17. Alessia
The ride home from my parents’ house is quiet as Finn works through whatever’s tumbling around in his head.
“Are you okay?” What I want to ask is if we’re okay, but for some reason, I’m afraid of the answer.
There are people in this world who believe a woman puts herself in a position to be hurt and abused. That she should have left the first time and not “let” it escalate. What they fail to realize is the abuser does a fucking remarkable job of turning you around on yourself. I questioned everything about what I thought I knew about myself when Orlando love-bombed the hell out of me after the first time he hit me. I thought I would never fall for a man who could possess the type of demon in his soul that would make him hurt the woman he was supposed to love. It wasn’t until I left and started healing from his abuse and my brother’s death that I realized what kind of monster he truly was. Gio was what a real man was made of. He saw what Orlando did and refused to stand by and let him get away with it. And he paid with his life for his convictions.
“It’s a lot to process. I didn’t know about you and Orlando. It changes things,” Finn says, still not looking at me.
His reply hurts something deep within me. I thought my husband was different from the other men in this life. The ones who turn a blind eye to men who abuse women because it isn’t any of their business.
“If you’ve changed your mind about going after him—”
He whips the car to the side of the road and slams on the brakes.
“Jesus Christ, Finn!”
He turns his blue gaze to me and pins me with the most intense stare Ive ever seen from him. “Let’s get something straight real quick, Alessia. He hurt you and put you through unspeakable pain. There is no scenario where I let him live. I was referring to extra security and coordinating with your father and his men for when we go to war with Farina and whatever’s left of the Cataldi organization. It’s not just Carlo whose days are numbered now.”
Relief sweeps through me from Finn’s reassurance and I reach my hand to cover his, still clutching the steering wheel. He is the man I thought he was. The man I’m coming to realize I’m falling in love with.
“Not everyone in this life shares your view. Thank you for being different.”
He brings my hand to his lips and kisses the back of it. “Fuck, baby. It’s a sad day when a woman has to thank a man for not being a piece of shit.” Finn shakes his head as cars zoom past us on the highway leading home. “There isn’t a single man in my organization who would get away with the kind of things Orlando did. I’d take care of them personally if I ever found out they treated their girlfriends or wives the way he did. I will never abide by that kind of thinking or behavior. Ever. Understood?”
I nod my head, giving him a small smile and he merges back onto the road.
More relaxed than I’ve been the last half hour driving, I lean back in my seat and face my husband. He isn’t mad at me for not telling him my ex’s identity or how this is turning into a much bigger issue than he originally thought. He’s mad for me and for the women who’ve been where I was. He’s angry that men like Carlo and Orlando have gotten away with hurting women for generations, and no one has stepped in to stop them. A soft smile moves across my lips, and Finn catches me staring from the corner of his eye.
“What?” he asks, removing one hand from the steering wheel and laying it on my thigh.
I cover it with my palm and link our fingers together. “I’m surprised by you. I have no idea why I would be, but every time I think you’re going to respond to something one way, you turn around and amaze me by doing the opposite. I don’t know, I kind of like it.”
Finn huffs out a laugh and his smile is wide and happy. It’s not one the world sees, but when it’s just the two of us, he lets it out more and more often.
“Well, wife. I can’t wait to get home so I can amaze and surprise you all night.”
“My husband, the romantic,” I reply in a dry tone, but there’s no stopping a grin from lighting up my face.
After speaking with my father last night at dinner, Finn decided we needed more security. His guards are working longer shifts, so there are more on duty at one time. Enzo also now has a room in the house, so he’s never far if we need him. Finn insists I have a shadow when he isn’t home, and I’m glad it’s Enzo, considering I’ve known him for most of my life. If my husband feels the need to be overprotective, I’d much rather have someone I know in the house with me at all times rather than a guard I’ve only met a few times.
“I hope he’s paying you overtime,” I tell Enzo as we head up the stairs from the underground gun range. Finn told me he wasn’t comfortable with me making any unnecessary trips off the property. And apparently, being able to shoot at my favorite range is deemed unnecessary. Of course, he didn’t tell me that outright, but Enzo let me know when I suggested we go over there this evening. When I argued, he told me I should take it up with my husband. That’s probably exactly what Finn wanted. The man loves to rile me up then kiss me breathless, and he knew damn well telling Enzo instead of me that we were on a sort of lockdown would piss me off.
How convenient that Finn left an hour ago with Cillian to follow a lead on Carlo’s whereabouts.
“Mr. Monaghan has been very generous,” Enzo replies.
“You’re just happy to not have to traipse all over with me when Finn’s around. Has it been nice having some time to yourself?”
“It’s always nice getting to spend more time with my sister and her kids. But I doubt I’ll see very much of them for the next little while.”
That’s true. With Finn most likely being gone more and the shit that’s about to hit the fan with not only the Cataldis but the Farinas as well, Enzo will be spending day and night at the house with me.
“Sorry about that. But you know it won’t be forever.” I shut off the light to the stairwell and close the door to the basement.
“My job is to make sure you’re safe. I’ve never minded, Alessia.”
They don’t make guards like Enzo anymore. He’s turned into more than an employee over the years. I consider him a trusted friend.
When we get to the kitchen, I’m making coffee for the both of us. It’s going to be a long night waiting up for Finn, and I know Enzo won’t rest until Finn is home, either.
