Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
~ELENA~
“ I can’t believe you got me a cake.” I shake my head at Margie as I bite into my second piece of the chocolate deliciousness. Between this and the donuts I had for breakfast, I’m on a serious sugar high. I really need to give up sugar. I just wish it wasn’t so delicious. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”
“We’re happy you’re here with us,” she says and taps her plastic solo cup to mine before taking a sip of her cola. “Besides, six years as an employee is something to celebrate. As you know, it’s not easy to keep loyal employees around here.”
“Hey,” Chad says with a frown. “I’m only six months behind Ally.”
“And you’ll get a cake, too,” Margie says with a wink. “Thanks for staying a little late so we could celebrate.”
“Thanks for the celebration,” I reply happily. “It was a nice surprise.”
I finish my cake and lean over to hug Margie.
“Also? All those people who quit didn’t have the chops for this job. Taking care of baby animals isn’t all snuggles and cute photos. It’s hard when they die, and when they’re sick. It’s not a reflection on you, Margie.”
“I know. Sucks, though. I sure appreciate you and Chad for stepping up in such a big way over the past year. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“You’d have been on a lot of medication,” Chad says with a laugh. “To stop from going crazy.”
“You’re not wrong.”
“Ally’s right,” Beverly, the new girl, says after setting down a tiny bear cub that was found on someone’s back porch. “It’s not easy. I know I haven’t been here long, but there were moments when I thought I wasn’t cut out for this.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re quitting,” Margie says, her face transforming into panic.
“No,” Beverly says. “I’m not quitting. But the first couple of weeks were rough. So, I also have to give props to Chad and Ally for being here so long.”
“I’ve wanted to do this job since I was a little girl,” I admit.
Margie’s eyes light up at something behind me, and I turn to see Archer walking toward me. “I like him.”
“Me, too.”
He’s tanned and wind-blown and everything I’ve ever wanted in my life. And he’s finally mine. He loves me, and he’s sticking.
I think it’s crazy, and I don’t know how we’ll work it all out, but I’m here for it.
A woman would be stupid to turn Archer Montgomery down. And I’m no fool.
“You’re having a party without me?” Archer asks, his blue eyes intent on the cake, making me laugh. “With food?”
“You’ll have to take a piece to go,” I inform him. “My car is ready to be picked up. Finally.”
“You don’t like my car?” Archer’s already stuffed one piece of the cake into his mouth and grabbed another for the road.
“I like it fine, but I need my own set of wheels. So, let’s go get it.”
Margie laughs, waving us off. “See you tomorrow, kiddo.”
“Have a good night.” We walk out to Archer’s Audi. I’m in an incredible mood. I feel like I have the best life in the whole world. “They surprised me because I’ve officially been at the job for six years.”
“Very nice,” he says and leans over to kiss me. “They’re good people.”
“Yeah, I think so, too. I’m excited to get my car back. And then I have plans to have drinks with Lindsey later this afternoon after she gets off work. We’re just going to the bar at the resort, keeping it simple, but it’ll be good to see her. We haven’t had any girl time in a long while.”
“I love it when you’re in a good mood,” he says as he kisses my fingers, driving toward the auto shop.
“It’s been a wonderful couple of weeks,” I say and roll the window down so the breeze can flow through my hair. “I have no complaints.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he says as he parks in front of the garage. I feel like I’m almost bouncing as we walk inside, and the smell of motor oil and rubber tires hits me.
“Hey, Ally,” Lee says with a wave from behind the counter. “We’ve finally got you all fixed up. Sorry it took so long. We’ve been pretty swamped.”
“No worries. It all worked out.” I lean on the counter and smile at the older man. “How much do I owe you?”
He gives me the figure, and I whistle.
“Wow. It was really broken.”
“I warned you it would be better to scrap it,” Lee says.
“This should get me through for another year.” My voice sounds more confident than I feel, and by the look on Lee’s face, he also has his doubts.
“I can point you in the direction of an honest used car person when you’re ready,” Lee says as he passes me my receipt.
“Thanks. For everything. Have a great weekend.”
I wave, and with my keys in hand, turn to Archer.
“I’ll follow you home?”
“Sounds good, babe.” He leans down to kiss me lightly, smacks me playfully on the ass, and we go our separate ways to our vehicles.
Yes, it’s a damn good day.
I adjust my seat and mirror, roll down the windows to clear out some of the mustiness from it sitting so long, and start the engine.
