Duty & Death (Foster Family Book 3)

by Zavi James

  Chapter Eleven

  Lucas

  Under the cover of darkness was where monster didn’t feel the need to hide. Everything that wouldn’t be deemed appropriate when the sun was high in the sky became plausible as the city slept. I shed the vaguely polite façade that I carried throughout the day and let all my demons come out to play. Tonight had lasted longer than I’d expected, wanting to ensure I had extracted every piece of possible information before getting rid of the waste of space.

  Mia appeared in the hallway just as I closed the door. She must have been waiting for me to come home despite the fact it was the early hours of the morning. Her eyes took me in, the bloodied clothing and dishevelled hair giving away that it had not been a night lost in drinks and merriment but in hard graft.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, coming towards me. The dim light of the living room that leaked into the hallway illuminated the worry that was etched on her features. She came to a stop in front of me.

  “I’m fine,” I assured her, taking her face in my hands. Mia let out a shaky breath of relief and I wondered if there would ever be a point where she stopped worrying about the late nights. If there would be a time where she would sleep easy because all of this was routine.

  She turned her head and kissed the inside of one of my palms. There was no flinching or thought of what deeds they had just accomplished. She was well aware that the hands that loved her and handled her with tenderness also had more violent tendencies. Softness was reserved for her and never given freely to the world.

  “I was worried,” she whispered.

  There was my answer. She cared too deeply to become desensitised to it all. “You don’t need to. I’m here. I’m home.” I suppressed the urge to kiss her, wanting to be clean of the deed. “I need to get cleaned up. Come to bed.”

  “I’ll be there now,” she said, stepping back away from me.

  “Don’t be long.”

  I climbed the stairs and made my way into the bedroom, stopping to glance at my son in his crib. Cerb was stretched out on the floor beside it, head on his paws, deep in slumber. The rise and fall of Link’s tiny chest gave me a sense of comfort and I moved into the bathroom to wash the last job of the day from my body.

  When I emerged, towel wrapped around my waist, hair damp and hanging around my face, Mia was sat on the end of the bed with a mug in her hands. The scent of coffee filled the room. Decaf. A mug of lies. “You can keep that,” I told her, nodding at it.

  Her lip curled in disgust. “It’s an abomination.” Clarity on the fact that it was indeed decaffeinated.

  “And yet you were willing to give it to me?”

  “You need to unwind.”

  “I’ll do fine without it,” I muttered under my breath.

  Mia didn’t pick up the fight. She got to her feet and walked around the bed, placing the mug on the nightstand beside a stack of parenting books. By the time I changed and turned around she was already under the covers, dark eyes trained on every movement I made.

  “Like what you see?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I walked over to join her.

  “I’m marrying you, aren’t I?”

  “Tethered to me in this life and the next.”

  Even though I couldn’t see it in the darkness of the room, I knew Mia would be pink at the thought of us being bound together for life.

  I’d bitten my tongue on asking her to push the date of the wedding forward. We’d christened Link and all the rest of our plans had gone to hell anyway, but Mia deserved a day without worry and I hoped to at least give her that glorious moment in the sun. Plus, trying to get her to organise another event with minimal time to breathe might be my demise.

  The minute I climbed into bed, Mia drew herself up to my side. Space had become non-existent between us when we were alone lately. Not that it was a problem. I would have had her permanently next to me if I thought it was safe and if I didn’t fear for my life when she saw some of the risks I took. I wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head.

  “Who was it?” she asked quietly.

  “No one important,” I replied.

  She lifted her head from my chest, and I chastised myself for not coming up with something less conspicuous. We didn’t hide things from each other. There had been too many lies that had almost torn us apart to warrant any more. And my answer was out of the ordinary.

  “Who was it?” she asked, firmly this time.

  I sighed. “It was a job and it’s been dealt with.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “That’s not how we work.” Like a dog with a bone, she wouldn’t let this go.

