Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
Hades
Pressure.
Lining up the attempt that would take Benny out could also be the downfall of Capri. I had taken this shot many times. From a balcony with the mark in the distance. It was never more vital for me to hit the target, standing in the balcony of this church, hidden behind an organ.
If one of them swayed a quarter of an inch, the bullet would do its thing and pierce through whoever was in its way. I would be responsible.
Zeus stood guard at the balcony door, vowing to shoot anyone who tried to get past him. I had total faith he would accomplish that task. I needed to get ahold of myself and secure the mark. I didn’t have the luxury of time.
The scene started out as I had anticipated. Calm and low-key, even if I wanted to shoot Benny for having his hands on my girl. He deserved what was coming for taking her. But when he wedged a gun to her side, it was imperative that when I pulled the trigger, he didn’t get back up.
Judging from Leo and Benny’s body language, the conversation escalated quickly. Capri frantically glanced around the room on more than one occasion, inadvertently distracting me.
Was she planning to escape? If she tried to, would it be at the precise moment I fired my weapon? That would be disastrous. All of my timing could be for nothing if she put herself in the path of my assassin’s bullet.
My heart rate increased, disturbing me enough to know it was a problem. I prided myself on my cool demeanor when it came to my work. My success rate was one-hundred percent. I never lost concentration. This hit couldn’t be any different.
I had to take the emotions out of it and treat this as I would any other job. The sweat trickling down my back said otherwise.
Breathe…
As I inhaled, I imagined the scent of mango floating in the air.
Capri slick with massage oil and running the length of her body along mine.
I evicted thoughts of her from my mind. No feelings!
I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to keep her alive so we could have a future.
I had to activate the cold-blooded killer in me.
Without her, I have no future.
As the minutes ticked away, the more agonizing the wait became.
Each time I thought I could hit Benny in the head, one of them moved.
Capri stumbled, Leo drifted toward them, Benny switched the position of his gun.
As the conversation got more intense, the odds increased that his gun would go off and Capri wouldn’t stand a chance.
I had to complete this mission before that happened. Either way, Benny was a dead man.
Leo stared up in the darkness of the balcony. Is he trying to tell me that we’re almost out of time? I couldn’t risk my bullet being the one that killed her. But I couldn’t chance Benny shooting her.
I squeezed the trigger and focused on the target as Capri shoved Benny back, taking the opportunity to dive out of the way. Her quick actions gave me the tiny window I needed to end this.
In the seconds it took for that bullet to do the most damage, my relationship with her flashed before my eyes.
Finding her at my club changed the course of my life.
Asking her to get in the pool with me started this obsession.
Once I took her innocence, there was never another option for me. She is mine.
I had to get to her. I had to tell her what she wanted to hear. What I needed to say.
I swung open the balcony door and sprinted to the stairs, calling over my shoulder to Zeus as I went.
“Get rid of the gun.” It didn’t matter that this job was personal. I had to be as meticulous as I always was. Nothing could be left behind.
“Consider it done,” he said.
I flew down the narrow staircase that led to the foyer of the church. The adrenaline coursed through my veins while my heart pumped harder than it ever had before. When I did a job, I casually walked away from the scene, never drawing attention to myself.
This was like no other job I had done before. And one that I never hoped to repeat.
As I propelled open the church doors, I hurried down the long aisle. No matter how fast I ran, it was as if my legs couldn’t get to that altar fast enough.
“No,” I whispered as I slowed my pace.
Leo sat on the floor in front of the sanctuary, holding Capri. Leo gazed up at me as I approached, surveying the outcome. It wasn’t until Capri reached out her hand and called my name that I dared to look at Benny’s lifeless form. Mission accomplished.
I knelt beside her, nodding at Leo before I replaced his arms with mine, holding her against me. She sighed as she curled into me. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me.”
“Never.”
“You saved me.”
“You saved yourself, little shark.” I kissed the top of her head. I knew how dangerous it had been for her to make that sudden move to get away from Benny while he held a gun to her. But by doing that, she gave me a clear shot. “I just eliminated the threat.”
“I felt you here,” she said. “I somehow sensed you.”
“Are you hurt?” I inspected her clothes, her skin, her face.
“They roughed her up a little bit.” Leo glared at Benny’s dead body. “She might have a concussion.”
“We’ll get you checked out.” I stroked her hair. “I’m going to take you to the hospital.”
“No.” She closed her eyes. “I want to be with you.”
“I won’t leave your side.” I was incapable of separating myself from her.
Romero and Gio Bilotti came into the church, inspected the scene, and then held a quiet conversation. Gio nodded and took out his phone. Romero stepped onto the altar and gazed up at the crucifix before addressing me.
“Is your girl okay?” he asked.
“I want to take her to the hospital,” I said. “She probably needs a scan to rule out a concussion.”
