Chapter 20
Soren
After getting Carmine cleaned up again—and myself to the best of my ability—I leave him to sit on the couch in the living room while I check out the kitchen of this cabin we’re in. Maybe it’s more of a small cottage really. Either way, it’s where we’re stuck for the time being.
It’s not as cold as the outside, but it’s not exactly as warm as it could be. The bath, and the sex, helped.
But as my sweat cools down, I’m starting to shiver and yawn. It turns out when you were just tortured the day before, then ran for your life, it’s pretty exhausting. That’s not including carnal desires.
I look around the kitchen and I can tell that someone definitely lives here on the regular. There’s a loaf of bread on the counter, a jug of milk in the fridge…
So, while they may have been gone the last day, they’ll probably be back soon.
I look at the white-board on the fridge.
“Ah, okay,” I mumble. “Carm! Whoever lives here is coming back tomorrow. They’re visiting someone named Sheri right now,” I call to him.
Carmine comes walking in even though that wasn’t my intention to get him in here.
“I told you to stay on the couch,” I grumble. “I’ll make us something.”
“I’m fine,” he insists. “Besides, it’s warmer in here because of the electronics.” He stands near the fridge. “Hm. Looks like they have a dr’s appointment on Friday.” He tilts his head as he looks at the white board too.
“Fine fine… Think they’ll notice if we eat some of their bread?” I ask him, motioning.
Carmine steps over and lifts the wrapped loaf of bread up, it’s about half a loaf. “Honestly, we would be doing them a favor. This is going to mold before they get back,” he insists.
“Well, there ya go.” I take the bread from him and unwrap it. As I’m doing so, I look to the side and spot something I should have noticed sooner.
“A phone,” I say slowly. “Fuck, this place has a land line.”
Carmine looks over his shoulder and his eyes go wide. “How’d we miss that?” he steps over to it. “Do you think it’s actually active? Some people still have them set up but don’t actually use them.”
“Only one way to find out.” I set the bread back where it was. “Who’s safe to call?”
Carmine chews at his lip. “My brothers are likely to show up guns loaded and make things worse.”
“Rose… You mentioned that my sister told you what Eivor did. So, she must not agree with him either. I remember her number, I’ll give her a call.” I step over to the phone and take it off the hook. I hear the dial tone.
I’m not in the clear yet though. I punch the numbers in and wait.
My sister doesn’t answer.
“Fuck. Come on… Hey, dillweed pick up your phone, this is your brother. I’m stuck in a cabin in the middle of fucking nowhere.” I leave the message and hang up. I look back at Carmine, who is smirking a little bit, but his eyes are concerned.
Forty seconds later, the phone rings. I pick it up quickly.
“Soren?” Rosalie asks.
“Finally. Yeah. Can you trace this address? It’s like two miles…southwest of Tessari bay cliffs,” I tell her.
“Uhh, hold on. Is it a landline? Who still has a landline?” Rose says, and I hear her shuffling around. “Eivor finally let me out of the office, only because I promised him I would tell him if you contacted me.”
“Great. Should I be worried?” I ask her.
“No,” she insists. “I left the second he passed out last night. I’m at an Airbnb. I have my laptop and I think I have the right program to trace the call but it’s going to take a little bit. Whose cabin are you in?”
“No idea, someone who’s gone visiting Sheri this weekend,” I explain casually.
“Who the fuck is Sheri?” she asks.
“Beats me. How long is this going to take, Rose?” I glance at Carmine who is standing there with his hands in his pockets.
“Fuck you, I’m doing the best I can,” she hisses. “I don’t like being chased out of our home either.”
“You weren’t chased, you left. Eivor has people coming after me to kill me, Rose.”
She sighs. “I know. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him. He raised us. How can you just go after the kids you raised?” she mumbles the last part. “Ah, got it.”
“You’ve got the address?” I ask her.
“No, but the coordinates. I’ll be there in twenty minute according to the map.”
“Good, see you then…unless they get here first,” I tell her.
She hangs up and so do I.
“You think whoever is visiting Sheri is going to notice the extra calls?” I ask.
“If they still have a landline and a physical calendar, I’m guessin’ not,” Carmine says with a chuckle.
“How long?” he asks me.
“Twenty minutes.”
Carmine takes a breath. “Okay. Just twenty minutes. Do we steal this poor person’s food or wait until we get back to my place?”
I raise a brow. “Your place—you think that’s a good idea?”
He nods. “Yes. We’ll be safe there. I’ll call in as many guards as possible from allies since your family is out of work with us now,” Carmine tells me. “We’ll talk to my family, make sure they know you’re on our side.”
