“Leo won’t answer his phone. Your mother talked to Maria for only a minute before the line went dead. Maria was crying, saying how sorry she was and that she didn’t know what was going on. Apparently, he’s been hiding his deceit from his wife too.”
“What happens now? How do we get Carrie and Lorenzo out of there alive?” I glanced around the table, noting the concerned expressions and hesitant replies.
“Cara, I can’t allow you to be part of this. Even if you weren’t pregnant, it’s much too dangerous for you to be there. If Leo captured you, he’d use you for more bargaining power against Damon. Or, one of his men could shoot you on sight—and they would, without thinking twice about it.” Vincenzo patted my hand, in a gesture of both reassurance and appreciation. “I can’t let him have Carrie and you.”
“Absolutely not, doll. It’s bad enough he has my sister, but I would become completely unhinged if you were hurt. I just lost Benny. Don’t make me face that with you and our babies, too.” The tone of Damon’s voice wasn’t one of a command, but more of a plea. One that pulled at my heart more than anything he’d said to me before.
“I just feel so responsible. If Carrie and I hadn’t set that trap for Lorenzo, maybe none of this would’ve happened.”
“All of this was in the works no matter what you two planned, Jillian. Leo must’ve been working to undermine Dad and Damon for some time. Maybe he made his move because Carrie and Lorenzo were together and that just made it much more convenient. But make no mistake, the outcome would’ve been the same regardless. You don’t own the blame for this.” Marco held my gaze deliberately, getting his point across that the family didn’t hold me responsible for anything.
“Then what can I do to help, short of storming the keep and rescuing her myself?”
“You can stay here and help me watch Leo’s security cameras. We’ve accessed the feed to their security system. You and I will be the eyes and ears for our men. That’s how we can help protect all of them.” Mama Lina dried her eyes and straightened her spine, finding a new purpose to focus on instead of worrying about her daughter.
“Whatever will help, I’m willing to do it.”
Damon, Marco, and Vincenzo left to gather the rest of their loyal men together and begin staging their assault. Car after car packed with brawny and scary men arrived, their serious expressions and piercing eyes daring anyone to fuck with them. They filed into the house then disappeared into the basement. Every time the door to the lower floor opened, I overheard Damon issuing assignments to the various teams. Every sliver of information that filtered up the stairs only increased my urge to join them, despite knowing I shouldn’t.
“Jillian, come with me, cara. There’s something else we can do while they’re still working downstairs.”
I followed Mama Lina into a large room that reminded me a lot of Carrie’s setup. Several iMacs lined the desks along three walls of the room. Large flat-screen TVs hung on the walls, the images on them changing every few seconds with the feed from the security cameras outside Leo’s house.
“Are there cameras inside his house too?”
“There are, but they’re on a closed loop, so we can’t access them. Yet.” A familiar masculine voice replied from behind me. I whirled around to find Matteo had joined us.
“Matteo, thank you for doing all of this. You know you’re my favorite nephew.” Mama Lina kissed him on both cheeks then drew him into a tight embrace. When he smiled, his love for his aunt shone in his eyes.
“So, on top of being an emergency physician, you’re also a tech guru? Very impressive.”
He chuckled as Mama Lina released him and waved his hand dismissively at my compliment. “It’s nothing. I took a few coding language and ethical hacking classes. Now I’m just putting them to good use to help my favorite aunt. If you need me for anything, I’ll be over here in the corner, getting ready to connect to the interior cameras as soon as our guys attach the transmitter on-site.”
“Thank you, Matteo.” Mama Lina took my hand in hers and led me to another computer. “Jillian, let’s make Benny’s funeral arrangements so we can pay our final respects. Damon will appreciate us taking the lead on it. One less thing he has to worry about in the middle of this mess. I know it bothers him, putting off Benny’s funeral while he saves his sister.”
I noticed she didn’t say “while he tries to save his sister.” Either she knew Damon wouldn’t have it any other way, or she couldn’t face the possibility of any other outcome. I understood how she felt, though. I also understood that the probability of Carrie not walking out of Leo’s house alive was higher than any of us would like. Even thinking about Damon not making it back in one piece was enough to induce a panic attack in me. That was when I looked at Mama Lina with new eyes.
The lives of her husband, daughter, sons, nephews, and friends were all on the line. Her entire world could be wiped out with the pull of a trigger. She was staying busy because idle time allowed her mind to wander too much. It forced her to face the stark reality that people had to die in order for her immediate family to live. Whether it was her brother-in-law, her sister-in-law, or Leo’s loyal soldiers, blood would be spilled and lives would be lost.
Either way the coup went, Mama Lina’s life would be forever changed.
She and I sat down together and made the call to begin arrangements. Since the funeral director, Charles, was a family friend, he agreed to go into the city immediately to transport Benny’s body to the local funeral home.
“What about Benny’s family? Have you already notified them?”
