I’m still processing his revelations when Tony says coldly, “This bullshit was never about revenge, was it? It’s been two decades… You never cared about your wife’s death. You got the sudden desire to go after Lee when you met Monique.”
Both Jade and her sister gasp as they stare at their father in confusion. The final pieces are almost clicking neatly into place. This wasn’t vengeance for Jasmine’s death. It was for Monique. Hunter’s eyes are locked on Tony’s now, and I see the exact moment he puts it together. “The bastard son,” he hisses. “What an unexpected bonus. Never believed I’d have Anthony Moretti at my mercy.” He rubs his hands together in glee. He points at two large men a few feet away. “Cuff this one. I don’t want him getting away.” Just when I think this can’t possibly get any weirder, Wrenn’s men, except for two, turn in a move so smooth it almost appears scripted. Their guns are suddenly pointed at Wrenn, who stares at them in confusion. “Wh-what are you fools doing? I’ll have your fucking heads for this. Do as I say!”
Marco steps forward with a lazy grin on his face. “These are Moretti men, asshole. We had people infiltrate your organization months ago. Long before we knew all this shit. You’ve been helping yourself to things that don’t belong to you. Guns, contracts, job sites.” He pauses for a moment to let it sink in. “You’re done, Wrenn.”
Wrenn’s gaze swings wildly around the room before landing on Tony once again. “Hell yes, I stole from you and your family. And you know what, you little punk? I’d do it again. Your father dared to take what wasn’t his, so I’m simply returning the favor. If not for the fact that there’s always goons shadowing your every move, I’d have gone after you first instead of Jacks. Everyone was always so fucking impressed with his brilliance. Made me look like a laughing stock when he yanked Wrenn Wear out from under me.” He shakes his head as if he hadn’t meant to reveal that much, before once again focusing on Tony. “Be grateful it’s just money and not your fucking wife,” he sneers.
Tony smirks at the older man, which seems to infuriate him. If he thought the son of Draco Moretti would bow down to him, he’s sadly mistaken. “Don’t blame me because you couldn’t satisfy your woman.” Nice. Not many guys can ignore that bait, and Wrenn will be no exception.
But what happens next is something I never expected. Again, time appears to almost stand still as Wrenn’s face turns molten red. He moves to the center of the room directly in front of Tony as he speaks in a near shout. “You think you’re so fucking smart, boy. Well, you don’t know shit.” He gives Tony a smile that is pure evil before dropping his bombshell. “Wanna know what happens to people who cross me, Moretti? They die—whenever and wherever I want it to happen. And as you can see, I have plenty of patience when need be. Although I must admit, I’d grown tired of the pace of this piece of payback. I even had Jenkins toss some crumbs at Jacks to speed the process along. He certainly didn’t seem to be putting it together on his own. Possibly because he was too busy playing the besotted fool with my daughter.” Tony has the audacity to yawn, which damn near has me smiling, despite the sting I feel at the reminder of Jenkins’ deception. That is, until I meet Jade’s tearful gaze and see the fear lurking there. I attempt to offer her comfort without words, and hope that some of my confidence eases her.
Tony makes a show of checking his watch. “If you don’t mind, Wrenn, I need to wrap this up. I’ve got a business to run, and frankly, I’m bored with you.”
Wrenn nearly convulses he’s so filled with fury. “I killed the fucking Moretti king and his whore. Still bored, you fucking piece of shit?” The room has gone deathly quiet. Tony’s fully focused on Wrenn now, and a muscle clenches in his jaw. This is the moment I knew was coming. The specifics aren’t there, but I recognize it just the same. Tony will kill Hunter Wrenn to avenge his father, and I must let him. Moretti men surround us. They’ll expect the son to exact retribution. It’s the way of the family. I take a few steps back, signifying without words that I understand what must be done. Wrenn’s two men have been disarmed and are no longer a threat. Jade stands next to her sister, looking as if she understands far more than I imagine. She too realizes what will transpire. And although a silent tear trickles down her cheek, she makes no sound. She’s so fucking strong that I’m in awe of her. If I wasn’t already in love with her, I would be for this moment alone. This beautiful woman who stares down death without flinching or hiding away. Jacey appears to be in some kind of trance. Her eyes are huge on her stricken face as she stares at her father. I know Jade is hurting, but I believe that her father’s confession has hit Jacey the hardest. Possibly because she has more of a relationship with her father than Jade does.
