Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Gabriel
I have no idea how Emily found my number, but I’m so thankful she did.
As soon as Emily realized Monica wasn’t at home, she reached out to let me know something had happened with Marcus and how they were worried for her safety. I knew he was bad news. I’m hoping the police have enough evidence to detain him.
Monica passed out in my car on the way to the hospital. I was a nervous wreck waiting for them to triage her. I’ve been patient. I’ve understood and accepted her desire to do things her way.
That ends now.
That asshole was either going to beat the shit out of her, kill her, or take her away from me. I don’t know which, but I overheard just a snippet of his snide remarks to know there’s more to the story than I understand.
When the nurse tells me Monica is sleeping peacefully in her room, I ask if I can sit with her. The nurse begins to tell me no, that visiting hours are over, but I interrupt her.
“Ma’am, I was just here with her a few weeks ago. Do you remember me?” I ask, and she nods. “I think the guy who beat her up might have burned her apartment down then. I have to be with her right now. Please. I’m not leaving the hospital, so either you let me in her room, or I sit out here all night.”
She looks at me and sighs in defeat.
“Okay, but you don’t leave the room once you go in there. And be quiet. You don’t make a peep if anyone comes in that room.”
“Got it,” I tell her as I pantomime locking my lips and throwing away the key. “Thank you. I need to be near her. I’m really struggling with all of this.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate your support,” she tells me kindly, and I fight the urge to tell her how strong-willed and defiant my querida can be. I have no doubt she will tell me I’m exaggerating things and still want to stay with Emily. Monica isn’t leaving my side for the foreseeable future. As we approach Monica’s room, my cell vibrates with a call.
“I need to take this; it’s Monica’s best friend,” I tell the nurse, and she nods in understanding.
“She’s sleeping, so be quiet when you go in. I’ll check on you before my shift ends,” she tells me as I accept the call from Emily.
“Did you find her?” Emily asks.
“Yeah. We’re at the hospital. Marcus beat her up pretty bad, Emily.”
“What?” she shouts.
“He’s been arrested. I found her right as he was kicking her in the stomach. She passed out on the drive to the hospital,” I tell her, my eyes closing as I visualize that scene. I’ll never forget seeing her curled up in a ball on the dirty bar floor.
“Oh my God, Gabriel! Why would she put herself in that situation? We were all meeting tonight to figure out how to help her, and she just went rogue!”
“Knowing her, I’m guessing he threatened something.”
“She mentioned that he’s been in my house, Gabriel. I assume he threatened us. Or my kids. Or both. Oh my God. She would martyr herself to protect my babies,” Emily says as her voice trembles. “What if they don’t keep him in jail? How can we keep her safe?”
“Now that the police are involved, I hope we have more options. I’m not leaving her side from now on, whether she likes it or not,” I say determinedly.
“She’ll fight you on it,” Emily tells me.
“I know. I’m not backing down this time. I’ve given her enough space. I’ve let her process things on her own timeline, and she almost got killed twice because of it. This time she’s going to have to trust me.”
“She does trust you, Gabriel. She struggles a lot with relationships. She’s been burned in the past and has a really shitty family. All the men in her family are horrid assholes, and she decided all men are the same way. She never intended to get involved with Marcus. She told me more than once he was just there to scratch an itch.”
My blood pressure rises as I think about Marcus and Monica together. To know he’s been intimate with her makes me feel somewhat homicidal. Pi?o is lucky he’s locked up, or I’d be taking him on. He’s messed with Monica for the last time.
I end the conversation with Emily promising to call her if anything changes before quietly opening the door to Monica’s room. She looks swallowed up by the bed, her face swollen and bruised. The nurse said she didn’t have a concussion, but her ribs were incredibly bruised when Marcus kicked her. She’ll also have some pain and tenderness in her abdomen where he kicked her there.
“ Anjinho . Oh, baby,” I whisper as I quietly approach her bed. I lean down and place a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Gabriel …” she moans. Her hand comes up to touch my face. “I’m sorry. I should have believed you.”
“It’s okay, querida . It’s okay. Nothing matters right now except for you. Nothing,” I whisper against her temple.
“Hold me, please.”
I don’t hesitate before climbing onto the bed and gingerly scooping her up, settling her in my lap. I face the door, so I can see anyone as they enter. I won’t be sleeping tonight. My querida is my focus, and no one will hurt her again.
Monica sleeps fitfully against my chest the entire night. Other than answering a few texts, I haven’t moved an inch. I let Tommy know that Marcus escalated things and is now detained by MSPD. He has a buddy on the force and is trying to track down information. Emily gave my number to Liam, who is married to one of her other best friends. Liam is a deputy sheriff and wanted to speak to me about what I saw. He asked if he could call, and I said we could communicate over text, so I didn’t wake Monica.