Mama Lina gave me a small, sad smile. “He didn’t have any other family but us, that we know of. We took him in when he was a young teenager. He was a runaway, living on the streets, eating out of garbage cans. But he was tough—he didn’t let anyone push him around. And when he came here to live with us, he insisted on earning his keep. He refused to take a handout. So, Vin took Benny under his wing, taught him the family business, and he kept his promise to remain loyal to us until his death.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes, my heart breaking for a man I barely knew. “Lorenzo didn’t mean to shoot him. Benny tackled us and tried to pull the gun from Lorenzo’s hand, and it went off. He was trying to save me, though. I know he did it for Damon more than for me, but still…”
“Damon’s the one who insisted we take Benny in. Vin and I weren’t too keen on bringing a strange boy into the house, especially with Carrie being younger. It’d be one thing if he robbed us blind while we slept, but if he had touched our daughter, nothing on earth would’ve saved him.
“But Damon vouched for him, guaranteed nothing bad would happen, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Damon received the worst punishment of his life for defying Vincenzo over Benny. Turned out, Damon was right about him all along, and we had nothing to worry about. Damon still says Benny was worth the beating he took for arguing with his father.”
“Damon once mentioned learning his lesson about going against Vincenzo when he was a teenager. That must’ve been it.”
“That was the one and only time. It was very bad, Jillian. That kind of punishment wasn’t uncommon in our small village back in Italy. The mob ruled with an iron fist, and you learned your place very quickly, so seeing other boys after they’d been beaten didn’t faze me after a while. But when I first held my newborn baby, I couldn’t imagine allowing anyone to hurt him like that. When Vincenzo finished with him, Damon was black and blue all over, and I didn’t speak to Vincenzo for two solid weeks.”
“Damon said he’d only defied Vincenzo once as an adult, and that was for me. Well, one time before yesterday, that is.”
“That’s right. That’s also part of why Vincenzo didn’t punish Damon over it. Vin knows his son doesn’t take such a bold stance for just anyone. The person who earns Damon’s trust has to be very special and possess traits Damon is willing to fight for, to risk everything over.”
People could change, but only under immense pa
in and pressure.
Damon risked facing Vincenzo’s wrath again—the physical pain of it, the pressure to play his part in the family, the real possibility of being exiled or killed—to be with me, to protect me, to make both of us whole again. He had experienced immense pain and loss, and he lived under constant pressure. Damon had changed—for me.
“Mama, Jillian, we’re leaving now. We’ll be back when we have Carrie and Lorenzo.” Damon stood in the doorway dressed in jeans and a thick black sweatshirt. He wore a shoulder harness with gun holsters on each side. Around his waist, he wore multiple knives sheathed in leather sleeves.
I had just found my way back to him. There was no way I could stand losing him again. In one swift motion, I flew out of my seat and into his arms. As if he had anticipated my move, he instantly pulled me off my feet and crushed me against him.
“Promise me you’ll come back to me. Promise me you won’t get hurt. I want to hear you say the words, Damon.” My insistence had a purpose. Damon was a man of his word, and if he made me a promise, he’d move heaven and earth to keep it. “We have a wedding to plan, a life to live, and a family to raise. You can’t leave me here alone. Promise me. Now.”
He squeezed me tighter. “I promise I’m coming home to you. There isn’t a man alive who can stop me. You’re never getting rid of me, doll.”
“I love you, Damon.”
“I love you too, Jillian.”
He pressed his lips against mine, and I eagerly returned the kiss. When I felt his tongue swipe across my lip, I willingly gave him full access. With thorough and intentional movements, he made love to me with his kiss. His tongue repeatedly slid across mine, sending waves of goose bumps across my skin. With his full, firm lips, he lit a fire inside me that burned only for him.
Then he lowered me back to the ground, placed one last kiss on my lips, and left with the others. As I stood there with my chin quivering and tears trying to pool in my eyes, I realized his sweatshirt wasn’t as thick as I originally thought it was. He was wearing a bulletproof vest underneath.
That wasn’t as comforting as I thought it would be.
7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jilllian
Mama Lina and I watched with bated breath when our men arrived at Leo’s house. When they first left us, I had no idea how they’d even get inside since Leo’s men were guarding the gate. More armed guards had to be inside too, waiting for Vincenzo to make a move against them. My advice to Leo, had I talked to him, would be if he planned to screw his family over, make sure he was the smartest member.
The enormous home was inside a brick fence that lined the entire property. But Leo never considered his family was even more versed in the fence’s strengths and weaknesses than the owner. The estate had once been a horse farm, covering several acres of lush green grass and clumps of trees for shade. The brick fence along the back of the property was built to allow the water from a small stream to flow freely into the man-made pond. Instead of making a grand show of force at the front door, Damon and his men parked a half-mile away from the back fence line, removed the steel grate, and waded in the water until they were well inside the perimeter.
From there, they sprinted in small groups from one point to the next, checking their surroundings and taking new cover with every move. Silent and meticulous, like a group of trained Special Forces warriors on the prowl, they advanced with precision and determination. Damon gave his mom and me a play-by-play through his Bluetooth earpiece. The low murmur of his voice coming over the speakerphone in the family’s command center was reassuring until they were within range of the cameras around the exterior of the house.