It fires up and purrs like a kitten.
Okay, it sputters a bit, but it’s running, and that’s the most important thing.
Archer pulls out ahead of me, and when I’m behind him, we take off toward his house. I can’t help but turn the radio up and sing along with the Journey song wailing through the speakers.
I have a few hours before I’m due to meet with Lindsey. I can either jump on Archer and have my way with him for a while, or head over to my cottage and start cleaning up the remnants of that fiasco.
I just haven’t had it in me since the robbery to go in and start dealing with the mess. It’s going to take several days. And now that it’s been defiled so badly, it’s lost its luster for me. I know I’ll eventually have to go back and make it my home again, but for now, I’m procrastinating.
Not to mention, I’m in a fantastic mood, and I don’t want to ruin it.
So, jumping Archer’s bones, it is.
I smirk as I pull in behind Archer in his driveway. Movement in my rearview catches my attention, and I frown when I see a black SUV pull in behind me.
No.
My good mood evaporates, replaced by swift, all-consuming fear.
I step out of my car, just as my cousin Rocco climbs out of the driver’s seat of the SUV. But he smiles at me, and that loosens the knot in my stomach, just a smidge.
Then my cousin Shane gets out of the back seat, and when his eyes lock on mine, he winks.
Okay, maybe this won’t be so bad.
But then Carmine gets out of the SUV, and the fury on his face has my stomach clenching all over again.
“You have exactly fifteen seconds to get the fuck off my property,” Archer says from behind me. He plants his hands on my shoulders, and I watch in horror as Carmine pulls a gun from under his jacket and points it at us.
“Wrong,” Carmine says. His jaw is tight, and his brown eyes are locked on mine, his expression filled with hurt and anger and more that I can’t read. I want to hug them all. I’ve missed them. And I’m terrified of what’s about to come next. “You’re both going to get in the car.”
“No,” I say immediately and step in front of Archer, shielding him.
“You’re coming with us, or I’ll kill him here and now. And trust me, Elena, I have no problems doing exactly that.”
“He has nothing to do with this,” I insist.
“Uh, yeah, babe, I do,” Archer says and kisses my hair. “I go where you go.”
“No.” I turn and stare up into his eyes. “ No. You can’t save me from this.”
“I told you,” he says, “I’m in for the long haul, no matter how it shakes out. I’m not leaving you to fend for yourself. I’ll never do that to you.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“As entertaining as this lover’s spat is,” Shane says, “we have things to do. Get in the fucking car. Both of you.”
I press my lips together and will myself not to cry. This is it. This is the moment when my life is being torn away from me. The moment when everything I’ve worked so hard for over the years is just gone.
“Hey.” I turn at the sound of Rocco’s voice. He’s standing closer now, and his voice is softer than Carmine’s. “We really do need to go, Elena. Once we get where we’re going, we can talk, okay?”
“You have to promise me you won’t hurt him.”
“You know I can’t do that,” Rocco replies. “Come on. We’ll figure this out.”
Archer takes my hand in his and leads me to the black SUV.
We have no choice.
I don’t know how much time passes. No more than a few hours, I’d guess. We flew in the family’s plane to Seattle and are holed up in an apartment in the heart of downtown.
“I thought for sure you’d take us to Uncle Carlo’s office,” I say to Carmine, who’s currently pacing the floor.
“Why would we do that?”
“Because he’s the boss.”
His eyes narrow into slits. “So you have been paying attention to the family all these years.”
“I had to keep tabs on things. I’m not stupid, Carmine.”
His hands slide into his pockets, and he doesn’t look away from me when he says to the others, “Give Elena and I some time alone.”
“You heard the man,” Rocco says, nudging Archer out of the room.
“I stay wherever she is,” Archer insists.
“He won’t hurt me,” I say. “He’s mad at me, but I’m safe with him, Arch. I promise.”
Archer squeezes my shoulder and then leaves the room with my cousins, and Carmine and I are left alone.
God, how I’ve missed this man. He was basically a brother to me my whole life. He was my protector. My confidante. My best friend.
“What—?” I begin, but he cuts me off with one look.
“What the fuck were you thinking ?” he demands.
“At what point, Carmine? When my parents were brutally murdered, and I was afraid I was next?”
“We would have protected you,” he says, pacing the room again. “ I would have protected you.”
