Duty & Death (Foster Family Book 3)

by Zavi James

  “As far as we can tell for now,” he confirmed. “They said I was lucky more damage wasn’t done.”

  Nodding my head, I swallowed a lump in my throat. I was finding this a lot more difficult than I’d originally anticipated. “I really just wanted to stop by and thank you for...” The sentence was left hanging. The images of that morning flashed through my head again. The shattered glass that littered the sidewalk. The screams and gasps that came from inside the café. A phantom pain ran from my wrist to my elbow, dictating me to rub it. I’d gotten away lightly from the event with Franco taking the brunt of the attack.

  “Taking a bullet for you?” Franco suggested the end of my sentence. He said it breezily, as if he’d let me borrow the car for a quick errand.

  “Yes,” I told him. “That.”

  “You can take a seat.” He nodded his head to the chair beside his bed and I perched on the edge of it, keeping my eyes on him. “I did the job I was assigned to do,” he continued.

  “I know.” The ‘but’ hadn’t left my mouth but it was clear that there was more I wanted to say. Franco kept his eyes on me until I cracked. He never gave me the benefit of the doubt. “You don’t like me very much.” It wasn’t quiet or timid but a simple statement.

  Luc, Dante, Dom — these were people I wouldn’t have thought twice about if they’d put themselves between me and a bullet, but Franco adding his name to that list had left me questioning why. It was no secret that Franco and I had a strained relationship at the best of times. We barely exchanged words and he looked permanently pissed off by the fact that he was stuck with me. Unlike the others, there was a clear line between me and Franco that neither of us were interested in breaching.

  “The feeling is mutual, no?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Despite what you might think, I don’t want to see you dead.” Franco sighed. He winced immediately and I balled my hands, uneasy at seeing him in pain. “I’ve grown accustomed to you. And your little one.”

  My natural instinct when anyone apart from Luc or Dante mentioned Link was to tense, preparing to defend him. A few months old and Link had no idea just what lengths I would go to in order to keep him safe. My cub was my life. If I’d been on friendlier terms with Franco, I’d have brought Link with me but unsure of how this conversation would go, I’d left my baby in Lydia’s capable hands.

  “Are you going soft on me, Franco?” I asked him.

  “I still think you’re a pain in the ass,” he assured me confidently. My teasing was not returned. “I don’t like your boyfriend—”

  “Fiancé,” I corrected him.

  Franco pulled a face that said he couldn’t care less. “And I think Katia talks way too much. But you’re tolerable.”

  “High praise from you.”

  “You won’t get any more,” he told me, and I nodded in understanding.

  “Have you had many visitors?” I asked him, eyes flicking around the bare room.

  “Prefer my own company,” he said as a way of explanation.

  I refrained from asking him whether Gabe had stopped by to see him. With what Luc had told us about Chas, Gabe would most likely prioritise her over the man he was happy to ship off with me when I left him. “If you need anything, Franco, just let me know. It’s the least I can do.” I chewed on my bottom lip before adding, “I understand if you don’t want to come back to work.”

  He laughed, stopping abruptly, thanks to the pain.

  “Please, be careful,” I pleaded.

  “Mia, this is my job. A stray bullet isn’t going to scare me off. I need a little time to recover but I’ll be back at work unless you’re ready to send me back to Gabriel.”

  A few weeks ago, I would have jumped at the chance to get rid of Franco but Xavier’s disappearance and more importantly, seeing what he’d done for me, even if it was solely down to duty, had made me think twice. He saved my life and if he was willing to stay in the job that was forced on him, then I wasn’t about to turn him away.

  “Take all the time you need. I’ll look forward to having you back.”

  I didn’t stay any longer than necessary with Franco. Although it felt like the frostiness between us had thawed slightly, we weren’t friends and I didn’t want to impose, especially since he’d made it clear that he liked his solitude.

  “Are you sure about this?” Dom asked as I hopped into the car. He waited for me to buckle in before pulling off.

  “Yes. Gabe should still be at work.”

