Chapter 35
As my watchvibrates on my wrist, my eyes flash open and I shoot forward in bed. My ears are on high alert as I force through my grogginess to listen for an alarm. It’s quiet, which means I must’ve just gotten a text and the only people who can bypass the silencers on my devices are people who need immediate responses. “Fuck,” I moan as my head begins to ache. “I’m getting too old for this shit.” I bring my hands to my face and wipe the sleep from my eyes. It’s then that I look at my watch and find, sure enough, I’m running on only four hours of sleep. But, as I take in my surroundings—the plush floral-print comforter, the intricate woodwork of the four-poster bed—a sense of calm chases away my stress, mostly because of the woman lying next to me.
Anastasia looks so peaceful with no makeup and her hair sprawled across the white pillows. Thankfully, my sudden movements and expletive didn’t wake her. Whatever this text is about—although, I’m sure I know—hopefully, I can handle it before she wakes. It’s not that I’m back in the business of keeping secrets, but seeing the fear in her eyes last night lets me know it’s best to spare her the details of my work until it’s absolutely imperative that she know. Gently, I lean down and kiss her hair. As I do, I inhale her sweet scent and take it with me as I quietly make my way out of bed.
The second my feet hit the ground, Brinkley darts toward me. “Jesus,” I curse. The little fur ball almost gave me a heart attack. As if to apologize, he licks my toes. I smile to myself and shake my head. “You’ve got to piss, don’t you?” He tilts his head to the side. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” I snatch him up and take him with me. Making my way out of the bedroom toward the living room, I grab a blanket off the couch and tie it around my waist. Then, Brinkley and I head outside, down the alley to the back of her cottage where I find she’s set up a raised bed of sorts with just enough grass for Brinkley to do his business. Hmm, that was smart. Thankfully, he knows the drill and quickly pops a squat, kicking his little feet behind him as he finishes.
“Alright, let’s go.” Brinkley races me back to the door, which lets me know I’m supposed to feed him next. Back inside, I grab his fresh food from the fridge and prepare his bowl just the way I’ve seen Ana do fifty times before. I almost make the mistake of giving him water from the sink, but then remember his work-up and give him filtered water from the fridge. He spins around five times as I lower the two bowls to the floor.
As he dives in, it amazes me how much my life has changed since meeting Anastasia. Hell, since meeting Brinkley. Though, as the thought comes to me, I’m reminded of the text that woke me and hope it’s not an indication of more big changes to come our way. I never thought I’d say this, but everything is perfect now and change is the last thing I want.
With Brinkley occupied, I head to the bathroom, relieve myself, and hop into the shower. I give myself a quick five-minute scrub to help wake myself up and get the places I didn’t get as good last night. Then I grab my clothes from the dryer, get dressed, brew myself a cup of black coffee, and sit on the sofa for a moment of silence before getting down to business.
Business—I unlock my phone to find not just a text from Gio but three missed calls from Aidan. “Great,” I groan. Aidan didn’t leave a text or voice mail, though I’m sure he’s just wondering why his men didn’t return last night. That conversation won’t be a quick one, so instead, I check to see what Gio has to say. In typical Gio fashion, his message is short and vague. He needs me at the Compound as of thirty minutes ago. I text him that I’ll be there in ten minutes and finish the rest of my coffee, which soothes what’s left of my headache.
As I set the empty cup on the coffee table, Brinkley hops up on the couch to lie beside me. It’s then that I remember he’s used to having a morning walk. “Well, little buddy, you want to see what Damon really does for a living?” He looks at me and licks his lips. “No, I don’t have any more food, heifer.” I get up and Brinkley follows me back to the kitchen. I find a piece of paper and leave Ana a note letting her know I’ve taken him for a walk so she isn’t worried if she wakes before I get back. Perhaps, subconsciously, I take Brinkley as an insurance policy that I do, in fact, make it back.
I don’t know what I’m walking into. It could be a simple meeting with Gio to discuss the events of last night, which is standard procedure after calling for a cleanup. Or it could be another ambush meeting with Aidan where he threatens to cancel my contract and take Anastasia away from me depending on how angry he is about his men not returning from their mission. A third option does pop into my mind as I awkwardly maneuver Brinkley into his harness. Gio knows I was with Anastasia last night, and he saw the state of the parlor when he arrived to supervise the cleanup and repairs to the front door. Which means he saw our discarded clothes. Surely, he wouldn’t have outed me to Aidan, because if he did, I’m as good as dead. Or, at a minimum, I’ve already broken my promise to Anastasia that her brother doesn’t have to know about us until she’s ready. But after the last time Gio and I saw each other, he may be more interested in maintaining his alliance with Aidan than keeping the peace between Aidan and me. My stomach twists as this new possibility comes to mind. But since I can’t keep Gio waiting any longer, I grab Brinkley and we make our way from Ana’s to the Compound next door.
“Time to face the music,” I mumble to myself. “Or mayhem.”
* * *
“Enjoy your beauty rest, princess?”Gio asks from the second-floor balcony overlooking the courtyard inside the Compound.
“Yeah, beauty rest,” I scoff. Gio cracks a smile and shakes his head as he spots Brinkley. The curious white fluff is already tugging against his pink leash.
“I never thought I’d see the day. This girl’s got you wrapped around her little finger.” I suppose it’s only fitting since I have her wrapped around my dick. I shake my head and bend down to let Brinkley off his leash as Gio descends the iron stairwell to join us.
“I have to say, I’m almost surprised it’s just the two of us given the last time I saw you.” With Brinkley free to roam, I stand tall as Gio reaches the final few steps. He nods and shoves his hands in his pockets, not surprised by my lingering bitterness.