“How? They managed to kill my father, and as much of a bastard as he was, he wasn’t stupid. He couldn’t protect himself or my mother. I was a sitting duck, and Grandma knew it. So, she got me out of there and told me to wait for her to send for me. Which she never did.”
“Un-fucking-believable,” he growls and pushes his hand through his dark hair. “Do you realize that we thought you were dead? The three of us mourned you.”
“I’m sorry.” My voice is soft as I think of these three men that I love so much hurting over the thought of losing me. “I’m so sorry that it had to be that way.”
“It didn’t have to be that way. After everything I’ve been through in my life, I’ve never felt this betrayed, Elena. And I didn’t expect that treachery to come from you , someone I trusted with my life.”
“It’s not like I deliberately did anything to you,” I say in my defense. “I had to disappear. And for eight years, I’ve been safely hidden away, living my life. I will not apologize for loving that life, Carmine.”
“So, you go away, and you live your fun life away from the family for eight fucking years. None of us knows. And then one day, you attend a funeral, and we find out about it, and we’re supposed to just leave you be?”
“So you did recognize me.”
“I’d know you anywhere,” he says. “Not only did you betray me by leaving, but now I have to punish you, Elena. I have to hurt you, the one person in this world that I never want to hurt. All because you couldn’t be loyal to the family.”
“I DIDN’T CHOOSE THIS FAMILY!” I yell, surprising us both. “I don’t want any part of this life, Carmine. And I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings because I love you so much, but the mafia life isn’t something I want.”
“That’s not how this works, and you know it.” He paces away and then comes back to me again. “You don’t get to fucking choose.”
“Now you sound like my father.”
“Your father was a pitiful excuse for a human being. He was a horrible boss, and a deplorable husband and father. But in this, he wasn’t wrong, Elena. You don’t walk away from this family, or from this life. Gram gave you an eight-year vacation, and that’s over. It’s time to get back to real life and accept the consequences of your actions.
“But I’ll tell you this: no matter how much you hate the fact that you’re part of this family, you can either make it work for you or against you. That’s something you never understood.”
“It’s always against me if I can’t be with the man I love, Carmine.”
“That’s another thing,” he says and shoves his hands into his pockets. “You didn’t trust me enough to let me know that you were okay, that you were hiding, but you’ve been shacking up with Archer all this time?”
I shake my head. “You obviously haven’t been watching me for long. Archer found me about a month ago.”
“And you just fell right back into bed with him.”
I feel the blood drain out of my face and then surge back into my veins with fury.
“Let me be clear, Carmine. We didn’t split up because we fell out of love. We split because my father beat the shit out of me and threatened to kill him if I didn’t break it off.”
Carmine’s eyes turn sober.
“He hurt you ?”
I turn and lift my shirt and hear Carmine’s quick gasp from behind me.
“He tortured me for days, then showed me a live feed of Archer and his sister, with one of his goons ready to fucking kill them both. I wasn’t given a choice. Because I don’t have the right to choose, remember?”
“You never told me that he did that to you. You know that goes against what we believe in.”
“And you know that he didn’t give a shit about me. He just wanted to control me. In any way he could. So, yeah, when Grandma gave me the option to run away, I grabbed onto it with both hands, and I never looked back. No matter how much I missed you and Shane and Rocco. Because any family who would do this to me is one I want no part of.”
“Well, you’re back now,” he says, and then his shoulders sag in defeat. “Fuck, Elena. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from that piece of shit. I’m sorry that he ever laid hands on you. I would have been there?—”
“You were hardly more than a kid yourself, with no clout in the family yet, Carmine. There was nothing you could have done.”
I feel the tears threatening.
“I know you’re angry and hurt, but I did miss you. All three of you. And I wondered about you often. When I came home for Grandma’s funeral, I wanted nothing more than to hug you. I walked right past you. I knew I shouldn’t have gone at all, but I loved her so much. I had to thank her for saving my life.”
He turns to look out the window.
“A part of me died when you left,” he admits, his voice quiet again. “I think the good parts of me died.”
“That’s not true.” He turns back to me with tormented eyes, and I can’t hold back any longer. I walk to him and wrap my arms around him, holding on tight. Slowly, he returns the hug, and we stay that way for several long moments. “You’re a good man, Carmine.”
“No. I’m not, Elena. I can’t be given the line of work I’m in. But I love you, and I’ll do what I can to protect you.”
I pull back to look up into his handsome face.
“What will Uncle Carlo do?”
He sighs. “I don’t know.”