“Exactly how did you kill my father?” Tony asks, injecting just the right amount of skepticism in his voice. Wrenn wants the younger man to be impressed, and he’s more likely to continue talking if he thinks Tony doesn’t believe him.
Wrenn chuckles, appearing absurdly proud of himself. “I gave that junky who killed him some premium coke for a fucking month. He was good and addicted. So I let him run dry for a few days, then told him that if he killed Draco, he’d be set for life. Wasn’t too hard,” Wrenn brags. “Your father was a man of routine. So he simply followed him around for a while and waited until he had the kill shot.” Shrugging, he adds, “I’m not going to lie, taking out Victor Falco was an unexpected bonus. I might have even let the bum live for a while, but that was never an issue. I knew all along he’d be taken care of by the Morettis, and he was. Hell, it was almost too easy. And to think I assumed he’d be the difficult one, and Jasmine would be simple. I had that shit backward.” He rolls his eyes in exasperation. “Do you have any idea how many people I had to pay off to ensure the reports stated she died in that car accident? The fucking coroner was a greedy bastard. I couldn’t exactly hide the bullet hole in her forehead, but if she’d simply disappeared, I wouldn’t have inherited all her holdings. It’s a damn shame that my old man was so infatuated with my wife that he left her more in his will than he did his own son.” Releasing a long-suffering sigh, he adds, “But it all worked out in the end.” He looks away from Tony and focuses on me. “And Monique? I imagine by now she’s one less drain on the prison system. Certainly couldn’t leave that crazy bitch to run around spreading rumors, now could I?”
It’s so quiet. Everyone appears to be waiting with bated breath for something to happen. Then it does. There’s a loud boom that literally shakes the windows. “Oh my God, Jacey,” Jade croaks out drawing all eyes in their direction. Jacey stands there with her thin frame shaking, yet the gun in her hand remains remarkably steady as stares at her father. He’s gasping and flailing about. I hear a gurgling sound. She’s punctured one of his lungs.
“Fuck,” Tony hisses. Somehow Wrenn remains on his feet as he swings around to stare at his daughter in disbelief. Seemingly without blinking, Jacey pulls the trigger once more, and her father falls forward, twitching a few times before there is nothing more.
Jacey calmly places the gun in the chair next to her and smooths down her hair. She walks forward and stands over her father before shocking the room even more by spitting on him. “That’s for my mother, you fucking evil bastard. I won’t let you hurt us anymore.” And with that, her eyes roll back in her head, and she pitches straight into Tony’s arms.
A loaded silence descends for several moments as we all attempt to process what happened. Marco steps forward and lowers his large frame to check Wrenn for a pulse. He shakes his head when he gets up before looking over to where Tony is holding Jacey in his arms. “That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ll marry that girl tomorrow if she says the word.” Even though he says nothing in reply, I don’t miss the way that Tony’s arms tighten protectively around Jacey as he cradles her gently against him.
Jade launches herself across the space and barrels into my chest. I breathe easy for the first time in hours. She’s back where she belongs. She lets me hold her for a moment, before she pul
ls back and studies her sister in concern. “What’s going to happen to her, Lee? Will she go to prison? It was self-defense, right?”
Jade was raised by an evil man, but she’s still immune to the ways of a family like the Morettis. There’s no way to shield her from it, because she’s seen too much tonight. Tony, who has been staring at Jacey’s face as if in a trance, appears to hear the questions and nods to Marco. “Take care of this. Whatever you think is best. But nothing touches her,” he adds as he stares once more at Jade’s sister.
