Chapter 28
RAPH
“You tell me where the fuck she is, or I kill you slow.”
The blade edges the man’s throat, drops of crimson spilling onto his knees. Desperation clings to every fiber of my being.
Another day passed without her.
I’m running out of leads. I can’t lose her. I can’t live in a world where she no longer exists. I have so much to say to her. So much I didn’t get to say, thinking we had time. But now…
The tip of the knife nicks his throat, close to his artery.
“I…d-don’t know a thing,” he fights to speak, stammering with every word.
Patrick’s sons, Tynan, Fionn, and Cillian, watch from behind me, my brothers there too. But this asshole is mine.
We took care of the three others. Neither one had a helpful word to save them. Not that it would. They were dead as soon as they decided to stay loyal to my father over Michael. These four foot soldiers were discovered to be on my father’s payroll, and they were dead the moment that happened.
Not many wanted to work for our father, knowing that Michael is now in charge. But there’s always a poor sucker to reel in with enough cash that he does something stupid.
“Your father didn’t tell us where the girl is,” he mutters. “He was…”
He chokes up more blood.
“Talk!” I snap, punching him in the jaw.
He groans, both of his eyes sealed shut from the assault he endured at my hand.
“He was…secretive of the girl. He hired someone else. A contractor. Don’t h-have a name…”
With a flip of the handle, I pierce the knife into his throat, and with bulging eyes he stares at me, gurgling up blood, the life quickly leaving his body.
“You have any other leads?” Tynan asks.
He’s the oldest of the three brothers. And when he looks at me, it’s like he’s imagining how he’s going to kill me. Can’t say I blame him. I did kill his cousin.
“Not a damn one.”
“My father called,” he goes on. “He’ll be arriving with Iseult by tomorrow.”
“Iseult is coming?” That gets Gio’s attention real fast.
“Yeah, my sister is quite good with the interrogations,” Cillian chuckles.
“Our sister has got herself a bit of a mean streak.” A sly grin crosses Fionn’s face.
“Leave her be,” Cillian adds. “She hasn’t had it easy.”
Something heavy passes between them.
“What does that mean?” Gio narrows a stare, taking a step forward, his jaw twitching. “Did something happen to her?”
“Why are you interested in her?” Tynan asks, a wrinkle deepening between his brow.
“I was just curious.” Gio scratches his nose.
“My brothers talk too much. Pay ’em no mind.” Tynan glares at them through icy green eyes.
Gio balls a fist at his side before he paces back a few steps, rolling a hand through his hair.
“Why’s Patrick coming down?” Michael interrupts. “He doesn’t need to be inconvenienced. And with all due respect, we’ve got this handled.”
“And with all due respect…” Tynan seethes. “My father insists. We’re family now, Michael, aren’t we?” He throws a hand in the air. “Family helps one another. So let us do that.”
By his tone, it doesn’t seem like he thinks we’re family at all.
Michael nods. But one can tell he’s not quite happy with that.
“Let’s get cleaned up at my place,” Gio offers. “Then we’ve got dinner at Michael’s. Mom insisted you three join us.”
“Wouldn’t be anywhere else.” Fionn swipes his palms together. “Your mother is one fine cook.”
“When will your father arrive?” Mom asks, passing the Caesar salad to Cillian.
“Tomorrow, ma’am.”
Her lips tighten, and she fidgets with her fork. “I don’t know what purpose that would serve. I don’t think my husband will talk just to make him happy.”
“My sister can be quite convincing, and my father wanted to lend a hand as well. He’s not good with sitting around.” He picks up a tray of biscuits and places one on his heaping plate.
She lifts her glass of red wine and takes a big sip.
Sophia’s having the time of her life babbling with Fionn, who chuckles, completely entranced.
“Do you live in Ireland?” she asks him. “I learned about it in school. It’s very green.”
“Ahh, yeah.” He laughs amusingly. “It can be very green. But no, I was born in Boston. My grandparents live there though and my dad was born there. Maybe we can take you for a visit one day.”
“Can we, Daddy?” She pivots excitedly toward Michael on her right, and it’s the first time she’s looked at him with what could pass as a smile.
“Maybe. We can see when the time comes.”
“Yay!” She grins, turning all her attention back to Fionn. “Can you come to my school play in April? I’m going to be a princess.”