I nod slowly. “Am I though?” I ask.
“I don’t know, Ren. Are you done with your family now that they want to kill you?”
I shake my head. “Just Eivor does. Whoever he’s hiring is just following his orders, but…my family is more than him. My aunt—I doubt she’s part of this as much of a pain in the ass she is.”
“What are you saying?” Carmine steps closer. “You still want to try to deal with them?”
I look to the side for a second, thinking. “Maybe. I need more time to think. A lot has happened.”
Carmine nods. “Fair enough. But I’m not letting you go no matter what, Ren. I hope you know that.”
I step closer to him and pull him close by his waist. I kiss his lips once, then twice. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Get in, asshole, the heats running,” Rose complains. She’s sitting in the middle of the road off to the side of the house instead of in the driveway.
“We’re coming!” I snap at her, looking at her sitting in the comfortable car with the window rolled down. “Not exactly wearing shoes.”
“Do not remind me,” Carmine says with a sigh as he slides into the backseat. “I better get my wingtips back from the villa at some point.”
“I’m sure you will. Besides, don’t you have like six pairs at least?” I ask him with a chuckle. I get into the front passenger seat beside Rosalie, who looks unamused.
She rolls the window back up and is already taking off in her little sports car before we’re even buckled.
“Where are we headed?” she asks.
“Dresvanni Estate,” Carmine answers matter-of-factly.
She snorts. “Really? Are you sure about that? They won’t want to kill us?”
“It doesn’t matter what they want. They will listen to me,” he promises her.
“Fine, if that’s what you think is for the best. Eivor certainly doesn’t know what it means to listen to his family,” she snarls out as she takes a sharp turn too fast. I ignore the jostling of my empty stomach.
If I’m being honest, all I can really think about is getting to Carmine’s place and stuffing my face with something hot and delicious. For one of the first times, I’m not talking about his ass.
“Do you think he’s noticed that you left yet?” I ask her.
“Absolutely, he’s called me about twenty times now.”
I frown. “Great. What are we gonna do about him.” I sigh and shake my head. “I’m worried all we can do is take him out.”
“If we have to, I’ll be on your side, but…he’s our uncle, Soren. He’s raised us half our lives. I don’t want to…” she trails off.
“I know.”
“Despite everything he’s done,” she adds. “And tried to do.”
My hands curl into fists and my stomach is tight. “I know that too. I don’t either, but if he’s completely losing it on a power trip, we might not have a choice.”
I look into the rearview mirror and see Carmine watching us with a heavy brow himself.
It’s quiet for the remainder of the ride.
Rosalie pulls into the Dresvanni garage and we head into the house through the garage door that leads into a hallway and enters into the side of the kitchen. Exactly where I want to be.
“Hell yes,” I mumble. I immediately start digging through the cabinets.
“No, no,” Carmine pulls me by the arm. “I know, I’m starving too, but we need to talk to my brothers.”
I groan. “Alright, but there’d better be some soup or something waiting for me after,” I tell him.
Carmine nods and as we’re leaving the kitchen he approaches a member of the house staff and instructs them to cook something. Preferably a hot soup. It’s not an incredibly quick meal, but it’s easy enough and filling.
I really don’t care. I wish I’d eaten that half loaf of bread back there frankly.
“What the fuck are they doing here?” I hear an angry voice as we reach the sitting room. I recognize the face. Tommaso, one of Carmine’s brothers. The most hotheaded of all of them.
“They’re here to talk,” Carmine tells him. Tiberi is also in the room, and he rises from where he’s seated on the couch.
“The last time he was here to talk, he tried to kill you,” Tommaso snaps while glaring daggers in my direction. He tries to get closer to me, but Carmine puts his hands on his shoulders.
“I know, I know. Eivor Fiorella was the cause of that. He’s here to fix things. To settle things,” Carmine tries to settle him.
“How exactly does he plan on doing that?” Alessio’s voice comes from behind me. I feel a chill run down my spine. Something about the man is just unnerving. Not in the good way.
“Frankly, I don’t fuckin’ know,” I admit. “All I know is I don’t want to kill any of you. Much less Carmine.” I step closer to Carmine and rest my hand on the small of his back.
“Get your fucking hands off—” Tommaso growls, but Carmine shoves him away.
“He’s allowed to touch me, calm down,” Carmine hisses at him. “I know it’s…sudden. But…” He looks to me and I look back at him with an equally as worried but affectionate expression.
“I care for your brother,” I say honestly, my eyes shifting around the room and meeting Tiberi’s as Alessio steps around us.
Tiberi narrows his eyes. “Are you saying the two of you are together now then?” he asks.