Gianni (Mafia Heat, #2)

by Jade, Ella

  “What? Is he okay?” She was upset. I could see the worry in her eyes.

  “Do I have to remind you what the ramifications are for threatening a U.S. Senator?” Vincenzo’s voice echoed down the hall and reverberated off the foyer walls.

  A U.S Senator?

  “Do I have to remind you what the ramifications will be if my son is not returned to me in the condition they found him in?” Dante shouted. “This has gone too far.”

  Dominick joined us in the foyer. “Angelique, I was going to call you.”

  “Why?” I looked to him for reassurance. “Where’s Gianni?”

  “Can you join us in the study?” he asked. “We may need your help.”

  “I’m going to go make some more coffee,” Jennie said. “Nadia and Mama Stella are in the family room.”

  “It’ll be all right, Mom.” Dominick hugged her. “I promise.”

  “Find my baby.” She headed down the hall and to the kitchen.

  “You’re looking for Gianni?” There was a painful sensation in my chest as I followed Dominick to the study, where Dante, Salvatore, Santino, and Vincenzo were waiting. “What’s going on?”

  Dominick led me inside the room and to the couch. “Can I get you some water or something?”

  “You can tell me what’s going on?” I glanced around the room as each of them stared at me. “Where is he?”

  “We don’t know,” Dante said. “We haven’t seen him since last night.”

  “According to his phone, the last place we can track him was at your house early this morning. Around five. Does that sound right?” Dominick asked.

  “Yes, he left around then,” I admitted. “He was supposed to come back after he...” I stopped because I didn’t think Gianni had shared our secret with them. “We were going to spend the day together.”

  Dominick glanced at Dante and then focused on me. “Did you see him leave?”

  “He said he would stay until I was asleep. I remember looking at my phone to see what time it was as he left my room. I didn’t see him drive away but his car wasn’t at my house when I left today, so he had to leave.”

  “Or someone made it look like he left,” Santino said. “Why wasn’t he with Michael? Isn’t that why we all have a driver? To prevent these things from happening?”

  “Gianni is stubborn.” Sal leaned against the wall. “He thinks he’s invincible.”

  “Who would take him?” I asked. “Why would this happen?”

  Was that why he wanted to run away? If Gianni thought this was a possibility, why couldn’t he tell me? We could have left immediately. I’d take a million chances with him. That was what I told him. Why hadn’t he listened?

  “We don’t know if someone took him.” Vincenzo sat next to me. “Right now we’re brain storming. Is there anything you can tell us that might help us locate him?”

  “He doesn’t tell me anything about your business.” I looked at Dominick. “He came to my house last night. He left. That’s all I know.”

  “Who was at your house?” Santino asked? “Was your father home?”

  “No, he’s in D.C. There was an issue with his political consultant. He wanted to meet with him in person.” He’d left in a hurry. That was probably why he’d left those documents out on his desk that I’d seen when I was getting my passport from the safe. I never involved myself in my father’s work but now that I thought about it, something wasn’t right.

  “Angelique?” Santino said. “Do you remember something?”

  “When I arrived, I heard Vincenzo say something about a senator. Were you referring to my dad?”

  Each of them exchanged a curious glance at one another but no one said anything. My father dealt with the Marchellis but he’d always told me their legitimate businesses were good for the community. They’d made generous donations to his campaign. He wouldn’t have gotten involved with anything illegal. There would be no reason for him to. Gianni would have told me if...

  Dominick answered his cell. “Did you find him?”

  I stood from the sofa and walked over to Dominick. His father and brothers were close behind me. All of us waiting quietly, trying to interpret what was happening on the other end of the conversation. Rapid breathing filled the air.

  “I see.” Dominick nodded.

  “Where is he?” Sal asked.

  “Is he okay?” Dominick asked the person who had called him.

  There was a long pause. With each passing second, a dark, lonely sensation filled my insides. Now I seemed to be holding my breath because I couldn’t breathe if Gianni didn’t. Don’t go there! Sal took my hand and gave it a squeeze. In that moment, I had never been more thankful to have a friend by my side.

  “He loves you,” he whispered. “Don’t forget that.”

  My legs wobbled when Dominick ended the call as Sal held me by his side.

  “He’s at the hospital,” Dominick informed us. “Pretty banged up but he’ll be okay.”

  “A message?” Santino asked.

  “Probably,” Dominick answered. “We need to get there. My guy said the cops are already on their way to question him.”

  “The cops?” I didn’t understand. “What about Gianni? I need to go to him.” My hands shook as the tears streamed down my face. The thought of someone hurting him was too much to process. He needed me the same way I would need him if I were hurt.

  “My dad and I need to go to him,” Dominick said. “Vincenzo or Sal can take you in a bit.”

  “I want to go now,” I insisted. “I want to see him. What happened to him?”

  “I don’t know much. He was beaten and tossed in an alley. A homeless man found him and got help.”

  “Who would do that to him?” No one answered my question. Did they already know who did this to him? Were they forming a plan of retaliation?

