33. London
Chapter 33
London
F ive days have passed since I've been at Archer's, and I'm recovered enough to almost be able to get around like I wasn't shot in the stomach by his evil ex. I've had my fair share of injuries before, and this was nothing compared to some of the worse ones, especially when I showed up here almost four months ago. It's strange to think that it's been that long since I arrived in New York.
On one hand, it seems like forever, and on the other, a blink of an eye. I knew things would be weird as I got adjusted to my new life, but I never imagined it would have gone down like this. That I would have accidentally developed feelings for the grumpy billionaire tasked to keep me safe. That a woman I thought was dead because of me would appear in my life, shoot me, and tell me she was coming for the guy I had a crush on, who happened to be her ex-boyfriend. That the people around me would be the most notorious crime family in the state and merely muttering their last name causes everyone around them to tremble and bow down.
Archer stops typing on his computer and stares at the screen, the silence distracting me from my rampant thoughts. Something is wrong, I can tell from the way his body is tense from head to toe.
"What is it?" I ask him, unsure if I want to hear the answer. I've been waiting for the shoe to drop ever since I agreed to stay here and so far, I've been lucky, but it appears my luck has run dry.
He swallows and doesn't turn toward me. "He's on his way."
"Who is?" I rise from the couch and walk over to Archer, planting my hands on his shoulders as I take a look at the screen, a flashing dot on a map indicating whatever Archer is referring to.
"Joe Vito. His private jet left LAX about a half hour ago. The flight itinerary is for LaGuardia. He should be wheels on the ground in less than six hours."
I rub his shoulders even though he's not the one in danger, I am.
"I need to talk to Madison," Archer announces, making me stop moving completely.
This is what I was worried about. Not Joe Vito, but Archer's ex coming back and finishing what she started.
"No," I tell him despite having no control over what he does. We aren't together, and even if we were, Archer is a grown-ass man who decides his own fate. I couldn't stop him if I tried, although that's not going to prevent me from doing exactly that.
"I need to know what their deal is. I need answers, London." Archer spins in his chair and pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You don't have anything to worry about."
This is the closest we've been since we hooked up in my apartment three weeks ago. Not counting him helping me when I was shot, other than a small touch here or there, that's been the brunt of our intimacy. I thought what we had fizzled out, that Archer was only keeping me around because he felt bad for what happened. But the way he's holding me now unravels feelings I didn't realize were still there.
"I have everything to worry about," I confess. "The love of your life came back from the dead. I can't compete with that."
"This isn't a competition," Archer tells me, but it does nothing to settle my nerves.
Madison was different. More vindictive than I remember, something terrifying and cruel in her eyes that wasn't there all those years ago. Faking her death changed her, and not for the better. Even if she doesn't have feelings for Archer, that won't stop her from taking him from me just because she can.
He tilts his head up toward me, his beautiful eyes meeting mine. I fight the desire to kiss him, not sure if that's what he'd want anyway. I haven't been sure of anything for weeks, especially what's going on between us. One minute he's hot, the next he's cold. And I'm not confident I know what I want anyway, all I know is I feel safe with him.
That simple fact scares me more than anything.
Five hours and twelve minutes after Archer first saw my betrothed's private jet taking off from an airport in California, his phone rings, no number showing on the screen.
He answers it, putting it on speakerphone but not saying a word.
"Archer Sin," Vito's voice comes in clear and sends a chill up my spine.
"Joe Vito." Archer stands from the couch and paces the small space in front of me.
"You know who I am."
"Not by choice."
"I hear you have something that belongs to me."
"And what's that?" Archer asks him, knowing damn well I'm what he's referring to.
I chew on my lip and recall Joe's awkwardly-shaped body, his foul-smelling breath, and how he lingered his gaze on my chest despite being in a hospital gown the last time I saw him. He reminds me of my father with how he thinks everything and everyone belongs to him. They say women are often attracted to the same kind of man as their father, but I couldn't be any more repulsed by Joe Vito.
