Chapter 2
Francesca
Grief is the ultimate price we pay for love. Some may wonder if it’s worth it in the end, but a loveless life is nothing but a living death.
What’s the use in diving into the ocean if you can’t feel the water?
That logic is only clear for the spectators. The people rubbing condolences into your fresh wound with meaningless words that do nothing to tame the agonizing beast inside your chest.
I knew the pain. It wasn’t so long ago that we’d lost Amelia. It was still fresh in my memory, in my mind, and in my heart.
There was nothing I could do to ease Matt’s pain, and watching such a strong man breaking down burned a hole right through my chest. I could only be here beside him, hold his hand, and help him swat off the vultures that tended to come out and feed.
It hurt to see him hurt. If there was any doubt in my mind about my feelings for my husband, the way his pain affected me was a clear indicator of how much I loved him.
Matt had just lost the man who had filled his father’s place when they’d strayed so far from each other that they couldn’t find their way back. Giancarlo Battaglia was the father figure my husband looked up to, admired, and loved with all his heart.
Losing him had Matt sinking into a numbed state.
It had been three weeks since that horrendous phone call, and still, there was this mist of lethargy that wouldn’t lift.
Apart from our little excursion to a Yakuza warehouse on the day of the funeral, we hadn’t gotten any news about Hiro’s whereabouts. The information Hiro’s brother had given us about the Bratva’s involvement turned out to be a dead end. It was no surprise, though. Ambassador Volkov would make sure that any whisper about their operation was silenced before it could even hit the wind to spread.
Those fuckers could have no morals or limits, but they were competent to a fault.
Every day, Matt put on a mask of serenity when we visited Liam at the hospital. Today was no different. He was on his way to a full recovery, but multiple gunshot wounds weren’t something that would magically heal overnight, especially since he had to be rushed into surgery more than once.
Jamie had been a wreck, a shell of herself, shaky and jumpy, to say the least.
This was not the life she had chosen for herself. Her only sin was to love a man who did. The kind of traumatic experience she had just gone through was something that healed a lot slower than physical wounds.
Alison had tried to coerce her into moving into her apartment, but instead, Jamie set up camp at the hospital and hardly left Liam’s side. I made it my mission to be with them every day. Both Alison and Jamie were hurting, and even if it was just to sit around in silence, it was always better to do it with company.
Jamie had slowly managed to speak about what happened without breaking into uncontrolled sobs. They were on their way to our house for dinner, Liam behind the wheel, with Mike and Jimmy in the car behind them. Don Battaglia was in the back seat. A car came out of nowhere, ramming straight into them with such force that their car tipped over.
Hooded men pulled Don Battaglia out of the car while Liam tried to retaliate as best he could, still stuck in his seat behind the wheel. Mike and Jimmy quickly came to their aid, but they couldn’t get close enough, bullets flying everywhere, not allowing them to get near the car.
She watched as the men killed him in short-range, execution-style, shooting at Liam after that. She kept hidden the best she could while grabbing her phone to call Matt.
Mike and Jimmy finally managed to take two of the guys out before pulling Liam out of the car. Jamie rushed to stop Liam’s bleeding as the guys covered them in protection. All this happened in a matter of seconds.
She shook in terror every time we spoke about it. The thought that she could lose the love of her life, as Liam lay there lifeless and bleeding profusely in the middle of the road, was a nightmare no one should have to relive.
“He was just laying there, Francesca. Saying goodbye, telling me he loved me and that I was the best thing that ever happened to him before he blacked out. I’ve never been so scared in my whole life. Not even when Mercier kidnapped me or tried to rape me,” Jamie explained. The same tale each and every time in differently elaborated sentences, but always with the same image behind them.
Jamie was scared then, and she was still scared now. Scared that this life would steal the most precious thing she had – Liam.
Life is a fragile thing.
Mike and Jimmy had only seconds to search the two men they took out before police were swamping the scene, looking for any evidence of who was behind the attack. Their bodies were heavily covered in scale and dragon tattoos. One of them had the tip of their pinky missing.
That was pretty much the confirmation of what we already knew. The Yakuza were behind it, the ultimate payback, ten years overdue.
Matt had been a fidgeting mess, eager to get his hands bloodied up and carry out the vendetta he had sworn to personally see through. It consumed his every thought, his every breath.
So here we were, at the hospital in a family/business meeting that he had scheduled, now that Liam was well enough to take part.
The circle was small and personal. Just me, the three Battaglia siblings, Jamie, and our most trusted men, Max, Mike, Jimmy, and James.
Matt hadn’t revealed anything about what his intentions were for this meeting. He had closed himself up in spades, not letting the tiniest detail slip.
Just like Jamie with Liam, I was afraid that I had lost a part of Matt to all this. That losing his grandfather so suddenly would make him retreat into a shell I couldn’t force open. I’d been trying to pry my way back into his circle of trust, which right now consisted of no one but himself.
“Thank you all for coming. I know these are more than abnormal circumstances, but it’s time to move forward. First of all, Liam, you’re fired!” Matt said, his tone stone cold and serious, catching us all completely off guard.
I opened my mouth to protest before he held his hand up, making everyone calm down and tune their shock to the minimum.
