Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
LEO
T he safe-house was too quiet now, empty without Meredith's presence. I spread the files across the dining table, each one a potential suspect in our current nightmare. Someone was trying to squeeze money out of us, claiming they had evidence about Anthony Cassaro's death.
My first kill outside the family business. My sloppiest.
I took a drink of whiskey, remembering that night with crystal clarity. The rage that had consumed me when I saw Meredith on that kitchen floor, blood on her face, that bastard standing over her. Gray and I had lost control, letting our fists do what years of her suffering had demanded.
But moving the body, dealing with it, that had been messy. We were young, running on adrenaline and fury. Still, my father had helped clean it up, and that night, Gray had been welcomed into our world. No longer just my best friend, but a true member of the Donati family. All because Anthony Cassaro had been stupid enough to try skimming money from my father's accounts while managing our financials.
The irony wasn't lost on me that Meredith had pursued the same career path. Some twisted attempt to make her father proud, even in death. A father who'd never deserved her devotion.
My hand tightened around the glass as memories surfaced – fourteen-year-old Meredith showing her father straight A's, only to have him grunt and turn away. Her perfect piano recital that he'd missed because he was drunk at home. She'd given up playing after that. The way she'd still try to make him breakfast every Sunday, even after he'd thrown the plate at the wall the week before.
She'd been such a good child, so desperate for his approval. And that bastard had never seen what was right in front of him.
That night had changed everything. Gray and I were supposed to be at some party he'd convinced me to attend – one of those college things I usually avoided. But Gray had forgotten his wallet, so we'd doubled back to his house.
The sounds we'd heard from the kitchen still haunted me. The crack of flesh meeting flesh, Meredith's muffled cries.
It had explained so much – the long sleeves in summer heat, the way she'd flinch at sudden movements. Even Gray hadn't known. His own sister, suffering in silence whenever he wasn't home, too loyal to that monster to tell anyone what he did to her.
We'd rushed in, finding Anthony standing over her, his fists bloody. Something in me had snapped at the sight of her curled into herself, trying to protect her vital organs like she'd done this before. Like it was routine.
The beating we gave him was brutal, methodical. Each punch, each kick, fueled by years of watching her try to please a man who only saw her as a reminder of his dead wife. It wasn't until my vision cleared of its red haze that I noticed Meredith still there, huddled in the corner, watching us with wide eyes. I'd pulled back, grabbing Gray's raised arm by the wrist. He was going to beat Anthony until he was nothing but a bloody mess on the floor. But I couldn't have him land the final blows in front of Meredith, not as she watched on like this.
"Meredith," I'd hissed, and Gray had snapped back to reality, realizing his sister was right there, watching us enact justice on her behalf.
"Go to your room," Gray had commanded, his voice shaking. "We'll handle this."
Meredith had dragged herself to her feet, and I'd hesitated, knowing she was hurt, but also knowing we needed to deal with Anthony. If she was moving the way she was, she wasn't severely hurt.
Then again, adrenaline could make people do wonders.
We'd dragged Anthony to the garage, his body leaving a trail of blood we'd have to clean later. I stayed with him, making sure he didn't die too quickly while Gray checked on Meredith.
That was the night I'd first killed for Meredith Cassaro.
I'd finished the job, and watched Anthony draw his last breath on that garage floor, his eyes fixed on mine as life drained from them. I'd felt nothing but satisfaction, wanting him to know exactly who was ending his miserable existence.
When Gray returned, his face was pulled tight. "She's bruised but okay," he'd said, staring down at his bloody hands. "Told her to shower and sleep, that we'd handle everything." He'd looked at his father's broken form. "We need to clean this up."
When he'd realized his father was dead, panic set in immediately.
"Fuck, Leo. He's dead. What do we?—"
"I'll handle it, Gray," I cut him off, already knowing my father would help me deal with this. "Make it look like a car accident or something. I know people who can help clean this up."
Gray had nodded, trusting me fully. That night, our brotherly bond was sealed. We'd killed together.
Many times, he'd felt guilt since that night, even after I'd told him I'd dealt the final blows while he'd checked on his sister.
I'd told him to go begin cleaning up the blood, informing him what to use to hide all the evidence. I'd made sure my father sent a team to deal with it properly anyway. Anthony had cameras all over the house ever since he'd started skimming from my father.
While Gray had gone inside to start cleaning, I'd made the call to my father. Canzio Donati was not a man easily surprised, but learning his son had killed outside the family business had shocked him.
Until I'd explained what we'd found.
"The bastard was beating her?" My father's voice had gone cold. "His own daughter?"
"Yes, sir."
A long pause followed. "The Cassaro boy – he's a good kid?"
"The best," I'd confirmed, watching Gray through the kitchen window as he'd scrubbed blood from the floor. "We were friends before this whole skimming incident. He's loyal to those he deems family. Including me."
