Chapter 50
LUCY
I stare at the two women, before my head whips around and terror seizes me. I see the woman behind the desk stand up, my son in her arms, and a gun in her hand. “Massimo,” I whisper, body shaking.
Everything happens at once. Guns are up, I’m shoved behind Massimo, and no one moves as we stare at the two women.
“Oh, well, it seems my little secret is finally out,” Amara, or whoever she is, says with mock regret behind the desk.
“Who the fuck are you?” Massimo snarls, his body shaking with rage, but his hand steady as he points the gun right at her head.
“Yes, who am I indeed?” she returns.
“Please, just give me my son,” I plead, tears flowing down my cheeks. “Please, he’s just a baby.”
“He’s perfectly safe,” she returns. “However, the only reason I’m not dead yet is because I have him in my arms.” A low growl fills the room.
“Silence him, Aurora,” she says calmly, but there’s an underlying threat there that has Rori complying immediately.
“Now, over here, but leave him there. And hand your gun to your man.”
I whip my head to Rori, whose face is tight, lips pinched, but she complies.
“No,” Alonzo snaps, taking Rori by the arm.
“Let me go, Alonzo. Now.” The steel in her tone has me tensing. Even Alonzo looks shocked when I briefly look at him. Rori looks at him. “Let me go.” She repeats, but there’s so much in her words. Something far more than a command. A finality.
Alonzo’s entire body stiffens, but he doesn’t release her. Rori just stares at him, but I force my gaze away from him to look at the woman holding my son. Her eyes are on Rori, but I’m not so naive to think that she doesn’t know exactly where I or anyone else is in this room.
She spins suddenly, gun pointed right for Dante who is trying to inch forward. “Ah ah,” she scolds, smiling coldly at him. Dante freezes, watching her. “One more step and you’re not going to like the consequences, Mr. Esposito.”
“You’re outnumbered,” Nico growls at her, inching forward as well.
She gives him a sharp smile, one that has my terror only deepening. “You think I don’t have other insurance, Mr. Armani? Are you willing to risk the baby’s life on that?”
“Nico, please,” I beg. I look at her around Massimo. “Please, just give him to me. They’ll let you leave.”
She gives me a pitying smile. “Darling, I know you’re new to this, but they most certainly won’t. They want me dead. Well, for now.” She looks back at Rori. “I’m getting impatient, Aurora.”
Alonzo looks ready to blast her, and Rori yanks herself away from him and walks to stand next to the woman. Her body is rigid, but she doesn’t flinch when the woman turns the gun to point it at her.
“Who are you?” Pietro demands, voice dark, sharp.
“That is the question, isn’t it?” She looks at Rori with a bright smile, mirth filling her eyes.
Gone is the cold killer, and now she looks exactly like Amara, warm and open.
Rori stares at her, unsmiling. “Oh, now, don’t look at me like that,” she huffs.
“Fine, do you want to be the one to tell them?”
“She’s my sister,” Amara finally blurts out.
I turn my head to stare at her. She’s staring at the woman behind the desk, longing and uncertainty clear on her face.
“What?” Lazaro barks, looking at her and then the other woman.
“This is the final girl?” Urso demands, shocked. “Actually, wait, I mean, I can see it. They look exactly alike.”
Some of the hostility lowers in the room as we all look at her. She beams back at us. “Surprise! When I pictured a family reunion, I have to say I was expecting a bit of a different reaction.” Then she pouts. “And here I am, helping, and you’re treating me like a criminal.”
“You’re holding my son and refusing to give him back, and acting like your sister, so fucking right we’re not going to trust you,” Massimo snaps.
“Put your guns down,” Amara orders. “She’s not going to hurt anyone. Are you?” She looks at the woman expectantly.
“What’s your name?” Aurelio demands, watching her still distrustfully.
She doesn’t answer that and lowers her gun, but my terror doesn’t dissipate. It’s still far too close to my son.
“What did you grow up with then?” Aurelio asks.
“Well, it depends on who you ask,” she shrugs. Soren lets out a gurgle at the movement, and she smiles. “I never liked babies, but this one’s pretty good,” she says to me. I stare back at her. She rolls her eyes and looks at the others. “Now that you know who I am, can we lower the guns?”
“Please,” Amara begs. “She’s not going to hurt anyone. She helped us! Please.”
“Not until I have her name to check her out,” Aurelio states firmly.
The woman rolls her eyes again. “How did you end up so wrapped up in such an untrusting group?” Rori just shrugs, but she doesn’t smile or say another word. She looks back at Aurelio. “The name on my birth certificate, well, the fake one since you all have my original, is Tatiana Alekseeva.”
