Condemned to Love: 

by Davis, Siobhan

  “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I ask Sierra, holding her at arm’s length to examine her.

  “I’m not hurt.” She’s trembling, and I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight.

  Around us, the fighting has eased to a few final gunshots as things wind down.

  “Drop the gun, Saskia,” Leo says, appearing alongside us the same time Alessandro does. “Or I will shoot to kill this time.”

  “Fuck you, Leo.” Saskia lifts the gun, aiming it at me this time. “And fuck you, Ben.”

  I don’t hesitate. Pointing my weapon, I fire the same time Leo does. He hits her in the chest, right in the heart, while my shot slings dead center through her skull. The light extinguishes from her eyes, and she’s dead before she hits the ground.

  Sierra wriggles out of my embrace. “Do something,” she pleads, and I reach for her as Alessandro sprints toward the doors where a pale and pleading Serena is trying to keep Gifoli from escaping.

  “Let him handle it,” I say, reeling her back into the safety of my arms.

  At the sound of approaching footfalls, Serena looks around, and some silent communication passes between her and Alessandro. As if it was coordinated, she bites down hard on Gifoli’s hand, causing him to drop his gun, before she elbows him in the gut with her good arm and drops to the floor like a pro. Alessandro doesn’t flinch or hesitate. He riddles his body with bullets, emptying the chamber in his gun, and the room is eerily silent as The Outfit’s disgraced underboss slumps to the carpeted floor.

  Gifoli’s wide vacant eyes stare at the ceiling as blood seeps from multiple gunshot wounds to his head and upper torso, pooling around him. Alessandro rushes to Serena’s aid, gently taking her into his arms. Barretta appears at my side, alongside three of the New York dons. “It’s done,” he says.

  I keep a tight hold of Sierra, careful not to hurt her injured hand. “Where are the cleanup crews?” I ask.

  “En route,” Leo says, wiping his brow, leaving a streak of someone else’s blood across his skin.

  “You need to get out of here,” Accardi says, approaching with Georgia tucked under his arm.

  “Mom,” Sierra cries, shucking out of my hold and hugging her mother.

  “We all do.” I spot the hotel manager cowering in the doorway, and I need to talk with him before we leave. “Take Sierra and Georgia to the car,” I tell Leo. “Get Alessandro and Serena to go with you. And call the doc. Sierra and Serena need medical attention. Tell him to bring his portable X-ray unit, and we’ll meet him at the usual place.”

  “Ben?” Sierra turns to me.

  “It’s okay,” I assure her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “I’ll be right there.”

  I spend five minutes on the phone with the hotel owner and another five minutes calming the hotel manager down. I check in with the police commissioner as I’m on my way to the parking lot with Ciro at my side, and he assures me that he has it contained. Nothing has gone out on the police scanner or on the web. Phillip has hacked into the hotel camera systems and he’s wiping all evidence of tonight from existence. Leo will oversee the cleanup here, and the hotel owner is sending a team of trusted men to hastily redecorate the room, wiping all traces of bullets and blood from the ballroom.

  “Let’s go,” I say when I slide into the back of the limo beside Sierra.

  She wraps her good arm around me and tilts her face up, smashing her lips against mine, as the car glides out of the parking lot.

  Her lips are soft and warm and familiar, and I haul her into my lap, uncaring we have an audience. I keep my arms around her as I explore her mouth, tangling my tongue with hers while I angle her head so I can kiss her more deeply. Every sweep of her lips unravels the tense knots in my stomach, and I hold her tight, never wanting to let her go again.

  I came so close to losing her, and I don’t want to experience that again.

  A ripping sound, followed by a whimper of pain, finally breaks us apart. We whip our heads around in unison, watching Alessandro tie a torn piece of his shirt around the bullet wound in Serena’s arm. “How bad is it?” I ask, sensing Sierra stiffen in my arms.

  “I don’t think it’s life threatening, but I can’t see the bullet,” he says. “It’s deep enough not to be a graze though.” Which means the bullet is embedded in her arm and needs to be removed.

