“Don’t go,” she cries out in panic. “Please, just wait.”
“Duchess, I need to see what we’re up against.” Lee has moved over while I’ve been talking to Jacey and is at my side on his knees as well.
“Don’t know what the fuck just happened, but we need to get whoever the fuck is left before they get us.”
Jacey moves over to Jade, and they link their arms together as we shift away. “I can’t see shit,” I whisper a second before bumping into something. Bishop is lying on the floor with his eyes open and lifeless. There is a bullet hole in his forehead but very little blood.
“That’s one down,” Lee murmurs, then gives a grunt of satisfaction as he finds one of the other man’s guns on the floor nearby. He checks the clip, then pops it back in. “Still almost full.”
“You can get up, Tony, you’re clear,” says a voice from behind me. I whirl around to find a very pale Lester with an assault rifle in his arms.
I hesitate, still not sure who to trust. Even though my uncle said Lester wasn’t involved, who the fuck knows if that was yet another lie?”
Then a sound from near the doorway booms out, “Tony, Lee, you two all right?”
“Marco,” I call out in relief. If there’s anyone in the world that I still trust, it’s him. Lee seems to be of the same mind because we both straighten and get our first good look at the area. The desk is overturned, and there are many bullet holes in the wood. The bottles on the bar are shattered, and liquid is leaking onto the floor. And there is another body facedown. This one obviously female. “Cassandra,” I murmur, not really knowing how to feel. She was never a mother to me, but I’ve considered her a friend. And that is the person I will mourn the most.
“Marcel shot her just as I came into the room,” Lester says as he too stares at her prone body.
“Where are Mike and Marcel? Fuck, please don’t say they got away.”
“Not exactly,” Marco mutters. “Mike alerted me. He managed to dial my phone and leave his on speaker. I heard everything from the point just before Bishop showed himself until we arrived.”
“He’s a traitor,” I spit out in contempt. “And apparently my fucking brother.”
“I’m all those things, Tony, but for what it’s worth, I was lied to maybe more than you were.” I stiffen as my brother enters the room with Nic at his back and Marcel in front of him. But what has my attention is that Mike has a gun focused on an enraged Marcel. He’s baring his teeth in more of a snarl.
“What in the fuck is this?” I hiss in anger.
I stand my ground when Mike stops a few feet away and extends his gun by the handle to me. “You were denied your right of retribution once before against the man you thought killed your father. Now you know who was responsible. I could have easily taken the shot myself, but this is yours. Pay this bastard back for what he’s done to so many people.”
I’m shocked speechless. I see nothing but sincerity and sadness in Mike’s eyes as he nods. Marcel’s hands are tied behind his back. There’s nowhere for him to run. I glance at Jacey and Jade, who are now on their feet holding hands. Jacey returns my look, giving me a nod of understanding and showing me that she supports me. I shift my gaze to Lee, who understands what I want perfectly. He walks to his wife and puts one hand on her elbow before putting his other one on Jacey’s. Neither woman protests as he leads them from the room before returning alone. Marcel glares at me with hate-filled eyes before spitting in my face. “You don’t have the balls, kid. You never have. You’re a coward just like your father. He always wanted everyone else to do his dirty work. So why don’t you follow behind the women and let someone else take care of this?”
I’m calm, not in the least rattled by his taunts. My focus is solely on him, and no amount of his bullshit will shake that. He’s opened his mouth, ready for another blast of bullshit, when I calmly raise the gun and shoot him at such close range that it removes half of his head. There is zero chance he’s still alive, so only one shot is necessary. Marco crosses to me and takes the gun, dropping it into a bag and pocketing it. “Go on home with your lady. I’ll handle this from here.”
“And what of him?” I ask, pointing at Mike.
Marco claps me on the shoulder. “That’s up to you. He’ll go into lockup until you’ve decided.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ve been through enough and so have you. I’m ready for it to be over.” When we all turn to stare at him, Mike pulls a gun from his waistband, and before anyone can stop him, he puts it in his mouth and pulls the trigger.
“Fucking hell.” I stagger backward.
Lee puts a hand on my back, keeping me steady. “Let’s get out of here. I think we’ve seen enough for tonight. I’ll drop you and Jacey off at the club.”
And with that, I feel the shutters coming down over my mind as I lock down. I’ve lost both friends and family tonight, and I have to process my grief before I lose my mind. Jacey takes my arm as we walk to where they’re waiting in the foyer. She studies my face, then takes charge. Before I know it, Clint meets us at the entrance of the club and assures us he’s checked every inch of the building including the apartment. He advises that he’ll be staying until I tell him differently. Jacey thanks him and leads me through the apartment and into the bathroom. She undresses first herself and then me. I step into the shower and simply stand there while she washes us both. I know she’s worried, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she helps me out, dries me off, and then finds me a pair of shorts to slip on before helping me into bed. Then she turns on the light on her side of the bed and turns mine off. She stops at my side and drops a kiss onto my forehead. “I know you need time. I’ll be in the living room when you’re ready or if you need me.” She pauses before adding softly, “I love you.” Strangely, even with everything going on inside my head, it touches me that she understands my need for time alone to process. And with that, she closes the door behind her, and I zone out completely. I have no idea what I’ll feel later, but for now, I give myself up to the blessed oblivion of darkness, hoping that somewhere inside it, I’ll find not only some answers but peace as well.