“The daughter of one of the Pakhans in Russia?” Pietro demands.
She—Tatiana—nods, but I see the quick flash in her eyes. The fury. My heart pounds. “I’m afraid Daddy dearest isn’t a fan of me being here, however. After all, I don’t identify as Italian now, do I?”
“How the fuck did you end up with him?” Alessio demands, frowning. “Aleskeev is all about purity in the Russian bloodline.”
She shrugs. “He made the exception as a favor to Ivan Morozov. Apparently, they grew up together and were great friends.” She glances over at Zeno, who is discreetly typing on his phone. “Have your team confirmed my story?”
He looks at her unrepentantly. “She’s clear,” he finally says, looking back at his father. Kida is tucked under his arm, but she’s watching Tatiana carefully.
“Guns down,” Pietro orders. Slowly, they lower.
I carefully step around Massimo, holding out my arms for my son. “Please.”
Tatiana sets the gun on the desk, aimed away from me, and holds out her arm with Soren in it. I snatch him from her, holding him tight to my chest as relief floods me, almost sending me to my knees. Massimo catches me, holding me tight. “He’s alright, cerbiatta,” he murmurs.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but I couldn’t risk being shot before I could share my side,” Tatiana explains.
“Is that why you insisted that you hold him in the room earlier?” I ask her.
“I wanted him to be used to me,” she shrugs. “Mostly because I didn’t know what might happen, and if I needed to get him to safety, I wanted him to be comfortable enough that he might not cry.”
“You were going to take him?” I demand, terror replaced by anger.
“I get it, mothers will do anything to protect their children. If Leonardo had tried to take him, would you not have fought to get him away? Even handing him to me?”
I reluctantly nod, but I don’t like the idea that she planned for that. It’s too close to her trying to take him from me.
“Don’t ever use my son as a pawn again,” I snarl at her.
She inclines her head. “I apologize. I didn’t intend for that to happen, but well, when I sent Rori to get Amara, it made things easier.”
“What about all that stuff you said, though? How did you know what was in the journal?” Sienna demands.
Tatiana rolls her eyes. “What do you think I’ve been doing while I’ve been here? And Amara was nice enough to help me fill in the blanks when I put her in the office.”
“Wait, why did you hide Amara?” Lazaro demands.
“Because she’s my sister and I didn’t want her hurt. I mean, I would have tried the same with the others if I could have, but I didn’t have the time or the chance.”
“When did you get here, exactly? And how did you get in?” Nico demands, clearly still not trusting her.
She gives him an amused smile. “Now, Pookie, would I really share that information if I have to do it again for any reason?”
Alessio lets out a loud, boisterous laugh. “Pookie,” he giggles. “Fuck, I wish I had thought of that one.”
“Oh, I heard all about his love for you,” Tatiana grins, winking at him.
“Fuck, now there’s two of them,” Nico grinds out, even as Gia laughs. He glares at Tatiana. “I won’t shoot you, but I can make your life hell if you start with that shit.”
“Aww, Pookie, don’t worry, I won’t try to take Alessio’s place for you.”
“That’s right, Boo Bear, I’ll always be your one and only,” Alessio croons, laughing when Nico shoots him a look that promises retribution. “You and me, we’re going to be good friends,” Alessio decrees to Tatiana with a grin.
“Fuck, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Sienna laughs. “I don’t know if I can handle two of you either.”
“Don’t be jealous, coniglietta,” Alessio laughs, lifting her into his arms. “You’re the only one I truly love and will annoy for the rest of my life.”
“Can we trade?” Sienna asks Gia over Alessio’s shoulder. Then she laughs when Alessio slaps her ass.
“I need to see him too, cerbiatta,” Massimo murmurs in my ear, pulling me away from the conversations around me.
I reluctantly hand him Soren, careful to stay close.
I know he’s safe, but the fear isn’t gone.
I don’t want him out of my sight. “There we are, ometto,” he croons, nuzzling Soren’s cheeks.
Soren lets out a happy sound, staring up at Massimo.
“He’s going to lose his shit when things all calm down,” I murmur, reaching up to brush my finger over Soren’s cheek. “And hopefully he’ll sleep well tonight. After all of this, I know I will.”
Massimo chuckles. “Oh, I’m sure we will.” He turns his head to kiss the top of my head. “I’m just fucking glad it’s all over.”
Fuck, me too. But that leaves the question, what does that mean for us? Is he just going to leave, and we have to figure out where to pick up our lives? I mean, he lives in Sicily and we’re here. I can’t just pack up my life and go with him.
Right?
That’s a worry for later. Right now, I just want to be glad that Soren is safe and all this bullshit is done.
“Did you know about me?” I suddenly hear Amara ask.