  “He’s going to need representation there.” Santino spoke to Dominick. “I should be the one.”

  “No,” Dante said. “We’ve discussed this.”

  “Dad.” Santino sighed. “Now isn’t the time to argue over what I want to do with my law degree. You know the detectives are going to swarm him. They always do when we’re involved. I can get them to back off.”

  “Vincenzo.” Dante looked to his son. “What do you think?”

  “Santino is right. If you’re not going to let me do it, and I know you’re not going to let me do it, then send Santino. One of us should represent him.”

  “Fine.”

  “Represent him?” I asked. “Isn’t he the victim?”

  “Our family tends to be suspects first.” Sal took my hand. “Don’t worry.”

  Dominick, Dante, and Santino headed to the foyer.

  “Salvatore,” Dante called.

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Tell your mother her son is okay. Give us an hour and then bring her to the hospital.”

  “Wait! What about me?” I chased after them. “I have my own car. I’ll follow you.”

  “Angelique,” Dominick said. “You’re too upset to drive. If anything happens to you, Gianni would never forgive us. If you want to be with my brother, you have to accept certain realities. You have to understand that we know what we’re doing.”

  Nadia came out of the family room and stood in the doorway. Vincenzo joined her, taking his hand in hers. She leaned against him, comforting him without asking any information. She was there for him. I wanted to be there for Gianni.

  “Vincenzo can take you to the hospital in a little while. Let us go and monitor the situation. Santino needs to get the cops to back off so we can have privacy.”

  Dominick opened the front door as Sal headed to the kitchen to speak with his mother. It was as if they all had a role to play. This was common for them. Everyone fell in line. They worked as one unit. A family. If I wanted to be part of that family, I needed to understand how they operated. I needed to respect their way of doing things.

  “Are you okay?” Nadia put her arm around me. “I know th
is is overwhelming. I’m still not used to it.”

  “I want to be with him. I need to see him and make sure he’s okay.” I sobbed. “Who would hurt him?”

  “Sadly,” Vincenzo said. “My family has enemies. There are people who would do anything to get what they want.”

  A conversation with my father came rushing to the top of my thoughts. Could he be responsible for...

  “I need to make my own choices,” I told my father.

  “Even if I don’t approve?”

  “Don’t make me choose.” I was so certain. “Because it will be him.”

  “Then I won’t make you choose.”

  “Oh, no,” I whispered.

  “What is it?” Nadia asked. “You look like you might be sick.”

  “Can we stop at my house before we go to the hospital?”

  “Of course,” Vincenzo said. “Why don’t we head there now? By the time you’re done we should be able to see Gianni.”

  “Thank you.” I took a deep breath, praying my suspicions were wrong but if they weren’t, I needed ammunition. “I have something I want to get for Gianni.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  GIANNI

  We Got Caught In The Crossfire

  I tried to prop myself up but the pain kept me down. Cracked ribs. It fucking hurt to breathe.

  “Would you sit still.” Dominick lifted the pillow behind me, trying to make me more comfortable. “We found your car.”

  “Great.”

  “Santino reported your gun stolen. We don’t need some asshole using it in a crime and the cops pinning it on you.”

  “I need to speak with Angelique.” I didn’t care about my gun or my car. “I need to explain something to her.”

  “Vincenzo has her. They’re on their way.” Dominick stood over my bed. “You were going to run with her.”

  I nodded because there was no sense in denying the truth. My heart hurt when I thought about Angelique waiting for me this morning. I promised I wouldn’t hurt her again. I told her to trust me.

  “You weren’t going to tell me, were you?”

  “You would have tried to talk me out of it.”

  “You knew the consequences. Bruno would have come after Dad the second he realized you had her. He probably would have accused you of kidnapping her.”

  “You would have handled it.”

  “That’s not how we operate!” He raised his voice. “We don’t have secrets because they’ll get us killed.”

  “What did you expect me to do? Stay here while you took him out? No matter what that jerk threatened us with, he’s still her father. I have to protect her.”

  “What about your family?”

  I’m trying to make Angelique part of my family! “Bruno has nothing concrete on Dad. If he had, he never would have had those guys grab me last night.”

  “You didn’t know that when you planned your escape.”

  “I had a hunch and I wanted Angelique away from the fallout. If we bring Bruno down, I don’t know how she’ll handle that.”

  “I had to reign Santino in. He’s ready to make a move. He doesn’t possess the patience we have.”

  “He’s more ruthless than you and Dad ever were.” That was a frightening thought.

  “Why do you think we’re trying hard to steer him away from the business? With his tactics and negotiation skills, he could move us forward and put us in a position to take it all. If that was what we wanted.”

  “Setting us back years.” Our father had been phasing us out of the organization for years. Santino was young and wanted power. He often leapt before he looked. That could get one of us killed.

  “That’s a problem for another day.”

  “There are no more problems. Bruno has nothing on Dad. He came after me last night as a warning. He’s going to be sorry.”

  “I’ll make sure of that.”

  I tried to sit up again but the pain was too intense. “Shit!”