  “Angelo did his job. Part of it at least. He cleaned up the footage we gave him and found who targeted Chas.”

  Mia pushed herself up, using me as leverage. “Are we closer to finding Xavier?”

  It crushed me to hear the amount of hope in her voice. Constantly looking over your shoulder was a tiresome job and I wanted nothing more than to offer her some reprieve. This was the reason I hadn’t wanted to tell her because all I had was disappointment in store.

  “No. Whoever shot at you knew what they were doing. All the cameras were tampered with. Either defaced or away from their usual position.”

  Mia deflated at my words. “Chas?” she asked. “It wasn’t the same person then?”

  “No,” I told her. There was no doubt in my mind that Xavier was behind what Mia went through that day. It was clean crime aside from the fact he’d missed his target and hit one of his own. None of us had banked on Franco’s loyalty to her running that deep. “That was someone else.” Mia looked at me expectantly, and I released another sigh. “A kid doing some work for Silas.”

  “You killed Silas?” Mia asked, eyes growing wide and voice rising.

  I hushed her. It was a blessing that Link was sleeping peacefully, and I wanted to buy as much time as I could before he awoke, hungry for food and attention.

  “No,” I told her again. My hand reached out and wrapped around her elbow, pulling Mia into me and she came willingly. “I didn’t kill Silas. We dealt with the idiot that pulled the trigger.”

  “And what about Silas?”

  “What about Silas?”

  Mia’s face was close enough to mine that I could see the way her brow creased in confusion, trying to connect the dots. “You’re going to let him live,” she said but it sounded like more of a question.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Why not?”

  “Because he tried to take out his daughter,” Mia hissed at me. “Chas is shaken and it’s her own dad—”

  “He didn’t try to take her out. He wanted Gabe.”

  Mia closed her eyes, dropped her forehead against mine with a thunk, and I gritted my teeth at the pain. “Of course, he wanted Gabe,” she whispered. “And you’re happy to let him because it’s one less obstacle for us.”

  “If you’re asking me to feel bad about it—”

  “We are after Xavier.”

  “There are always casualties in war.”

  She opened her eyes, and I felt the tickle of her long lashes against my skin. “What about Chas? She’s living with him. And Tori? We already took Dante from her. Gabe’s her brother. Her twin.”

  It had been a long few days. Mia had pushed through an attack, acquainted herself with Chas, had organised and hosted a last-minute christening, and spent her days making sure that Link was happy. Her cup had started to overflow as it sometimes did, and it manifested in her spiralling in the quiet hours we had together.

  I pinched her chin gently between my fingers and turned her head to the left where Link’s Moses basket was. My face was pressed against hers, nose against her cheek and I took in a deep breath. The hypnotic citrus scent that belonged to Mia wrapped around my senses and anchored me.

  “Breathe,” I whispered to her, keeping hold of her chin. In the silence, Mia’s breathing slowly mimicked mine. “You cannot save the world, princess,” I reminded her. “You can only save yours and there he is.
This is it.”

  More silence and then Mia relaxed against me and whispered back. “This is it.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Mia

  "Do you lack the capability of following a simple order?" Dom asked me when I told him the plans for the day.

  “Luc can order me around when he employs me. Until then everything he says is a vague suggestion that I may or may not take on board.”

  Following the christening and everything Luc had learned, I was under strict instructions to stay away from the Moretti twins and Chas. I wasn’t to risk myself by getting caught in the crossfire of whatever Silas was up to. But I was curious and the last conversation I’d had with Chas made me wonder if she’d known what her dad was planning.

  Dom pinched the bridge of his nose. “You are deceptively troublesome.”

  “You’re not the first person to point that out. Can we get going now? I promise to tell Luc I held you at gunpoint and left you with no other choice.”

  “Oh, we’re telling him about this trip?” Dom asked me. “Just so we can be on the same page here.”

  “I wasn’t planning to,” I told him sheepishly.

