Chapter 18
Claire
“Some women don’t deserve to be saved.”
Sitting in the SUV between Eva and Rome, I take a moment to appreciate what I have.
What we are about to do is not only dangerous, but there are no guarantees.
The vehicle comes to a stop on the access road that we agreed on back at Rome’s apartment.
Now we just need to finish gearing up and end this.
Fabbri is the one who started all of this when he had my mother killed, and I’ll be damned if he is going to get away with it.
Ella and I are the only two parties here who are not trained killer, but it doesn’t matter.
I have just as much of a right to be here as anyone else.
Eva opens the door and climbs out first, gun ready to take anything on.
I slide behind her close as I exit the vehicle. Rome grabs my hand and spins me around.
“You are not going to be a lone wolf today. You are going to stay between us so that we can focus on keeping the path clear. Do you have any questions or concerns about this?” he asks me.
As much as I hate it, there is a level of understanding in this.
If I stray, both of them will be too busy looking for me and not watching our backs.
“No questions, Sir,” I say with a smirk, watching his jaw clench.
“Good Girl,” he taunts, knowing exactly what I need to hear.
Our hair is braided, and out of the way, and we are wearing dark clothes as we load the last of our weapons and head for the compound.
The trek is hard, but Leo leads, with Ella between him and Rome.
Keeping those who are less trained between our deadly counterparts as we approach the enemy territory.
The house comes into view, and to my surprise, there are no guards, just cameras.
Rome indicates for us to stop, and we all halt, waiting for the all clear.
Pulling out his tablet, he puts them on a loop feed just like we planned before, indicating that we can continue.
Leo throws a small stone at the barbed wire fence to ensure that it isn’t electrically charged before he uses the bolt cutters on it.
We approach the back door, unsure what we will find, but knowing that Ella’s dad is here with at least one other person keeps us on our toes.
When we get to the garage, we cut the coil to prevent them from being able to lift the door and escape.
As we approach the library, we can see light coming from beneath the door.
All of our guns are drawn as Leo steps forward to open the door.
I watch as Leo falls to his knees. Her hair is different, and she is much older than the picture in his wallet, but those eyes. His eyes are staring back at us. She is supposed to be dead, but here she is, the mystery behind how Fabbri has done so much.
“Mom,” he whispers in disbelief. My heart aches for him, knowing how hard this must be for him to experience.
“Hands where we can see them,” Rome instructs, and he looks at me. My time to shine. I am in charge of putting the zip tie cuffs on the parties because I refuse to be useless. I walk forward, and Bianca spits at my feet.
“Nice to meet you, too, bitch,” I say, irritation bleeding into my voice as I step behind her and pull each of her hands behind her to get the zip ties on. At that moment, Eva turns down the hall.
“Don’t move or I will shoot,” she instructs, and I hope that it is Fabrri, but I am unwilling to look away from Bianca. I have to trust that Eva can handle that while I keep myself focused here.
“Let me give you some jewelry, Dad,” Ella says, the hatred intertwined in her voice. I know they have a sorted history, but I never expected to see just how much.
“To the dining room, it looks like we need to have a family chat,” Leo says, still not looking at his mom.
“You heard him. If you decide not to cooperate, I will put holes in you without remorse,” I tell her as we navigate them back to the dining room and place them in chairs just out of reach from one another.
“What are you doing?” Leo asks his mother, confusion written all over his face.
“I am taking control of my own fate for once,” she says, entitlement dripping from each word.
“Why did you decide to leave me?” he asks, his voice barely keeping it together.
“Your father was a marriage I was forced into. I never wanted you,” she spits, and I watch him flinch before he turns it all off. He walks up to her and puts his gun to her forehead.
“Why did you wait until I was old enough to know you to burn it all down?” he asks, frustration shining through the pain. Bianca scoffs, and I want to rip her down.
“Your dad was too infatuated with his whore to notice,” she says, and I walk over to slap her.
“You will only refer to my mother as Anna, or I will start cutting your fingers off. Do you understand?” I seethe.
“Someone is defensive of their mommy,” she snarks at me, and I lose it.
“My mother died protecting her child, instead of being a self-centered narcissist who only cares about themselves,” I throw back and step back between Eva and Rome.
“The love of my life, Gia, was killed because I tried to see her after I married your father. Your grandfather had her heart sent to me with a note that said ‘I think this belongs to you.’ So I did what I felt necessary,” she attempts to justify the way that she has behaved and allows everyone else to take the blame.
“Did you have a hand in executing my mom?” I ask, wanting a definitive answer after all of these years.
“I planned the whole thing. I wanted to inflict as much pain as I could on Aldo,” she admits, and I see red.
“Claire, end her life as you see fit,” Leo says as he turns toward his father-in-law. Ella steps up beside him, and they have a silent conversation.
“Dad, your reign of terror is over,” Ella says as she brings her gun to his head and pulls the trigger. I raise my gun, walking up to Bianca, and smile.
“Good riddance,” I say to her as I pull the trigger and free us all from the nightmare that these two have concocted.