“Well, sure, I’d love to.” His shoulders bounce with more laughter. “If it’s okay with your father.”
Michael sighs, shaking his head, but his lips twitch. “Don’t feel obligated.”
“I don’t. She’s a good kid. And it’s been a while since I sat through a play.”
“When the hell you ever sit through one to begin with?” Cillian mocks.
“You’re right. But gotta start somewhere. And I’m sure Sophia is one hell of an actress.”
“I am.” A smile stretches on her face, and she drops her cheek into her shoulder in the most precious way.
“Seems like you’ve got yourself a fan club there, Finny,” Cillian continues to tease him, cutting into his steak.
“You call me Finny again, and I’m gonna drop you on the ground, brother, and embarrass you around the wee one.”
Cillian raises his hands in the air, amusement flanking his features.
“You boys seem close. That’s nice,” Mom says. “Just like my boys.”
She smiles fondly at each of us. With a pause, she places a hand on her chest.
“It’s good to have my family altogether.” Tears shimmer within her gaze.
“Family is everything,” Tynan adds, and with that he glares at me.
Here we go.
“You boys have kids?” Mom throws out.
“No, ma’am.” Tynan chews on the bread he’s stuffed into his mouth. “But I’ve got my cousin’s son I’m taking care of because his father is dead, thanks to your son.”
His eyes narrow at me.
Mom’s audible gasp trickles through the room.
“This is not the time for that.” Michael leans forward, his tone deadly, glancing at his daughter, whose bewildered gaze takes everything in.
“Yeah, brother.” Cillian clamps his shoulder. “Let’s talk about some happier things, like how our baby sister is going to marry Gio here.”
“You hurt her, and I’ll kill you.” Tynan glares at Gio.
“Have no plans to hurt either one of your sisters.”
I have to bite on my damn tongue to stop from chuckling at the innuendo.
“Good, then,” Fionn says. “We can put this behind us and finally end this rivalry.”
“Yeah, let’s hope so.” Michael throws back his glass of whiskey and gives me a look that says the war may not be over quite yet.
NICOLETTE
I wish they could take me to another room. Anywhere else but here. I can’t spend another moment with my sister. The cement floor is cold, and so is the temperature. I shiver as I huddle on the ground, tightening my hoodie around myself, my arms curled around my middle.
I barely slept. The night came and went while I remained here, shackled in the same space as the woman who hates me. It feels like I’ve been here forever, yet it’s only been a day.
Will I die here?
Oh, God, I’m going to die, aren’t I? Running for so long, I finally thought I’d found peace in the arms of the one man I have yearned for all my life. Yet here I am, stuck in the same place as his wife.
Of course she faked her death. What else would one expect from someone so vile? Why would she care how our parents cried missing her? Why would it matter if Raph went to war to avenge her death? She’s always been selfish. Not much has changed.
“What are you going to tell everyone about your sudden rebirth?” I break through the thick silence, really curious what she has to say.
She’s all nonchalant, locking eyes with me. “That I was a star witness in a criminal case against some really bad people and the government faked my death until it was safe to let me return.”
“Wow. You really thought this through.”
Why does nothing that comes out of her surprise me anymore?
“Yes, well, I was always the brains of the family, while you…” She waves off. “Well, you know…you were you.” She scoffs, giving me a concentrated look. “I’ll do what I have to do to survive.”
My pulse quickens. “What the hell does that mean?”
Her dry laugh never reaches her eyes. “It means doing what Gian wants. It’s what you should do too, little sister. It’s the only way we’ll make it out of here.”
“And what does he want from me?”
Her expression grows tight. “For you to keep your mouth shut about what you heard.”
“Heard?” I snicker. “I recorded the whole thing, thinking I could…I don’t know…be a witness or something.”
“You have it on tape?” Her breath hitches.
“On video.”
“It’s no wonder he wants you dead.” She palms her mouth for a moment. “Where’s the recording now?”
“Michael has it.”
“What?” All the muscles and veins strain in her face and her cheeks turn beet red. “You really are an idiot! How the hell do you give your only leverage to a Marino?”
“Michael is not like his father,” I say. “And I’m no longer scared of Giancarlo. Raph will protect me.”
Rage surfaces and simmers on her features, like it’s alive. “My husband will not do a thing for you. Stop being such a stupid, na?ve little puppy.”
