My feet slipped again, sending me tumbling head first down a shallow slope toward the mossy bank of the lake. I rolled into a clearing stopping short of the water and the footsteps behind me faded. I wiped at the sweat and mud splattered on my face and realized I’d run in the right direction. I pulled myself to my aching feet. Weak with exhaustion, I let the air pump back into my lungs and shook my head with embarrassment that I let my paranoia get the better of me, it was probably a hunter. Quiet surrounded me as I walked the remaining hundred yards towards Carra’s house.
I couldn’t shake the sensation that someone was watching me, the hairs on my neck tingled and my body stiffened with every step. I slid my hand behind me and wrapped my clammy fingers around the steel of the pistol. I clutched it tight in my hand, as I reached out with the other. My hand hovered inches from the doorknob, frozen in mid-air as I stared at the crimson red lipstick mark streaked across the wooden door. There was no escaping Angelo or his men, only this time it wasn’t just my life in danger but Carra’s. No matter how angry I was that she let me trust her all the while keeping the truth from me, I wouldn’t let her pay for my actions.
I closed my fingers around the knob before I realized someone was behind me. A strong hand covered my mouth as an arm reached around and grabbed the gun. I swung my arms over my head and thrust my elbows in a backwards motion. It was useless, no matter how hard I tried I didn’t connect with his body. His hold only grew tighter. I wasn’t able to see his face, but I smelled the tequila on his breath.
Lorenzo dragged me across the yard and into the empty barn. In one steady motion, he pushed me down onto a chair. Pulling my arms behind me at an awkward angle and bound my wrist; trapping me. The edge of the chair cut into my shoulder blades and tingles shot down my arms, numbing my hands. The still air was heavy on my skin. His laughter grated in my ears as he emerged from the edge of the shadows into the light splintered across the floor through the dilapidated boards and unhinged doors.
I scanned the room and noted the exits like Cal had once taught me, but I often forgot to do. There were three doors, one behind me, another to the right and one straight ahead, behind Carra. Lorenzo tied her to another chair, positioned out of my reach. The slivers of light cascaded over her trembling body. Her teeth sank into her lower lip deep enough to draw blood but she fixed her wide eyes on mine.
Lorenzo circled behind her and traced the side of her already bruised face with his gun. He continued to trail the barrel down her neck and across her breasts, tossing her loose hair off her shoulder. A soft whimper escaped her lips and arousal flooded his eyes while hers filled with fear at what would happen next.
Lorenzo’s voice bit with hatred, “Angelo sent me after Brie but imagine my surprise when I found you too. Did you think you could just walk away from me? I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to kill you until I saw you again.”
A strong female voice rose from the side of the room, “Lorenzo, let’s not forget our orders.” Ava’s tall, slender form emerged from the shadows and moved between us. “Angelo wants them both alive to lure Cal out of hiding.”
Lorenzo’s face burned red with fury as he turned landing his gun across Ava’s cheekbone sending her crashing to the floor, “I don’t need you telling me what I’m supposed to do. When this is over, I will lead this crew, if you shut up and stay out of my way maybe I’ll let you stick around to keep my dick warm.”
I wiggled my wrist, twisting the unyielding rope until it cut into my skin. “You’re not going to get away with this. If Cal is alive, you’re all going to pay,” I hissed through gritted teeth, trying to force back the tears and the pain in my arms.
Carra couldn’t control the fear any longer, the tears flooded out of her eyes and her bloodied lips twitched as the sobs broke free.
“Yes, the infamous Cal Carracci, your brother.” He turned back toward Carra, ghosting his hand down her arm. “I suppose that small time cop boyfriend of yours will help him.”
Sunlight flooded the room, and I squeezed my eyes shut against the brightness. When I opened them, Ava was no longer sprawled out on the floor at my feet. Lorenzo stood firm with his gun aimed at the two men entering through the opened door and let out a menacing laugh. “Well, well, well, did the dead man get the jump on you, Boss?”