16
Jacey
I checked on Tony several times during the past twelve hours, but he’s still sound asleep. Marco and Nic have been by, but they’ve known him a long time, so they’re not concerned about his behavior. In fact, Marco explained that Tony has been that way for as long as he could remember. Lee called once, and I asked him how Jade was. He paused before admitting that she was very depressed over what she learned from Marcel. I didn’t know what to say after that. I have no idea how to deal with my sister any more than I have for the past ten years.
When I hear a sound in the next room, I freeze, listening intently. I’m almost certain the shower is running. I hurry into the kitchen and take out some eggs and bacon to make a quick breakfast. He must be hungry.
The food is ready, and I’m dividing it onto two plates when he walks up behind me and nuzzles my neck. “Hey there,” I say softly as I put the food on the bar and turn around to face him. He’s freshly shaven and smells amazing. There are dark circles under his eyes, but he appears alert and relaxed. “How are you?” Stupid question.
He smiles, but there’s no real humor behind it. “I’m okay, Duchess. Tired of trying to make sense out of something that can’t possibly be explained away rationally. I officially give up.” He kisses me lightly on the lips before taking a seat. I pull out a stool beside him, and we eat in silence for several minutes.
“You know,” I say casually, “I had to accept long ago that not everything can be fit into a neat box with a logical explanation attached to it. Simply put, sometimes life fucks us over out of the blue. And we have no control over it. But we can control how we choose to see it and react to it.” This next part is going to be tricky, but at this point, I don’t think there’s anything to lose by trying. “I’ve been thinking of all the players involved in your uncle’s games. Your mother made a
bad decision not once, but twice, but both times, she thought she was protecting you. She couldn’t take care of you, so she let your father, who had the financial means, raise you. And you’ve said many times that he loved you…was good to you. Your upbringing may not have been the most conventional, but you were happy. And she helped Marcel, thinking she was saving you. Yes, she was misguided, but in her defense, I believe she was so desperate to make up for giving you away that her judgment was impaired. Imagine for a moment the intense grief she must have felt at discovering that not only had she assisted the man who killed your father but who was also planning to kill you. Then to make matters worse, she also learns that her other son didn’t die as she was told but was given to another family. She threw herself in front of Bishop and took a bullet that was meant for Mike. Marco said Mike was in shock over it. But at least she died in peace, knowing she saved a son she thought dead all these years.”
I see him mull my words over, his food long since forgotten. “I had a brother all along, Duchess. I spent so many hours around him and never knew it. I could have…saved him…if I’d known. How he must have hated me in those moments when Marcel told him of what our father had done. I lived a good life as you’ve pointed out, but he was tossed away.”
“Were John and Carmen, his parents, good to him?” I ask, hoping to God they were.
He nods slowly. “Yeah, they were. They doted on him. Hell, I was even jealous of the time John spent taking him fishing and hunting. Those were things my own father didn’t really have a lot of time for. And now they’ve probably already been informed that Mike is dead—in whatever way Marco decided to make it look.”
“My heart breaks for them,” I say softly. “Marcel is to blame. Marcel poisoned Mike with lies. But Mike saved all of us, Tony. If not for him calling Marco, we’d all probably be dead right now. It’s as if he couldn’t have lived with what he’d done on his conscience.”
He rubs his hands over his face. “Fuck, I know. It’s just…too many tragedies have plagued this family. And I want that to be the end of them. I want to live my life in peace. I want to have a family with you and grow old with you. I want us to run my clubs and spend so much time together that we’re sick of each other.”
“Are you asking me to marry you, Mr. Moretti?” And amazingly enough, the thought of that doesn’t panic me at all.
“Um. I was thinking more of living in sin…but I guess I can put a ring on it if I must.” I punch him in the side as he continues to tease me. Suddenly serious, he pulls my hand to his lips and kisses the fingers. “I’m serious, Jacey. I do want all that with you. I’ve been in love with you since we were kids. I’ve always thought the dreams were nothing more than that until my uncle admitted we spent time together as children. I knew the moment you fell into my arms that I’d never be the same. You were the adult version of the girl I’ve always loved.”
“Oh, Tony,” I whisper as tears spill down my cheeks. “I never thought I’d have this. Someone who loves me, knowing all the bad things I’ve done. Even if they were for the right reasons. But you’ve always seen past the ice queen to the woman inside. I firmly believe I was meant to find you, because like you, I knew the first moment I saw you. I love you with all my heart, Mr. Moretti, and yes, I’d very much like for you to make an honest woman out of me.”
He gets to his feet suddenly and picks me up in his arms. I squeal as he bounces me lightly before turning toward the bedroom. “You drive a hard bargain, Duchess. But if it’s okay with you, I think we should go ahead and start practicing for this baby-making bargain we made. After all, I’m a man of my word, and I agreed to make you my baby mama.”
