Chapter Fifty-three Jennifer
Chapter Fifty-three
Jennifer
The second we step foot into Daniel’s office, Hayden is already waiting for us. He’s scrolling on his phone, but when he notices us, he turns in the chair and grins at us.
“You guys done with training yet?” Hayden laughs. “Shit, that was quick. Is she a good shooter?”
“You could say that.” Daniel grins at him before he sits down at his desk, patting his thigh while looking at me.
Oh my god. How can such a simple action be so comforting and so soft, so sweet?
Right after everything that just happened?
As I walk over to him, his eyes stay focused on me, and me only. He looks at me like I’m the only person in the world he needs.
When I sit down on his lap and face Hayden, he just shakes his head. “You two can’t get your hands off of each other for a minute, can’t you?”
The handsome man behind me scoffs. “Of course, we can. We just choose not to. Why would I decide not to touch this gorgeous woman?”
My body tenses up slightly when his hand slides to my inner thigh, his fingers resting dangerously close to my pussy.
I just saved his life a few minutes ago, and he decides to do this to me? Right in front of Hayden? God, I love him.
I love him enough to kill someone for him.
…
Me. I killed someone. I did that. For him.
… I’d hate myself if it wouldn’t have been Julian. But I don’t feel guilty.
I wasn’t even planning to kill Julian, not really.
I’m not stupid. Shooting somebody without any knowledge of how to use a gun? How dumb is that?
But I just… I snapped.
The more Julian kept talking, the more my heart broke for Daniel. And seeing Julian degrade my boyfriend like this?
I just couldn’t control myself.
Every single kick into Daniel’s back, every single word Julian said, it made my fury worse.
And I don’t regret losing control at all.
As much as I hate myself for taking someone’s life, I think I finally understand what Daniel meant.
He’s truly not a bad person. He just punishes the people who do him wrong. He protects his family. Just like I did.
Because… I think he’s my family.
I smile at my thoughts as I think about just the three of us. Daniel, Mary, and me. We could be a family.
A real one. Sure, we’d have our flaws, but…
I think we already are a family, even with our flaws.
The first time Daniel met Mary, I could tell he’s good with kids. He treated her so well, despite not knowing her.
He was all soft and sweet with my daughter, and though I didn’t trust him, seeing him care for my daughter changed my mind ever so slightly.
And now? Now, he acts like he’s her father. Her loving, caring and comforting father that she never had before we got forced into this world.
It’s obvious that he can never be her biological father. But I think Mary doesn’t care.
She looks at him like she’s in love. Like he’s her actual father.
Like he’s her role model.
And just knowing that she sees him as her dad is enough for me to want to make it happen. To make us three stay together and be a family.
Because nothing would make me happier.
Truly.
I get snapped out of my thoughts when Daniel’s finger slides right over my clit and I flinch, looking back at him.
He just grins. “Hayden asked you something, baby.”
Immediately, I look back at his best friend. “Oh god, I’m so sorry, I was really lost in my thoughts.”
However, Hayden just shrugs while laughing gently. “Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to ask, how was it? Did Daniel show you everything? How long did you need until you finally hit a target? Most of our men need a lot of time until they get the hang of it. Just curious, that’s all.”
My mind is immediately filled with all the thoughts that have been racing through it when I aimed the gun at Julian, right at his throat, right to his carotid artery.
Very quickly into my medical studies, I learned about the important job this artery has. So, when Julian didn’t stop hurting Daniel, my mind immediately told me to shoot him right there.
And it worked.
“Well…” I start, looking back at Daniel. I don’t know what to say. Does he want me to tell the truth? Do we tell Hayden?
That’s why he called him immediately after we left the practice room, right?
My gaze turns back to Hayden after Daniel doesn’t give me a reaction. “I did hit the target on my first try, you could say that.”
His lips part as he looks at me in astonishment. “You’re fucking kidding, right?”
“Nope,” Daniel replies from behind me as his fingers circle over my clit, my body tensing up once more. Fuck, he shouldn’t do this. Not now…
“My girl is really good at what she does, I swear.”
I nod. “I’m a natural.” A simple laugh is all it takes to cover the moan I was supposed to let out.
Jesus.
