31. Wynter #3
It was too late for that. They kept us in the dark and I fell into the trap.
If I had known what Gio had done to Mom, I’d have never gone around Bas.
Would I? The familiar pain swelled in my chest. Love had turned bitter.
Betrayal stung. But I pushed it all down into a deep, dark corner for now. I’d deal with it some other time.
“Let’s focus on going into Morrelli’s casino and me counting cards so we can get some cash,” I told her. “Please do that for me,” I pleaded softly, my gaze finding her eyes in the rearview mirror. “Please.”
Jules’ blue eyes held mine, searching my face. For what, I didn’t know. But whatever it was, she finally caved in.
“Fine,” she agreed and Davina’s hand came to my shoulder and squeezed in comfort.
It made no sense that I told so much more to Sasha, not my girlfriends. Maybe it was easier because Sasha was a stranger until three weeks ago.
An hour later, the four of us strode into the Morrelli it was written all over him. But I felt no fear. Maybe after what happened with Gio, my tolerance for threats grew.
His mouth curved into a smile and he pushed his hands into his suit pockets. “Of course, Miss. Flemming.” Then he turned to Davina, Juliette, and Ivy. “After you, ladies.”
Juliette came up to me and the reckless cousin that she was, she whispered, “You know there are four of us. We could take him down.”
I shook my head, suddenly feeling tired of all the bullshit. As if we could take anyone down.
“He’s probably calling Uncle,” I muttered. “We haven’t done anything wrong. So let’s not kill the old man and get out of this intact.”
“But-” Juliette started and I cut her off.
“Remember the deal with Davina,” I reminded her. “No more heists.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “Such bullshit,” she huffed. “You are not even trying to be a good criminal.”
I rolled my shoulders. “Sorry, I’m preoccupied with other shit.”
Her eyes glanced my way and she finally dropped it. Five minutes later, we were in front of the luxury casino with a limo waiting for us. Nico Morrelli shuffled us into it and sat in the back with us, unbuttoning his jacket and revealing his holster.
“I better not get shipped back to Ireland for this shit,” Ivy spat. “I told you we’re the worst.”
Nico glanced at her, amusement in his expression.
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Davina assured her. “It’s probably because we left town and Liam didn’t know.”
I huddled in my seat and pressed my cheek to the window, watching the city buildings pass us.
I felt Nico’s occasional looks my way. I wondered what he knew or didn’t know.
Over the last two weeks, Sasha gave me previews of who’s who in the underworld.
According to him, Nico Morrelli was one of the few men that could get information on everyone.
Sometimes he knew stuff that people themselves didn’t know about themselves.
Did he know who I was? Some fucking Russian mafia princess. Did he know I’d fallen for the enemy?
No, my heart screamed. Basilio couldn’t be the enemy. I had to be the stupidest person on this planet, because my heart still wanted him. Only him.
My throat clogged and I dug my fingernails into my palms, focusing on the physical pain. This love for Bas splintered me apart, piece by fucking piece. I closed my eyes, fighting the tears stinging my eyes and threatening to spill.
The drive to Nico’s place passed in utter silence. It was only when the car stopped that I finally opened my eyes. We were stopped at the gate and from the looks of it, the entire property was surrounded by tall fences and trees.
The gate slid to the right and the driver drove through the entry and followed the winding road through the woods until we reached a clearing.
At the end of the clearing a large manor estate stood. It’d look immaculate and pristine, if not for kids running around.
“It’s like a fucking daycare here,” Juliette muttered and Davina elbowed her to shut up. The car came to a stop in front of the marble grand staircase, cascading in front of the house.
Jesus, talk about elaborate!
The moment Nico exited the vehicle, two identical girls that looked to be roughly seven came running his way.
“Dad, Dad.”
And I watched mesmerized as the ruthless mobster lowered down and grinned at his girls. Juliette and I didn’t have that. Not because Uncle wasn’t a caring man, but because he was on the east coast, while the two of us were mostly in California.
The pair of identical blue eyes peeked at the open door and we slowly made our way out of the limo too.
“Hello, girls,” Davina greeted them. “I’m Davina.”
“Wynter,” I introduced myself, then Juliette and Ivy followed suit.
“Sasha and the old man are here already, Daddy,” one of them announced and Juliette snickered.
“She called your husband the old man,” Juliette snorted.
“That’s your dad, woman,” Davina retorted back dryly. “And I could go for evil stepmother if you don’t quit it, Jules.”
“Now there is an idea for a Halloween costume,” Ivy said, trying to stifle her laugh.
“If you three are finished, let’s go find them before Uncle tries to kill Sasha,” I snapped at all three. “Which way is it, Mr. Morrelli?”
“Go run and tell Mommy we have four more guests,” he told the twins and the two ran off before he even finished the statement. He climbed the stairs and the four of us followed.
We took in his home. The wealth and luxury were evident everywhere. I could hear the echoes of laughter and music. A baby crying.
“Is this how happy homes sound?” I muttered under my breath.