  “I’ll help you.” Dominick wrapped his arms around me. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah, I need to sit up.”

  When he pulled me into a seated position, I winced from the stabbing pain. “What the hell did they hit me with?”

  “My guess would be a tire iron or a bat? They totally ambushed you?”

  “I never made it to my car when I left Angelique. I remember being hit from behind and beaten. There were probably three of them. They tossed me in the trunk, I think. The next thing I know, the paramedics were in that alley that smelled like piss.”

  “We’ll take care of the guys who did this. I have people out on the street. It won’t be long before someone talks.”

  “Bruno doesn’t have experience with this so whoever he hired will screw up.”

  “If you had Michael with you this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “You don’t know that. They were probably watching me, waiting for a time when I wasn’t with my guard.”

  “You’re bruised. You’ll heal.”

  “Thanks for your compassion.” I laughed. “I could be dead.”

  “But you’re not.” He patted my shoulder. “I’m very grateful for that.”

  “Me too.” Angelique stood in the door way, her eyes swollen and red. She’d been crying. Over me. When would I ever bring happiness to her again? How were we going to get out of this mess?

  “Hey, Angel.” I smiled. “What are you doing all the way over there?”

  “I don’t want to interrupt.” Her voice cracked. “I had to see you.”

  “Come here.”

  She glanced at Dominick and then back to me.

  “I’ll give you two some privacy.” He took out his phone. “I need to make a few calls.”

  “Thanks,” Angelique said.

  She still hadn’t moved from the doorway. That wasn’t a good sign.

  “Gianni.” My name came out of her mouth in a low, desperate sob. I hadn’t looked in a mirror but judging from the pain I was experiencing on my face, I’d bet it was pretty bad.

  “Sweetheart, I can’t come to you and I really need you close to me.”

  She crossed the room, coming to stand by the side of the bed. When I reached for her hand, she began to cry, shaking uncontrollably. It took all of my effort but I managed to put my arms around her and bring her to me, holding her close, breathing in her warm scent. Mine.

  “Why are you crying?” I ran my hand along her back. “I’m fine. I’m right here.”

  “Why did this happen to you?” Her words came out on a high pitch. “Who would do this?”

  My muscles stiffened when she asked that question.

  “Please tell me,” she whispered.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I closed my eyes, hoping she would drop this. She shouldn’t have to be subjected to any of this. “I’m okay. We’re okay.” I kissed her hair. “That’s all that matters.”

  “I need to know who did this to you.” She let go of me. “You were taken leaving my house. You said you weren’t in any danger. You broke up with me but you said it wasn’t because of your family.”

  “No, they love you.”

  “Then why, Gianni?”

  “I thought we resolved this last night.”

  “We did but then you didn’t show up this morning.”

  “I had every intention of coming back but then I ended up here.”

  “I was prepared to walk away from everything and run away with you. I deserve the truth. You want me to trust you?”

  “You can trust me.”

  “Then tell me who did this to you.”

  “You’re pressing me so hard.” I took her hand. “You already know who did this to me. Don’t you?”

  “I have my suspicions. You need to confirm them.”

  “Angelique, some truths aren’t worth knowing.” I wish there were things about my father I didn’t know. “My family can make this right. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

  “Are you serious?” The fire in her eyes indica
ted she was more determined than I thought. “I’m not supposed to worry that your line of work could get you killed? That you could decide to leave me because someone made you do it? You say you want to protect me but you’re not keeping me safe when you keep things from me.”

  “Some things in my life have to be kept from you.” If there was ever a time I wished I was a legitimate businessman this would be it. I wanted to provide her with a good life. Free of danger and my family drama. “I won’t compromise your safety.”

  “Lying to me hurts me more.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Did my father make you leave me?”

  Withholding stuff from her when it had to do with my dad’s business was something I had to do. Those were promises I made to my family. The number one rule in my father’s world was to keep the Marchellis safe. But now that she asked me directly, I’d have to deal with the consequences later.

  “Yes.” I tried to suppress my anger. Not because Bruno came after me, but because he caused my beautiful angel so much pain.

  She increased her grip on my hand, appearing more pale than a few seconds ago. This was the pain I tried to spare her. She didn’t belong in the middle of this battle.

  “Did he have someone do this to you?”

  If I said no, I’d be lying. Would she forgive me for that? If I said yes, I’d expose who her father really was. I’d demolish everything she thought to be true up to this point. Could she ever forgive me for that?

  ANGELIQUE

  I wiped my eyes, waiting for him to confirm what I already knew. Why did the people who claim to love me lie to me?

  Gianni winced as he took a labored breath. His swollen jaw was covered in bruises. There was a cut above his right eye that required stitches. I wanted to care for him. To comfort him. First, I needed the truth.

  “Once I say the words.” His voice was low, raspy. “I can’t take them back.”

  “All I want is the truth.” I pushed the hair from my face. “Don’t I deserve that?”

  “You do.”

  “Did my father do this to you?”

  “He had someone do it.” He sighed. “I never made it out of your driveway this morning. They were waiting for me.”