"Is she there, right now, my London girl?"
I hop to my feet and lean toward the phone. "And what if I am? What are you going to do about it?"
Archer widens his eyes and tilts his head, pushing the mute button. "Really?" he whispers even though Joe can't hear him.
"What?" I say. "What's he going to do, show up here and demand I go with him?"
"I mean, maybe, I don't fucking know."
Once Joe finishes laughing, he continues. "There's that London girl of mine."
I could slit his throat just for using the name my father used to call me. Every time, it grated my nerves knowing there was not a damn thing I could do about it, but with Joe, there's nothing that will stop me from ending his life if he thinks he can take me away from here. I don't care how fucking untouchable people claim he is, I don’t give a shit about that. He's already taken more from me than he realizes, making me completely start over in a new city and leave everything behind. Do I blame my father? Yes. But do I blame Joe Vito, too? Without a doubt.
I push the unmute button, Archer yanking the phone from my reach and lightly smacking my hand.
Joe clears his throat. "I'm glad you two are together. Tell you what, I'll meet you at your place, say…ten minutes, depending on traffic. Don't bother leaving, I have the place surrounded, a bullet in both of your heads if you leave. Don't worry, all I want to do is chat, you have my word. See you soon." He hangs up without giving either of us a chance to respond.
Archer calmly sets his phone on the desk next to his computer and runs his hand through his hair as he blankly stares out the window.
"What are you doing?" I ask him.
"Thinking." He inhales deeply and nods to himself, turning on his heel and marching to the bedroom.
I follow him in, not sure what he's rummaging through his closet for.
"Put this on." Archer stands with a vest in his grasp, putting it over my shoulders, the weight of it heavy but not too unbearable. He returns to his closet and pulls out a hooded sweatshirt. "And this on over it."
A minute later, I'm swimming in Archer's hoodie and he's tilting my face up toward him. "Stay behind me, please. If I move, you move, okay?"
"Only on one condition," I tell him.
"Name it."
"Kiss me."
Archer's eyes dart back and forth between mine almost like he's considering whether the risk outweighs the reward, finally settling on an answer as he presses his mouth to mine, our lips brushing for the softest kiss. "Come on," he says, running his hand down my arm to grab ahold of my hand.
"What now?" I go with him because what other choice do I have? "And why don't you have one of these vests on?"
"Because I only have the one." Archer doesn't stop until he's at his computer, lowering himself onto the seat and pulling me into his lap. He manages to reach past me to type on the keyboard while still holding me close, countless screens popping up and closing, all of it not making much sense.
"What are you doing?"
Finally, a set of camera feeds pops up on the screen.
"Surveillance." He points to one of them. "This is out front." And then another. "Side of the building." And another. "Back. And this one is the other side. You see this?" He zooms in on a black car, and then a black SUV. "I think Vito was telling the truth about having the place covered."
"Can't you, like, call your brothers or something?" I wrap my arm around his neck and watch the screen as he flits in and out of tabs.
"I'm not talking to Leo, and August has his own issues to deal with." Archer exhales. "And Seven's insane. He'd probably cause more trouble than he's worth. I don't trust Vito, but men like him, they're big on their word."
"So, you're going to talk to him?"
"I don't have another option, London. I knew he was coming but I didn't know he was coming here . I'm unprepared and unequipped for this. I'm not going to let him take you, though, if that's what you're worried about. I'll die before I let that happen."
I skim my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "That's what I'm worried about, Archer. Not what he'll do to me, but what he'll do to you."
His gaze meets mine, something so intense in the way he's looking at me that it rattles my core. "Don't worry about me, little tornado." Archer's attention splits from me to the computer, the computer taking his full focus as he clicks on one of the tabs. "There he is."
Joe Vito steps out of a black car, matching the ones that Archer had pointed out. He takes a long glance around before climbing the stairs alone.