  “We’ll be picking the doc up in twenty minutes,” I explain. “He’ll fix you up.”

  “I’m worried about my kids,” Serena says. “They are back at the house with some of his men. What if they hurt them?” Her voice elevates a few notches.

  “I’ll get Barretta to call them immediately. Don’t worry, they won’t touch them.”

  I hope.

  We have a rule about not hurting women and children, but DeLuca broke that when he threw out the rulebook, so I can’t reassure her with complete confidence.

  I message Natalia to discover Leo has already called her with an update.

  When we arrive at the house, a sleepy but eager Rowan is in my sister’s arms, waiting for us.

  “Rowan!” Sierra screams, racing out of the car and climbing the steps that lead to the front door.

  “Mommy!” Rowan runs in his oversized Batman slippers toward a barefoot Sierra, and I battle a wave of emotion as they embrace.

  “I can’t believe what that monster tried to do,” Georgia says, creeping up alongside me.

  Ciro comes with us while Alessandro, Serena, and the doc stay in the car. The driver will take them to the back entrance so they can slip into the house undetected. I don’t want Rowan to be frightened by all the blood on their clothes or the gaping hole in his aunt’s arm.

  “You didn’t know?” I arch a brow in disbelief as we walk up the steps. Sierra has Rowan in her arms and joyful tears are streaming down her face.

  “Not until the engagement announcement was made in the paper.” Georgia folds her arms around her body. “I knew he was lying to me, and I wanted to call you, but he forbade it. I’ve been sick with worry all week. Serena was too. I was so scared he had killed Sierra,” she cries, sniffling and swiping at tears as they form in her eyes. “We knew we’d see you tonight, and we planned to corner you and demand answers.”

  “Daddy! Look, Mommy is home from vacation!” Rowan yells as I approach.

  Leaving Georgia, I jog forward, closing the distance with a few long strides. “I told you she’d be home soon, buddy.” I ruffle his hair as my arms encircle my family.

  “I missed you, Mommy.” Rowan rests his sleepy head on her shoulder.

  “I missed you too, Firecracker.” Sierra peppers kisses into his hair as she smiles at me with glassy eyes.

  “Did you miss me too?” I murmur against her ear.

  “So damn much.” Holding Rowan on her hip, she stretches up, whispering in my ear. “I’ll show you just how much later.”

  55

  BEN

  “Is he okay?” I ask when Sierra materializes in the main living room a short while later. After the doc set Sierra’s hand and wrist in a cast, we took quick showers and changed while Rowan told his grandma all about his new house and his new tutor. Sliding my hands over Sierra’s naked body as I washed her in the shower had me longing to bury myself deep inside her, but with a full household and a sleepy child waiting for his mommy to put him to bed, there was no time.

  “He’s fast asleep though he fought it,” she says. Her bright smile reassures me she will be okay, and I’m grateful she is so strong. She has endured a lot tonight and this past week. That she is still standing, let alone smiling, is a testament to her resilience. To think there was a time I doubted she could exist in my world. She belongs in it with me, and I know, no matter what the future brings, we will face it head-on together.

  Rowan insisted on sleeping in our bed, and neither of us could refuse him. I guess our proper reunion will have to wait a little longer. But I don’t mind. I’m just glad to be going to sleep with my fiancée and son safely tucked into bed alongside me.


  “Come here,” I demand, pulling her into my arms, because I can’t seem to stop touching her.

  “You two are so sweet together,” Georgia says from her chair in front of the roaring fire.

  I snort out a laugh. “I think that’s the first time in my life where anyone has referred to me as sweet.”

  “Own it, my love,” Sierra says, swaying in my arms. “Because Mom is right. You are sweet.” She stretches up, pecking my lips. “I love you. Thank you for rescuing me.”

  I brush her nose with mine. “I love you more, and I will always rescue you, Sierra, though I hope you will never need saving again.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to apologize for getting her into this mess, but I hold back because I didn’t do this.

  This was all on her father and Saskia, which brings us back to why I’ve insisted on this little heart to heart.

