Chapter Two
Lee
Standing in front of the full-length mirror on the back of my bathroom door, my eyes skim my outfit one more time.
My maroon long sleeve wrap dress touches the tops of my knees, the neckline giving me enough cleavage to be a little risque, but not at all inappropriate.
My dark, natural curly hair is as tamed as I could get it.
Should I go? I mean I don’t have to, Nix isn’t expecting me there.
But that’s silly. It’s been fifteen years, no one’s going to recognize me.
“Lee! Are you listening to me?” My younger sister, Anneliese, pulls me out of my own head.
“Yeah, yeah I’m listening, sorry.”
“Good, so tell me again why I can’t tell Papa about this?”
“Because my friend Nix is marrying into the Byrne family. Papa says it isn’t safe, you know that. I just want to be there for her. Just one night, Annie. I’ll tell him tomorrow, I promise. Besides, Jakob is going with me.”
I was taken from my original family before I was sold into a child trafficking ring when I was seven.
I was violated, tortured, sold, and traded until I was freed at twelve years old.
The police raided the place I was held with about fifty other girls and women.
Nix was there too, she escaped, and before the next night, I was in police custody and being processed into the foster care system.
After bouncing from house to house in the system, I was adopted at thirteen.
My Papa and Mama took me in and immediately treated me just like their biological children.
My two older brothers, my younger sister, and myself are extremely close.
So much so that my older brother is going with me today.
My parents have always been open and honest with us.
I know my real dad is the head of the five Italian families.
I also know that it’s one of the most dangerous families to be a part of.
The Irish and the Italians are constantly in some sort of war.
They always have to go into lock downs and people are always threatening their families.
My Papa isn’t the leader of anything, and the business he does conduct he keeps as far away from us as possible.
My oldest brother, Jakob, owns and runs a bar in our territory.
He’s never had a single threat or instance of violence beyond the normal drunks getting mad and fighting each other.
My second oldest brother, Dieter, is a mechanic.
He owns a shop in neutral territory, and anyone with half a brain cell goes to him.
He’s the best no matter what organization we’re affiliated with.
He employs good mechanics no matter the family they come from.
I’m in I.T. I use the name Lee, and most people think that I’m a boy.
That’s the whole goal, I work from my apartment in the city, and no one is the wiser that the little girl who was stolen from these very streets now lives within them and hunts down the same men who walk it and dare to capture little girls.
Annie, the youngest, is nineteen and she’s away at Princeton for college.
She’s studying pre-med and wants to become a surgeon. She’ll do it too, she’s brilliant.
“Fine, but I want it on record that this idea sucks.”
“Noted, but I’m twenty-two Annie, I can make my own choices.” I huff in exasperation.
“I know, which is why I’m not ratting you out, yet. What’s your plan if they recognize you?” Anneliese’s voice comes out small, she’s scared. She always was the most timid out of the rest of us.
“They won’t, it’s been fifteen years, there’s no way any of them will recognize me.” A knock on my door tells me that my brother’s here. “Annie, Jakob’s here. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? I love you.” I hang up with my sister after she echoes her ‘I love you’ back.
Swinging the door open, I smile to greet Jakob, who takes one look at me and in true big brother fashion grunts out, “No, Lee. Go change.” He brushes past me, making his way into my space, and walks straight into my kitchen.
“Well hello to you too Jakob Emmett. So glad you’re accompanying me this evening instead of Dieter.” Sarcasm drips from my voice.
He looks thoroughly chastised. “Sorry, Lee. I’m just on edge. Kieran and Phoenix are cool enough, but that doesn’t make me comfortable. Especially with Declan there.”
“It’ll be fine, no one’s going to recognize me, and if they do?” I probe him for the answer we’ve been told a thousand times by now.
“Deny until the end. It’s not even a lie, though. You are my sister.”
A smile pulls at my lips because he’s right. “I know Jake, but promise me you won’t lose your cool. I just want to see Nix and congratulate her. Maybe see her dance with her new husband. We’ve been through so much, she deserves this.”
“You know Papa would never deny you this, he just would have come with you.”
