there something wrong with you?”
“How did she react when they came for you tonight?”
“Not well.”
“What a shock,” he said.
“I’m going to check in on her and let her know I’m not in police custody. Get Lucas and Lorenzo and set up a meeting. We’re going to need Lorenzo’s backing on this. I want to be home by tomorrow night.”
“Anything else I can get you for Christmas?”
“Collins.”
“That’s the plan.”
I hurried out of the lobby and down the path that led to the villa. Now that I had a few minutes to process the evening, things were looking a little more bleak than I had anticipated. Collins was always a problem, but I didn’t expect him to fly to Miami. Once we found him, I would resolve that obstacle.
Then there was the hassle of my impulsive, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants wife to deal with. Milo was right. I should tie her to the bed and leave her there for a few hours, but that might only make things worse. She would see that punishment as a turn-on. I definitely didn’t have time for that tonight.
Approaching the porch of the villa, I gazed around the unlit property. Having no guards at the front door wasn’t unusual considering I was always inside with Lissia.
The warmth of the air ghosted my skin, but the ocean seemed eerily quiet tonight. Was it the clutter in my head that blocked out every other sound around me?
Shadows in the distance caught my eye, and I cautiously drew my gun. As I made my way to the side of the villa, familiar voices traveled closer to me.
Dom met my gaze.
I held up my hand and nodded, indicating everything was okay. He approached me with wariness.
“I’m fine,” I said. “It seemed too quiet, like something was off.”
“I just did a walk around the property.” He pointed to the front. “Lissia is inside getting ready for bed. The villa is clear.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s my job.”
“My wife has become more than your job,” I said. Dom had understood Lissia in a short time, knowing when to give in to her demands and when to pull her back. “I appreciate it.”
“She’s worried about you.”
“I know.” I took my keycard from my pocket. “Despite her efforts to clear me tonight, it all worked out.”
“She feels bad about that.” He shrugged. “She’s got a fast mouth.”
“I need her mind to be faster than her urges to speak up.” I motioned toward the back. “Make sure everyone is alert. Milo will be here to brief you all soon.”
Dom nodded and went back to his security detail.
I had made the right decision when I put him on Lissia. Though, I hadn’t expected him to take to her so quickly. I thought I had at least a few months of him laying down the law and being stern with her, but I should have known her incessant charm would win him over.
Even if he had developed a soft spot for her, I trusted him to keep her safe at all costs. If Milo and I couldn’t be with her, Dom was the next best thing.
I climbed the steps, holstered my gun, and swiped the keycard in the pad by the door. The lock beeped a second before turning red. Technology. I tried again, and this time, it lit up green, allowing me to turn the handle and enter the shadowy hallway.
In the faint lighting, movement flickered in front of me. A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the villa as Lissia lunged toward me with a large object.
“Whoa!” I ducked as she launched it in my direction.
The object hit the wall and cracked into several pieces.
“Marchello?”
I flipped on the lights to find her standing in front of me in a white tank top and a tiny pair of pink panties. How I wished this night had gone in another direction.
“You’re back.” She leapt into my arms and held me tight. “You’re not in jail.”
“It never got that far.” I carried her to the bedroom. “Is there a reason you’re throwing vases at my head?”
“Oh.” She pointed toward the hallway. “I guess Lorenzo needs to add that to our tab.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” I set her on the bed. “Why are you lurking around in the dark, ready to attack?”
“I heard someone trying to get in,” she said. “Dom was out back, and I didn’t think you would be here already.”
“So you armed yourself with a vase?” It wasn’t a bad move. “Next time, make sure you disarm your attacker. If you don’t, they will use that to their advantage. You might only get one shot to protect yourself, so use it wisely.”
“Let’s hope there isn’t a next time.”
“We have to be prepared for anything.”
“What happened with the police? Why did they let you go?” She patted the spot next to her.
“Diego changed his mind.”
“Why would he do that?”
“It doesn’t matter.” I sat beside her. “We have to talk.”
“About what happened in the restaurant?” She pulled her legs into her chest and hugged them. “I screwed up.”
“It was a pretty big screw up.”
“Are you mad?”
“Furious.” I caressed her hair, trying to keep myself in check. “You could have caused a lot of unnecessary chaos for me tonight.”
“But I didn’t.”
“That’s not the point.” Why didn’t she get the severity of the situation? “Do you see why I don’t need your help? Your impulses take over and you don’t see logic.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I thought if the cops knew Diego provoked you, then…”
“Do you see how stupid that sounds?” I got off the bed and ran my hand through my hair.
I was doing my best not to explode, but maybe that was what she needed. I had to get her to understand.
“If you told them Diego provoked me into assaulting him, they would know that I did assault him. You were incriminating me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Your apologies would not have kept me out of jail.” I pointed at her. “You’re a fucking disaster when it comes to my business. Everyone around me sees it. Everyone but me.”