Hayden just laughs. “Shit, I knew you were talented, but that talented? Man, you really got a diamond there.”
Daniel hums. “Trust me, I know.” His sigh makes it clear what he’s about to say.
“She killed Julian. It was him that she hit.”
The room is quiet. When I look back at Hayden, he looks back and forth between Daniel and me.
“I need context, Daniel. What the fuck happened?”
“It was him.” His hand suddenly grasps my thigh, his anger obvious. He tries to hide it, but his touch isn’t gentle anymore. It’s rough.
“You mean, all of this? Everything that happened?”
“Yes. It was all his fault.”
Hayden doesn’t respond right away. He lets out a sigh before leaning back, his hands running through his hair. “Shit.”
“Exactly, shit.”
“Well, he’s dead now. That’s a good thing, right?” Hayden asks.
All of us stay quiet. I want to respond, but I don’t. Because I know that Daniel has a lot to say, he just needs his time.
And I don’t want to take that away from him.
“It is a good thing. But that doesn’t bring back the people who died. It doesn’t justify their death.” He mumbles. I’m sure Hayden barely understands since Daniel’s speaking quietly, but I do.
I understand every single word.
I look back at him, looking into his eyes. He looks right back, but his eyes don’t seem happy. Not even freed. The brown in his eyes appears darker.
As if there’s only violence and sorrow.
… I hate seeing him like this.
My hand reaches out to touch his face, my fingers brushing over the rough stubble along his jaw.
His beard is coarse, a sharp contrast to the way he holds me—usually careful, always aware of his strength.
But now? He’s slipping, drowning in the weight of his thoughts. I want to pull him back before he sinks too deep.
My eyes focus on him, both of us lost in the moment before Hayden clears his throat and gets up. “I’ll, uh… Leave you two alone for a moment and get Victoria and Andrew. I think they should know.”
Daniel slowly nods before Hayden leaves, leaving us alone.
Immediately, he wraps his arms around me as his lips crash onto mine, trapping me in his touch. I moan into the unexpected kiss, my tongue slipping into his mouth immediately.
Both of us fight for dominance, but we both know who’s going to win. Within seconds, he lifts me up onto his desk as he stands between my legs, his lips still wrapped around mine.
When his hand moves down toward my pussy, I moan into the kiss once more. We only stop to get a breath of air before we continue again, completely forgetting about everything that’s been happening.
I could tell. I saw it in his eyes. He needs a distraction.
“I owe you something…” He whispers right at my lips. When he moves slower, his lips softly trailing down my neck, I finally stop him.
His eyebrows furrow. “Is something wrong, pretty?”
I giggle, biting my lower lip gently. “We shouldn’t be doing this. Not here, not right now.”
He thinks about something before he grins. “Wrong time, wrong place has always been our thing, pretty.”
I scoff, playfully teasing him. “You should be a pro at that now.”
“I am,” he whispers before he kisses me once more, “I definitely am.”
Both of us stare into each other’s eyes, completely lost in thoughts, when the door suddenly yanks open.
Hayden immediately moans. “My god, you’re like bunnies.”
Daniel laughs. “Shut it. Let’s get to business. We have lots to unpack.”
I sigh in despair, all their focus being on me immediately.
Fuck that. I shouldn’t have done that.
“The woman you’re looking at right now killed the guy who’s behind everything, I’m just saying.” Daniel sits back down on his chair, leaning back at it.
Meanwhile both his siblings look at me the same way Hayden did. My god, how dramatic can people be?
For sure, the Caruso family definitely is.
“It’s not a huge deal,” I shrug. “I saw danger and I just… Acted accordingly.”
Victoria is the first one to speak up. “That is a big deal, Jenny. You… How? And who?”
I look back at Daniel for confirmation once more, and he immediately nods. I gulp before I look back at his two siblings.
“I shot Julian in his carotid artery, and he died pretty quickly. I mean, I was lucky for aiming well enough but… I think I did well?”
Victoria scoffs, her happiness visible as she walks towards me, hugging me in an instant. “I’m so, so proud of you, Jen.” She whispers to me. Her hug is warm, comforting me.
She’s so sweet. I truly like her, the way she behaves… She’s the sweetest woman I’ve ever met.
I try my best not to tear up, smiling hard, but when I look up at Andrew, my smile fades in an instant.