“I can’t bear the thought of losing my brother, and neither can Jamie. So you are free to finally take your place at Dad’s company. That’s your true passion, and I want nothing more than for you to live the best life you can. That’s your destiny, and that’s what you should be putting all your focus and hard work into.”
Matt walked over to Liam, taking him into the tightest hug his injuries allowed before turning to Jamie and hugging her, too.
My husband breathed honor, and his family was the center of his universe.
“Second, I will be personally taking care of this vendetta. I made the promise on my grandfather’s grave, as they lowered him into that damn hole, that I would bring him justice, and that I would make the man that killed him pay with his life for taking his. An eye for a fucking eye.”
An eerie silence filled the place, not a soul daring to speak.
“While I’m focused on that, my wife will take care of the business here. I am counting on all of you to help her whenever she needs, with whatever she needs, showing her the exact same respect and loyalty you’ve shown to me until this very day. She’s a Battaglia, and she will succeed in steering our businesses onto the right and profitable course,” he continued, pointing to the men before turning to me, taking my hands in his. “This is your dream. This is what you’ve always wanted but couldn’t have. I have total faith in you, and I know you will do an amazing job. I will be with you every step of the way.” He sealed our deal with a passionate kiss, pouring all the trust and love he had for me into it.
But he wasn’t done yet.
“Third, there’s nothing I can possibly say that can truly translate how grateful I am to have you all by my side. You four,” Matt pointed to his trusted soldati , “have been an unwavering source of honor and loyalty. I will not forget what you have done to protect this family, and you will all be rightfully compensated accordingly. But the war is far from over, and I will ask you to fight again and be there to protect our business and our family, because that’s what we are. A Family . And this is how we will win this war, as a family that trusts each other, laying our lives down for each other.” Shivers ran down my spine in the same compass as Matt’s touching words.
After lingering around for a while longer, we all left the hospital, with the exception of Jamie, who was left comfortably curled in Liam’s bed.
I felt Matt’s demeanor change drastically as we walked through the barren halls, his pace quickening and his grip on my hand tightening.
“Alison, I know you have Jax’s contact.” He grunted, and from the corner of my eye, I could see Alison’s shoulders slumping. She knew exactly what he wanted before he even had to ask. “Get him to Dea Tacita. I need to have a little chat with him.”
The savage meaning behind his words was clear to every one of us, and although I could understand, my heart tightened at the thought. There was no question that I had to tag along or they would kill each other if they found themselves in a room all alone.
I dared a glance towards Alison, clearly seeing that she would most definitely be there, too. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she set Jackson up for that gruesome encounter, knowing that she wouldn’t be there to make them calm down and actually talk for once.
It was impossible for me to believe that Jackson had taken any part in this, but it was clear that Matt thought the exact opposite.
◆◆◆
“You summoned?” Jackson asked as he walked into Matt’s office, Max tailing closely behind with an unusual frown on his face. I was sure he knew what was about to happen, probably even sharing Matt’s suspicions.
Matt got up from his seat with an unsettling calmness, making his way towards where Jackson was standing, his head hanging low. Everyone in the room was expectant of Matt’s words, but they never came.
Instead, as soon as he was close enough, he suddenly swung his right fist straight into Jackson’s jaw, sending him straight to the ground.
Jackson shook it off before standing again and charging at Matt, his shoulder pushing into Matt’s center and knocking him to the ground with a loud thud. The sound of punches and grunts bounced off the walls as they fought on the floor, spinning and taking turns between hitting and getting hit.
“MAX! Do something! Get them off each other!” Alison screamed in despair.
“I can’t. Boss’s orders.” He replied nonchalantly, shrugging unfazed. A light, satisfied grin on his face that I had a faint clue was driven by the sight of Jackson getting hurt.
“YOU’RE IN ON IT AREN’T YOU?” Matt shouted as he straddled Jackson’s body, punching him to the rhythm of his own words.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Jackson replied as soon as he managed to swing Matt around and onto the floor, landing a couple of blows to his face.
Panic started seeping into my bones. This “conversation” was getting them nowhere but admitted to a hospital. Matt managed to stand up again, with Jackson following his gesture, both of them preparing to entangle their bodies again in this violent, useless fight.
Without thinking twice, I stepped in front of Matt, turning my back to him, my gun tightly clenched in my palm, pointed at an enraged Jackson.
“STOP!” I shouted, and to my husband’s surprise, I turned around, pointing at him, too.
Alison quickly caught up on my idea and stood in front of Jackson, placing her hands on his chest, trying to make him calm down. I glared at Matt, swallowing dryly. His eyes were set on me, his nose flaring in uncontrolled anger. Somehow, with that death glare in his eyes, it seemed like I was the one looking down the barrel of a gun that was ready to go off.
“YOUR FATHER KILLED HIM!” Matt shouted towards Jackson, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel all the pain that those words bore, the anger making way for agony.
“WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO FUCKING UNDERSTAND THAT I AM NOT MY FATHER?”
“When I have solid proof that you’re not. I know you are behind this. The apple never falls far from the fucking tree.”
I turned my head towards Jackson, watching his rage flaring up as if Matt had poured gasoline all over him with his words, his chest heaving in fury.
“I’M DEA! Is that far enough from the fucking tree for you?”