“I deserve that,” he admits.
“You deserve a lot more.” Yes, things with Anastasia have worked out for the best, but what he did in working behind my back to organize this whole thing is still wrong. With tensions rising around us, I need to know I can still trust him. And if I can’t, if his allegiance is more to Aidan than it is to me, then I need to start acting accordingly, especially now that I’m involved with Anastasia.
“Maybe.” Gio nods. The two of us meet each other halfway and come to stand next to the fountain. “But sometimes the things we don’t want to have to do are the necessary things we must do.”
“I can accept that. But, Gio, I need to know that we’re still on the same side. I need to know that you’re going to be upfront with me, because if I can’t trust you, then I can’t trust anyone. And we don’t stand a chance in the war we both know is coming.”
“Damon, you should never question my loyalty to you. We’re family.”
“Yes, we’re family and you still agreed, no, forced me to sign a contract that gives Aidan Cross permission to kill me should anything happen to Anastasia.”
“And you honestly think I’d allow him to enforce it?” Gio raises his brows. He takes a deep breath and sits in the chair I hate. “Damon, this whole thing—Alister leaving, the alliance with the Irish, everything I’m doing to make sure the FBI’s investigation into the Amatos fails—it’s a chess game. We’re allowed very few mistakes before we lose everything. Pissing off Aidan Cross within his first month in New Orleans was not a mistake I was willing to make. But, should it come to it, I will take him out before I let him come after my family, before I let him come after you, no matter the consequences. Because family is everything. And that’s a sentiment I know Alister would back.”
Gio’s words are everything I needed to hear three months ago, but didn’t. Now that I’m involved with Anastasia, I’m not exactly keen on anyone taking out Aidan as I know it will destroy her. But it’s nice to know I still have a brother in this city. I take a deep breath then and sit on the edge of the antique fountain.
“Thank you, Gio. That’s what I needed to hear. But it feels like we already have lost everything. After what Aidan did to Angelo, things are going to get bloody and complicated fast. The men he forced to watch Angelo’s torture and execution are going to go after him and who’s to say they won’t employ some help?”
Gio nods as realization dawns on him. “From the capos Aidan has forced into submission.”
“Yeah, they may see this rising rebellion as a way to get out of paying the Irish the massive cut they’re taking from their business, but we both know it’s a suicide mission. Because even if they do manage to kill Aidan Cross, Josephine and her men will retaliate.”
“And the entire alliance will crumble. No one with Italian blood in this city will be safe, including those of us on the sidelines,” Gio says, looking as grim as I feel. Gio and I are both quiet as the weight of this conversation and our new dilemma sinks in.
Three months ago, had Aidan done what he did, I probably would’ve led the charge against him even though it would’ve meant going against Alister’s command. But everything is different now, because maintaining this alliance is the only way to keep Anastasia safe. Not to mention, if Gio is still playing chess, then it must be for a reason. He still has hope for Alister’s return just as I do. And though we may not know what his return will mean for us or the Mafia, one thing is certain. If this alliance falls apart while the Mafia is fractured and allegiances among the capos are questionable, there won’t be an organization left to salvage should Alister choose to. There’s more than one reason to protect this alliance—I see it now—even though the more time that passes, the more I truly only care about the first one—Anastasia.
It isn’t lost on me that Alister would say the same thing about Ariana. I guess love does make you do unusual things. Thinking of Alister makes me remember the several reasons why he chose to align himself with Josephine and the Irish in the first place. The most important of which is that they are powerful enough to defeat any threats against them. They are capable of keeping this city safe, and that’s what he wanted for his love, Ariana—safety and security—until he can return to her. Alister would not stand for this rebellion, even if it is Aidan’s fault, which means neither can we.
My shoulders slump and I lean forward, burying my face in my hands. I don’t like the idea of just sitting back and watching Aidan slaughter our people, but I know after what they were forced to witness, there’s no negotiating with them to end this before it begins. And it’s not like Gio and I even have the numbers to execute those negotiations safely. The only men with unquestionable loyalty to the Amato family, and thus to us, are the men of BB, Gio’s family based out of Miami, and Gagliano and his men here in New Orleans. But Alister wouldn’t want us to drag Gagliano into this because of Ariana. And the only other ally that comes to mind is Cassio. But, again, his involvement would involve Sophia, and Alister wouldn’t want that either. Our hands are tied and this realization leaves me feeling sick and powerless.
Gio said this was a chess game. In chess, the game ends with the death or capture of the king. Alister may be alive, but it feels like we’re out of moves. And not knowing how big the movement against Aidan is only makes the potential threat against Anastasia more worrisome.
As if reading my thoughts, Gio says, “Alister knew this alliance might be met with resistance and he trusted Josephine and Aidan as her proxy to handle it. So we’re going to trust them to handle it too, even if we don’t like how they handle it.”
I take a deep breath and force myself upright. “I know.” My job isn’t to be a diplomat or defend Aidan, despite my vested interest in his survival. My job is to protect Anastasia, and while that just became a lot harder, the best way for me to do that is to stay as far away from this conflict as possible.
“But, Damon, you need to reconcile something right now before we discuss anything further.” I turn to Gio and watch as his lips fall into a flat line and his eyes go dark. I’ve seen that look before. It’s the one he wears when he’s preparing for battle. He disassociates and acts without hesitation, without regret. “Anyone who disobeys our king is no longer our blood, no longer our brother. If it comes to it, remember, they aren’t our people anymore. I will protect the alliance and you will protect Anastasia—without hesitation.”
“Trust me, when it comes to Anastasia, there will be no hesitation. That should go without saying after what you witnessed last night at the parlor.”