"Bring him in, if he's on board," my father had said. "The family could use someone like him. And the girl?"
"Meredith stays in the dark," I'd said firmly. "She doesn't need to know any of this." Meredith was not fit for this world. I wasn't sure if Grayson was, but he'd proved himself valuable despite not wanting to bloody his hands again since that night.
My father had understood my desire to protect Meredith, also not someone to involve women in the family affairs if it could be helped. "We'll watch over them both from afar. They're orphans now, after all. And even though their father was a thief and a piece of shit, his kids have never done us wrong. You seem fond of them as well, seeing how much time you spend with them. I know it's not all because I told you to keep an eye on Anthony."
"Thank you, they are… family, in a way," I'd admitted, and my father had made a sound of understanding. He trusted my instincts, especially since he'd been training me for so long to one day take his place in the family.
What Gray never knew was that our friendship, while genuine, hadn't been entirely coincidental. My father had tasked me with watching Anthony Cassaro after the first few hundred thousand went missing from our accounts. He'd been willing to overlook it initially – everyone makes mistakes – but Anthony had gotten bolder, sloppier. I'd already befriended Grayson in a chance encounter between our father's where we'd both been present. But I'd deepened it at my father's request.
The only reason my father hadn't acted sooner was his reluctance to orphan two innocent kids. He'd planned to warn Anthony first, give him a chance to make it right.
In the end, I'd made the decision easier for everyone. Anthony's death solved the embezzlement problem, and bringing Gray into the family gave us a loyal soldier who'd never question our methods.
All while keeping Meredith safe and innocent, just as she deserved to be.
Or so we'd thought.
After calling in the cleaners, I'd helped Gray finish dealing with the kitchen. "Shower," I instructed. "Bag your clothes. We'll burn everything."
He'd nodded mechanically, heading for the master bathroom. While waiting for him – knowing he needed time to process what we'd done – I went to check on Meredith.
Her room was empty at first glance, but my gut knew better. Dropping to my knees, I peered under the bed, and it pained me to find her. She was curled into a tight ball, trembling as she watched me with wide eyes.
"Meredith, it's okay, you're safe now," I'd coaxed her out. "He won't hurt you again. Never again."
She'd crawled out slowly, and I pulled her into my arms, ignoring the blood still staining my shirt. Her tears soaked through to my skin as she clutched at me, her entire frame shaking like a leaf.
We'd killed right in front of her, and the guilt of having her witness it hit hard.
"How hurt are you, do you need an ambulance?" I'd asked softly, and she sucked in a breath.
"No. Just bruises. Gray checked me over fully already," she'd mumbled.
"He got you to remove your shirt so he could see any bruises that looked bad?" I checked, and she nodded weakly. Internal bleeding was always a possibility with beatings. My father had promised to send his own medic along with his clean-up crew, and they'd be here shortly.
"How's your head?" I'd asked.
"Fine."
"Good, someone is coming to check you over, a paramedic," I'd lied. Technically, Old Man Thomas had been a paramedic before he'd gotten involved with my father and then became a doctor. He'd become the family's trusted doctor and go-to man for anything we needed to keep under wraps from the hospital.
"Is he gone?" Her voice was barely a whisper as I'd held her close.
Meredith. The girl who'd stolen my heart without knowing it. The one I vowed to protect ever since that day where she'd patched me up.
"Yes." I'd stroked her hair, something protective and possessive surging through me once more. "I'll always protect you."
"He's dead?" Her voice was so small, it crushed me inside. The light and joy this perfect creature in my arms usually carried was gone right now, and it broke me.
"Yes, Mer."
She stiffened suddenly, pushing away from me. The look in her eyes gutted me – pure fear as realization dawned.
"You killed him." She scrambled backward, pressing herself against the wall. "You killed my father."
I stood slowly, hating how she flinched at my movement. I wasn't about to say it was a joint effort, not when she was this distressed. Right now, if she needed to focus her rage and emotions on someone, I'd accept it. I'd let her target me while she came to terms with this, even if it crushed me.
"I did it for you. To save you."
She wouldn't look at me, her sobs coming harder now.
I wanted to hold her again, to make sure she was okay, but right now, I knew I wasn't the person she needed. She needed her brother, her only remaining family. The sound of Gray's shower shutting off gave me an excuse to leave, though every instinct screamed to stay, to make her understand.
One day, she would.
I took Gray's bloody clothes, instructing him to be with Meredith, that she needed him right now. He'd not argued, instead going to her, and I'd headed down the hall as she'd wailed and cried, years of suffering unleashing. A part of her would feel guilt as well, because despite what he'd done to her, I knew she'd loved that monster.
He'd been her father, after all.
