Chapter 5 Renzo
RENZO
“Boss. Hey, Boss. Wake up.”
I groan and pry my eyes open, instantly regretting it. Sunlight floods my vision, making me squint as a headache pounds against my temples.
“Sorry, Boss,” Mario says, taking a step back. “I know we had a long night and you’re tired. But your phone has been ringing for a while now.”
I blink a few times until the blurry world comes into focus. Holy hell, I can’t remember the last time I crashed so hard. “How long was I out for?” I ask one of my most trusted Capos. “And where am I?”
“Only a few hours,” Mario answers. “We’re still at the warehouse by the docks. You were waiting for your contact in Denver to call back.”
My phone rings again, and I curse under my breath. “Right. Thanks,” I grunt as I wipe the remnants of sleep from my eyes. Jesus. I feel like I just woke up from a coma, not a nap.
The last twenty-four hours come back to me in flashes, from getting the call from Reaper to staking out the auction house overnight. That led us to one of the Salvatore-controlled ports, where there was some suspicious activity.
Apparently, the auction house here in Chicago is looking to expand into darker waters across multiple major cities in the US. Instead of contracts, consent, and split royalties for every woman auctioned, they want to straight-up traffic women en masse. Sick fucks.
Reaper, the president of Wicked Riders MC, lives outside of Denver and caught wind of some shady shit going down. He called, and things snowballed rather quickly. He’s calling again right now, hopefully with better news this time.
“Talk to me,” I answer, not bothering with pleasantries. Reaper understands. He might even be more impatient and short-tempered than I am, which is why we’ve remained friends all these years. Not that we’d admit that or talk about it ever, but it’s true all the same. Reaper is my oldest friend.
“They’re already here,” he starts. His voice is gruff and filled with barely contained rage. “I don’t know who their contact is, but whoever is in charge must already have a network of criminals here in Colorado.”
“Fuck.”
He grunts in agreement. “We don’t know where they set up shop, but I have my men on it.”
“As soon as you have any leads, let me know. I’ll send soldiers your way. You have the full backing of the Salvatores.”
“Thanks. I–” Reaper sighs in frustration, cutting himself off. “Are you fucking kidding me? She’s still here?” he says under his breath.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. There’s this woman…”
“Oh?” We’ve never talked about relationships before, but maybe Reaper and I have more in common than I thought.
“Not like that,” he says a little too quickly to be believed. “She just keeps showing up at the repair shop. Every damn morning for almost a week now. Says she wants a job.”
“And you’re not hiring right now?” I guess.
“It’s not just that. Lynx is…” he pauses, trying to find the right words. “Distracting.”
“Ah, now I see.”
“No, it’s really not like that. I didn’t mean… whatever. Can we just get back to the subject at hand? There’s no point in discussing my love life.”
“So you have a love life, then?” I don’t know why I’m pressing him. I suppose it gives me a twisted sense of joy to poke fun at my old friend.
“Like you’re one to talk. Would you like to discuss any of your relationships?”
“I don’t have any…” Well, that’s not true. Is it? Jaylin… Fuck. I left her panting on the couch at home before disappearing overnight. I promised her I’d be right back.
“What’s that? Are you sure there’s nothing to talk about?”
“Fuck you,” I grumble, making Reaper chuckle. “Call back when you have less of an attitude and more information.”
This only makes him laugh harder. “Sure. By then, maybe you’ll have an update on whoever you’re not in a relationship with.”
I hang up and rub my eyes hard enough to see stars. I fucked up. Jaylin was already feeling insecure after the hot and cold treatment I gave her the first night. What is she going to think of me now that I’ve abandoned her after her first intense sexual experience?
Jumping to my feet, I take a second for the room to stop spinning before addressing Mario. “I need to go home,” I tell him. “You and the other men should get some rest. When I know more, I’ll call.” I dismiss him with a nod, then hastily make my way to my car parked out back.