Juliette and I shared a glance. We didn’t exactly have an unhappy childhood, but it was a quiet one. Neither one of us understood Mom’s need to have a regimented schedule for us. I understood it now, but not before.
Sometimes Jules and I would fantasize about a big family and lots of music and laughter when we were little. But then we grew out of it. We thought it was just a fairy tale.
Then realizing I'd stopped and stared in the direction of the laughter, I resumed walking past the grand foyer with a large crystal chandelier and caught up to Nico.
“We’re heading to my office,” Nico explained, directing us all to the left wing of his house. As we approached it, I could hear Uncle’s and Sasha’s voices. They both sounded angry, though I couldn’t distinguish the words that were being spoken.
The moment we stepped inside Nico’s office, the smell of cigars and viable tension slammed into me.
Two sets of blue eyes, one pale as the clearest sky and one dark as the deepest ocean, and neither looked happy.
“Sorry, Sasha,” I muttered, going for the easy first. “We were going to bring back the car.”
He shrugged. “Just a car.”
I turned to face my uncle for the first time after the night the Nikolaev men dragged us back from our Philly heist mission. His gaze raked over me, as if ensuring I wasn’t hurt. There were only a few faint bruises left on my body and my clothes covered those.
“Hello, Uncle Liam,” I whispered softly, my emotions choking me. I had never gone this long without talking to him. While I sometimes went months without seeing him, we always talked - messages, calls, emojis.
“Wyn.” He took two big strides and was in front of me. “Jesus Christ, I was worried sick.”
“I’m fine,” I murmured. He glanced at Davina and then Juliette, as if asking for their confirmation. It was the reason I couldn’t tell them everything that happened. If they knew, they wouldn’t be able to assure him, as they now did, with a straight face.
“Why won’t you come home?” he asked, cupping my cheek. “Your mother is worried sick, going out of her mind.”
Holding his gaze, I steeled myself for what I knew was coming. “You have to come home. I can have a plane ready to take us to California.”
I took a step back and shook my head. “No, not yet.”
The tension in the room grew another notch. Uncle’s eyes were full of disbelief, evaluating me. “Why not?”
Because the moment I put on a costume, my back would be bare, giving everyone a full view of scars and bruises.
“I need another week or so,” I pleaded.
Uncle shoved his hand through his hair. It almost seemed he aged ten years over the last month. We haven’t been kind to him with all our bullshit we stirred since we burned down Garrett’s house.
“Just give her another week, Liam,” Davina jumped in. “She deserves that much before her full blown training starts.”
“Why?” he demanded to know. “You can get a whole goddamn year if you want it, Wyn. I want to know why. Something happened, and I want to know what.”
I shook my head. “Nothing happened, Uncle. I-I promise,” I lied.
“If nothing happened, then come home.” He set that trap beautifully and I fell right into it. He knew it too.
Sasha knew it too and immediately came to my defenses. “Brennan, give her another week. It can’t hurt and then I’ll personally take her to California.”
And Uncle lost his shit. “I don’t want you around her, Sasha,” he growled. “I asked for tailing, not for my niece to move in with you. You and her… it will never be.”
An exasperated breath left me. “There is no he and I, Uncle,” I huffed. “Truly. He’s just giving me a place to stay.”
“Wyn, I’m trying to protect you,” Uncle growled. “You have to trust me.”
And it was then that I lost my shit. I was so sick and tired of being kept like a fragile, breakable doll and worst of all, being kept in the dark. I was oblivious to any and all dangers lurking in the shadows. I knew nothing .
Nico’s wife walked in right at that time with cookies in her hands, but my hands shook and my ears buzzed to even attempt being polite.
“Protect me?” I screeched. “You want to protect me by keeping me oblivious to EVERYTHING.” Uncle gave me a confused look. “I could look the enemy in the face and smile, and not even know they are the enemy. You know why? Because you keep me in the dark,” I screamed.
My chest rose up and down, my breathing heaved and I knew everyone was staring at me like I had lost my mind. Outbursts were non-existent in my childhood. It was all about discipline and control. Well, I fucking lost my control. I lost everything.
“Wynter, I-”
“Don’t fucking tell me any more lies,” I snapped, my voice high pitched. “If your protection means me being left in the dark and finding out who the fucking enemies are as I’m being-”
I stopped, unable to finish the statement. My ears rang, my lungs closed up, my throat tightened. It was like someone gripped it tight. Like Gio DiLustro himself choked the life out of me.
I couldn’t breathe. Every single second that ticked, the panic in my chest grew. Desperate, I fought for air, just an ounce of oxygen. Fuck, is a panic attack going to kill me , my mind whispered. I was never prone to those, but I’ve seen it on my mother once or twice.
My hand clawed at my chest, as if ripping it open would give me air to breathe. They trembled so bad, I couldn’t even do that right. The buzzing in my ears grew, this terror twisted something inside me and it wouldn’t let go.
Uncle’s face inched closer, but my vision was too hazy. I could barely focus on it. Juliette, Ivy, and Davina’s voices sounded like echoes in my brain, taking them further and further away.