Damon remained silent while Mama Lina and I relayed where Leo’s enforcers were every time the screen from the security feed changed. I watched, detached from all feelings, while limp bodies from both sides of the battle fell to the ground as they advanced. Damon was safe and he was on a mission to save his sister, so I convinced myself that her safety was all that mattered. Had I been capable of doing the same to save my mother, I’d like to think I would have done whatever it took without giving the evil deed a second thought.
“Matteo, I’m at the house now. Walk me through how to install this transmitter so Mama and Jillian can see what’s going on inside.” Damon’s hushed voice came across the speaker without a trace of the exertion I’d just watched him expend.
Matteo was just as good with computer hacking as he was with emergency medicine. He talked Damon through the process of connecting the transmitter to the security system, allowing the signal to broadcast the interior camera feed across the airwaves. Once we confirmed we had unimpeded access to the cameras inside, Matteo decided it was time for him to leave.
“They’re safe from anyone watching the monitors inside. I set it so the security feed monitor inside the house is on a continuous loop to give Damon an advantage. I’m not staying for the rest of this—I’ve done enough as it is. Leo and Maria are my aunt and uncle too. But I left my number on the desk for you if you need me. I’m due at the hospital soon, and I have a feeling I’ll be treating at least a few of these guys tonight.”
“Thank you for helping with this, Matteo. I know you try to stay out of taking sides on anything to do with family squabbles, but I can’t imagine not being able to see Damon while this is going down. That would drive me crazy.” I rose from my seat to hug him goodbye.
“Try not to get too involved with any of this, Jillian. You’ll get sucked in before you know what’s happening. This life will change you in ways you’d never believe.” Matteo kissed me on the cheek before he left, leaving me reeling with his almost prophetic warning.
Seated back in front of the monitors, I focused on my task of keeping Damon alive and unharmed while he entered the lion’s den. There were too many men in that house who would want to be the one to take out the next Boss. The notoriety from that act alone certainly would be enough to set someone up for life in Leo’s eyes.
“Damon, there’s a huge man just inside the door in front of you. He doesn’t seem to know you’re there yet.” Even though no one around him could hear me, I found myself whispering into the speakerphone anyway.
I held my breath when Damon turned the knob, slowly and silently, and stole up behind the enormous goon waiting inside. Damon motioned to his men to keep going before he put the other man in a choke hold from behind, but the plan to subdue his opponent didn’t work. Damon’s hold was broken, and the two men faced each other, watching and waiting for the next move.
If I expected the big guy to go down easy, I’d never been so wrong.
“Damon Marchetti. I knew you’d be stupid enough to show up here. I’ll be sure to send flowers for your funeral.”
“Raul, there will be a lot of funerals after today, but mine won’t be one of them.”
The two men dove at each other, their fists flying and making contact with the other. They rolled around on the floor, taking turns being on top and beating the shit out of each other. On one flip, Raul jumped to his feet and began backing away. But Damon was undeterred and quickly followed him in hot pursuit. His arm jutted out, making contact with Raul’s battered face again.
The thud of fists pounding against flesh echoed through the office, making Mama Lina reach over and grab my hand in hers. We both squeezed as we watched helplessly. Blood streamed out of Damon’s mouth from Raul’s jab. Damon wiped it away and his eyes hardened. I saw the cold-blooded killer inside him emerge on the vibrant screen in front of me.
After an uppercut to Raul’s chin that stunned him, Damon drew his gun from the holster, leveled it at Raul, and pulled the trigger. In no more than a full second, Damon made the decision to kill the man rather than continue fighting him. He showed no sign of hesitation—or regret. When Raul’s knees buckled beneath him and his large body crumpled lifelessly to the floor, Damon stepped over him and continued walking without a backward glance.
“Do you see Carrie and Lorenzo on the feed?”
“Jillian?” His voice hinted at his inward aggravation from having to ask twice in that situation. But I still couldn’t speak.
“Damon, they’re in the media room downstairs.” Mama Lina pressed her lips together and inclined her head toward me. Understanding of what I was trying to come to grips with shone in her eyes. She hit the mute button while Damon made his way through the enormous house, his men having cleared the way ahead of him. “It’s okay, Jillian. Let’s just help them get through this, and we’ll talk about what’s happened, yes?”
“Okay.” I inhaled the deepest breath I could and released it slowly, calming my frayed nerves and refocusing my attention on the people we were helping keep alive.
Damon wound his way through the mansion, through doorways and hallways, until he approached the door to the basement. I quickly flipped through the interior camera views, watching his every move, until the stairway down to the basement filled the screen. In the split second I saw his hand touch the doorknob on one screen, something on the other screen caught my eye. It was small, barely visible in the lower corner of the screen.
“Damon, wait!”
But I was too late to stop him.
Even through the speakerphone, the blast was so loud we both winced in pain. The bright flash of light blinded our view through the cameras momentarily. When the light dissipated, my heart skipped a beat before it started racing, pounding in my chest so hard I could feel my shirt moving over my heart. Damon was knocked to the floor by the blast. He tried to stand up, only to fall over and hit the floor repeatedly. Several times in a row, he held his arms out in front of him, feeling for his surroundings, while trying to right himself again.
Warning: The Complete Series Page 26