I can’t get home fast enough. What am I going to say to Jaylin? How can I even begin to make this up to her? We never exchanged phone numbers, which I realize now is a terrible oversight. She should be able to reach me at all times, and vice versa.
Ten minutes and twenty broken traffic laws later, I pull into the compound and park outside of my mansion. What if she already left? Surely, one of the guards would have let me know. Still, panic lances through my chest at the thought of Jaylin slipping through my fingers.
I burst through the front door and run to the living room, hoping Jaylin is somehow still curled up on the couch. Maybe she passed out after her orgasms and slept so hard she didn’t notice I was gone?
Wishful thinking, I know. My heart sinks when I enter the room and see she’s not there. I run my fingers through my hair, tugging the strands and trying to get my breathing under control.
My next idea is to check her room, but before I reach it, I spot the object of my obsession sitting at the massive dining room table. Thank fuck.
The relief is short-lived when I see her new wardrobe neatly folded in the shopping bags they originally came in. Jaylin is fully dressed, her shoes and coat on the seat next to her, so she can leave as soon as we’ve had this discussion. A sad but determined look pours from her golden brown eyes.
I approach her as if she’s a scared animal, not wanting to spook her into running away. My chest nearly caves in when her eyes glisten with unshed tears, but she blinks them away and schools her face.
“Renzo,” she greets in a cold and professional tone.
Jaylin stands and faces me, the light drained from her normally radiant eyes. I did that to her. Fuck, it hurts worse than a bullet tearing through flesh. I would know.
“I’m sorry–”
“It’s clear I’m not wanted here,” she says, cutting me off. “The rest of the money showed up in my account earlier today, so I took that as my sign to move on.”
Her voice trembles slightly, breaking me out of my frozen position. She’s trying to be strong, but I know she’s one breath away from falling apart. I can feel her heart breaking, and I hate myself for making her doubt what we have.
I storm toward her, more determined than ever to make this woman mine for good. Much like the first night we met, I lean down and throw Jaylin over my shoulder. She gasps in surprise as I carry my prize through the house and into my bedroom.
Tossing Jaylin down on the bed, I crawl on top of her and cage her in with a hand on either side of her head. Her jaw is clenched, her brows furrowed in frustration and confusion.
“I want you here,” I tell her, my gaze locking with hers. She wants to believe me, but I’ve given her plenty of reasons to doubt my words. “It was not my intention to leave yesterday. A situation came up that needed my immediate attention, and it turned into an overnight stakeout.”
“That would have been nice to know,” she whispers.
“I know. I’m sorry. I realized I didn’t have your number, and things were happening so quickly, I…”
“I get it. Work comes first.”
“No,” I snarl, making her eyes widen slightly. I take a deep breath and push back the possessiveness coursing through my veins. “It used to come first. But now I have something more important. Someone more important.”
“Forgive me if I don’t exactly believe you,” she counters with a surprising amount of force. “I was humiliated when I heard the front door open and close. I got up to look out the window, but you were already at the gate. I thought…”
“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” I say again. I hate the thought of Jaylin staring out the window, thinking I ran away from her on purpose. “I know my words are empty right now, but I’ll make it up to you. God, please let me make it up to you.”
Golden brown eyes search mine, peering right down into my blackened soul. I may be a filthy, feared mafia boss in the criminal underworld, but for Jaylin, I’ll be whatever she needs. Her partner, her biggest support, the one she can turn to and rely on.
She reaches out a tentative hand and cups the side of my face. I close my eyes and lean into her touch, nuzzling against her hand. Tears gather in her gorgeous eyes, and I lean down, pressing my lips against her cheeks as the first one falls.
“I’m so sorry,” I murmur as I continue kissing away her tears. “I’ve never been in a relationship and I’ve never had to balance work with anything else. But I’ll do better. We’ll talk about everything from now on. You’re going to get sick of me.”
She shakes her head no, a small smile fighting through the anguish.
“I will never get sick of you, Renzo.” Her soft-spoken words are the first stitch in my otherwise shattered heart.
