Chapter Thirty - Elise #2
I recall the mental battle that had taken place that day. Two voices warring in my brain—one telling me to run far away and never look back, the other pleading with me to stay.
“I’m not completely sure. A part of me wanted to stay in case my dad was coming for me, but…”
A gentle finger lifts my chin. “But?”
If I was still looking down at my hands, I might be able to tell him that it was only about my father and planning the perfect escape, but when those deep brown eyes bore into mine like I’m the only person in the entire world who matters, I can’t do anything but tell the truth.
“But the other part of me wanted to stay with you.”
The words drain all tension from the car.
Suddenly, Joshua has me out of my seat and on his lap. Our lips mold to one another as we work out the remaining aggression.
There’s an urgency to the kiss. His relief that I stayed, and my surprise that he thinks I could leave.
Can’t he tell by the way my body melts into his that I am just as helpless as he is?
When Joshua finally pulls away, his eyes burn into mine. “Don’t doubt for one second that I’m above putting a tracker on you. If I had it my way, you would, but I’m working very hard to control myself.”
“You’re such a caveman,” I say, and scramble back to my seat as Joshua pulls the car out of the lot.
We drive for a half hour before Joshua pulls onto an unmarked road.
“Where are we going?”
He taps his finger against the steering wheel in time with the music. “Lunch.”
“Here?” I ask.
There’s no building, car, or person in sight, only trees.
“Yes, here.”
When Joshua stops the car, I don’t notice anything particularly special about where we are. It’s just the end of a dirt road surrounded by tall trees and wildflowers.
“You better not be planning to murder me in the woods on my birthday.” I climb out of the car and give him a playful side-glare.
His light laughter echoes around us. “And let all those clothes go to waste? No, I think I’ll save murder for another day.”
Joshua opens the trunk and takes out a large basket and a jacket that he slides on. When I raise my eyebrow, he only holds out his hand. I take it and let him lead me to the tree line.
The path he takes us on is obscure, and I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if he hadn’t shown me. Neither of us is dressed for a hike, so I don’t expect us to go far, and I’m right.
Stepping out from behind a wall of trees, I’m faced with the most incredible view I have ever seen.
Miles of land lay beneath us, covered in a sea of green leaves that rustle in the wind like waves rolling onto shore.
What I assume is the Sacramento River winds through the trees.
I can make just barely out people near the water, as small as ants from here, taking their tourist photos and enjoying the beauty same as Joshua and me.
A mountain rests in the distance, so tall that white snow drapes gracefully over its peak.
“This is beautiful,” I murmur. “How did you find this place?”
“I can’t take the credit,” he admits, resting a hand on my waist. I tear my eyes from the view to gaze at him which is just as captivating. “Donovan grew up in Redding, so he knew about this spot. He told me about it when I needed a quiet place.”
“If he grew up in Redding, how did he get to be one of your capos?”
“Donovan joined the Marsollo family a few years after I did to make enough money to pay off his dad’s gambling debt.
At first, he made drug runs between some of the bases, but word of his talent for strategic planning made its way to Marsollo and me, so he was promoted and moved to Sacramento.
When a drug deal got busted, Don became the fall guy and was facing twenty years in prison. ”
“Isn’t that excessive?”
Joshua shrugs. “He’d been on their radar long enough to justify it and they wanted to make an example out of him.
When I heard about it, I pulled some strings to get him off the hook, and I brought him to L.A.
to work with me. He’s talented and now more loyal than ever.
Once Marsollo died, making Donovan a capo was a no-brainer. ”
He says the words like they’re no big deal like he didn’t save Donovan from wasting away in a cell for twenty years. In most mafia families, loyalty comes from blood and reputation.
Joshua earned the loyalty of his men through friendship and respect.
It puts Joshua in a light that I’ve never seen him in before, as a savior instead of a monster that hides under the bed.
I gesture to the basket he places on the ground. “What’s that?”
“I had Jay pack us a picnic for lunch,” he explains, laying out a blanket that must have been inside.
“Where are the others?”
Joshua takes out containers of food, placing them down between us, along with two wine glasses.
“They went back to the house,” he says, pouring us each a generous amount of wine.
“No security then?”
“I think we’re safe out here.”
Sipping from my glass, I raise an eyebrow. “So, all I need to do is incapacitate you to make my escape?”
He sits up so he’s towering over me. “Hit me with your best shot, Princess.”
I place my hands on his chest as if to push him away, but instead, I take fistfuls of his shirt and pull him closer, bringing my lips to his. The taste of wine mixes with him, and it’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.