“My fucking pleasure,” Marco answers easily. He huddles around his men, speaking with low undertones. Tony strides from the room, not bothering to look back, and I put an arm around Jade and follow him. She doesn’t need to see any more. As it is, Jacey may never recover from what she’s done. But regardless, they’ll need each other in the days ahead.
At some point, Tony’s Land Rover was brought around near the door. He stops next to the Mercedes and glances inside before tossing me his keys. “I’ll drive her car. No use leaving it here for the guys to get home. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow.”
I open the passenger door of Jacey’s car so he can deposit her inside. She’s awake now, but makes no protests at being cared for by a stranger. She simply stares straight ahead, saying nothing while he fastens her seat belt. “Um, where are you taking my sister?” Jade glances from Tony back to Jacey. The worry is evident in her eyes as well as helplessness. She’s never had a close relationship with her sibling, and I don’t think she knows how to comfort the other woman.
“She’ll be safe,” he replies. “Lee knows where to find me.” Without anything further, Tony walks around and gets in the driver’s seat. The car roars to life, and we watch until his taillights disappear in the distance.
I help Jade into Tony’s SUV, then follow suit. I hold her hand on the way home, hoping it’ll give her a small measure of comfort after all she’s been through. We don’t speak until we’re settled on my sofa. She’s sitting sideways across my lap with her head against my chest as I gently stroke her back and drop kisses onto the top of her head. I gave her Advil as soon as we arrived, hoping to alleviate the headache she’s complained of. I tried to convince her to see a doctor, considering she lost consciousness after the blow earlier, but she refused. In the end, I made her promise to tell me if she had any other symptoms that might indicate a concussion. When my phone rings, I bite back a curse, just wanting some quiet time with my woman. But it’s Luc. “Hey, did Pete call you?” I contacted my brother on the way home to let him know we were okay. I was vague, not wanting to go into details over the phone. Tomorrow is soon enough for that. I also asked him to update Lucian as well.
“Yeah, he did. I assume we’ll get together soon.” When I agree, he pauses. “I received a call from Woodbridge Correctional. Monique was killed today in an altercation with another prisoner.”
I sigh, shaking my head. “I see,” I say simply. “Maybe there is some justice in the world after all.”
“My sentiments exactly,” he says. “Anyway, just thought you should know. Do you or Jade need anything tonight? Happy to help out in any way that I can.”
I smile at his thoughtfulness. “Thanks, Luc, but we’re good. Just take care of my daughter and granddaughter.”
“Always,” he says adamantly. I end the call and lay my head against the cushions, feeling the stress begin to drain out of me.
I must have dozed off at some point because movement beside me has me jerking awake. I look around groggily to see a grinning Jade staring at me with Rufus sitting in her lap. He stretches his paws up, and they land on my chest as he surveys me. Then very deliberately, he leans closer and licks my cheek. “Holy fuck,” I groan in disgust. “Please tell me that was the first time he tongued me while I was passed out.”
Her giggle has me shuddering. “It’s so cute, honey. I swear he adores you. He jumped in my lap and rubbed his head all over you.”
I roll my eyes at her amusement but can’t bring myself to be angry. I’m too happy to see her smiling, and the sound of her laughter is everything I didn’t know I needed. “So you’re basically saying I’m covered in cat hair and spit? Need I remind you what he does with those paws?”
She shrugs before saying impishly, “Better add shit to that list as well. He does lick himself a lot, but I’m not sure how clean you would consider him. He probably misses a few spots.”
“Thanks for bringing that to my attention, baby,” I grumble as the fur ball snuggles next to me. The sound of his purrs literally fills the room. “Fuck,” I sigh, but it’s more in resignation than irritation. If living with Rufus is the price for having Jade in my arms, then I’ll gladly pay it. Not that I’ll tell her that, but I’ll take every family member of the feline for another day with this gorgeous woman smiling at me. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” Maybe not the smoothest delivery, but the question is certainly from my heart.
Her eyes go soft and heavy, and there’s a hint of moisture there as she whispers back, “If it’s half as much as I feel for you, then I’m the luckiest woman in the world. Because I fell madly in love with you the moment I first saw you at Falco.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you how I feel. I’m the best version of me with you, but I’ve still done a lot of things that would make you look at me differently if you knew.”
