Chapter 21
21
ACE
The one with the Stalker.
I snapped out of it enough to get us on the road and driving toward campus.
We ere a few miles out when my phone went off.
I immediately tensed when I saw Ivan’s name on the screen.
I tapped it. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“More intel, looks like you’re headed close to campus, so stop off at Dante’s on the way. Bella wants to see Raven anyway and said if you don’t have ultrasound pictures she’s going to kill you because we need Raven for the baby but your dispensable.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Tell her I love her too.”
“See you soon.”
Raven grinned over at me.
“You’re not dispensable. What would I do without your hands?”
I swallowed and looked out the windshield.
“I’m surprised they let us book another appointment.”
She let out a snort.
“I’m not, it’s like free entertainment watching you walk in there I’m sure everyone wanted to bone you, not just me.” She followed the statement with a sharp gasp.
I slowly tilted my head in her direction.
“Did you just say bone?”
“Nope.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“I would never.”
“You wanted to bone me?”
“Ummmm, guys.” Ivan’s voice cracked over the Bluetooth in the SUV.
“You never hung up. But good luck with the boning, I’ll be rooting for you. Shit, pregnant women are horny—Bella, babe, hear me out—” The phone went dead right along with my soul.
Raven whistled. “He’s not going to let us live down the boning conversation.”
“Nope.”
“Sorry.”
“Feel what you have to feel, Raven.” I smirked.
“Bone, I can’t believe such an uncouth word would fall from those lips.”
“Did you just say uncouth?
“I said what I said.
I do have a degree you know.
”
“Please, I thought the degree was in sex until I found out you were a eunuch.”
I gripped the steering wheel and pulled a hard right down Dante’s street.
“For the last time, I’m not a Eunuch!”
“Okay.”
“Don’t taunt me.”
“Then don’t lie.”
I pulled over to the side of the road right before the gate, grabbed her hand pressed it on my very hard dick and was just about to pull her into my lap when the gates opened.
She jerked her hand away; we both knew there were cameras, not that we were doing anything wrong.
Wait, why did she pull away?
An hour ago she was ready to strip me in the doctor’s office.
I cleared my throat and drove into the circular driveway.
Raven didn’t wait for me to cut the engine before grabbing the ultrasound pictures and hopping out of the car toward the two blue double doors.
Bella came flying out and then they both disappeared.
Typical.
I shoved my keys and phone into my back pocket and made my way up the cement stairs only to see Phoenix standing up there waiting, arms crossed, hair buzzed close to his head, black aviators on.
“Bone?”
“Not you too.”
“Oh, I boned last night, I’m just curious as to how this took place in a doctor’s office of all places. You know Ivan won’t let you live this down, right?”
“So I’ve been told. I want to get home, what’s the update?”
He jerked his head toward the hall.
“It’s better in the office.”
“Oh yeah? Lots of secrets.”
He made a face.
“No, and sorry to throw this on your pretty little face, but they’re all here.”
“Who are?”
“The bosses.”
“All five of them?”
He smirked.
“Both generations.”
“Fuck.”
“Yup.” He slapped me on the back.
“Try not to get eaten alive. Senator Chase is pissed about some bill that just got passed. Nixon, Tex, and Sergio just got into a fight about last years NBA finals. Andrei flew in with Maksim from Seattle, Junior and Ash are still upset over the Christmas incident that nobody will talk about, and I think the list just goes on and on. Main point: King is taking care of everything, but only half of them were at the wedding and this is some intense news, so enjoy your peace and quiet mind right now because in three, two, one…” He shoved open the double doors.
I walked in behind him.
It felt exactly like a cheesy movie.
Everyone stopped talking at once.
Dante glared from his spot next to his cousins Nixon and Chase while I looked over at Ivan.
“They could at least pretend to like me.”
“They love you.” Dante stood.
“They’re just curious who was stupid enough to cut out his own skin for my daughter. Behold, this dumb ass.”
I had the audacity to wave.
“Present.”
Chase snorted out a laugh behind his hand.
“I’m suddenly so disappointed I wasn’t’ here for his torture.”
“Ditto.” Nixon grinned while Tex, the old Cappo, stood next to his son King and whispered something.
King grinned. “Nah, sadly enough I did not win the pool where I said he’d vomit twice and shit his pants once.”
“Damn.” Tex shook his head.
“Balls of steel.”
“Better to bone with,” Ivan piped up.
I jabbed him with my elbow.
“Or so I’ve been told.” He wheezed.
“Dante, since it’s your men who made the discovery and since it affects Ace more than he’d care to know, I’ll let you lead.”
I walked further into the room and leaned against the wall closest to Dante and waited.
His black shirt was still tucked in but unbuttoned down to the middle.
His hair was tousled, and he looked exhausted.
