Chapter 14
Fourteen
Tinsley
Christmas Eve was perfect. Kingston, Vito, Bryce, Miss Tina, Silas, Loretta, and even her mother's best friend Lotty came to the house. We exchanged presents, baked and decorated cookies, and had the most amazing dinner. We’re all sitting around the fire playing Cards Against Humanity, laughing our ass off well into the night.
I’m snuggled into Andre’s side, barely holding my eyes open when the grandfather clock chimes at midnight. I sit straight up, full of excitement.
Looking back at Andre, I beam at him. “MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
All the women in the room jump up, shouting Merry Christmas and passing out hugs. Kingston stands, pulling me into a tight hug.
When he steps back, he places his hands on my shoulders.
“Tins, I love you. You’ll always be my baby sister, and I will always have your back.
The day has come that I must hand your care over to another.
He’s promised to love you and make every day feel like magic.
And if he doesn’t, well, you know how to handle that. ”
He gives me a soft smile, kissing me on the top of my head. “Now, turn and step into the very beginning of your happily ever after.”
He uses his hands on my shoulders to turn me around to see Andre kneeling on the floor, a ring box in hand. My hands instantly go to cover my mouth.
“Earlier I told you all the ways I love and adore you. Now I just need you to say yes,” Andre says, smiling nervously.
“What exactly am I saying yes to? You haven’t asked me a question,” I sass, placing a single hand on my hip.
Andre’s eyes go dark with need. “You're right. I didn’t ask. I’m telling you, Tinsley Reeves, you're going to marry me.”
I launch myself at him. “You're damn right I am. Now take me upstairs so I can show you exactly how happy I am about this.”
Andre cups me under my ass as I wrap my legs around his waist. He spins us around, marching up the stairs. I wave goodbye to the people watching as we go. I can't wipe the smile off my face because I’m finally content for the first time in my life.
The next four months fly by. Andre and I decided to wait to have our wedding until after the baby comes. He has finally gotten things worked out, and we’ve been in a fragile state of peace.
I’m sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch talking to Silas, enjoying the cool spring day. At seven months pregnant, I’m always burning up.
“Nipote Acquisita, I think I’m losing my mind,” Silas says, sounding defeated.
His dementia has been progressing, but we were unsure if he had noticed.
“Before I comment on that, are you ever going to tell me what that means?” I ask him, not ready for the conversation we’re about to have.
“I figured at this point you would have already looked it up or asked your brother what it meant,” Silas chuckles, shaking his head.
I shrug, “What’s the fun in that?”
Silas chuckles, shaking his finger at me. “Now back to the other conversation. I think I’m losing it. I swear I’ll put something down and then come back and it’s gone or moved. I’m telling you it's not me.”
With every word he says, my heart squeezes because I’ve been feeling the exact same way.
Andre had been blaming it on pregnancy brain.
Now, I know it’s not that, and there is something going on.
My mind goes back to the night of the intruder, and my soul sinks.
Someone is in the house, and they are fucking with shit.
I stand from the rocking chair as quickly as I can with an enormous belly.
“Tinsley, are you okay, sweetie?” Miss Tina calls after me.
“Yeah, I just need to talk to Andre before I forget,” I call to her as I go.
I step into the house, and a man I don’t know that I’ve ever met steps into my path, yet he looks familiar to me.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t aware that we had guests,” I state, stepping away from him.
The man's smile is malicious. “I’m aware you didn’t know. I’ve been moving around, in and out of your home for months, waiting and watching for the perfect moment to take everything from these dumb motherfuckers.”
I want to run or scream, but I don’t know what he would do if I tried, and I must think about the baby right now.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ve met. Would you mind telling me who you are?” I make sure my tone is patient and soothing.
“Unfortunately for you, dear, truly, you’ve gotten caught in the middle of something that has nothing to do with you other than you’re attached to the puppet master,” the furious man says sincerely.
“I see. So, what's the plan now?” I ask him.
He reaches out, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the sitting room, where the furniture has already been moved around.
“You see, when Andre and the rest of the fucking Italians started showing interest in my security and logistics companies, I saw opportunities to grow and make a shit ton more money. My son, my precious confused baby, fell in love with a stupid skank who didn’t want to give him the time of day. Can you guess who that was?”
“Loretta?” I question.
He beams at me. “See, I knew you were smart. Anyway, she didn’t think he was good enough for her and would lead him on and then turn him down.
She played the victim so well she convinced the dumb motherfuckers Andre and Vito that he was stalking her.
No, she was a fucking cocktease like all the rest of the women who would treat him that way.
We were so close to making the biggest deal of my life.
We’re talking money that would set me up for the rest of my life. ”
“Your son sounds like a good man. It is really sad that women take advantage of kind men like that.” The words taste like acid as they come out of my mouth.
The man comes over to me, runs a finger down the side of my face, looking thoughtful, and then he slaps me. “You didn’t know him, so do not talk to me like you did.”
He turns away from me and goes to the window.
Looking out, he pulls a gun from under his shirt before he talks again.
“Anyway, what else was I supposed to do when the man in charge of writing the checks calls and gives two very bad options? One, throw away my future or two, let them do away with your son. So, I chose my future.”
“Oh.” My heart sinks because I now know who this man is.
“And there it is. You now understand what's happening here.” He smirks, waving me over with the gun. “You see, after I made the choice, do you know what happened? They pushed me out of my company. So now I’m going to make Andre choose you and his baby or his own life.”
I look around the room for anything to help me. Not finding anything, I make my way over to him.
“Andre isn’t in the house right now. He and Bryce are out on the other side of the property. It’s going to be nearly dark before they get back,” I tell him honestly.
“We’ll just need to find a way to entice him back to the house, won’t we?” He sits down and pulls me down onto his lap.
He moves the chair into a position that makes sure there isn’t a way for someone to get the drop on him.
I shift trying to get comfortable when the front door opens and closes.
Vito walks past us, not even looking in our direction.
The man behind me whistles to get his attention.
Vito stops walking and turns to face us.
His face grows dark, and the man that everyone fears is staring back at me.
“Tinsley, what’s going on here?” His voice is tense.
“It seems we have a very angry guest, and he wants to make a deal with you,” I say sweetly.
“I see.” Vito leans onto the door frame, portraying a lack of care. “Martin Davis, why don’t you come to my office, and we can talk about what we can do to ease your pain.”
“You’re not in charge this time, Vito. We’re doing this my way.” Martin snaps, pressing his gun a little harder into my belly.
Unable to swallow it completely, a whimper slips past my lips. Vito doesn't seem to react to this.
“Decide, Vito. Are you going to sacrifice yourself or do I take Andre’s woman and child?” Martin screams.
Vito stands tall with his arms out wide. “Martin, you should know by now that we’ll always lay down our lives for our women and children.”
“That’s why you’re all so easy to kill.” Martin smirks, pointing his gun at Vito.
“Tinsley, can you do me a favor?” Vito asks, his eyes harder than anything I’ve ever seen before. “Tell Loretta that it was worth it, and I love her.”
Tears are racing down my face as I shake my head. “I can’t let you do this, Vito.”
He gives a small shrug. “Should’ve been dead years ago. I’ve been living on borrowed time for too many years now.”
“Enough,” Martin snaps, and his gun goes from me to being pointed at Vito.
“Wait, Martin,” I say hurriedly. “If you fire that gun now, it’s going to signal all the men to come running. Why don’t you let Vito call Andre and get him here so you have the time you need to take us all out?”
His wild eyes fall on me. “Yes, I knew you were the smart one. Go ahead, Vito, call Andre. Let’s get the party really going.”