Chapter 14
Emma
“Y ou said someone is guarding Marlo here?” I asked as Luke and I helped Jimmy stand. He was older, but fit and able to tough out the pain of slowing rising to his feet.
His expression turned guarded.
I smirked. “I’m not asking so I can run into his room and take him out. I’m not a spy.”
“You’re a Giordino.”
“Not for long. We’ll marry as soon as we can,” Luke said.
Jimmy continued to eye me closely, likely wondering if he could believe what we said.
“I love Luke,” I said simply. That was all the proof he should need about my intentions. “I choose him. Not my father or Antonio. Only Luke.”
He nodded slowly.
“You said someone is watching Marlo?” I asked again. “I’m not in the position to lower my guard. If the Marchese men came here and attacked you this severely, there’s nothing to say they won’t try again.”
“I didn’t see anyone on the drive here,” Luke said, standing to Jimmy’s left as we helped him move in a shuffling walk.
“That doesn’t mean they couldn’t be hiding.”
“True, but—”
“Then again, if they knew both you and Marlo were here in the same building, that means you would be more at risk. Marlo’s going to pass away sooner than later, so they’d expend the energy on taking you out first.” I cringed, hating that we even had to talk about this. I’d only just found Luke. I abhorred the idea of losing him—ever.
“You’re sharp,” Jimmy commented. “Quick to consider what’s important.”
I didn’t react to his praise. “The guard stop at the gate was empty. And the guard at the front door was dead.”
“They came last night. I heard the gunfire, but too many of them came before I could hide or run. Sean was with me in the study, but he rushed up the secret stairs to watch over his room. They didn’t even go up there.” He hissed as we moved faster. “That way.” He pointed. “If I can shower off all this blood, I can try to bandage it up.”
“Looks like it needs stitches,” Luke said, glancing at me.
I nodded. “I can handle it.”
“You?” Jimmy laughed once. “You sure are full of surprises. A mafia princess unafraid of blood? And knowledgeable about first aid? I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” I retorted. I was still mad that I was forced to stop my nursing education.
“After the Marcheses left, Sean checked on me and saw that I was alive. Another guard should be up in Marlo’s room.”
“Where’s Sean?” Luke asked.
“He went out to gather more security for the house. He’s checking in with capos and other crews to have them lock this place down.” Again, he glanced at me. “It seems they’ll need to come to terms with you being here, though. We don’t keep many on the force here. Marlo doesn’t want a lot of presence here, and this place has been falling apart. I do all I can to run things in his stead, but I think he’s so far gone already that he won’t notice more guards being here. Or...having guests.” He regarded me, then Luke.
“I’m not going to repeat myself,” I told him. “I’ve never been an active participant in anything to do with the Marcheses. Or my father’s schemes.”
“Innocent, huh?” Jimmy asked.
“Watch your tone,” Luke warned.
“Yes, I’m innocent,” I said hotly. “You know how these things work. Vincent Marchese and my father wanted to form an alliance. My father wanted it to happen, seeing it as a way to easy prosperity beyond what he is limited to now. Even though the Giordino family will end up being taken over with the marriage, if Antonio got me, then a lot of money would be exchanged.”
“Your father wants to use you as a bargaining chip for money?” Luke scowled.
“Money for the Giordino name and also the Marchese protection. The Marcheses have always been slightly larger and more successful than my father.”
“Is that true, though?” Luke asked. He stopped, the same as I did, when Jimmy sagged and motioned to need a break from walking.
“Is what true?” I asked.
“If Vincent and Antonio would be an ally for your father or if they’d just take over and do whatever they want.”
I shrugged, looking away. “I don’t know. And I don’t care.”
“You’d cut all ties?” Jimmy asked.
“I already have in breaking out of my home with Luke,” I replied. “I want nothing to do with my father or any of the Marchese men, ever again.”
Leaning forward to look past Jimmy and smile at Luke, I comforted myself with the familiar sense of security he prompted me to feel.
“I just want you, Luke.”