Angelo narrowed his eyes at Lorenzo and clenched his fist open and closed.
“Weigh your options carefully Cal. If you pull that trigger you will be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. I’m a Made-man, and that means none of you will ever be safe. Do you want to put them in that kind of danger?” Angelo’s voice pierced my ears as the two men moved further inward.
My eyes landed on Cal’s face and I forgot how to breathe. My chest tightened like an invisible force crushed me from all directions. Cal’s eyes locked on mine and for a moment everyone faded away, except him and I.
Angelo seized the opportunity to turn on him, reaching for his wrist and twisting the gun from his hand. Angelo’s arms were taut as he leveled the gun at Cal's chest.
“You have no idea who your fucking with do you? I’m the last male in the Carracci bloodline. It’s a good reason to pull the trigger but that won’t end the vendetta you started.” The confidence in Cal’s voice commandeered everyone’s attention.
“What the fuck are you talking about? I will finish what I started, Bella belongs to me.” The anger in Angelo’s voice grew as dark as his dead eyes.
“You broke a long-standing truce between our families when you tried to kill me and now all deals are off. The Carracci’s will take back what is ours and leave you nothing.” Cal taunted, “How have things been working out for you?”
“If you’re the one responsible for this mess, then I’m vindicated, talking to the Feds breaks one of the most sacred rules.” Angelo threatened.
“So does taking another man’s woman but I can only take credit for your financial troubles. Your soldier’s your rat.” Cal tipped his head towards Lorenzo.
Lorenzo paced in small steps, stomping his foot each time he turned, his impatience spilling over. “Lucky for me there are no technicalities holding me back. This can go down one of two ways, either Carmine will sanction your murder, since you’ve lost your mind over a piece of pussy or I’ll claim self-defense and the Fed’s will place me in witness protection, I’ve given them enough on all of you. Either I take over as Capo or I take down the entire family. Win, win.”
Before Lorenzo could raise his gun, Angelo bent at the knees and spun around firing a chambered round into Lorenzo’s stomach. He growled like a Pitbull and dropped to the ground clutching his stomach.
Angelo turned back toward Cal. “I will kill you but this time I’ll finish the job.” He turned his gun toward Carra, who trembled in her chair. “I should kill her first. You take from me; I take from you.”
Panic set in as I stared at that man who held our lives in his hands. Angelo’s eyes burned with a fiery rage. His lips curved upward with the satisfaction of me watching him take Cal’s life again, regardless of the consequences.
“You got that all wrong, she was never yours.” Cal’s eyes fell on mine before darting to Carra.
My heart raced and everything else moved in slow motion. I couldn’t bear losing him a second time. The thought alone made my heart feel like it would jump from chest.
A soft voice low enough only I heard whispered from behind me, “I got you.”
Ava worked at the ropes strangling my wrists until there was enough give I could slip them through the opening. I knew Angelo was right, killing him wouldn’t solve anything, but I wasn’t safe with him out there either. Angelo is no angel, he’s the devil incarnate, and I refused to play his games one minute longer.
I reached down to Lorenzo’s side and found his gun. My hand was cold against the grip and the muscles in my arms strained as I raised it up and took aim. My ears rang as the gunshot shattered the tension in the air before I even realized I had pulled the trigger. Bodies thudd
ed to the floor and silence fell upon us. It was the sound of freedom. The sound of taking back control and reclaiming my life.
I fell to the floor dropping the gun to my side and crawled across the floor toward the bodies. The thought of Cal being caught in the crossfire brought tears to my eyes. I couldn’t lose him again.
I reached Cal and ran my hand across his thick chest searching for signs of a wound, while Ava worked to untie Carra. Cal opened his eyes and reached his hand up to cup the back of my head, lowering me to him. “You’re dangerous Brie Morgan.”
Our lips touched and tears seeped through my closed eyelids as the warmth of his mouth overtook mine. Our tongues frantically searched the caves of our mouths thrashing against each other.