“Here you go.” I’m handing him the cup when the house suddenly goes dark. “What the hell?”
“Let me call the guardhouse.” Enzo takes his phone from his pocket and the light illuminates his face, highlighting the furrow of his brow.
I watch him wait for one of the guards to answer. The longer he’s silent, the more nervous I get. There’s always someone in there. Why aren’t they answering?
“Let me try one of the other guards patrolling,” he says, dialing another number.
It’s not time to freak out yet. The guards at the gate are probably just trying to figure out what happened with the power.
Enzo disconnects the call when it goes to voice mail.
Our eyes meet, and his worried expression mirrors mine.
“Something’s not right,” I whisper just as we hear a loud crash from a window shattering boom throughout the silent house.
“Get back to the basement. Now!” Enzo commands and I take off out of the kitchen and into the hallway leading to the basement stairs with Enzo at my heels. Before I get to the door leading to the basement, heavy footfalls sound inside the house.
Wrenching the door open, I find the steps and begin my descent, careful not to miss one in the dark and take a tumble. We just need to make it back to the armory connected to the shooting range. Once inside, we can lock it and use the emergency phone to call Finn. Cell reception is shitty because of the steel-enforced walls. I’ve never been happier that Finn built a safe room down here as I am now. When he first showed me, I thought he was being overly cautious, though I should have known better. I was naive to think we wouldn’t be attacked at home, stupidly thinking no one would come in here and try to get through the already heavy safeguards Finn has in place. Just because something has never happened doesn’t mean it never will.
When I get to the bottom of the stairs, my shaking hands feel along the wall to find the steel door leading into the safety of the armory. The footfalls are directly over us, running toward the basement door then charging down the stairs. I find the handle of the heavy door and pull it open just as two shots ring out. My palm slams into the power switch next to the inside of the door, and I flip it on so the room is lit up with fluorescent lights running off a separate power grid. I turn, expecting to see Enzo right behind me, but instead, I’m faced with two men at the bottom of the stairs wearing night-vision goggles, pointing their weapons at me and my bodyguard lying on the floor. One lunges for me, jumping over Enzo’s prone body. Before he can reach me, I slam the door and hear a thunk on the other side as I’m sliding the locks in place. My head whips to the camera monitors set up in the room that activates when the interior lights are turned on. The camera right outside the safe room shows the two men standing in front of the door and Enzo bleeding on the floor, not moving at all.
“You let her get away,” one man shouts at the other.
“How the hell am I supposed to get through a steel fucking door, man?”
The men look around the dark basement, barely acknowledging the man they shot lying on the cold cement floor. My heart is in my throat, hoping against hope for Enzo to still be alive and praying they don’t decide to put a bullet in his head to make sure he’s dead.
“There’s a camera in the corner.” The man who lunged for me points up, and it eerily looks like he’s pointing directly at me through the screen as I watch his partner walk up and peer at the lens.
That’s right, assholes. Pay attention to the camera and not the bleeding man.
“I thought you made sure the power was cut.”
His voice sounds familiar, but it’s muffled through the mask he’s wearing over his face.
“There must be a separate power source for the room. I heard he likes his toys.”
Another man enters the basement behind them, but this one isn’t wearing a mask, only a pair of night-vision goggles.
“She locked herself in the room, boss. No way in through what I’m guessing is at least eight inches of solid steel. Monaghan has surely been notified by now.”
Adrenaline is coursing through my blood as my heart races while the men on the other side of the door speak to their boss, the one person in this world who can still evoke this type of fear from me. The one who has been the cause of so many nightmares in my life.
The man in the suit walks up to the camera and takes off the goggles. Not that he needed to. I would recognize his voice anywhere.
“Tell your husband I said hello,” Orlando says into the camera, making every hair on my body stand on end. “I’ll be seeing you, sweetheart.”
He blows a kiss into the camera then places the goggles over his eyes once more. I want to gag, or scream, or open this door and shoot him between the eyes.
The three of them turn and walk up the stairs and out of the cameras line of sight.
The shrill sound of the phone ringing breaks the silence in the safe room, startling me out of my momentary stupor. Grabbing the phone hanging on the wall, I pick up the receiver.
“Alessia!” Finn yells into the phone. “I see you, baby. You’re going to be okay.”
I look around frantically, trying to find another camera in the room.
“Look above the door to the gun range,” he tells me.
Looking up, I spot the small camera, feeling a sense of relief that he can see me, that I can hear his voice.
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, Alessia. Cillian is with me and Eoghan is on his way with the family doctor. All you have to do is stay in the room and wait for me, okay?”
My head bobs up and down, and a sob that I’ve been holding on to since the power went out upstairs escapes from my throat. “They shot Enzo. He’s not in here with me. God, Finn. I think he’s dead.”
“I know, baby. And I know this is going to be hard for you, but I need you to stay in the room. It looks like they’re gone, but I don’t want you taking any chances, okay? You need to wait for me.”
I nod again, tears pouring down my face. “It was Orlando.”
“I know. I’m almost there. It’ll be okay. I’m almost home.”
“Please hurry.”
I keep the phone in my hand but turn back toward the monitor, where I see Enzo. He still hasn’t moved and the amount of blood under him is scaring the ever-loving shit out of me.
God, Finn. Hurry.