“You certainly did.” I grin. “So, let’s get to it. I figure if you’re walking around in the club with our six kids, then maybe, just maybe, you might not be such a hot commodity.”
“Oh please,” he huffs out as he tosses me on the bed. “I’ll always be hot, but only for you, Duchess.” As our laughter dies away and our passion rises, I can’t help but marvel that we’ve survived what would have killed most people. Instead of giving up and walking away, we’re now firmly on the path to our future together. He fell in love with me almost thirty years ago, and even though I have no memory of it, I feel certain that we gave our hearts to each other back then for safekeeping until the time came for us to reclaim them and each other again. How that was possible is a mystery I’m sure I’ll never solve. In this case, I have to thank my mother. Had she not been so incredibly vain and selfish, Tony and I never would have had the chance to love. He would have had unfulfilled dreams, and I would have stayed alone and bereft of one of life’s greatest gifts. Tony will continue to grieve his unimaginable losses; of that, I have no doubt. But we will grieve together. And over time, we’ll heal together too. Because that’s what true love is.
Hope…and never being alone.
* * *
The End
Epilogue
Tony
It’s almost like the dream I had of us as adults. I stare at my beautiful wife as she walks out of the pool at the compound with a baby held securely at her hip. Her newly restored blond hair glistens in the sun as she drops a kiss onto the baby’s soft curls. My heart turns the now familiar flip that it always does when she’s near. If anyone had told me a year ago that Jacey and I would go through something akin to a horror story and come out on the other side stronger than ever, I would have laughed. Don’t get me wrong, I knew she’d be important to me from that first moment we met, but I had no idea I’d be capable of loving another in this capacity. It’s different to anything I’ve ever experienced. We married right here in a poolside wedding a month after we were rocked by so much tragedy. When Jacey suggested having our wedding here, I balked until she explained that she wanted us to have a happy memory here to hopefully lessen some of the pain from what happened.
Life slowly returned to normal after that night. We ended up telling Rutger everything, knowing he deserved the closure as well. He arranged for John and Carmen to be informed that Mike had died in the line of duty. None of us could see any benefit in taking their good memories of their son away from them. My uncle quit his job and moved away, or at least that’s what his employers were led to believe via email. And Lester still works for me although I know he struggles with not only Cass’s death but her deceit as well. Bishop disappeared but was kind enough to leave his family enough money to take care of anything they might need in the future.
She turns to face me as if sensing my eyes on her and waves at me with little LeeAnn’s hand snuggled in her own. “Damn, I feel old,” Lee drawls at he drops down into a chair next to me.
“You should; you have two little kids now. Leave it to you to knock your wife up immediately after a shootout. I mean, I admire your concentration and all, but couldn’t you have waited for at least a week? It’s kind of tacky.”
Lee glances around to make sure no one is near before flipping me off. Apparently little Victor is imitating his father now, and Jade wasn’t too happy the first time he gave her the finger. “Don’t sulk because you’re less of a man,” Lee mocks. “Luckily for you, Jacey is quite taken with our kids, so there’s no pressure for you to reproduce.”
I watch Jacey as she hands LeeAnn to her mother, then swings little Victor around in a circle. By mutual agreement, we decided to put our own baby-making plans on hold. Jacey realized the reasons she wanted a child were not the right ones. And she no longer needed a baby to love her unconditionally, because she had me for that, as well as her family. Right now, we were enjoying it being just us. She sold Wrenn about six months ago, and we’re running my clubs together. She has an amazing head for business and has handled most all the details for the new club we’re opening next year. “That’s true. And I’m not gonna lie, man. I like buying them loud shit and sending them home with it.”
“That fucking flute was pure evil,” he grouses, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, though, I’ll pay you back.”
I incl
ine my head toward where Jade is standing with her sister. “How’s she doing? I know the therapy has really helped Jacey. She still has her moments, but she’s getting more comfortable with who she is.”
Lee watches his wife for a moment before turning back to me. “She’s doing better. Like Jacey, there are better days than others. I was worried when she found out she was pregnant so soon after discovering what Jacey had been through. But I think the distraction was a good thing. I believe the joint therapy sessions with Jacey along with her individual ones have been a big help in her learning to cope with what is almost a form of survivor’s guilt. Even though Jacey didn’t die, Jade blames herself for Jacey losing part of her life.”
“I’m glad they’ve been able to form a relationship. I know it’s still awkward at times, but they’re finding their way. And no matter how much she denied it, Jacey needs that just as much as Jade.”
“I still feel like a bit of dick over the way I treated Jacey in the beginning,” Lee admits. “But I had no reason to believe that things were anything other than how they seemed.”
“She understands that, Lee, and she’s finally stopped making those voodoo dolls of you,” I say with a straight face.
He grins. “Fucker.”
“What’s a fucker, Daddy?” We both freeze when little Victor steps into view. Neither of us noticed him slipping behind our chairs at some point.