  Luc was juggling a lot and he didn’t need to know about an impromptu trip. Not so impromptu. I’d told him I hadn’t planned anything today so Michael wouldn’t be dispensed into my service with the truth being I’d been planning a way to see Chas since the other night when Luc came home.

  “You know what? Please stop talking and get in the car.”

  “Dom—”

  “No. No. I don’t want to be complicit in any more of your crimes.”

  “You’re being dramatic.”

  “Remind yourself that when you attend my funeral,” Dom told me, but he didn’t refuse my request. He would have you believe it was because he was paid to do as I said, but the truth was because I would figure out a way to do what I wanted, with or without his help.

  It was Paulo who opened the door to Gabe’s home, and he didn’t look pleased to see us. I could only imagine what had been said about my family within these four walls. If Paulo was any good at his job, he’d listen and believe everything that spilled from Gabe’s lips, and he must have been because he started to close the door shut on us.

  In a stroke of courage, my arm shot out and I planted my palm on the door to keep him from shutting it. The pain radiated up my arm, wrist not fully healed from the fall.

  “Paulo.” I smiled at him through the discomfort. “Is Chas home? I could use some company and thought she might like to grab some brunch together.”

  “You’ll have to run that past Gabe first. He doesn’t want any unscheduled visits.” Paulo put his hand around my wrist and Dom stepped up instantly.

  “Paulo?” Chas’s voice sounded from behind him. “Who’s there?”

  “Chas,” I said, moving my head so I could look past him.

  “Mia?” She came down the hall and Paulo let go of my wrist looking less than impressed at the situation. “Is everything okay? Has something happened?” From what I knew of Chas and everything that had happened in her life, it seemed natural for her to catastrophise.

  “Everything’s fine. I didn’t catch you at the christening and thought we could have brunch together. There’s a cute little place a couple of blocks away.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said nervously. “But you can come in.” She didn’t sound sure about that either, but the offer was on the table.

  Paulo didn’t move immediately. He was most likely weighing up the consequences of upsetting Gabe by not following orders versus upsetting Gabe because he upset Chas. Eventually, he stepped aside, and I walked over the threshold.

  “Coffee?” Chas asked. I nodded and followed her through to the kitchen, making myself at home at the table. Dom and Paulo hadn’t followed us in, and I had a vague feeling that Dom was dishing out a warning about what might happen if Paulo laid another finger on me.

  "You didn't make it back to ours after the christening," I commented, watching her move around the kitchen, pulling out mugs. She’d made herself at home here, knowing where everything was kept. "No sugar or creamer," I told her before she could ask.

  "No. Gabe thought it was best we come back home. He's not on best terms with Luc. I don’t think he felt comfortable."

  I bit my lip hard to stop myself from saying my first thoughts. Of course, Gabe wouldn’t feel comfortable. He would have been steeped in an environment, forced to watch just how loved my family was compared to him. He probably would have preferred to stick hot pokers in his eyes.

  "They haven't been seeing eye-to-eye lately," I agreed cordially.

  Chas had her back to me as she said, "Gabe said he won't work with him on finding out who was responsible behind the attacks."

  Gabe was selling his version of the story. Luc was uncooperative on an issue that required clarity. He was purposefully stopping them finding out who was responsible. This wouldn't be something that sat well with the family. Gabe was hoping to capitalise on Luc's attitude and turn people against him. Sly move but well played. It was a shame for Gabe that barely anyone outside these walls would believe him.

  "Gabe's looking for answers where there aren't any," I told her. "He assumes Luc knows more than he does. Don't you think if Luc had anything that could help, he'd have shared it with him?"

  "That's what I told him."

  The guilt made me squirm. Chas was sweet to have attempted to fight Gabe with reason even if she was far off the mark.

  She poured the mugs of coffee and joined me at the table. I noted that hers was ghostly pale from the amount of creamer she added.

  “How have you been?” I asked her.

  “Bored,” she replied with a small laugh. “I’m not really leaving the house at the moment. Not after everything. The christening was a nice break from the walls of this place.”