She puts a finger to my lips, silencing me when I want to continue. “You saw my family today. I wasn’t raised in a traditional household.” She rests her forehead against my chest before adding shakily, “For God’s sake, my sister killed my father, Lee. She shot him twice. And the bad thing is that I understood. A part of me even wants to applaud her for having the strength to do it. Because he killed our mother and let us spend our lives believing she died because she was driving intoxicated. But he killed her. Do you realize that half of my family killed another family member? Who does that?” She sounds bewildered as she shakes her head. “So stop thinking you’re corrupting me because I’m not exactly Mary Poppins.”
I nod solemnly before dropping a kiss onto her frowning lips. “I see your point, sweetheart. But regardless of those things, you’re still all that’s good and pure to me. And maybe in a way, those parts of you make us a perfect match. Your halo is beautiful but a tad crooked, and baby, that’s one of the many things I adore about you.”
She turns in my arms until she’s straddling me and our lips meet in a kiss that reaffirms our words. It promises today, tomorrow, and forever regardless of what comes our way. Our life may have shades of normalcy at times, but it’ll always be anything but. Quite simply, we’re two people who grew up in a world shaded in gray, and although there will be moments in the light, there will also be many in the darkness. She is my home. My sanctuary. If we have each other, we’ll hold on tightly until the storm passes and the sun breaks through the clouds once again.
The End
Epilogue
JADE
“I swear I’d love nothing better than to cut your dick off,” I snap at my husband who is trying hard not to smile. The poor man has been through hell with me these past three months, and it’s not getting any easier for either of us. After my father’s death, the Morettis magically made him disappear, and his holdings were divided between Jacey and me. She’s taken over running the company, and I’ve been content to put my part in a bank account and try to forget that the money was probably as dirty as my father. Lee proposed to me the very next day after Dad’s death. I said yes immediately but didn’t want or need a traditional wedding. He arranged a pastor to perform the ceremony at our home with only Pete and his family and Luc, Lia, and Lara in attendance. I invited Jacey, but she declined, saying she simply couldn’t handle it, but she wished us well. I completely understood, and we were married two days later. Then less than a month later, I found out I was pregnant. So much for those birth control pills. Thus, bringing us to our familiar morning routine of me being bent over the toilet puking my guts
out while Lee stands behind me, holding my hair and rubbing my back. Oh, and the loving way I toss out threats to his manhood between bouts of heaving. After he’d gotten over the initial shock of having me spew such violent rants, I think he quite enjoyed them. He’s even recorded a few and played them back for me later so I can hear what I sound like. He only made that mistake twice before I tossed his phone across the room and shattered it on the marble flooring. Yes, I think I’ve really got this pregnancy glow down.
“Is there anything left in you?” he asks with a note of concern in his voice. For as much as I amuse him with my profanity, he always hovers like a mother hen. I’m not sure who this pregnancy has been harder on: him or me. I’ll wake up sometimes at night to find him staring at me. Once, I’m almost certain he was checking to make sure I was breathing. The man is seriously overprotective, and I love it. I’ve never felt so cared for, pampered, or cherished as I do now. It’s as if once we said, “I do,” what remained of his walls simply crumbled. He opened his heart to me, and I never doubt that I am his world just as he is mine.
He tenderly washes my face, and I brush my teeth before he helps me back into the bed for what is one of my favorite parts of the day. When the puking subsides and we cherish those last few moments before we rise. We argued about it, but I’m still working at Falco part time. Kara has kindly agreed to check on Denise, my job-share partner, after the baby is born and we decide on when and if I’ll be returning to work. Denise, a fifty-year-old detail-oriented ninja, has been an awesome second assistant to Lee. And he likes her, which is certainly a bonus. Possibly because she doesn’t put up with his shit and keeps him in line. That’s my theory anyway. “I’m sorry for being mean to your pecker again.” I giggle as he pinches my butt playfully.