I didn't think I had one, but Jaylin is showing me a different side of myself. “I’m just… I’m confused. What am I doing here? Who am I to you?”
Taking a deep breath, I roll onto my side, taking Jaylin with me so we’re face to face on the bed.
“You’re the only light illuminating my dark world,” I tell her as I tuck a few strands of her dark hair behind her ear.
“You’re my greatest treasure, and also my greatest weakness.
I’d put everything on the line for you; my career, my connections, my wealth… It all means nothing without you.”
“You really mean that,” she says more to herself than to me.
I nod and press a kiss to her forehead, loving the fact that she lets me. “I confessed something to you; now it’s your turn.”
“Making demands already, are we?” The playful spark in her eyes heals me in more ways than one. She’s going to give me another chance. I won’t fuck it up this time.
“You like it,” I purr, rubbing my nose against hers. “But this is important. I need to know why you put yourself up for auction. Surely, your father has more than enough money to take care of you.”
Jaylin blows out a breath and then nibbles her bottom lip.
“I don’t want his money or the strings attached to it,” she finally says.
“You don’t understand what it was like growing up with my parents.
” She gets a faraway look in her eyes as painful memories replay in her mind.
“I was a disappointment from the day I was born. Literally. They wanted a boy, someone my dad could pass the family wealth and legacy down to. It never crossed my father’s mind that I’m fully capable of doing whatever a son would have done, but the older I got, the less I wanted anything to do with him. ”
“Sweet girl,” I murmur, stroking my fingers up and down her arm. “I had no idea.”
She shrugs, though I know she still carries the wounds of her childhood. I’m more determined than ever to give this woman the love she never had. Hell, I’ve never had love in my life either, but I know with complete certainty we will find it together.
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” Jaylin continues.
“I went to the best schools and had tutors and nannies around almost twenty-four-seven. I was surrounded by opulence, and yet the only thing I desired was a connection. My parents took off on lavish vacations at the drop of a hat, knowing I’d have the staff to look after me.
I grew up rich and pathetically lonely.”
“Jaylin,” I breathe out. I knew I hurt her by leaving, but I didn’t realize I was acting just like her parents. “You’re not alone now. You’ll never be alone again.”
She nods, which is like a balm to my soul. My girl is starting to believe me.
“I always wanted to open a flower shop.” She whispers like it’s a secret and saying any louder might jinx it.
“But my dad thought it was a stupid idea and a waste of money. My mom just wants me to get married already so I’m someone else’s problem.
The longer I stayed with them, the more I felt my soul withering away.
They crushed every idea I had, dismissing me and forcing me to live the life they want.
But I couldn’t do it anymore.” She pauses to take a breath and gather her thoughts.
“So, I figured one night at the auction house would be worth my new start. I had hoped to make enough to rent a small storefront and start living life on my own terms.”
“So brave,” I say softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “While I hate the thought of you putting yourself in danger, I understand the need for freedom. You’re so strong, Jaylin.”
“I don’t feel strong. I feel terrified every second of every day. What if I get everything I’ve ever wanted and fail? What if the flower shop goes bankrupt and I’m left homeless with nothing?”
“You’re a millionaire now, remember? I don’t think you need to worry about being homeless.”
She smirks and rolls her eyes at me. “That’s not the point.”
“I know. But don’t you see? Being terrified isn’t the opposite of being strong. The two go hand in hand. True strength is feeling the fear and choosing to push through. You’ve done that over and over again, angel. You’re the strongest person I know.”
Her eyes widen at my words, disbelief coloring her features. “Renzo…”
“It’s true. I admire you so much, Jaylin. I want to keep you and give you the life you deserve, if you’ll let me.”
“But… why?” The genuine confusion in her gaze guts me.
“I fucked all this up,” I mutter. “Please, let me show you how I’ll take care of you every single day. I have a lot of grovelling to do, but I’m up to the challenge. Will you give me another chance, Jaylin?”