CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Victoria
I was sure Az was trying to kill me. We'd met in the gym so he could continue my self-defense lessons for a second day in a row, and he'd gone harder on me than the day before. My head hung between my knees while I panted to catch my breath and hoped like hell my roiling stomach wouldn't result in my breakfast on the mat.
"Your phone's ringing, Princess." Az said, lifting the cold washcloth he'd placed on my neck.
I groaned and forced myself to my feet. "Az-hole." I muttered under my breath, eliciting a chuckle from him as I wobbled to the cubbies to retrieve my phone.
It had stopped ringing by the time I picked it up. Flipping open the screen to check my missed call, my brows furrowed. The call had been from the center. My hands trembled, and my breathing grew erratic as I pressed redial and brought the phone to my ear.
"Victoria!" Mrs. McMillan answered on the first ring. "I need you to get down here to the center."
"I… is everything alright?" My voice trembled.
"Oh, it's nothing like what you're worried about, honey. It's an administration matter, but it's urgently time sensitive." The older woman rushed to explain, and it took several seconds for me to get my breathing back under control. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"Oh, no. It's fine, I'm alright. Still just… dealing with it." I took a deep breath and forced my tone to even out. "Give me a minute to finish up here, Mrs. McMillan. I'll change and be right down." We exchanged goodbyes, and I flipped the phone closed.
"Everything alright?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.
"Yeah, nothing like before. She said it was administrative, and she needed me to come down. I just… don't know if I'm ready to do that. I should just call her back and tell her to email everything over." I said, fidgeting with my phone. My stomach was tying itself in knots as flashes of my destroyed office raced through my mind.
"Look at me," Az commanded, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Are you going to keep letting someone scare you away from what you love, Princess? Or are you going to be the stubborn brat I know you are and balls up?"
"I know, okay? I just… keep seeing it when I think about going back."
"I know you're scared, but where's the woman that stomped into this manor, saw five gangsters sitting at the table playing D&D, and called us 'fucking nerds'? He asked, air-quoting my words. "Besides, you won't be alone. This 'fucking nerd' will be there, with a gun and all the skills required to keep you safe."
I couldn't help but smirk, picturing the five of them that first night. Gathered around the table, playing their game with guns and pizza boxes casually strewn about. As much as I didn't want to return to the center, I had difficulty arguing with his logic. I'd been actively antagonizing dangerous men for months now. Well before I figured out that they wouldn't just kill me the first chance they had.
"Get out of your head and go get ready because we're going. I'm not Joey. I'm not going to coddle you and let you psych yourself out of doing the hard thing. But… If you don't sass me about it, maybe I'll reward you when we get back." He spoke.
"Yes, sir ," I said, rolling my eyes at him as I moved toward the gym doors.
About forty minutes later, we were pulling up to the curb in front of the center in Az's Porsche. A heavy sensation descended upon my chest as I gazed through the car window at the front doors. Memories of the devastation inflicted upon my office played on repeat in my mind, causing a surge of distress. The thought of the heart pierced by a letter opener serving as a macabre backdrop for my best friend's picture stirred a nauseating churn in my stomach.
"Hey," Az spoke, pulling me from my near panic. "You're going to be alright. We aren't here because of something bad happening."
He gently squeezed my clammy hand before climbing from the car. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply through my nose before puffing the air out of my mouth and exiting the vehicle. I wiped my palms on my jeans, fretting with my shirt to buy myself a few more moments before facing whatever awaited me inside.
The sun glinting off the two-way mirrored outer doors caught my attention as Mrs. McMillan stepped outside.
"What are you doing out here, girl? Everybody's been waiting for ya inside."
Az chuckled, causing me to glare at him as I apologized and strode toward the door. I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I stepped inside. My mind had been so caught up in the horrific memories of the damage to my office and the horrifying gift left behind that I hadn't considered anything else. What I found when I finally entered the center nearly brought me to tears.
A large, hand-painted banner was held up by many of the center's kids. The others were clustered behind it, a myriad of smiling faces. I pressed my hand to my lips as I read, 'We've missed you Ms. Bristol,' in their barely legible painted scrawl. The 'r' in my name was capitalized and backward, and I couldn't help how it made me smile.
"Welcome back, Victoria. We figured it was about time you got back to work." Mrs. McMillan beamed, nudging me with her elbow. She smiled as she stepped back, grabbing Az's arm as she did so. I raised an eyebrow.
"Welcome back, Ms. Bristol!" The roar from the collective yell the children gave seemed loud enough to shake the glass. I didn't have much time to brace myself as they rushed forward, little arms outstretched and grins plastered on their faces. The group collided with me, nearly knocking me off my feet.