“I hate to break up the reunion dear brother but what are we going to do about this?” Carra’s voice brought us back to reality and Cal rose, lifting me with him.
He walked toward Lorenzo and wiped my prints from his gun before placing it in Lorenzo’s hand, positioning a finger on the trigger and the rest around the handle.
He turned toward Ava. “We’re not going to have a problem here, are we?”
“Not at all. Are they both dead?” she asked in a hushed tone.
I wrapped my arm around Carra’s trembling body and watched as Cal pushed two fingers against Lorenzo’s neck to check his pulse. “He is.” Then moved to do the same to Angelo’s. “Not as lucky with this bastard.”
Movement from outside the barn caught our attention as men dressed in black with weapons drawn swarmed us. Two by two they clocked the room, entering in formation. “Weapons down, hands in the air.”
When the last man entered, he nodded toward the door. Agent Kent and Agent Davidson entered next followed by Nash. Agent Kent motioned for the men to lower their weapons and studied the massacre at our feet. “Well done, Mr. Carracci, I promised you anything if you got me Deluca, so what’s it going to be?”
“I didn’t give you anything Agent, besides I got everything I need right here.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. I could feel his heartbeat against mine and rested my head on his shoulder.
Nash rushed to Carra’s side and drew her close. She winced as his arms squeezed against her bruised muscles but the color crept back into her pale cheeks. “I leave town for a few hours and you get yourself kidnapped?”
“Sorry. Unfinished business but it’s over now. I’m all yours if you still want me.”
“I’ve wanted nothing more. Agent Kent, she needs to rest. I’m taking her home. Let me know when you want to question her.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the barn toward the house.
“If I don’t look too deep, this appears cut and dry. I will remand Angelo to federal custody to wait trial if he survives his wounds. What about that one?” Agent Kent motioned toward Ava in handcuffs.
“Go easy on her, if it wasn’t for her, Angelo would have killed us all.” I turned to Ava. “Thank you. I will help you in any way I can.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied and hung her head as they escorted her to a waiting police cruiser.
“We’ll take her to the station, question her and if she’s innocent in all this, we’ll cut her lose.”
“Thank you Lanah. I just have one question; how did you find us?”
“The bug you planted in Angelo’s office. My team heard everything. I would have been here sooner, but I had some trouble finding this place and Agent Davidson was hard to reach. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“There is something. Cal and I are both legally dead. We could use a resurrection or two.”
“I can see to that. Stay close and I’ll be in contact as soon as it’s done.” She shook our hands and met up with her team, leaving Cal and I alone.
He wrapped his arm around me again. “Let’s go home.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Where’s that?”
“Anywhere you are.” He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and we walked out of the barn and met up with Nash and Carra resting in each other arms on the front porch swing of the main house.
Chapter 32
Cal
I raised my t-shirt and unstrapped the Kevlar vest from my chest. I caught Brie’s eyes dart over my body and linger on the jagged scar on my stomach. She couldn’t hide the slight gasp that caught in her throat or the tears that puddled in her eyes. I lowered my t-shirt and took a seat on the front steps, motioning for her to join me. She slid her body between my legs and leaned her head back against my chest. I inhaled, filling my lungs with her essence as if it were the air that kept me alive. I had missed the way her body fit with mine and my cock hardened in response. The last month had left us all with scars but I would devote the rest of my life to healing hers.
I popped open a cold beer and leaned back against the railing watching a smile spread across my sister’s face despite the bruises and puffy eyes. Nash scooped her up and carried her inside, leaving Brie and I alone. Peace circulated through me. This was how it should be, all of us together, my family.
Brie tilted her head up, and I dropped mine to match her stare. She let out a heavy sigh as she studied me from under her long lashes. I sketched the edge of her face and swept my fingers across her quivering lips.
She reached up cupping my hand, a hardened look crossed her soft face. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I didn’t know who Angelo was when I met him or that he was watching me for years.” Her fingers squeezed my hand. “I’m sick over what he did to you. I thought I had lost you.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Angelo Deluca is a twisted bastard and I won’t stop until our family regains control of everything his family took from us.”