Liam: His name isn’t Marcus. It’s Nicolas Bianchi. He’s from Texas.
Me: Why does that name sound familiar?
Liam: His family is Italian mob, if that helps.
Fucking hell. That’s how I know him. Growing up in Texas, I knew some of the Italian mob families. The Bianchi clan is known for being vile and disrespectful. While other mafia families draw the line at hurting women and children, the Bianchis don’t care. They’ll maim and kill anyone to get their point across.
Me: That’s how I know him. I’m from Texas. I think we may have some mutual friends.
Liam: You know Monica is from Texas as well, right?
Me: Yes. We lived only an hour or two away from each other until I joined the Army.
Liam: Well, there isn’t much to hold Nicolas for, so he’ll be out on bail within a couple days. The district attorney is trying to get a search warrant approved for his car and apartment. A well-known mafia kid doesn’t just appear in Colorado for no reason.
Me: What’s the connection to Monica?
Liam: I don’t know.
Me: We need to figure this out, man.
Liam: I know. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to her. She’s like a sister to me, Gabriel. I’m an only child. She’s as close to family as I get.
I love that Monica has her chosen family here. She has an amazing support structure. I know with everyone helping, she’ll recover from this beautifully.
Me: Keep me updated. I’ll let you know if I learn anything from Monica once she wakes up.
Liam: Will do.
I quickly Google the Bianchi family and immediately connect how I’ve always thought Marcus looked familiar. His uncles played baseball with me. Vile men who wouldn’t hesitate to cheat. Marcus is the spitting image of his uncle Damian, who was barred from high school baseball in Texas after pitching a baseball straight at my teammate’s head and giving the poor kid a TBI.
My stomach is unsettled as I stare down at Monica. This woman means everything to me. I know she’s not there yet. I know she’s struggling to accept her feelings about me. But I know in my heart we’re meant to be together.
I put my phone down on the bed and bury my nose in her hair. I spend the rest of the night holding her and breathing her in.
I’m grateful the nursing staff left us alone all night. One checked on Monica around four in the morning and graciously acted like I wasn’t wrapped around Monica like a koala. The nurse from yesterday came in just after seven.
“Oh, you’re still here! Good. I wasn’t sure if they’d let you stay the whole night,” she whispers as she checks Monica’s vitals.
“What’s your name, ma’am?” I ask.
“It’s Sally.”
“Sally, thank you for getting me in here. I needed to be with her,” I say quietly .
“Well, obviously, she needed you, too. Her vitals were all over the place before you got in the room. Now they’re regulated and normal. I’m positive it was your presence. She’ll need you for a while as she recovers,” Sally says.
“She’s got me. I’m not leaving her,” I say resolutely. I feel Monica stir against me, and my arms immediately tighten. I’m afraid she’ll be embarrassed and try to move.
“Gabriel,” she murmurs.
“I’m here, querida ,” I respond.
“Is he in jail?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“Am I safe?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you, querida . Você é meu cora??o. ” You are my heart. Monica is everything to me. I’ll die protecting her.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re mine, querida .” I know she isn’t ready to hear my feelings. But as she sighs and snuggles into my embrace, I know we’re taking steps in the right direction.
“Knock knock,” a voice singsongs from the doorway. “Can we come in?”
“Yeah,” Monica rasps as she attempts to straighten in my embrace. She turns to whisper to me, “It’s Liv and Liam.”
“How do you know it’s both of them?” I whisper back as a tall man in a deputy sheriff uniform walks in with a thin brunette.
“Because. I just know.”
Well, okay then.
Liam walks over to me and extends his hand to shake. “Gabriel. It’s good to finally meet you.”
“You as well. Any updates?”
“That’s what I’m here to explain,” Liam says as Liv gives Monica a hug before patting me on the shoulder. Liam turns to Monica. “Glad you’re okay, crazy girl. ”
“Thanks,” Monica says quietly. I hate seeing her so defeated and a shell of her former self. My little spitfire is nowhere in this room.
“Monica, I’m going to be blunt. Why did you move from Texas?” Liam asks.
Monica stiffens against me.
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” she stammers.
“Marcus is from Texas. His name is Nicolas Bianchi,” Liam states.
“What?” Monica breathes. She trembles against me, and I notice she has paled significantly since Liam started talking.
“Do you know the Bianchi family?” Liam asks. Monica doesn’t immediately answer, and Liam presses again. “I need to know if there’s a connection here, Mon. You’re both from Texas. Both Italian. I know what the Bianchi family is involved in, and I need to know if your family is involved in it as well.”