  “Unless he’s decided to stay with her.”

  “You think he’s that dedicated to her?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine as to what goes on in Gabriel’s head,” he said, sparing me a glance. I wanted to point out that living with Gabriel for a short period of time hadn’t told me anything more than what everyone already knew.

  If Luc hadn’t been keen on the idea of me visiting Franco, he had been ready to lock me up and throw away the key when I mentioned stopping in on Chas. Despite Luc’s reservations and my lingering fears, it did us no favours to fall out with the Morettis. People were still watching us, assessing the way we conducted business, and so this wasn’t so much a social visit as it was damage control.

  Once more, Dom and Michael fell into step with me as I walked up to Gabe’s front door. Dom stood so close behind me that I could feel the heat of his body. “A little space, Dom,” I said after I pressed the doorbell, juggling a large bouquet of flowers in my arms.

  “No chance, Mia. I value my life too much for that.”

  “He’s not going to be stupid enough to try something on his own doorstep.”

  Dom’s response was cut off by Paulo answering the door. I was glad to see a familiar face who hadn’t looked at me with disgust when I lived here.

  “Hi,” I greeted him brightly. “I was hoping to stop in on Chastity. Is she home?”

  Paulo looked nervous to see me. “Ah... yes.”

  I’d learned to capitalise on hesitation from Luc. If I ever left a gap in the conversation, the briefest pause to straighten my thoughts, he ploughed ahead with what he wanted. “Wonderful. I won’t be stopping long. I just wanted to check how she’s doing.”

  “Sure.” Paulo wasn’t confident in his response and reached into his pocket. Dom tensed behind me, uncertain of Paulo’s motive. “I’ll tell Gabe you’re here.” He pulled out a phone and I released the breath I unconsciously held.

  “He’s not home?” I asked, secretly relieved that I wouldn’t have to deal with him. There was serious doubt that he’d let me into his home after the way Luc had behaved.

  Paulo moved aside to let us into the house. “No,” he answered. “He’s got a lot on his plate.”

  “Of course,” I responded, hoping my joy wasn’t obvious.

  We let Paulo guide us through the house until we reached the doors leading out onto the backyard. Nothing had changed from when I’d lived here. The walls were still bare and rooms pristine.

  Chas was visible through the glass doors, sitting on a chair, wrapped in a large, knitted blanket and staring off into space. She looked fragile, like the smallest gust of wind might carry her away from all this. She jumped as Paulo opened the door, eyes flitting between the three of us.

  “You have visitors,” he told her. “I can tell them to leave if you’d prefer.”

  Her dark eyes caught mine and I offered her a smile. “It’s okay. They can stay,” Chas said to him. Paulo nodded and he faded into the background along with Dom and Michael as I took the seat next to her. “Mia, right?” Chas said. These days, I was used to my reputation preceding me. “Your holiday get-together was beautiful.” If the words had come from anyone else, I would be wary but from Chas, it sounded like a genuine compliment.

  “Thank you. It’s a shame we didn’t get a chance to speak then.” I offered the bouquet out to her. “These are for you.” She reached out for them and took them from me, paper rustling in the exchange. “I’m sorry about what happened. Sounds like we ended up in the same s
ituation.”

  Chas’s gaze dropped to the brightly coloured snapdragons in her lap. “Luc paid a visit,” she said quietly, barely audible over the wind.

  “I know. I should apologize on his behalf for the way he behaved. He shouldn’t have done that,” I said, making a note to leave this out of the recount when I got home. Luc rarely apologised to anyone and that meant I shouldn’t be doing it for him, but I was taking careful steps with Chas. As much as I loved and adored Luc, I wished he wouldn’t pick a fight straight out of the gates. It would’ve been more productive, in my opinion, to get the footage and review it before sticking a foot in it with Gabe and the rest.

  “He was trying to protect you,” she said. Her eyes came back up to my face. “Has he found anything yet?”

  “Not that I know of,” I told her. “But I’m sure he’ll let Gabe know if he finds anything out.” What I was sure of was that Luc would make Gabe beg for any scrap of information before he even considered handing it over.