"Hold on, hold on!" I laughed, speaking loudly over the children. They were chattering at me all at once, and I couldn't make out most of what they were saying. I ended up kneeling down so I could be at their level and did my best to make sure that everyone who reached out for hugs got one.
The kids were so sweet and beamed so brightly. They all tried to talk over each other and tell me about what they'd been doing while I hadn't been coming to the center. My heart swelled, and it felt good to be reminded of why we worked so hard.
I felt eyes on me and looked past the gaggle of children surrounding me to find Az staring at me. There was some soft emotion in his eyes, and I wasn't sure we'd come to a place yet where I wanted to put a name to it. He noticed me looking, and a genuinely warm smile spread across his face as he winked at me. I felt the flush creep into my cheeks and stuck my tongue out at him.
"Alright, kids! Let the woman breathe, come on, back up." Mrs. McMillan's voice cut through the chatter, and the kids stepped back, allowing me to stand. Stepping through them, she gave me a warm hug of her own. "As you can see, we're happy to have you back. There ain't much more than this to the welcoming committee."
"Oh, no… this is exactly what I needed." I said, grinning.
"Well, we have another surprise for you. But I think our young man here deserves the reveal for it," she said, motioning for Az to come over to us.
"What could you possibly have to surprise me?" I asked, my gaze sliding to him.
A smug smile painted his lips as he shrugged and held his hand to me. "I guess you'll just have to come with me to find out."
I waded through the kids and took Az's hand. "You look like the cat that ate the canary. What did you do?"
He smirked as he led me toward the back of the center. " I didn't do anything, Princess. It was more of a… group effort," he said as he pushed open the door that led to the old playyard. I eyed him suspiciously as I entered the empty, run-down yard.
My suspicion didn't last long, however, as my eyes adjusted to see the chain-link fence facing the alley had been torn down. New construction was underway, spanning the distance between the playground and the formerly empty lot behind the center. My mother had managed to secure the lot for constructing an addition before she passed, and the Gala I'd hosted afterward was meant to raise the funds for the new building. With everything that had happened since the Gala fire, I had barely been able to raise enough funds to keep the center staffed and functional, and the addition had been a forgotten pipe dream.
"Did you pay for this?" I asked, staring at Az in awe.
He rubbed his jaw, looking like he was thinking hard. "It definitely looks like someone did. Do you know any other wealthy gangsters who might have done it? You should definitely send them a thank-you card if you do." He smirked, looking very proud of himself.
"Okay, Az-hole, way to ruin a moment." I laughed, playfully slapping his arm.
He grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the alley. "Come on, let me show you the work that's been completed so far. I think you're going to love it."
I allowed him to lead me toward the new construction as he told me about the enclosed walkway that would be built to connect the two buildings. I knew better than to ask how they'd gotten around the issue of building across the alley. Money talked. Especially in Sacona, and if the guys could pay for the addition to be built, they definitely had the funds to stop dissent about an enclosed walkway.
The outer walls of the addition had already been erected, and Az directed me through the opening that would connect to the walkway once it was built. My eyes roamed around the ample space, taking in the various stages of walls being built in complete awe of the amount of work that had been done since the last time I'd come to the center.
"Some of these spaces being walled off are going to be classrooms, like in the blueprints you had drafted for the original project." Az spoke. "But that's not even the best part. We've arranged for the furnishing and for teachers to be available for every grade level during operating hours."
"Az, this is… It's incredible." I breathed. "This is going to help so many kids."
"Wait till you see what's on the other side of the building." He grinned, pulling me through the large space toward the back wall.
We'd nearly reached the opening opposite where we entered when we heard voices.
"You don't really have a choice here, pig. You either squeal or we take a walk across the bridge."
"Do you think your boss would be happy to hear you're threatening a police officer for information on a woman?" Noah's voice floated through the open doorway and window spaces.
"He would. Whoever can bring him the information that snags the Bristol gal for him will be a made man." A second unknown male voice spoke. "We happen to know you know Ms. Bristol real well. So, you can tell us what we need to know, or we'll use you to send a message."
Unable to help myself, I took a step toward the voices. Az reached out, gripping my hand to stop me just as I moved close enough to catch sight of Noah surrounded by seven armed men in suits. Noah was wearing street clothes, seemingly unarmed, as he stood inside the loose semi-circle they'd formed around him.
"Shit," Az whispered, his chest brushing my back as he stepped closer. "Whatever you're thinking right now, Princess, don't do it. I'm going to text for backup, but you will not go out there."
"But Noah is in trouble." I hissed. "We can't just leave him."
"I just said I'm texting for backup." Az murmured, his lips caressing the shell of my ear as he spoke. "There are too many of them for me to save Noah's ass and keep you safe by myself. If I thought there was even a snowball's chance in hell that you'd turn around and go back inside with Mrs. McMillan, I'd send you. But I know you, Princess."
