Chapter 25
Sebastian
It’s been several days since the action in London happened. Finding Mia was always my main concern. I was certain Bishop had her, but when I realized her father was behind it, I didn’t know what to think.
I hate that Mia’s confused and hurting. I want to ease her pain. I want to take it all away.
We made it back stateside, and I was able to smooth things over with the other members of the Four Families to give Georgio a grand funeral.
I think he just got into some trouble and couldn’t think of a better way out.
From the back of the crowd of mourners, I watch Mia, dressed all in black, sitting beside her mother, head bowed. They’re about to bury my best friend in the ground, and I stand here conflicted on how to feel about his death.
He framed me for his crimes, but I’m no longer mad at him. The hatred that coursed through my blood when I first left the States no longer fills my veins.
At first, I felt hollow. A strange emptiness washed over me when Georgio died. I didn’t know how to feel. I didn’t want to be told how to feel either.
More importantly, I felt this unbearable pain for Mia.
As they lower Georgio’s casket into the ground a sob comes from the front, and I stuff my hands into the pockets of my black slacks. I want to rush over to Mia, wrap my arms around her, and carry her away from this place.
“We’ve got men watching Mia around the clock in case Bishop shows up,” Dean says to me, as the crowd at the cemetery disperses.
“Ok, thank you.”
Mia and her mother rise from their seats and head toward a black limo at the edge of the cemetery, and I watch every step she takes, unable to look away.
“She’ll be fine,” Dean reassures me.
I nod. “Yes, of course. I have a lot to do to get settled.” I shake his hand and walk away, heading toward Hector, Don, and Harold, the other three men in the Four Families.
“Sebastian, we’re sorry about the misunderstanding,” Don says, shaking my hand.
“It’s fine,” I say. “I would like to talk to you three about what happens next. We’ll need somebody to head up the New York organization.”
Don smiles. “Actually, we’d like to discuss you taking the operation over.”
“We’ll get together soon,” I respond.
Now that everything is in its place, I want to make sure we’re handling the Bishop Blackstone issue. We say our goodbyes, and I walk away from the men.
I nod to Jeremy, and he rushes off to pull the car around.
I know it’s odd for me to hang around Georgio’s funeral, but I don’t feel like there’s anywhere else I should be.
Someone needs to be there for Mia DeWinter. Besides, I miss her.
We haven’t had a second alone since the night they took her from my place in London. I want to check in on her, make sure she’s handling everything ok.
“Take me to the DeWinter house,” I tell Jeremy, after I slide into the front passenger seat.
“Do you think it’s a good idea to show up there? I think Serena may have an issue or two with you being there.”
Serena is Mia’s mother, and I’m sure she’s not too happy with everything that went down between her husband and me.
“She’ll have to get over it. I need to see Mia.”
“Yes, sir.” Jeremy pulls away from the cemetery and I press my thumbs at the sides of my temples. It’s been a long day. Hell, it’s been a long week, and I’m ready to put this whole mess behind me.
We’re not the only ones that pull into the circular drive of the DeWinter home. Anyone who has ever known Georgio DeWinter is here to pay their respects.
“Park around back and meet me inside,” I tell Jeremy, as I step out of the sedan.
The only person I’m looking for is the woman who’s stolen my heart. Mia.
I walk through the front doors. Doors I’ve walked through many times in the past. It’s weird to have lost Georgio the way we did. Hordes of people in black dresses and black suits mill about the living room and kitchen, drinking wine and solemnly sharing stories of the recently deceased.
I spot Mia’s mother, Serena, and scan the room, looking for the brunette who’s turned my carefully crafted world upside down.
“Where’s Mia?” I ask Sophia when I find her and Dean in the kitchen, standing at the granite island that’s loaded with comfort food.
“She’s out there.” Sophia nods toward the window.
I glance out at the garden, full of colorful flowers, where Georgio used to host parties. It’s lush green beauty doesn’t hold a candle to Mia.
“Thank you.” I pat Dean on the back and head out of the sliding glass doors into the garden.
I stride past rose bushes and topiaries, moving closer to Mia near the fountain at the rear of the yard.
The somber black dress she’s wearing with a black shawl around her slumped shoulders makes my chest ache. When I reach her, I want to touch her, shield her from life’s ugliness, but I keep my hands to myself.
“It was a good service,” she says, still looking at the bubbling fountain in front of her.
“It was beautiful.”
She’s trying not to cry and my arms ache to hold her close.
“I can’t believe all of this.” She turns to face me, tears trickling down her cheeks. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. He stole from his friends. He set you up. He kidnapped me, and planned to use me as a hostage. Yet, I miss him. I don’t know what to feel.” The tears fall faster and I wrap my arms around her.
“Mia, it’s ok to miss him. It’s ok to mourn his death.” I curl her into my chest, holding her tight, and kiss the top of her head. “I miss him, too.”
Mia weeps into my shirt and I just hold her close, telling her everything will be ok. I’ll make sure of it. I know her father left her and her mother in debt, and I plan to pay off everything and make sure the DeWinter’s are taken care of for the rest of their lives.
Even if Mia and I don’t end up together, I promised her father.
I promised I’d take care of her.
But I don’t need the wish of a dying man to tell me to take care of Mia DeWinter.
I love her.
I love her more than the moon and stars that orbit this earth.