“Lucky for us, now that we’ve officially given the De Lange family a chance to join the ranks and re-establish themselves within the Cosa Nostra—a new offshoot sort of Syndicate has made its presence known, first in Italy and now apparently here.”
“A syndicate?” I asked.
“Comprising of what? Assassins, would be made men, disloyal captains, what?”
“They come from several families, overseas and here, ones who were maybe overlooked, forgotten, or mistreated. They call themselves the La Nebbia.”
I knew that name.
I knew it because of her .
“You only see what you want to see.”
“Yes,” Dante rasped.
“They don’t use force, they use smarts and seduction as their weapons to infiltrate elite families and tie themselves to them, gaining protection, bloodlines, influence, and power.”
My stomach sank.
Numb, I kept listening.
“Ace here should be familiar with them or with one of them at least.”
“How?” Ivan asked.
“You never got to that part.”
My throat burned like I’d poured sand down it as I answered.
“Because I was their first target.”
People started whispering around the room.
I held up my hand.
“Let him speak,” King demanded.
I dropped my hand to my side in defeat.
“There really isn’t a lot to say. I thought I was in love. She betrayed me as a few of you already know. I’m assuming it’s the same girl who made me think I could leave all of this behind only to scar the memory of her all over my chest, all because I was going to walk away from the De Lange family—the very family she wanted to be a part of.” I shook my head.
“It was a lie. All if it. That’s all you need to know.”
“No,” Dante said, shaking his head.
“It’s not. Because you’re directly tied to the next target, or should I say the failed target.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who?”
“Raven,” Dante whispered.
“Louis worked for them—his mission was to get close and marry her by any means possible.”
“Shit.” I ran my hands through my hair.
“She lo—” I stopped myself.
“She loved him for what he did. She respected him. He was her friend!”
“I know,” Dante agreed.
“And now it seems like they’re still trying to access her by any means possible. At least we can put a face to the enemy. You’re all on high alert.”
King pushed away from the wall.
“Junior, Ash, spread the word to the rest of the bosses. Maksim, when you go back to Seattle you know what to do, make sure the Petrov family is ready to fight and no new hires for the next six months.”
Maksim gave him a calculated look.
“Shall I go through the list of new hires in the past week and kill them all?”
“Not necessary.” Chase spoke up.
“I’ll access some files for Phoenix later; we should be able to hack the system with Sergio’s help.”
“Already on it.” Sergio held up his phone.
“I’ll go through all the new hires for the family and get back to you guys just to be on the safe side.”
Nixon shared a look with Phoenix.
“No dating.”
Everyone jerked up their heads.
Nixon rolled his eyes and looked heavenward.
“I’m not talking about anyone in here you’re all married, you dipshits. I mean none of the kids, the cousins, nobody can date, the easiest way to get in would be through marriage or a contract, nobody dates. Period.”
Ash nodded.
“Makes sense.”
It did.
I almost cracked a smile.
“Who gets to tell Tempest?”
“Not it.” Ash and Junior said in unison while both pointing at Maksim.
He shrugged. “I’ll spar. I’ve been on the plane for too many hours.”
King sighed.
“Now that it’s settled, you all know what to do. They’ll act quietly. Be on alert, let everyone know, trust nobody. I don’t care if it’s an ancient nona who wants her cat rescued from the scary tall tree in her own backyard and offers chocolate chip cookies. Don’t fall for it.”
Ivan laughed.
“Did we just become the mafia version of telling all our men not to take candy from strangers? Because I think we did.”
Nobody seemed amused.
“Read the room,” I muttered under my breath.
He winked at me then gave me a solid elbow.
“I’ll get this guy back on Raven duty,”
“How was it?” Dante broke his silence again.
“The appointment with the doctor? Strong heart beat? Is the baby okay?”
A smile spread across my face.
“The baby’s perfectly healthy, strong heartbeat, and I almost cried.”
“And yet not a tear when I cut a pound of flesh from your body.” Dante winked.
“Keep them safe, Ace.”
“Always will,” I answered.
“You have my word.”
He snorted at that.
I walked out with a pounding headache and in need of a long shower and some water.
I found Bella in the kitchen.
She was drinking a glass of water and looking at her phone.
“Oh hey, I heard the meeting end because I wasn’t eavesdropping on my very terrifying senator dad and put Raven in the car. She was exhausted.”
“Thank you.” I yawned behind my hand and started to turn when her eyes widened.
“What?”
“Speak of the devil.” She grinned.
“And he appears.”
“Heard that.” Chase winked.
“I’ll be back Bella. Ace, a word?”
“Dun, dun.” Bella sing-songed.
I flipped her off behind her dad’s back and followed him down the hall and out of the house.
“I’m telling you this in confidence.” He stared straight ahead, a normal smile spread across his face like he was talking about the weather.
I mimicked his movements and pointed to the fountain.
“I’m listening.”