Any thought of responding to him was wiped from my mind as one of the men stepped forward and slugged Noah in the jaw. My foot stepped out again of its own accord, my body screaming at me to help my friend, but I was stopped short by Az's arm wrapping around my waist. Shooting him a glare over my shoulder, I relaxed slightly when I saw his phone in his free hand as he tapped out a message.
"I'm not telling you shit about her." Noah said, spitting a glob of bloody saliva on the concrete. "Whatever the fuck your people think she's done, it's bullshit. She's a fucking innocent."
"That right? The big bad copper Noah Mercer here to protect the innocent." One of the men around him scoffed.
"That's right," Noah replied with a determined look. "I swore to protect and serve the city of Sacona, which means keeping it safe from thugs like you."
"Razor, why don't you give our friendly police officer here a little incentive to do the right thing?" One of the armed men spoke.
A slim, wiry man with long hair pulled back into a bun stepped forward. I barely heard the faint snick of a knife being opened before the sun glinted off the blade. He stalked toward Noah as if he didn't have a care in the world, his weapon held loose in his right hand. As my friend stepped back, one of the other men moved to position himself behind Noah. The man called Razor cackled maniacally, striking too fast for Noah to dodge. A cry of alarm burst free from my lips at the sight. Three of the men surrounding my friend whipped their heads toward the sound.
"Fuck," Az hissed, moving his hand to cover my mouth. "We have to move. Now." Az glanced around before dragging me toward the closest walled-off space. "Fuck, this is bad. The guys are still twenty or so minutes out, and we can't make it to the other exit without being seen."
"What do we do?" I asked in a hushed tone that barely concealed the fear winding its way through me.
"Climb through there and hope like hell they're too stupid to send someone around the building." He replied, pointing toward a low opening meant for a window.
We scrambled out of the building, the sound of footsteps drawing closer.
"I swear I heard something." A male voice, far too close for comfort, spoke. "Check out the window and see if you see anything."
"Shit," Az hissed, his head jerking left, then right, as he searched for cover for us. "Dumpsters, go."
I didn't argue as he pushed me toward the massive brown dumpster near the side of the building where Noah was. He helped me through the sliding access door before climbing in behind me and closing it. Light filtered in through a crack in the other access door, and I moved on instinct to close it. The myriad of scrap wood and materials scraped at my clothing, snagging and tearing it as I tried to pick my way to the other access. Something sharp pierced the skin of my thigh, causing me to bite the inside of my cheeks to hold back a whimper. Blood dripped down my leg as it dragged along my skin when I pressed forward.
My senses were in overdrive, my heart pounding so loud in my chest that I was sure it would give us away before I could close the access door completely. As if he could read my thoughts, Az picked his way through the debris behind me, reaching around me where he could to clear a path. I was near the access door when Noah fell into my field of vision. My body tensed, but I couldn't resist the pull to lean closer and get a better look.
Blood dripped down the side of his face, and the sleeve of his blue polo was ripped open, revealing a long gash down his bicep. I couldn't see his face from where we hid, but the sounds of his ragged breaths seemed to echo through the dumpster. Even with most of my view obstructed, it was obvious that he'd been brutally beaten, and Razor had managed to stab him at least a few times while we fled for cover. Az's hand clamped over my mouth just in time to muffle the sob that escaped me.
Noah struggled momentarily, pulling his elbow under him to prop his broken body up. "You'll never get your hands on her." He said with a sardonic laugh that faded into a pained groan. "As long as she's with the horsemen, you will never touch a hair on her head. But I hope you fucking try so those assholes can burn your whole famiglia to the ground."
Noah grunted as a boot belonging to someone I couldn't see connected with his side.
"I'm not happy about Casadei getting the girl either," Noah choked out a sputtering laugh. "But anyone is better than you slimy fucks. At least that prick is a decent man."
"That's enough." A deep baritone barked out. "Razor, finish it."
Az tensed behind me, and his hand pressed harder against my mouth. The one called Razor stepped into view, grabbing Noah's hair and jerking his head back. Silent sobs ripped through me as I watched him lean down and whisper something in Noah's ear before leaning away with a sadistic grin. Az's other arm looped around my waist, and he squeezed me tightly against him as the mobster drew his blade along Noah's throat.
Tears tracked down my face, my body trembling in Az's hold while we watched the blood pour from the wound. His breaths gurgled and grew erratic as the minutes dragged on. The scene before me seemed to play out over an eternity before a voice broke through the harrowing sounds of my friend dying.
"Put a bullet in his head and get the picture for the boss. This is taking too fucking long and I've got a date to get my dick sucked."
My body jerked as the shot rang out, Noah's body finally going still as someone stepped forward to drop a red spidery lily on his chest and snap a photo.