“I know, but in the case that Theo Rossi is there, I don’t want to provoke that on Phoenix’s wedding day. It’s their day, I just want to see.”
“That doesn’t make this any easier. Can you please come in here and take these before we leave?
” His impatience shines through his voice, though he attempts to be gentle.
Walking into the kitchen, I hold my hand out and accept the pills he hands me.
His almost ice blue eyes watch me throw half of the pills into my mouth.
I take the water bottle he offers and take them before repeating the process with the second half.
“Thank you.”
Nodding at me Jakob holds out my black peacoat for me to slip into, “Of course, Kostbarkeit.” Treasure, it’s what my Papa and brothers have called me and Annie forever. “Okay, let’s get this over with. Dieter said he’ll be around after work if we need him.”
“We don’t need Deiter!” The protest falls on deaf ears as Jakob leads me out of my apartment.
Taking a second to really look at him, I realize he put actual effort into his appearance tonight.
He never dresses sloppy, but he spends most of his time slinging drinks behind a bar.
His uniform is made up of jeans and henleys or t-shirts.
Tonight, however, he’s wearing black dress pants and a black button-down, while his tie is the same maroon as my dress.
An accessory provided to him by our little sister, no doubt.
He and Dieter both stand seven inches taller than my five foot eight frame.
They aren’t giant and bulky like most of the Byrne men who look like they spend most of their time in a gym.
They’re built less like football players and more like swimmers.
Jake’s dark brown hair is about an inch long, while Dieter’s is long enough to put into a messy bun at his nape daily.
He leads me down the elevator, then into the garage.
He opens the door of his all black Escalade and waits for me to get in before shutting the door and rounding the hood to his side.
Getting settled behind the wheel, he shakes out his arms and rolls his neck before looking at me, “Okay, let’s do this. ”
* * *
Pulling up to the guard shack at the front of the Byrne, estate my hands begin to sweat.
The guard checks the inside of our vehicle and our invitation before flagging us through.
As we make our way down the long driveway, I begin to fidget with the hem of my dress.
My heart rate spikes, and my breathing becomes more erratic.
My hands become clammy, and I suddenly feel nauseous.
“Hey, breathe. If you’re going to freak out like this we’re going to turn back.”
“No, no. We’re here now, I’m good. Just stay right by me, okay?” My eyes plead with him. I need the comfort and safety of home, my real home, where my parents and siblings are and it’s safe. Not the battlefield we’re about to walk straight on to.
“Okay. You say the word and we leave.” He answers as he opens the door and pushes out of the car.
I know what I have to do now. My Papa was very specific, ‘You wait until we clear the area, Kostbarkeit. Only then can you exit the vehicle.’ So I wait until Jakob opens the door and helps me out of the vehicle.
He presses his hand lightly to my back as he leads me to the backyard.
The service is about to start, so we find a spot in the middle of other people who look like business associates so we blend in better.
Kieran stands tall and strong at the top of the aisle with his brothers lined up beside him.
He looks so tough, strong, healthy, and untouchable.
Unless you knew it, you’d have no idea he took a bullet to the chest just a year ago.
The music changes, and Phoenix crests the end of the aisle in a stunning ivory and lace dress.
It fits her body like it was made just for her, which it very well may have been.
Holding the most beautiful bouquet of lilies in her hands, I note the tremor in them.
That is until the one and only MacQuillian Byrne struts down the aisle, one hand in the pocket of his dress pants, like he’s walking a runway straight to her.
Their conversation is quiet. I can’t hear them from here, but it’s apparent what’s happening by the way he feeds her arm through his and walks her down the aisle.
After handing over Nix to her groom, Mac takes his place beside Kieran.
I’m half paying attention to the ceremony because I can’t take my eyes off of the too handsome best man.
He stands about the same height as my brothers.
His brown shaggy hair is styled as best as he could, and his green eyes are piercing.
He wears his three-piece charcoal suit like a glove.
He’s not as built as his older brothers; it seems the younger three inherited a slimmer build.
Still muscular, but less beast, more man.