He smiled softly, gazing into my eyes with that open, sincere expression of love. “You’ve got me. Just as I’ve got you.”
Jimmy groaned, urging us to walk again. “My arm is going numb. Kiss later. I need to sit and clean up.”
We focused on getting Jimmy to his bathroom. On the way there, he explained that Marlo had been bedridden for years and confined to the upstairs room he rested in. Jimmy claimed the first floor master suite as his own, and it was here that we helped him get situated, sitting on a bench near the bathroom.
“Sean will be back soon with more security.” He whooshed out a long exhale. “He’ll keep them posted outside, rather than in the house. You two should go claim a wing and stay there until he’s back. I don’t need a guard being surprised with guests and shooting.”
“All right,” Luke replied.
I hadn’t counted on staying here, but in this case, it seemed wise. Jimmy had more to tell us. If he could get over the mistrust that had been ingrained in him—just like my lesson of loathing the Rossinis as my enemy—then he could help as a resource to keeping Luke safe.
“Do you want us to wait until Sean or a guard can come help you?”
Jimmy laughed at me. “To shower? I’ll manage.” Then he sobered. “Are you able to stitch me up?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll call out for you when I’m done.”
Luke and I left Jimmy in his room. I squeezed Luke’s hand when he took mine, like he always wanted to, and we searched the huge home. At first, I looked for any more wounded or dead guards. It was only the one at the door, and I realized that Jimmy wasn’t exaggerating when he said that they kept a barebones of a staff here.
We found a suite with a connecting bathroom and lounge area, and Luke shrugged. “This should do.”
“It will.” I hugged him tight and rested my cheek on his chest.
He held me close, granting me all the strength and comfort that I needed. That I’d always need from him. It was reassuring to know that he’d always offer it.
“I mean it, Luke. All I want is you, however this happens.” I leaned back to look him in the eye but stayed within his embrace. “If you take over the Rossini family. Or if you back out.”
He huffed. “I’m not sure backing out is an option.”
I shrugged. “You can make it an option. Regardless, whatever you decide, I’ll stand with you.”
He dipped down, brushing his lips against mine until I moaned lightly.
“And I will always choose you, Emma. I want you at my side, just like I told him. Nothing else will work.”
I smiled, amazed how we’d come to this serious point of commitment. “When I went to the resort with Krista, I did so just to live a little. To get out and have fun until the death sentence of my engagement came.”
His arms tightened around me. Lines dug in on his brow as he frowned, not a fan of what I said.
“My deepest, most secret dream was to find a glimpse of love before I would be locked into a loveless and terrible situation. I wanted to see that there was some beauty out there in the world away from my home.”
He growled. “I hate that you ever suffered under his control.”
I bet he was chanting in his mind again, reminding himself that he’d already vowed to kill my father.
And if it came to that... I’d stand by my man. It wouldn’t be a deal-breaker between me and Luke, but a solidifying sign of how far he’d go to ensure I was safe and happy.
“I only wanted to find a little hint of love.” I paused to kiss him, slipping my fingers through the silky dark hair at the base of his head. “But I hadn’t counted on meeting you and falling for you so quickly.”
“I didn’t realize how much I’d been waiting for a woman like you my whole life.”
“Even though it started so quickly between us, I mean it when I say I want this to last forever. In the good times and the bad.”
He chuckled lightly, lifting my hand. Spinning the ring so the ruby gleamed outward, he smiled down at me with such a look of adoration that I wished he’d never tire of cherishing me. “I think you accepting this ring implies you’re interested in a forever with me.”
“I am. If you’re a mafia king, then I’ll be your queen. If you step back and hide your identity for good...”
That’s not a bad idea. If he could throw everyone off by never exposing himself as Marlo’s son, that would be safer.
“Then you’ll be at my side,” he finished for me.
We kissed, then rested our brows against each other. Love transpired between us, snapping and sparking like a live wire bonding us.
“I swear it to you, Emmalina,” he vowed, “we will figure this out together . Nothing will stand between us. Not now, not ever.”
I hope so. I nodded at him. I really, truly hope so.