"He won't try anything if he's by himself," Archer tells me, a sense of comfort coming from his words.
The buzzer to Archer's apartment rings and I jump in his lap, startled by the loud sound even though I should have expected it.
"Remember what I told you, London. Stay behind me." Archer nudges me off him and steps around me to walk toward the door to grant Joe Vito access to the building.
I want to tell him not to, to tell him that we could stay here forever, living off the remains of whatever is in his fridge and never leave here ever again, but I know that isn't realistic, and that it would never last. Joe would find some way into the building and once he did, he'd finish us both just for making him wait. But Joe won't be the only untouchable man in this room, and I have to remember that when being forced to confront him.
It takes Joe almost two minutes to get into the building and up to the second floor, whether he took the stairs or the elevator is lost on me. His knuckles pound against the door and I hold my breath as Archer opens it slightly and puts his foot in front of it.
"Archer," Joe says, his voice raspy but not in a sexy way, in a disgusting way like he has too much phlegm built up and he needs to cough any second.
"Are you alone?" Archer asks him.
"You, me, and the breeze, baby." Joe pauses. "You going to let me in or leave me in the hallway like the trash?"
Archer hesitates before stepping out of the way and letting Joe enter, my heart skipping a beat once he's in here. I thought I was ready to face him, but now that he's this close, I can't help but feel like my father's ghost came in with him, too. There are parts of my past that I miss, but this isn't one of them.
"Ah, there she is." Joe looks directly at me but makes no attempt to bridge the space between us.
Archer closes the door and quickly moves to position himself better, acting as a barrier.
"So hasty," Joe teases him. "Are you in love with my bride, Archer Sin?"
"How much do you want?" Archer cuts straight to the point, not answering the question Joe asked him.
Joe runs his grimy finger along the edge of the table near the door, walking farther into Archer's apartment. I eye him cautiously, the weight of the vest providing the tiniest comfort, lingering in Archer's shadow giving me more. "Funny thing," Joe says. "How we buy and sell things, people, as if it's normal practice." He points to the couch. "May I?"
"Sure." Archer continues to position himself between us.
Joe unbuttons his suit jacket, the bulge of his stomach nearly making it come undone prematurely. He groans as he sits down and pats the spot next to him. "Have a seat. Both of you."
Archer glances back at me and nods to the chair beside the couch.
I slip onto it and Archer rests against the arm of it, staying as close to me as possible.
"I'm going to keep things short, because I have another meeting to attend to while I'm in town." Joe coughs, barely covering his mouth, spit flying out.
It's everything I can do to not let my disgust show across my face.
"There is no price. I was promised a bride; I want a bride. Not any—the one I was guaranteed. I know you're well-off Archer, your whole family is. I understand I could profit quite nicely from you, given how you've bonded with her. Unfortunately, money isn't what I'm after, so I cannot be paid off. I'm also aware that I cannot simply put a bullet in your head and take what's rightfully mine, because of the hell that would unleash upon me. I'm afraid that puts us at a stalemate." Joe pauses like he's done, but then he opens his mouth once more. "But what you're missing is one key detail. I'm not much for gossip, although when it benefits me, it's hard not to indulge."
My fingers dig into the fabric of Archer's sweatshirt, waiting for Joe to spit out whatever it is he's hinting about, the thing that's supposed to seal my fate.
"I know, Archer," is all he says, his gaze boring right into the man sitting next to me.
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Archer doesn't fold to his vague threat.
Joe grins and it unsettles me, something wicked in him, unlike most men in this industry. The last time I saw a look that similar was when my father was beating me nearly to death.
"Oh, Archer, you naive boy. You think you have it all figured out, don't you? You think you can break a treaty and get the girl? You're mistaken because if you think for a second that you got away with what you did, you're wrong. And see, that's where this little match of chess goes into checkmate because, I don't have to be the one to put a bullet in your head, the Manor brothers will do it for me when they find out the truth. And that's when I'll swoop in and not only take your girl, but I'll come after everything your family ever had a claim to. The Manor brothers won't stop with you, Archer, they'll end your entire family, and I'll be there, waiting with a big fat I told you so . Think long and hard, boy. Is she worth the price you’ll pay?"