“Maybe you should start from the beginning because I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” She intertwined our fingers, lowering our arms, so they wrapped around the front of her. My hand grazed the side of her breast and I had to force myself to focus on what I needed to say not throwing her over my shoulder like a caveman.
“Carra and I grew up right here, this was our home. Besides our mother, the only family we knew was Uncle Vinny. He would visit a few times a year and no matter how much we begged they never allowed us to visit him in Boston. In fact, we never left the county. Two years ago my mother told me the Carracci’s were a Mafioso family with lineage traced back to the old country. The family had enemies, so she brought us here to keep us safe. She explained that she never told us who our father was because they expected me to carry on the maternal family name and take my place as head of the family when the time comes. After she died, I left Ashe and went to work with Vinny, to learn the family business. I only recently found out there was a truce between the Carracci’s and the Deluca’s, so I don’t know all the details. Vinny asked me to come back to lead the crew taking over the New York territory.” I shifted her body, so I cradled her in my arms and studied her eyes while I waited for a reply. Something about her had changed. I couldn’t imagine what she had been through but a hardness lined her face that wasn’t there before Angelo had taken her. “I meant what I said Brie, my home is wherever you are, so if you don’t want to be a part of this, I can still walk away.”
It terrified me that my confession would be too much for her to handle. Until the corners of her lips curved into a ruthless smile. “And give up the chance to see that son-of-a-bitch lose everything? Cal, if this is important to you then I’m with you. I just need you to promise me one thing.”
I cocked my brow challenging her demand. “That depends on what it is.”
“That you always stay true to who you are and not involve yourself in the dirty side of this business.”
I had never lied to her, although I worried omitting the truth all this time, bordered a line I didn’t want to cross. “I can’t make that promise, Brie, but I can promise I am not and will never be like Angelo Deluca. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of my family but I’m sure we can find
a way to keep most things legit.”
We sat in silence for a moment until she lifted pressing her body to mine and threw her arms around my neck. She didn’t need words, the gleam in her eye said it all.
She nibbled at my lower lip, and I wanted to devour her. “Maybe we should work on extending that bloodline.”
She didn’t have to ask me twice. I pulled her even closer, pillaging her mouth with my tongue. I clenched my hand in her hair and tighten my grip, tugging her head back so I could taste more of her. I laid her back against the steps, molding my body over hers. I slid my hand across her arm and down to her breast, cupping them through her shirt. I tugged at her shirt until I could maneuver my hand underneath, trailing my fingers over her warm skin. My cock had been hard since she slid between my legs and the urgency only grew the longer she was near me. I wanted to feel her naked body under me. Needed to have her pussy squeeze around my shaft. I had to take her like I had never taken her before, to fill her with everything I had, to claim her. But not here, not like this.
I let out a groan and pulled back, watching the rapid rise and fall of her chest and a pink hue spread across her face. I stood, reaching down for her hand. She took hold, and I pulled her up, leading her into the house and up the stairs to my room. I closed the door behind us and inched closer to her.
There was no need for lights, I knew every inch of her body already. I striped off her shirt, then unhooked her bra. I worked at her pants while I sauntered her backwards until they dropped around her ankles and she fell onto my bed. Her breasts bare for my taking. I leaned over her, taking her breast into my mouth. She gasped as I flicked my tongue against her nipple teasing it until it hardened in my mouth, then moved to the other one. She closed her eyes as I moved lower, working my mouth down her stomach and removed her lace panties. I kneeled at the foot of the bed and lowered my head between her legs. She was warm and moist as I licked the length of her, working my tongue into her pussy. Her legs squirmed and her body buckled so I grabbed ahold of her ankles and worked her clit mercilessly with my tongue. She whimpered as she reached for my head, twining her fingers into my hair and pushing my face deeper into her. “Oh my god… Cal!”
Resurrection (The Vendetta Series Book 1) Page 14