“I don’t need to go,” Capri argued. “I’m fine.”
“We’re going to get this cleaned up.” He motioned toward Benny. “You don’t have to worry about it. Nothing will trace this back to you.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I usually don’t make such a public display.”
“You didn’t have a choice.” Leo glanced at Capri. “Can we get her off the floor?”
“I will.” I held her close to me because I wasn’t ready to let her go. As long as she was close, I could listen to her breathing and feel her against me. I would know she was fine.
“I still have Christopher,” Romero said. “Do you need me to handle him?”
Capri’s muscles tensed in my arms. “He didn’t do anything,” she mumbled. “He’s already lost his father.”
“I’m going to leave him up to you and Leo.” This wasn’t my problem now that I had removed Capri from this situation. “I did what needed to be done today. I’m out of it now.”
“You’re a reasonable man,” Romero said to me as he put his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Mr. Ferrante, you and I need to have a conversation about bringing cartel threats into my territory. I might not be as understanding next time.”
“We can discuss that tomorrow.” Leo motioned toward Capri. “Right now, I need to make sure my daughter is okay.”
“Hades can handle that.” Romero winked at me. “Don’t stay too long. Gio needs to scrub the scene.”
“Thank you for your help,” I said.
“I’ll be in touch.” Romero looked at Leo. “Walk with me.”
“Go.” I nodded at Leo. “I’ll take care of her.”
Leo went to the back of the church with Romero. I had a feeling he wouldn’t be making any alliances with other cartels anytime soon. Once Romero laid down the law, Leo would have to fall in line.
“Will Romero hurt my father?”
“You don’t need to worry about that right now. I need to get you off this cold floor.” I caressed her cheek. “We don’t need to be here.”
“I need to tell you something.” She swirled her fingers in my beard. “I worried that if Benny killed me, you would think that I left you.”
“I didn’t think that.”
“I went for a run this morning to clear my head. After what happened last night, what I blurted out after sex, I was embarrassed. I wanted to resolve my thoughts before facing you again. I needed to explain.”
“You don’t have to resolve anything,” I said.
“I wanted you to know that I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I kissed her fingertips. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I should have kept my feelings to myself and not have made things weird between us. I have a bad habit of being a little emotional and I…ah…” She closed her eyes.
“Sorry, my thoughts are jumbled, and I just need you to know that I don’t expect you to reciprocate.
I can’t change the way I feel about you, but I can give you space to sort your feelings about me out in your own time. ”
Her old soul came shining through in her words. The maturity she displayed left me in awe. Plenty of women, many who were older than her, would have demanded someone reciprocate their feelings. She was wise enough to see through me. My heart belonged to her and she knew it.
“We need to get your head checked out.” I studied her pupils, noting the unevenness in her lovely eyes. “But there is something I need to say to you. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
“No,” she whispered. “I’m not upset. That long run I went on really helped me. Well, until I got hit on the head and kidnapped.”
I wouldn’t let that go. I would request Romero’s assistance, and I would find the men who hurt her and make them pay.
“When I couldn’t find you this morning, I blamed myself for making you leave.”
I regretted not being a better man last night. I got in my own way and couldn’t articulate what I felt for her. Seeing her being held at gunpoint was a wake-up call. Never hold anything back.
“All I could think about was not telling you how I really felt,” I said.
“Not much scares me in this life, but knowing what I didn’t say could make me lose you was the most terrifying thing I ever faced.
I fucked up last night because I thought I was trying to put you first. You have your whole life in front of you.
There are so many possibilities. So many dreams you could explore. ”
“I don’t want a life without you.”
“I never want you to regret me.”
“Why would I?” She pushed herself into a seated position. “Are you saying that you believe one day I might look back and think I wasted my time on an older man?”
“Something like that.” I smirked. “I’m definitely getting the longer end of the stick when it comes to us.”
“Right?” Her melodic giggle carried throughout the church. “Don’t be ridiculous. You just assassinated someone for me. If that doesn’t say you care, then I don’t know what does.”
“That was second nature.” I took her hand. “I will always protect you.”
“Then let me feel the way I want to feel about you.” She smiled. “I love you. After what happened today, I don’t ever want you to not know that. Nothing else matters to me.”
“You’re amazing.” I gently kissed her lips. “And what I’m about to tell you right now is something I have never told anyone else. I didn’t have to because I’m quite certain I never felt this way about anyone before you.”
“Another first for you?”
“I love you.” I traced my fingers along her stunning face. “I meant it when I said my heart needed you. Thank you for calling me out. Thank you for asking the hard questions that make you understand me better than anyone ever has. You’re allowing me to be the man you’ll always need.”
“You’re the man I’m always going to want.”
“As long as you can accept who I am.”
“I can make my own choices.” When she tried to get into a seated position, I helped her. “You have been a choice from the moment I set eyes on you. I’ll never regret that.”