Oh, fuck.
“It was him? You’re joking, right?” Andrew asks me. I gulp.
Shit. That information might seem nice for most of us, but… I guess Andrew doesn’t enjoy being betrayed by his friend.
“I… I’m sorry, I—”
“How did you know it was him? Did you check? I mean, you two just got closer!” He looks at Daniel now. “Tell me you didn’t kill him before you had real evidence.”
Daniel, however, doesn’t look at his brother. He just stares right at his desk, where we’ve been kissing just moments ago.
“He told me. He mentioned wanting to kill me, taking over as boss and making sure nobody’d find out why Jennifer and I died.”
His words make me swallow hard. It makes me realize that I was the one to save him. I was the one to put an end to all of this.
I was the one to save us from death, when I could never save anyone else from death.
But I finally did. I saved Daniel.
And yet, I killed somebody else. Like no matter what I do, somebody’s death will be involved, if not my own.
“Please tell me this is some kind of cruel joke, Daniel… Please.”
But despite Andrew’s begging, Daniel stays quiet, not responding. Not moving. Not doing anything despite staring at the desk.
When I look back at Andrew, he doesn’t look at me like he hates me as I expected. His eyes are filled with tears.
He’s hurt.
And I wish I could help him. Comfort him. Tell him this wasn’t true, but… I can’t.
If I’d tell the truth, I’d tell him killing Julian felt like a total relief.
But I’m not a bitch, and I certainly don’t enjoy hurting others.
Especially not people who don’t deserve pain, like Andrew. He’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met and the last person I’d wish any harm to.
“I’m sorry Andrew, just… He… He threatened us and I couldn’t stop myself. If I wouldn’t have done it, he would’ve—”
“Don’t try to justify yourself. You did the right thing.” He smiles as a tear rolls down his face, but he instantly wipes it away. “I just didn’t expect him out of all people to do… All of this.”
All of this. Because it wasn’t just simple betrayal.
He got several people killed. Innocent people.
Their parents. Their family.
It’s hard to grasp.
Because as we’re all standing here, the five of us are the ones in leadership.
Lilia and Vittorio were the only elderly people here. Now that they’re both gone, Daniel and Hayden are the only ones in control.
Andrew, Victoria and I are just considered in control because we’re family.
I mean, they are. I just… Does being his girlfriend count me in?
What I’m saying is that all of us are the new generation of this family. The Caruso family.
And while all hope might’ve seemed forgotten, we… We survived it. We made it.
Even more important, all of us are buried in sorrow, but we know better times will come.
Peace will come back. Hope will come back. Quieter times will come back.
It’s the only thought some of us hold onto.
Especially them. Because while not being able to save all of the people close to them hurt me, I only got to know all of them.
But they? They’ve known them all their life.
I have no right to sound like I’m hurt worse than they are. Because in reality, I know I couldn’t be.
Andrew excuses himself before he leaves the office to “go back to work.”
We all know it’s not true. He will most likely keep his bakery closed for a few days, grieving.
Over the people he lost.
Over the friend he lost.
The friend he thought was loyal. Real.
Victoria soon follows, just like Hayden. I subtly see Victoria reaching for Hayden’s hand, but I don’t think too much of it.
He’s like a brother to her. I suppose.
When Daniel and I are alone once more, I walk back up to him, looking down on him.
“We can’t help him, can we?”
He shakes his head.
“I wish, pretty. Trust me, I’d do anything to help him, but… He has to get through that alone. For now.”
I nod. “I guess you’re right.”
He nods.
“What do we do now?”
He sighs, running his hand through his long hair before he looks back at me with a grin. It’s a forced one. Mixed with pain, guilt, a huge amount of emotion I’m sure he doesn’t want to face right now.
“Down to ride?”
“Ride who?”
“… On my Harley? Jesus.”
I laugh. “You know I’m just teasing you. I’d love that. I’m starting to miss riding.”
“Last time you rode both my Harley and my cock, pretty.”
I shrug. “That’s what made it even better. Shall we?”
He gets up immediately, taking my hand in his. “Fuck, yeah. I need to get out of here.”
“Mh… I can imagine.”
His lips curl into a smile as we step out of the office.