Chapter 17 | Alexis
Alexis
That night, I slept in the warm bed in the upstairs master bedroom. You could say what you wanted about the mafia, but my three companions hadn’t even considered taking the comfy bed. The men who worked for Michael had honor, even if they lived in a dangerous world.
There was a small guest bedroom upstairs which Nick slept in, and Enzo and Joaquin slept on the two couches in front of the fireplace downstairs. I slept for over nine hours, grateful to rest my exhausted body.
When the sun rose, we headed out early. Anticipation swelled as I longed to hug my mom and put this chapter of my life behind me. When we arrived at Michael’s home, I burst inside and Mom rushed toward me, enveloping me in a smothering embrace.
“My baby,” she whispered, placing kisses on my hair as she squeezed. Drawing back, her eyes roved over me as concern marred her expression. “Are you hurt anywhere? Do we need to bring Adrian over to see you?”
“I’m fine,” I said, rubbing her arm. “Nick was the one who was grazed by a bullet and ripped half the skin off his hand trying to help me.”
Mom’s eyes lifted to Nick as he stood in the foyer. “I can’t thank you enough...” she said, walking toward him and drawing him into a hug. “Thank you for saving my baby.”
“Of course,” he said, tenderly rubbing her back as she squeezed him. “Carusos protect our own.”
She pulled back and lifted his wrist to examine it. “Are you in pain? Do you want me to clean the wounds under here?” She tapped the bandages.
“I’m fine,” he said, smiling. “The bullet only grazed my arm, and Alexis took good care of the wounds on my hand and wrist. I barely even feel them.”
“Well, at least I can make you dinner,” she said, patting his cheek. “You’ll come back over for that, right?”
Nick nodded. “I’m dying for something besides beans and corn. Can’t wait.”
Michael entered the foyer and hugged Nick, patting his back several times. “You both scared us,” he said, turning to look at me. “We’re happy you’re okay.”
“You were able to get the flash drive?” I asked, regret in my voice that I’d basically caused this entire situation.
“Yes.” Michael strode toward me and cupped my shoulders. “Thank you. The code you had Joaquin text me worked on the locker at Penn Station. We retrieved the flash drive last night, but I have no idea how to open the file.”
“I’ll do that,” I said, forming a contrite smile. “I put some hella tight encryption on that sucker.”
Michael breathed a laugh.
“Basically, it seems that Dad’s main contact was Sergey Kersna. He’s an Estonian businessman,” I made quotation marks with my fingers, “who heads up the human trafficking rings for the Russian bratva and launders money through offshore accounts in Cyprus, the Cayman Islands and other places.”
“Sergey Kersna,” Michael said, looking at Nick. “You ever heard that name?”
Nick shook his head. “Oskar Poska is local bratva syndicate leader here in Brooklyn. Do you think they’re connected?”
“Oh, Oskar’s name is in my dad’s files too,” I said, nodding. “I’ll decode everything today and create a spreadsheet that’s searchable for you both.”
Nick glanced at the ceiling and rubbed his chin. “Imagine if you’d just done that in the beginning...” he said, a teasing tone in his words.
“When my dad left us with nothing, and my mom was marrying the guy who wanted to eliminate the Rossi family?” I gestured to Michael and batted my eyelashes at Nick. “Um, yeah. I like to think I have a bit more common sense than that. That would’ve left us with no leverage at all.”
“Well, I’m glad you trust us now,” Michael said.
“I love your mother very much, and I’d like to get to know you better, Alexis.
” He took Mom’s hand, and she positively beamed as she threaded her fingers through his.
“You’re our family now, and you can stay here as long as you wish.
Leticia has prepared a room for you, and I want you to make yourself at home. ”
Tears stung my eyes. I’d rarely seen my mom actually look happy, but here she was, clutching Michael’s hand and looking very much in love. “You two really love each other,” I whispered. “Wow.”
“We really do,” Mom said, grinning at Michael before releasing his hand.
She closed the distance between us and lifted my chin to smile into my eyes.
“And I appreciate you helping him. John and Simon are dead, and Michael has consolidated most of the power under the Caruso name. Now, we need to weed out your father’s old trafficking contacts to end the trade along the Atlantic and Northeast coast once and for all. ”
“I’ll help in any way I can,” I said, accepting the strange new reality that I would now be using my skills to help my father’s greatest enemy.
But things changed quickly in our world, and I was ready to meet the moment.
“I’m just happy to be out of the safehouse.
And as much as it pains me to say it, Nick is right.
I could’ve saved us all this trouble if I’d just trusted you in the beginning,” I said to Michael. “I’m sorry. I was just scared.”
“That’s behind us now,” Michael said. “And you can make it up to me with those fancy computer skills of yours.”
Nodding, I straightened my spine, ready to get to work. “Where’s my laptop? Do I have an office to work in?”
“We have a study that you can make your own,” Michael said. “Leticia will show it to you. She can also make you some coffee or whatever else you need while you work.”
Michael glanced toward Nick. “As for you, I want you to rest today. Tomorrow, we’re meeting with Sal DeLorenzo. He’s coming down from Boston, and we’re going to discuss the future.”
Nick nodded. “I won’t turn down a day of rest.”
“But you’ll come back for dinner tonight, right?” Mom asked.
“Yes.” He smiled and asked, “Do we need new phones?”
“Burns set up one for each of you. Yours is charging in your house.”
“Perfect.” He eased toward the kitchen and gave a small wave. “I’ll see you all tonight.”
When we were in the safehouse, Nick had told me he lived in a renovated two-bedroom home that Michael had purchased when he officially joined the organization.
It sat on the back end of Michael’s gated property, with the front of Nick’s house facing the street behind.
Michael owned several acres on the corner, in a nice neighborhood in Brooklyn, and having Nick at the end of a short walk through the back yard made things convenient.
Mom led me upstairs to my bedroom, and I gazed out the window, noting Nick’s broad shoulders as he walked through the back yard and unlocked the back door of his home. He entered and disappeared inside, and I felt a coldness wash over me at our separation.
We’d spent so much time together for weeks, and I suddenly realized how much I’d miss seeing him multiple times per day.
I’d always been someone who functioned just fine by myself—especially with a laptop in front of me and some good music in my headphones—but having Nick nearby every day had been. ..comforting. Normal. Safe.
“You okay, sweetie?” Mom asked, pointing toward a closed door to the side of my bedroom. “There’s a private bath in there, and you can take a shower and rest before you work on the flash drive if you like.”
“I could definitely use a shower,” I said, pushing Nick from my mind for the moment. He was obviously exhausted too, and it made sense we would both see each other less now that we were home.
“Okay. See you downstairs.”
As I stood under the warm spray of the shower, I silently admitted that I didn’t want to see Nick less.
I’d gotten used to seeing him every day, and sleeping in his arms each night had been heaven.
Yes, we’d technically slept together near the fire for warmth, but was it possible he might miss holding me too?
What if he forgot about me? Or just didn’t care at all?
Armed with questions I couldn’t answer, I dressed and headed downstairs to bury myself in my laptop.