Out in the backyard, I fed our bloody clothes to the fire pit piece by piece. The flames consumed the evidence of our crime, but I could feel eyes on me. Looking up, I caught Meredith watching from her window, her face illuminated by the firelight.
That was the first time she'd looked at me like a monster.
But at least she'd been safe. Even if it meant she'd never look at me the same way again.
Gray had been beside her, and the steeled look in his eyes had made me realize he was going to be my partner one day. How I'd known, I couldn't say, but he was a man I wanted around, one with the right morals, and a person who could help me remain human in a world of monsters.
My phone's sharp ring yanked me from the memory. Gray's name flashed on the screen, as if he knew he'd been on my mind.
"Sofia reached out," he said without preamble. "They sent her the photos too." His voice cracked slightly. "I've gotten more documents as well. Evidence that proves he was dead before the car went off that bridge."
My blood ran cold. "Coroner's original report?"
"Yes."
"Perfect," I muttered, pacing the living area. "They're getting bolder. They're targeting Sofia because of her connection to Meredith," I thought aloud. "They know our families have money." I paused. "Hell, even Meredith has money, between her investments and those rental properties."
"Thank god I talked her out of buying with Logan," Gray muttered. "At least renting first proved what kind of man he really was." He sighed heavily. "I'm afraid they'll bring Meredith into it."
"Is it really so bad?" I said, wondering aloud. "Her father was a monster, Gray."
"She doesn't need to remember that stuff." His voice was sharp. "We protected her from those memories for a reason. Her forgetting or blocking it out was a godsend. She was a mess for months after he died."
He was right, I'd visited, and she'd hid away in her room whenever I did. Gray had told me she'd had nightmares, screaming constantly. Then, just randomly one day, she'd started talking to me again. Gray had said the nightmares had died off, and she no longer spoke of it. He didn't press, but when she started therapy, it became clear she had blocked it out completely.
"Not all secrets stay buried forever." I moved to the window, watching Roman's replacement guard the building entrance. Jackson was a good member of my security detail, and I didn't mind him stepping in while Roman focused on Meredith. "Besides, we should be more concerned about this going public. One leak to the media or online…"
The threat hung between us. My family had worked hard to stay off the radar, to keep our true nature hidden despite our activities. We were used to threats, to blackmail attempts, but this was different.
"I'll make more calls. We need this sorted, Leo. And we need to keep Meredith in the dark. She doesn't need this," Gray said before ending the call.
I wondered what it was Meredith truly needed. With all the panic attacks she still had, maybe she needed to know the truth to move past it. Rather than Gray's idea of whisking her off to Lake Forest. I sure as hell didn't want her leaving, not now that I was determined to keep her.
I glared down at the files spread before me, shifting a few to find the most incriminating one.
Files had rocked up on my office desk of all places, sent in anonymously. I was just grateful no one had opened my mail before it had reached me. A clear image of me standing over Anthony's body in the garage had greeted me as soon as I'd opened it. Another snap from inside the house as we'd beaten him while Meredith lay on the floor. It was obvious why we'd done it, but whoever had sent that in hadn't cared.
My father's team had wiped all the footage and disabled the cameras that night. But not before we'd collected the back-ups in the house. Gray had asked to see the feeds once, namely when his father was gone. By then, our own team had gone over all the footage. Frustratingly, Anthony had beaten Meredith outside of the camera frame, but it was clear what was going on many times when Gray was gone. Too bad it wouldn't hold in a court.
I'd checked for leaks in our own circle, but it was solid. Which meant, to our frustration, that all that time ago, those security feeds were being backed-up to an external server somewhere. And whoever that was, was the one behind this blackmailing. Too bad our team was struggling to find it, not having been up to speed back then, and now no longer having the right access needed.
Whoever this was had sat on those files for some time. Why? I had no idea, maybe it was because my father had enlisted me to start our operations in this city several years ago, and my companies were now making big waves.
When Meredith had graduated college and Gray had moved them to Ironstone, I'd requested to follow, and my father had been more than happy for me to expand our operations here. It had worked out incredibly well for me, and Grayson and I had started up several successful companies, many legit as well.
That was the only reason I could think of that someone would be doing this now.
Part of me wanted to just pay them off, make it disappear. But I could already imagine my father's reaction. His heir, the future head of the Donati family, giving in to blackmail? I'd lose everything – my position, my authority, the respect of our people. Not to mention we couldn't even know for sure if it would be wiped, or if they'd only come back asking for more.
Maybe Gray was right. Maybe Meredith needed to not remember. Maybe it would break her completely if she did. And I didn't want to be the cause of that.
If she remembered exactly what kind of monsters her brother and I really were…
She'd also remember why she'd once looked at me with such fear in her eyes.
I didn't want her to look at me like that again.
I needed to get to the bottom of this.
Before everything we'd built came crashing down around us.