  Her shoulders relaxed at that assurance. “Gabe hasn’t said anything either. I’m under house arrest until he figures out what is going on.”

  “Oh,” I said, but it sounded like a typical Gabe move. “I hope you’ll make it to the christening. Luc won’t leave any room for another incident.”

  “You’d like us there? When?” Chas asked. From what I gathered from Rosalie and Katia, Chas didn’t have many friends in our crooked circle, thanks to her father. It was a shame since Chas seemed more grounded than half the people I’d met since stepping into Luc’s life.

  “We haven’t set a date yet but sooner than we expected. We thought it would be best, given everything that’s happened. I’ll be sure to send the invites as soon as I know.” The original plan had been to hold the christening sometime after the wedding, possibly after Link’s birthday.

  She nodded her head slowly, fingers pulling at one of the leaves in the bouquet. “I’ll clear it with Gabe.” Chas looked up at me sharply. “Will Luc be okay with you inviting us?”

  I bit down on my tongue to stop myself from saying anything unkind. She shouldn’t need permission but that wasn’t how this worked. Gabe would be watching her like a hawk if she left the house in the same way Luc was watching every single one of my moves. The difference was that I wasn’t clear that Gabe’s motives came from a place of care rather than the Moretti trait of wanting overall control.

  Chas’s uncertainty and need to seek male approval most likely came from her family history. I had no clue what her Mom had done to warrant her murder, but Chas was stepping cautiously not wanting to upset Gabriel.

  “Leave Luc to me,” I told her. I didn’t share the same fears that Chas had. He wouldn’t be happy about it, but I’d find a way to talk him around. We couldn’t leave them off the list without people talking, and I wasn’t in the mood to put out little fires when we had a bigger goal in mind. “Let me know what Gabe says,” I said with a tight smile. “I won’t keep you any longer. I just wanted to drop in and make sure you were okay.” I pushed myself out of the chair and Chas followed me back inside, placing the bouquet on the counter.

  “I appreciate you stopping by,” Chas told me as we reached the front door. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, protecting herself from invisible threats.

  “Look after yourself.” My words weren’t just for now, for her near miss. They were for all the days she would spend with Gabe and the chaos she would eventually find herself in, thanks to my ambitions. Chas hadn’t asked to be drawn into all this but that was her fate.

  “I will,” she said with a firmness that made me believe she knew all of my worries.

  Chapter Five

  Mia

  Dante laid on the floor of the living room, staring up at the ceiling. The fire roared beside him in the grate and his chest rose and fell so steadily that I thought he might be asleep until he heaved a sigh. The spark he usually possessed had dimmed dramatically and it made me worry. My brother was the life and soul of the party. Always a little louder, a little more dramatic, a little happier than everyone else in the room.

  I jumped as, from behind me, Luc’s arms came around my waist. “Father Duffy has the twenty-seventh free,” he said in my ear.

  Turning my head, Luc kissed me before I could respond. “That’s little under two weeks away and it’s your birthday,” I said as we came apart.

  “We’ll make it a double celebration.” He shrugged, overlooking the fact that the last-minute planning would be left to me. He looked past me to his brother, lying on the floor. Luc’s voice broke the peaceful scene. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Dante lifted his head from the floor, chin to chest, and looked at us both in the doorway. “Nothing,” he replied flatly, before dropping his head back down with a thud.

  Luc’s hold around my waist tightened and he walked us into the room properly, putting an end to my silent stalking. Every grip was a little tighter since the incident and I didn’t complain. Luc’s arms were where I felt safest. He dropped down onto the sofa, pulling me onto his lap as he went. I pressed a quick kiss to his lips and swatted him as he tried to turn it into something more. Simple gestures were never enough for him. Luc was all or nothing in every aspect of his life.

  “D,” I said, turning my head away from Luc. It didn’t deter him, instead, he moved the kisses along my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t eat much.” In the entire time I had known Dante, his appetite was always ravenous. Nothing went to waste as long as he was around but tonight, at the table, D had picked at his food and left half of it on the plate. I hoped he wasn’t sick.