We eat in peace, enjoying the stunning view and listening to the gentle rustling of leaves and the singing birds as they fly overhead. The entire scene is like something out of a fairytale, right down to the villain-turned-prince.
It makes me think of my family and how today would be going if I was home.
My birthday hasn’t always been a bittersweet occasion.
When I was younger, my father and brothers would take me to an authentic Italian restaurant, where we’d all share massive plates of spaghetti. Afterward, we’d go home, have cookie cake, open presents, and watch the original Jumanji.
For years, I adored the simple traditions, but in my adult years, they’ve become redundant.
When I moved out, it was like my relationship with my family froze. Instead of growing and changing as I did, it was as though my brothers only ever saw the seventeen-year-old version of me, never getting to know the woman I became.
The dinner outing, cookie cake, and movie seemed more like tasks on an old checklist than a celebration. I stopped looking forward to my birthday years ago.
“What are you thinking about?”
“My family.” I look at Joshua, smiling half-heartedly. “I wonder what they’re doing today.”
Deliberation wages behind his eyes.
“What?”
He takes a deep breath. “They’re having a memorial service.”
I almost laugh, but it’s not funny at all.
For the second time in less than a decade, my family is standing over my empty grave. My chest hurts as I picture it. At least the first time, they all knew it was fake. This time, their grief is real.
“So, they really think I’m dead…” I muse. “Does Mason know that I’m alive?”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Elise,” he warns, “it’s family business.”
“And it concerns my family.” I place my palm against his cheek. “Please, Joshua?”
Our silent standoff lasts only a few seconds before he shakes his head. “You really will be the death of me. This isn’t information you’re meant to have.”
Nodding, I cuddle closer to him.
“I haven’t spoken with your brother in a while.
Things have become… complicated. The fact that I had no idea your father was going to cancel our negotiations means one of two things: either Mason knew and didn’t tell me, or your father deliberately never told him.
I don’t know if your father chose to keep his intentions secret because he knew your brothers wouldn’t allow him to give you up or if he’s suspicious of Mason.
Regardless, it’s not safe to communicate with him right now. ”
“You think my dad lied to my brothers about my death?”
He nods. “I can’t be sure, but I assume your father told them I murdered you. I can’t imagine he would’ve admitted to telling me to do it.”
I process his words, trying to contain the bitterness I still feel toward my traitorous father and snake of a brother.
As I think about my deceptive sibling, I remember he isn’t the only inside man involved in our situation.
“Did you ever find who left me the note?”
He tenses around me. “Have you ever heard the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’?”
“I just… I was wondering if you killed him… like Tripp.”
“No, I haven’t found him yet. The footage of who brought you food that day has disappeared. Right now, I have no leads. As for what happens when I do find him, well, that’s nothing you need to worry about, Princess.”
Joshua places a soothing kiss on my forehead, and a warm feeling spreads through me.
I’m not sure if it’s the wine or the complicated situation life has put me in, but my throat is thick with emotion, so I do the only thing that feels natural—I lean into Joshua.
Being held by him has quickly become my favorite feeling in the world.
Closing my eyes, I imagine an alternate universe—one where my family is normal. My dad is a banker or maybe a doctor, and we’d all come together for a real family dinner.
My brothers enter one by one, their wives and children joining them. They’d tease one another and compare stories about work. Then the doorbell would ring, and I’d open the door to reveal my handsome boyfriend.
In my mind, Joshua is a businessman, innocent of criminal activity but still ruthless.
He’d come inside, and I’d introduce him to my family.
At first, they’d give him a hard time, maybe some smart comments and cold looks, but as the night went on, they’d warm up to him and welcome him into the family.
The fantasy is so sweet, but it’s just that, a fantasy. As much as I’d love to be normal, that’s not who we are.
“What’s on your mind?” he asks, and his husky voice calls me from my daydream.
“It’s silly.”
“And?”
I relent with a heavy sigh. “I was thinking about what it’d be like to have it all. My brothers, my father… and you.”
Having expected him to laugh or offer some sarcastic comment, I’m surprised when Joshua’s expression is guarded. It’s a look that usually means he has something to say, and I won’t like it.
“Joshua, what is it?”
He scoops me up and sets me on his lap, holding me so close I wonder if he’s worried I’ll try to run away.
“I need you to hear me out.”
“Hear what out? You’re starting to scare me.”
“There is a way.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is a way to have it all—your family and me.”
“How?”
“Marry me.”