  “I’m sure Gabe’s assigned you—”

  “I would rather not have an entire entourage. I’d rather have a normal life where I can walk out the house and not worry about getting shot at.” She bit her bottom lip and shrugged. "He watches you," Chas said suddenly. "At the christening, I saw him. Luc watches you closely like he's scared you might disappear."

  "I did once." It stung whenever it was brought up. A piece of my past that I’d like to bury but I didn’t believe in living with regret. Everything in life taught you a lesson and I had learned major ones over the course of the last few years.

  "I've heard.” That came as no surprise. “But he doesn't look angry," she said, almost sounding confused. "He looks like he's worried his entire world might slip away." It was startling to hear someone describe it like that. I’d had enough people tell me that they could see how much Luc and I loved each other but the way Chas put it made my hairs stand on end. She must have watched closely to glean all of that from a single morning. “It must be nice to have someone who cares so deeply.”

  “It used to be my dad’s job,” I admitted. Dad did what he thought was best to keep me safe. It didn’t always work out, but I knew that I was his world, and I missed him terribly.

  “He passed the baton to Luc?” Chas asked and I realised that she wasn’t fully aware of my entire history here.

  “He’s not with us anymore,” I told her.

  “Oh!” Chas’s eyes grew wide. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise. I would never...” She stumbled and stuttered.

  “It’s okay, Chas. I wish he was still here. I wish he could have met Link.” That was what my brain got stuck on most days. I’d had twenty-one years with my dad, nowhere near enough but I cherished each one. Link didn’t even have a day to get to know him. “Don’t take your parents for granted. I learned that the hard way,” I said quietly.

  Chas visibly tensed and dropped her gaze back to the cup. “If you have parents worth the time of day.”

  “Your parents are worth the time.” The words fell cautiously from my mouth.

  “Mia,” Chas said gently. “I
know Luc’s probably told you about my family history.”

  I didn’t tell her that it wasn’t Luc. Chas didn’t deserve to be kicked while she was down. She didn’t need to know that Katia had been gossiping about her misfortune. “He might have mentioned it,” I replied quietly. “I’m sorry for what happened to your mom.”

  “Dad protects what he thinks is valuable,” Chas told me carefully. “He rarely keeps things that he thinks aren’t useful to him anymore.”

  A shiver ran down my spine at that statement. It was meant to be overarching but I couldn’t help but think about Silas disposing of his late wife because she’d proved worthless to him for some reason. It unsettled me in a way I couldn’t describe. Luc coveted our relationship. Even Xavier cared for Emilia enough to want to keep his indiscretions secret. What had tipped Silas over the edge?

  “He wouldn’t do that to you,” I said, suddenly wondering if Luc had gotten it wrong. What if Silas hadn’t been after Gabe? What if he’d wanted to hurt Chas?

  “I doubt it.” She sighed. “I’m sure he sensed the opportunity of a lifetime here.”

  “I don’t understand.” I couldn’t connect the dots.

  “Dad’s not exactly welcome in the family with everything that happened. Me being with Gabe has probably sparked the idea that he could gain some favour again.”

  With that small piece of information, I could fill in the blanks that Chas hadn’t said and wasn’t quite aware of. Chas dating Gabe had allowed her to step back into the family fold. She might not have been the most warmly received person, but she wasn’t being shunned either. If Silas had been watching, which no doubt he had been, he had thought Gabe was no longer necessary and a traumatic event like his death would allow Silas to swoop into the family again under the guise of comforting his daughter. I might not have been part of this world for long, but I had started to pick up on the twisted thoughts and patterns that made people tick.

  “Has he been in touch?” I asked, wondering if Silas had spoken to her lately.

  “No. We haven’t spoken properly since I left for college. I think we were both secretly glad to see the back of each other.” Then she muttered, “Maybe not so secretly. And when I come home, it’s silence and lonely dinners.”