  “Just not hungry,” he said, head rolling to the side so he could look at me.

  Even Luc tensed at that answer. “What’s happened?” This time, the question was not teasing. This time, Luc was asking his brother what had affected his usual routine.

  There would never be a moment in this lifetime that I wasn’t fascinated by their friendship, the bond that they shared. I’d read somewhere once about platonic soulmates and this pair could have easily been the definition. Even when it seemed like they were falling apart, their deep love and respect for each other remained. They knew what the other was thinking, what the other would do in any given situation. I felt honoured to have been allowed to become a part of it.

  “Tori came around to hand me my ass on a plate over you taking your anger out on Gabe,” Dante said, blowing out a puff of air.

  “Tell her if she has an issue with me, she can come and talk to me instead of getting you involved,” Luc spat. He never took kindly to Dante being in the firing line for his actions.

  “I did.” He sighed resignedly. “We had a whole fucking argument, and broke up.”

  The guilt sucker-punched me, stealing the air from my lungs. There had always been the potential for them to break up, but I’d kept a small glimmer of hope. Dante’s happiness amplified whenever he was around Vittoria and it’d fallen apart, thanks to us. “I’m so sorry—" But I didn’t get a chance to finish.

  “Don’t worry about it, Mia,” Dante said, lifting a hand to stop me. “It’s for the best. Not like there’s any trust there anyway.”

  “Because of us. Me,” I said to him. I felt like all I ever did was apologise for the mess I left in my wake. Each move left a disastrous amount of collateral damage and it was starting to affect the people I loved.

  Dante pushed himself up off the floor so that he was sitting upright, palms flat on the ground. I saw his eyes flick behind me to Luc and then back to my face again. “Here I was thinking we got rid of that conscience of yours.”

  Luc huffed behind me. “Fat chance.”

  He knew how guilt still rested heavily on my shoulders, grinding me into the ground. Luc pulled me out of the hole whenever I sank in too deep. I was learning to justify every one of my moves to make them more palatable, but the state of Dante’s relationship had always left me feeling blue. No amount of well-crafted excuses made it easier to swallow.


  “You and Luc didn’t force me to do anything that I didn’t want to do,” Dante told me steadily.

  “It’s a big sacrifice,” I responded. “Luc...” The rest of the sentence died in my throat, not wanting to make the matter worse.

  “You can say it, Mia,” Luc said, his voice at my ear. His breath was warm and caused goosebumps to pimple along my skin. A sheet of paper would have found it difficult to slip between us. “You can say it because it’s true. I wouldn’t do the same for him. I wouldn’t give you up.”

  My cheeks heated at the admission. It was one thing for me to think it but another for Luc to voice it so openly without hesitation or guilt. Luc’s loyalties were drawn clear for everyone to see. Lincoln and I would want for nothing as long as he breathed. Nothing came before his family and I felt overwhelmed by the intensity of that, which he cared for us.

  “Different priorities.” Dante shrugged. The comment didn’t seem to bother him the way I thought it might. Dante had skin as thick as a hippo and it was a good thing with how much abuse Luc casually threw at him. “Luc puts you before everything. I put my family before all else.”

  For months it had gotten under my skin. I knew how I felt with Luc. I knew how broken I was being apart from him and I didn’t want anyone to go through that. Especially not the man I had taken as my brother.

  “Put it this way, you found something you were missing with Luc, and so did I,” he further explained.

  I raised an eyebrow and asked, “You want to marry him and have kids with him?”

  “He couldn’t handle me, and he knows it,” Dante joked, the smile tugging at his lips. “You can keep him.”

  Luc kissed the back of my neck where my tattoo sat. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.” I slapped the side of his leg, wanting some space so we didn’t add salt to Dante’s wound, but Luc responded by licking at my skin, which made me clench my thighs.

  “We’re family. Dysfunctional as fuck but a family nonetheless.” Dante shrugged.