“Marchello, I didn’t mean to cause a problem.” She released her legs and went to get off the bed.
I held up my hand. “Don’t move! Don’t do anything but listen.”
She let out a frustrated breath, but then pressed her lips together and braced herself for my truth.
“There is a reason we don’t talk to the police,” I said. “Have you ever heard the part about anything you say can be used against you?”
She nodded.
“If I give them nothing, they have nothing. If Diego didn’t drop the charges, they would have inconvenienced me by hauling me downtown, but nothing would have come of it because they had nothing.” I stalked toward her. “They would have had something if you decided to confess in front of a room full of diners.”
“I get it.”
“What do you get?” I grabbed her face and made her look into my eyes. “Enlighten me.”
“You don’t have to be so harsh.”
“Don’t I?” I let go of her and dropped to my knees in front of her. “Have you forgotten who I am?”
“You don’t have to be that person with me.” Her eyes welled with tears.“You don’t.”
“I have explained the dire consequences of your actions to you every way possible, but nothing I say seems to get through to you.” I placed my hands on her thighs. “You and I will not survive.”
“I trust that you’ll keep us alive.”
“I’m not talking about death, although what I am saying would be a death sentence for me.”
“If you’re not talking about us getting killed, what do you mean?”
“I will cut you loose.” Just admitting that churned my stomach, and if I hadn’t already been on my knees, the sheer force of that statement would have brought me there.
“What?” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “No, you don’t… You can’t mean that.”
“It’s the only way you’re ever truly going to understand.” I wiped the hot tears from her face, my heart tearing. “It’s the only way I can protect both of us. I have to defend my family’s legacy.”
“I can’t accept that fate.” She slipped off the bed and joined me on the floor. “I won’t.”
“Then learn the goddamn rules,” I said firmly.
She gasped when I gripped her upper arm.
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” I said. “I need you more than I need air, but I cannot let you be the reason my empire falls.”
“You’ll resent me for the rest of our lives.”
“I don’t want that.” I pressed my hand to the side of her face. “Neither of us do.”
“I can’t live without you.”
“I don’t want to live without you.” I brushed my lips along hers, tasting the salty tears. “But I need to know that when things start spiraling, you’ll save me like I would save you.”
“I will.” She stroked my cheek with her gentle touch. “That’s instinctual.”
“Protecting me doesn’t mean blurting out to a cop that you’re the reason I assaulted someone.” I took her face between my hands. “That also goes for Milo and my father. You can’t ever give us up or go against us, even if you think you’re helping.”
I kissed the corner of her mouth. She inched closer to me and draped her arms around my neck, opening her mouth, giving my tongue access. The more we kissed, the closer she got to me, not just physically. I could feel her on an emotional level, taking as much as I gave with each breath.
I leaned against the bed and spread my legs, pulling her between them. As much as I wanted to take her now, there wasn’t time. I had a job to do.
I grabbed her wrists when she reached for my tie. “No. Not now.”
“You’re punishing me?” Her eyes reflected hurt when she gazed into mine. “I won’t screw up anymore.”
“I’m not punishing you.” I turned her around and pulled her to me so her back rested against my chest. My erection poked against her waist, giving my desire away. “Milo is going to call me any minute, and when he does, I have to go.”
“Milo called earlier,” she said. “He’s in Miami.”
“I saw him.” I crossed my arms over her chest, keeping her close. “There’s been a new development.”
“I figured.” She rested her hands on my thighs and looked up at me. “I asked him why he was here, but he got mad at me.”
“You’re not having a good night.”
“Dom and Lorenzo told me how they felt too.”
“I didn’t put any of them up to it.” I kissed her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. “You’re lucky my father isn’t here.”
“Everyone seems to get it but me.” She curled into my hold. “But none of them love you the way I do.”
“I hurt you.” I rested my chin on her head. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“To some degree it was.” She twisted in my arms and cradled herself in my lap. “You want me to get it.”
“More than anything else, because that’s the only way we’ll make it.” That was a harsh reality, but it was the truth. If we didn’t get on the same page soon, there would be nothing but misery in our future. “I want us to live a long and happy life together. Please make an effort to help me succeed.”
“Don’t give up on us.”
“I would never do that.” I gently kissed her, hoping she heard me when I said I would let her go before I ever let us be torn apart by my world. “There is something you need to know.”
“Is this about why Milo is here?”
“Yes.” I clasped her hand in mine. “The arms dealer is in Miami.”
“I know,” she whispered.
The muscles in my jaw twitched as I tried with everything in me to hold back my wrath. Rage bubbled from somewhere deep inside me, but losing control now wouldn’t be beneficial to anyone, especially not her.
“How the hell do you know?”