  “Amen to that,” she says, taking my hand and dragging me toward the couch across from her mother. “How is Serena?”

  “Sleeping,” Georgia says. “And that nice man Alessandro is watching over her.”

  Sierra lifts a brow, posing a silent question. I shrug because I’ve no idea where Alessandro’s sudden interest has come from. He held Serena in his arms the entire journey from the city, gently tending to her wound and helping the doc once he got in the car. Now he seems reluctant to leave her side. Not that I’m complaining. I know Sierra will worry about her sister, and she trusts Alessandro, so she’ll be happy he’s guarding her.

  “Doc removed the bullet, and he said she’ll be fine,” I explain. “Romeo and Elisa are under Barretta’s protection, and he’s going to personally travel with them to New York tomorrow. I will have Leo pick them up from the airport. We can go too, and bring Rowan, if you want.”

  She nods. “I’d like that. They are probably scared, and familiar faces will help. Rowan is going to be so happy to see his cousins.”

  I top off Georgia’s glass with red wine before pouring a glass for myself and Sierra. I don’t usually drink wine, except at dinner, but I’m afraid if I hit the bourbon tonight I won’t stop. I’d like to have this conversation and take my woman to bed. It’s been a long day, and we’re all shattered. Sierra especially because she’s been sleeping on a cold, hard floor for almost a week.

  A pang of guilt slaps me in the face, and I make a silent vow to do everything in my power to make up for the six days of hell she’s been through.

  A contented sigh slips from my lips when I sit down on the couch and Sierra snuggles into my side. I press a kiss to her temple, closing my eyes and relishing the feel of having her pressed up against me. We sip our wine, and I can literally feel a layer of stress rising from my knotted shoulders.

  “I’m so happy you found love,” Georgia says, her eyes glistening with fresh unshed tears. “I still remember how amazing it felt though it’s been a long time for me.”

  “Is it true, Mom? That he wasn’t really my father?” Sierra asks, beating me to the punchline.

  Shock splays across her face. “He told you that?”

  Sierra shakes her head. “Saskia did.”

  Sadness creeps over Georgia’s face at the mention of her daughter’s name. I don’t know if she knows I’m the one who inflicted the fatal blow, but I won’t apologize. Saskia would have killed Sierra if I hadn’t pulled the trigger.

  Going into tonight, I had planned to keep her alive. No matter how she treated Sierra, I know Firefly did not want her sister to die. Barretta was always going to kill Giuseppe, and that had to happen. Part of me considered handing Saskia to the cops, to let her take the fall for Felix’s death, but giving her to the authorities would have been too risky. She was cunning enough to try to make a deal, and she knew too much. Pity, because the thought of her rotting in a jail cell for the rest of her life held a certain appeal. No, my plan had been to incarcerate her in my dungeon until Sierra decided what she wanted to do with her.

  Can’t say I’m unhappy with how it turned out.

  I’m glad she’s dead. She was a crazy bitch, and the world is a safer place without her in it.

  Still, it must be hard for Georgia. She was her mother. Georgia has lost her daughter and her husband tonight, and I’m not unsympathetic even if I believe she’s better off without them in her life. I always remember Saskia didn’t have much time for her mother—she was a Daddy’s girl, through and through.

  “I’m not sorry he’s dead,” Georgia says as if she’s read my mind. “But I hate that Saskia died.” Tears spill down her cheeks. “I know she was cruel and vindictive and selfish. She had too much of Giuseppe in her, but she was still my daughter.”

  “She tried to kill me, Mom,” Sierra softly says.

  “I know, and I’m shocked she did. I’m glad she didn’t succeed because I would lose my mind without you.” Her tears dry up, and she smiles at her youngest daughter. “I failed her as a mother, and it’s one of my biggest regrets. Maybe in the next life, she will finally be at peace.”

  I hope she’s rotting in the fiery pits of hell, but I keep those thoughts to myself.

  “How many people know who Giuseppe was?” I ask, needing to understand if there is further risk. Barretta and I already discussed this, but I want to hear it from DeLuca’s wife.