“Liam, maybe now isn’t the best time to talk about this,” Liv says as she watches Monica’s face.
“I have to go. I need to get out of here,” Monica whispers as she struggles to kick off the blankets.
“What? No! You’re not going anywhere, querida ,” I protest as my arms clamp down on her waist. She cries out as she thrashes.
“You don’t understand! They won’t stop. They’ll find me. I can’t be here …” she trails off.
I look at Liam, and he has confusion written across his face.
“Mon, you need to tell me. We can keep you safe,” he implores. “Why is the Bianchi family coming after you?”
“I don’t know exactly why. I just know they won’t stop.”
A foreboding sensation settles in my stomach as I wrack my brain, trying to remember what I know about the Bianchi family. And the Italian mafia in Texas. There are a few families in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Bianchi, Russo, Romano, and Angelino. Although I have a vague memory of something going down years ago with The Russo and Angelino families. I squeeze my eyes shut as I realize what the connection is.
“Your last name isn’t Valducci.” It’s not a question. It’s a statement.
“No,” Monica whispers as she turns and buries her face in my neck.
“It’s Russo.” Again, I’m not asking. I already know. Monica nods against my shoulder as her arms slide around to clutch my back.
“Holy shit,” Liam whispers.
“Oh, baby. Querida . It’s okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” I whisper against her ear.
“What am I missing?” Liv asks quietly. Liam looks at me, waiting for me to explain.
“Monica can fill in the blanks, but I remember my mother telling me about a big mafia war that happened like fifteen years ago. A mafia don promised his daughter to another family. The son of the don, who was twenty-something years older than the girl. Then suddenly, the dad killed the guy, and the daughter just disappeared. The other family was pissed and started a war. It was bloodshed for a few years. You’re the daughter who disappeared, aren’t you?”
Monica nods against me, her body trembling. Liv gasps. Liam and I stare at each other in disbelief.
“I’ve got you, anjinho . You’re safe. Nothing is going to happen to you,” I vow. “Liam, I think Monica needs to rest now. Will you keep me updated on Bianchi and if he gets released on bail?”
Liam nods.
“We’ll visit you after you’re discharged, okay, Mon?”
“Okay,” she whispers.
Once Liam and Liv leave, Monica shudders against me .
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you, anjinho ,” I say quietly. She lifts her head to peer up at me. The pain and despair in her eyes crush me. Monica reaches her hand up to cup my cheek.
“This isn’t your fault, Gabriel. It’s mine and mine alone,” she says tearfully.
“No. No, it’s not. This is all Bianchi’s fault.”
“I should have known … I should have known not to trust him. None of my friends liked him. I should have recognized that. I should have realized,” she says, her voice full of anguish.
“You had no way of knowing some random guy from a past life would track you down here, querida . Absolutely no way. Now we know. Now we prepare accordingly.”
“How do we prepare for this?” she pouts as she absentmindedly strokes her fingertips through the scruff on my chin.
“Well, for one, you’re moving in with me. I’m equipped to protect you. We’ll get you recovered, and we’ll start some self-defense classes. I’ll teach you how to hold and shoot a gun. We’ll get you your concealed carry permit, and I’ll add more cameras to my security system.”
Monica stares at me, her brow furrowed.
“But, why would you do all of that? For me?” she asks incredulously.
“Fucking hell, anjinho . Do I have to spell it out for you?”
“Evidently.”
“ Você é meu cora??o .” My heart. This woman is my fucking heart.
“What the hell does that mean?” she says exasperatingly.
I chuckle.
“I’ll tell you someday. But for now, just know that it means I protect what’s mine.”
“I’m yours?”
“Yes.”
“Does that means you’re mine? ”
“Absofuckinglutely.”
Monica gives me a small smile.
“Okay,” she whispers.
“Okay?”
“Yeah.”
She leans up and places her lips on mine before sighing and putting her head back on my chest.
“I’m yours,” she says quietly.
“And I’m yours,” I respond.
“What does anjinho mean again?”
“My angel.”
“What should I call you?” she asks.
“Whatever you want.”
She thinks for a moment before responding.
“ Tesoro .”
“What does that mean?” I ask, although I already know. I just want her to say it.
“Darling or sweetheart,” she answers softly.
“I like that, querida .”
“Mmhmm,” she murmurs as she snuggles into my chest. Monica grabs my hand and cuddles it against her heart. Her heartbeat is steady against the back of my hand, and I feel the moment she falls back asleep.
As God is my witness, I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure she is protected. Monica Valducci Russo is my future, and no man or family is going to change that. Bring it on, mother fuckers.