“Shut up, Bianca,” I fire back, wanting to throttle her. “You’re the one who couldn’t even fake her own death the right way. Look where you ended up.”
“I hate you,” she hisses. “I’ve always hated you. I wish Mom miscarried you.”
The words…they may as well have been knives to bleed me dry. I try to force the tears back, I really do, but they don’t stay away.
“You know you were a mistake, right?” she goes on, not caring how much grief she’s causing. “Did you know the condom broke?”
The words pour gasoline into my already flaming heart.
“Aww. You didn’t know, did you?” She pouts in a mock. “Yeah, they didn’t want you. Sorry to be the one to tell you. I was the one they wanted. But they didn’t believe in abortions, so they were forced to have you.”
My chest tightens. And every breath stings as it leaves my aching lungs.
“Bet they didn’t even care you left, right?” she continues to hurt me.
A sob escapes my lips.
“I figured,” Bianca adds. “When they find out you slept with my husband, they’ll disown you. You realize that, right?”
Oh, God. Please make her stop. Please! I cry silently.
My heart hurts. It hurts so badly.
“You’ll have no one,” she digs and digs. “Raph will not want to divorce me. He’s very much anti-divorce. So all that BS he was feeding you about not loving me, if you’re even telling the truth, will be irrelevant. Because I’m alive and I’m his wife and he’ll always be mine.”
My mouth shudders, and I swear I try to say something, anything. But no words come out. Because she’s right. She’s going to have him back while I’m left with nothing.
“Thanks for keeping my side of the bed warm for me, but now it’s time for a real woman to make him happy. Not a cheap knockoff.”
“Shut up!” Resentment swirls in the empty cavity of my chest. “It’s not true.” My body heaves. “He’s going to hate you. He’ll never want someone who did what you did with his father.”
“Please…” She waves off a hand. “All I have to do is cry and tell him how his evil father took advantage of me when I was drunk and threatened to tell him about it if I didn’t continue fucking him.”
“Is that even true?”
“Of course not.” Her thick laughter grates up my insides. “But Raph doesn’t have to know that.”
“There’s something seriously wrong with you,” I whisper credulously.
She looks manic, like she’s a crazy scientist readying the biggest experiment of her life.
“I’ll beg for his forgiveness.” She paces. “He’s bound to believe me. I mean, you heard me tell Giancarlo I wanted to be honest with Raph. I was trying to do the right thing. The recording will actually help me.” She grins facetiously. “Thanks for that. I can always count on you to be stupid.”
Her voice becomes an irritating sound, like static on the radio.
Adrenaline rushes through my body. All I picture when I stare at her is me wrapping my hands around her throat and killing her until she can’t speak anymore.
“He doesn’t love you.” I drill her with a sharp look, but she merely continues to ridicule me with her dark laughter.
“Aww, my poor, gullible sister. That’s what men tell whores when they wanna bone them. And being the slut that you are, you were more than willing to spread your legs.” She gives me a sinister stare. “You proud of yourself, sleeping with my husband?”
I yank at the chain biting into my wrist, getting to my feet, no longer caring if those men watching rush into the room and beat me for ending her miserable life.
It’ll be well worth it. All they do is give us food and water, never saying a word.
But I bet they’d have plenty to say if I started a fight.
She crosses her arms. “What are you going to do? Fight me? Go ahead?” She shrugs. “I’d pay to see you try.”
I march a few steps forward, my heartbeats drumming in my ears.
“If you do anything to me, the men will kill you. They were instructed to keep us both alive. For the time being.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because they told me when they left you unconscious in here. Told me not to mess with you.”
My hands squeeze. She’s not worth it. Once Raph finds me, and I have to believe that he will, he’ll choose me. I have to have faith that what we shared together meant something.
“When Raph rescues me…” she calmly throws out. “He’ll kill his father for what he did to me, then he and I will be together.” She narrows a wicked gaze. “Without any other distractions.”
“You don’t even love him!” I boil.
“I like him enough. He’s rich and handsome. And he’s always been good to me, even with you trying to claw your way in every chance you got.”
I can’t let her get to me. I can’t believe anything coming out of her mouth.
But what if she’s right? What if Raph believes every one of her lies?
Where will that leave me?