  “Our personal bodyguards, you two, Serena, and Barretta. Those are the only people who know.”

  “Are you very sure? Please think carefully. It’s important.”

  Sierra pins me with a perplexed look. “I’ll explain later,” I whisper, feathering kisses across her cheek.

  “There is no one else. At least no one I’m aware of,” Georgia confirms after further contemplation.

  “Okay. Good.” The coils in my stomach loosen a little.

  Georgia takes a sip of her wine, staring into space. “We were very much in love when we first met, you know. It was a whirlwind romance, and we were married within six months of meeting. I only found out he was mafia after we were wed. He told me he was the heir to The Outfit, but I didn’t really comprehend what it meant.” She shakes her head. “I was so damn naïve.”

  The lovesick look disappears off her face as she eyeballs us. “He started with the whores after Serena was born, and he made no apology for it. He was CEO of Lawson Pharma by then, and he had just taken over as don. The power went to his head, and soon there were very few people he listened to. I hated how he took my family legacy and made a mockery of it by laundering money for the mob.”

  She gulps back her wine, and her chest heaves. “His attentions blew hot and cold. Sometimes, he treated me so well it was like we were at the start of our courtship, but other times, he was cruel and dismissive, flaunting his sluts in my face. I had an affair because I was desperate for someone to love me and I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine, but it backfired in a major way.”

  Pain is etched across Georgia’s face, and I hold Sierra close, knowing this is hurting her, rubbing my hand up and down her arm in what I hope is a soothing gesture.

  “When he discovered I was seeing Mario, he killed him in front of me. I thought he would kill me next, especially when I told him I was pregnant and he refused to believe the baby was his.”

  My eyes dart to Georgia’s, wondering where this is leading to.

  “To this day, I don’t know why he didn’t kill me. Unless he didn’t want the hassle of finding another wife to take care of his kids, or maybe he wasn’t entirely unfeeling and he couldn’t bring himself to kill a pregnant woman.”

  I highly doubt it. The man was a psychopath. I doubt he considered that.

  “Saskia said he punished you for it,” Sierra says. “What did he do?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “I do. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise. I think he kept you alive so he could make you suffer for your sins, over and over again. That’s the kind of man he was, Mom. There was no mercy in him saving you and me that day.”

  Georgia wipes more tears away. “Perhaps you are right,�
�� she whispers. “He kept me on a seesaw for years, and it’s been exhausting. In public, I had to act the dutiful loving wife. Even in front of you kids. Yet in private, he tortured me mentally and physically. He beat me, only in places you wouldn’t see. Forced me to watch as he fucked his whores, and he regularly let his friends rape me.”

  “Oh, Mom.” Sierra slides out of my embrace, rushing to hug her mother. “Why did you put up with it?”

  “I had no choice, sweetheart,” she says, tucking Sierra’s hair behind her ears. “You can’t run from this life, and I wouldn’t leave any of you with him. Especially not you. He threatened you all the time if I didn’t cooperate.”

  “I’m sorry.” Sierra holds her mother tight, tears swimming in her eyes, and I want to resurrect that bastard and kill him myself.

  “I know you were hurt that I hadn’t told you the truth,” Georgia says. “But I never wanted you to know any of this. I was comforted with the fact you were kept protected from it, but there is no point concealing anything now.”

  “What was my father’s surname?” Sierra asks. “Does he have any other family?”

  “Sweetheart.” Georgia cups her face. “I wish Mario had been your father. He was a good man. He loved me, and I repaid him by getting him killed. The guilt and the pain will never go away, but he didn’t impregnate me. Giuseppe DeLuca was your father.”

  “I don’t understand.” Sierra frowns.

  “That makes two of us,” I say, leaning forward. “He told me Sierra wasn’t his flesh and blood.”

  “I knew when I was pregnant that the baby was my husband’s. Mario and I were always careful in that regard. Giuseppe refused to believe it, so after you were born, I had DNA tests done. They confirmed it conclusively, but still he refused to believe it.”

  “Oh my God.” Sierra sighs, shaking her head. “He really and truly was crazy, wasn’t he?”