Chapter 32 – Moretti
Chapter Thirty-Two
Moretti
This day has been so never-ending that it actually spilled into the early morning hours of the next. God, I guess this is actually the second night.
I left immediately after Vanessa spoke to the doctor, and I haven’t been home since. Although I did get a few hours of sleep at my office as the tech team got to work.
With what Magnum found, I officially have proof of Grigoryan’s wrongdoings, and I intend to offer my wife his head as her wedding present.
If all goes to plan, the sick fuck won’t live to see the end of the week, but I had to be sure the other families wouldn’t take exception to me taking him out.
I have as much assurance as I’m going to get, but I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see if anyone tries to double-cross me.
I’m finally on the way out of my office when my phone rings.
My brow wrinkles as the caller ID comes into view. It’s the landline for Hideaway—one of my bars. They almost never call me directly, since there’s a chain of command.
“This is Moretti,” I say, answering the call.
“Boss? This is Kenny—the bouncer at the Hideaway. We were just closing up for the night, and…”
“And?” I prod, my patience disappearing by the second.
“You should get over here as quickly as possible. We have a problem.”
Keeping my face placid during the round of questions I face from Boston PD isn’t easy, but I won’t allow my anger to prod me into giving anything away.
There was never a doubt in my mind that Grigoryan would retaliate, so I’m unsurprised that he clapped back. But really, this is milder than I expected. It’s left me feeling unsettled as I wait for the other shoe to drop.
Someone drove the car Magnum left behind near Grigoryan’s office right into the back wall of the Hideaway.
They also lit the dumpster on fire and spray-painted your next on the brick wall.
Their grammar leaves something to be desired, as it should be you’re next, but I was expecting something on par with the building my men took out the night of Vanessa’s supposed engagement party to Grigoryan.
The Hideaway was an easy target. It’s my closest establishment to Grigoryan’s territory, but I’m surprised he didn’t massacre everyone in the place then burn the entire bar down.
That’s what I would have done if I truly wanted to make a statement.
If nothing, I owe Kenny a raise and a bonus for following my instructions without question. I asked him to light the vehicle on fire before the police could arrive. Magnum undoubtedly left physical evidence of his presence in the vehicle, and I needed to be sure that was erased.
Kenny did a damn thorough job.
“And you’re sure you have no idea who could be responsible?” the detective asks again, bouncing his pen against his notebook.
“I’m afraid I don’t,” I say coolly. “But I have every confidence that you’ll figure it out.
It’s a relief to know Boston’s finest is on the case.
” I dip my head in a faux show of respect, and cut off the other cop as he opens his mouth.
“I’m sorry, gentlemen. I’ve told you all that I know.
I’m very newly married, and I’m sure my wife is going out of her mind, wondering why I haven’t made it home yet.
If you have any other questions, give my lawyer a call.
” I pull his card from my pocket and hand it over.
“Have a good night.” Spinning around, I meander toward the bar staff.
I need to check on my employees and get the fuck home to crawl in bed next to my wife.
Despite my best intentions to locate Vanessa, I’m beat. I shower and sit on the edge of my bed in only a towel. Even getting up to get dressed seems like a lot of work when I’ve slept four hours out of the last forty-eight.
I lie back, slinging my forearm over my eyes. I only intend to rest for a few moments.
The next thing I know, someone climbs on top of me, waking me out of a dead sleep.
“I’m so pissed at you right now,” Vanessa says. “How dare you not let us know that you made it home safely?”
My hands land on her hips as she kneels over me, and I’m still so out of it that I almost ask her to sleep with me for a few more hours.
“Sorry, darling,” I murmur, running my thumbs over the soft material of the T-shirt that she’s clad in. “I hoped to be home for dinner last night. Clearly, that didn’t pan out. What time is it?”
“A little after nine,” she says. “The only reason I knew you made it home was because Ziggy mentioned you cleared the gate at three-thirty this morning.”
“Yes, well, it would have been several hours earlier, but I got trapped in a meeting and then learned Grigoryan retaliated,” I say, my voice still thick with sleep.
“Shit,” she whispers. “Is everyone okay? I mean, was it bad?”
“Not in the grand scheme of things, but I never enjoy having to give my personal information to a detective.” I slide my hands to her lower back, pulling her flat to my chest. “Just let me sleep another half hour, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
She grunts, running her nose over my pec. “Mmm, I hate that you smell so good. It’s relaxing me, and I’m supposed to be mad at you.”
I snort. “Your scent comforts me, too, Vanessa. How is Magnum?”
My nostrils flare, and I get the first real hit of her scent as she shoves her hair behind her ear. She smells heavily of Hawk, and it grates on my instincts. They must have spent quite a lot of time together while I was working.
“He’s okay.” She shrugs. “Hopefully he found something that made getting shot worth it.” I hear her words, but something clicks in my mind.
It’s not like she’s just carrying hints of Hawk’s scent.
It’s as if her entire scent changed.
A low growl rattles from my chest. “Are you and Hawk bonded?”
She jolts, slapping my stomach.
“Yeah, asshole. We are. Now is when you say congratulations.” Vanessa uses her hands on my chest to push herself up enough to stare straight into my eyes.
“I’m open to bonding you too. I want that, even, but I’m warning you, Moretti.
Show your ass, and I’ll show you exactly how miserable things can get when your wife is unhappy. ”
I quirk an eyebrow. “Are you threatening me, darling?”
“I wish I didn’t feel like it was necessary,” she says, holding eye contact. “Just think about it. It’s a good thing, right?” I hate how she squares her shoulders like she’s expecting a fight.
“You know I trust Hawk more than anyone,” I say, and at least that is true. “I’m happy for you.”
Her head tilts, and her eyes narrow.
My hand flattens on her lower back, and I roll us, trapping her under me. “Okay, I’m full of shit. I’m dreadfully jealous, but I’m trying to be happy for you. Does that count?”
She’s my wife, after all.
The least Hawk could have done would be to let me bond her first.
The fucker.
Her eyes soften, and I must have said the right thing because she wraps her hand around the back of my neck, pulling me down until our mouths meet.
My towel has been barely hanging on by a thread, and it falls open as I grind her into the mattress, kissing the fuck out of her. At some point, I should likely tell her the old wives’ tale about what her scent means. I have no way of knowing if it’s true, but I think it’ll make her smile.
God, how I wish I had time to start the morning right—also known as buried balls deep inside my wife. Unfortunately, we have a lot to get done before our claiming ceremony tonight.
I pull back from the kiss before I can torture my cock any further.
“I hate to cut this short when things are just getting interesting, but we need to fill Hawk and Magnum in on what the tech team found. Our claiming ceremony is tonight. Do you have a dress and whatever lingerie you’d like to wear for the ceremony itself, or do we need to fit in a shopping trip? ”
“I don’t want to go shopping. I’ll figure something out,” she says, blinking up at me from behind her dark lashes. “Shit. Now I’m nervous.”
“I will do everything in my power to protect your modesty,” I assure her. “But you know we’re going to have to put on a damn good show.”
“I couldn’t give a shit less about the ceremony. I’ll fuck your brains out,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I’m nervous about what the tech guys found.”
I nod, brushing her hair back from her face. “It’s not pretty, but we’re going to put an end to all of that.”