“You’ve had a tail for the last week, six foot two, always wears a hat and face mask, hasn’t engaged but even has access to the campus and tried to access records. If he engages, you know what to do. For right now it seems like he’s gathering intel. I’m not putting a tail on him because it’s too suspicious. Just be aware like you always are and make sure she doesn’t leave your side.”
“Why are they still following her if Louis is dead?” I asked.
“That’s the question I have. Unless they plan on inserting someone else, a classmate, a professor?—”
“A bodyguard,” he deadpanned.
“I’m only going to say this once, but lie to us, double cross us, do as much as sneeze incorrectly, and your throat will be slit so fast you’ll look up and see a headless body from the gravel. Do we have an understanding?”
“I’m not like them, Chase. I’m a De Lange in name and blood; my honor is something else entirely. You gave Ivan a chance. Give one to me too.”
“Convenient,” he whispered.
“That she got pregnant so fast, when you just got back into the country a few months ago and weren’t seen with her. Louis worked hard and fast, clearly he was the plant. It’s clear as day, right? All eyes point to Louis, but what if that’s the plan? You only see what you want to see. How do we know you haven’t been hiding in plain sight all along?”
“I bled for her.”
Chase pulled out a knife and sliced it across his hand and squeezed drops onto the ground.
“Two can play that game, your blood, your life means nothing in this moment, it only means something when it counts. Prove your loyalty. Keep her safe. Prove us right, Ace, I really hate getting blood on my suits, it looks bad on the news.”
“Right.”
“Goodnight.”
He walked off leaving me pissed that he would doubt me and then pissed I never thought of the same thing.
Yes, all fingers pointed to Louis.
Mine too. Which meant I never once thought anyone could possibly point them to me.
If they knew I married her to protect his child.
If they knew the child wasn’t mine, would it change things?
Would her life be in danger too?
It was too much to think about.
I hopped into the car and put it in drive.
Raven was sound asleep in the front seat, her hands tucked under her chin.
I stared longingly at her flat stomach.
All that mattered was keeping them safe.
They could doubt me all they wanted, but my whole life was in that car.
I wasn’t a plant.
I never could be.
I knew my own mind.
My actions were my own.
And what was left of my heart wasn’t bought or manipulated—it was my own.
I was glad she was sleeping by the time we pulled up into campus and to the townhome.
The lights were on outside the house and the cameras were blinking.
I checked behind us and made sure the safety was off my gun when I got out of the car and walked over to her side to let her out.
The sound of gravel crunching had me whipping around only to see a bird fly away.
We needed to get inside.
“Come on.” I lifted her out of her seat and carried her to the house.
I typed in the code and let us in and paused when I looked down.
A set of muddy footprints were right in front of the door on the concrete.
Fresh. He was there.
Watching. Waiting.
Good.
I kissed her on the forehead.
“Wake up.”
She wrapped her arms around me.
“Everything okay?”
I looked out into the grassy campus.
“Perfect.”
“Sorry I fell asleep.”
I shut the door behind us.
“You didn’t miss much. Trust me.”
“I do.”
At least that was one person in the family who did.
At least I had her. The sad part, I was caught in the middle, between duty and death, want and rejection.
I didn’t belong, did I?
I was a husband in name only, a father in name only, a bodyguard replacing a fallen one, and everyone suspected me.
Maybe she should too.
The thought haunted me, keeping me from sleeping.
I walked into her room and watched her sleep.
She’d kicked off the comforter and was hugging her pillow.
With a sigh I padded over to the bed and tucked her back in.
Her eyes snapped open.
“Shit!” I stumbled away.
Slowly, she sat up. “Sorry, I must look terrifying to make the great Ace nearly stub a toe in an effort to flee by falling out the window.”
She was beautiful; her hair was a mess around her face, her eyes were swollen from sleeping so hard.
I swallowed the dryness in my throat.
“Yes, that was my next sentence, you look like shit.”
Her eyes narrowed, she weakly reached for a pillow.
“Too much effort.”
I found myself smiling.
“Go back to sleep.”
I turned around then felt small arms wrap around me from behind.
I looked down at her clasped hands against my stomach.
What was this feeling?
Belonging? Want? Blood roared in my ears; I could count my heartbeat as it picked up slamming against my chest.
“Stay.” Her body was warm against my back.
“Please.”
My exhale was anything but calm and collected.
“Just don’t.” I licked my lips.
“Don’t make it harder than it already is, Raven, please?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry I’m not him. Maybe when you close your eyes you’ll dream of his face while sleeping next to the waking nightmare.”
I pried her hands free and went to my side of the bed.
I lay down facing away from her and stared at the wall, and for the first time in a very long time, rather than get angry—I let myself feel the sadness wrap around me like a choking blanket and tortured myself to sleep.
Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake, I pray the lord, my soul to take.
Though it deserves less.
Take it anyway.
And give her more than I can.