Archer remains firmly planted next to me as Joe rises to his feet, reaching to button his jacket.
Joe continues. "I'll offer you a one-time deal. Hand her over to me in two weeks, and the secret remains buried. Fail to do so and I'll take everything you hold dear. Either way, you lose the girl, so consider how much you're willing to risk." He focuses on me instead of Archer for the first time since he sat down. "And don't worry, London girl, I'll be a better provider than he ever could. I thought I lost you once, I won't let that happen again." His eyes darken. "Don't try to escape me, I'll find you. I'll always find you."
Joe makes his way toward the door, stopping once he's at it to give a few parting words. "Two weeks from today, I'll be at The Branford, room four-twenty-three. If you don't show by noon, I'll consider that your answer." He smiles again. "I do look forward to your response, either way." He leaves a second later, Archer's apartment suddenly feeling so fucking small as Joe sucks all the air out of it with his departure.
"Archer," I whisper.
He stands slowly and takes a few steps away from me. "London, I need you to go into the bedroom and turn some music on."
"What?" I reach for him but he pulls his arm from my grasp. "Why?"
Archer's entire body tenses. "Because I'm about to get very angry and I don't want you to be in here when I do."
Tears well in my eyes and despite fighting them off, one slips down my cheek. "It's okay, everything is okay. We'll figure this out. We have to."
Archer turns around to face me. "You don't understand, do you, London? There is nothing to figure out. There is no getting ahead of this. Joe was right about one thing, he has me in checkmate, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it."
"There has to be something," I tell him, despite having no idea what it could be. "Tell me what happened, maybe I can help. Let me help, please?"
Archer drags his hands through his hair and mutters under his breath, "Fuck."
"Talk to me, Archer, please. I'm begging you."
"I hacked into the Manor, the stupid hotel that is supposed to be a safe haven for us criminals, the one in California. I'm the reason there was an explosion. I'm the one who was responsible for it." Archer shakes his head. "I should have never fucking done it, it was stupid. I can't believe he found out. My hacking is untraceable. Unless Silver told him…"
"Why would Silver do that? That doesn't seem like something he'd do." Granted I didn't get the chance to get to know Silver, but he doesn't cross me as someone who would out someone on such a thing.
"It's irrelevant at this point, something to figure out later. Regardless, Vito holds all the cards with this information."
"What's so bad about the Manor brothers finding out? Can't you just pay the damages to the hotel or whatever?"
Archer takes a long breath in. "You really underestimate how badly our families hate each other. We've been looking for something to prove they violated the treaty every day since it was signed. But until that happens, touching one of them would be like signing your death warrant. That goes both ways. It's not just me they would come after either; they would take out each one of my siblings and anyone close to them. Our empire would crumble and nothing could be done to stop it."
"I didn't know it was that serious, Archer. I never would have danced with Blake if I knew. It's a little late for apologies, but I am sorry." I'm not even sure why I'm saying it now, but with the clock ticking until our demise, he needs to hear it.
Archer stares blankly past me, his gaze flickering like he's processing a million different things at once. Always the problem solver, and now he has the ultimate complication to navigate. I don't blame him for ignoring me, not when there are much more important things to focus on. The only solution is the one that I've been trying to avoid.
I fold my arms across my bulletproof chest. "I have to turn myself in, Archer. We're out of options."
"No." He still doesn't meet my gaze. "I won't let that happen."
"We don't have a choice," I tell him because it's true. Each possibility ends with the same fate, and if I want to stand any chance of minimizing the damage I've already done to him and his family, I must give myself to Joe Vito.
Giving Archer up is how I keep him alive, even if I lose myself in the process.