“Papa…” I touched his cheek which now started to feel cold.
Xander placed his arm around me and I looked to him.
“Xander… my father…”
“I know I –”
Footsteps echoed down the hall. It was only the sound that snapped me back to reality. We were still in this place. The Ra were still very much at work and I didn’t think it mattered that Balthazar was dead.
The instinct to flee washed over me, but… how could I leave Pa?
How could I leave Pa here?
“Jia, listen to me, we have to get out of here now. We have to.”
“I can’t leave him here like this.” I shook my head. “I can’t Xander. I can’t just leave him.”
He tightened his grip on me and gazed deeply into my eyes. “I just promised your father I’d take care of you and keep you safe. I promised him Jia. I promised him. Please let me do that. Please allow me to do that.”
My shoulders tensed and I nodded realizing I didn’t have much time to think.
The footsteps were getting closer and were now accompanied by voices. It was definitely some of the men here. I could tell.
I stood up and Xander took my hand. One last look at Pa and we left. As soon as I moved numbness filled my body.
I ran as fast as I could with Xander next to me. We got to a path that led down a staircase. It was still part of the factory style set up but rougher looking like no one ever came out back here.
We went down to where the drains were and then it all changed to a tunnel like passage.
No one was chasing us but we were still going.
A light appeared ahead of us and I prayed it was daylight.
We got closer and my heart soared when I saw that it really was daylight. Sunlight streamed through the panels leading into the tunnels.
We went outside and the air filled my lungs.
I cast my gaze around me and saw that the situation was in hand.
Surrounding us was what I called an army.
It looked like the whole US army had come in to help.
Xander lowered his gun but kept hold of me.
It was over.
All of it was over and Pa was dead.
The thought brought the tears back and I broke down when Xander pulled me into his chest. Close to his heart.
Chapter Sixty-Five
Jia
Six months later …
I finished up the last strokes on the oil painting I’d done of the beach in Tuscany.
It looked just as I’d remembered it and I was happy with the work I’d done.
It was one of the places my parents used to take me on vacation when I was little. We had some happy memories there on the beach.
We’d spent hours on the beach just enjoying the way everything looked. It was there that I’d first decided I was going to be an artist. I was nine and I was so happy that I’d found my thing in life that I’d wanted to do.
I went back with Xander twice in the last few months. The first time was just for the sake of going back and to show him one of the places I treasured. We stayed in the beach house I always stayed at with my family. While I hadn’t been back in years I fell in love with the house and the place all over again. Just like the first time Pa took Ma and me there. The place reminded me of some kind of fairytale. Or a dream.
The next time Xander and I went was his doing.
The man never ceased to amaze me. It was for my birthday. A birthday trip that turned into something that healed me because I realized I had him. I really did.
For my birthday, Xander bought the house and asked me to move in with him.
That was what he did.
That was last month. When we got back I decided I’d do this painting. I was taking my time with it.
Like always painting provided the escape I needed whenever my thoughts were unsettled. The last few months had been beautiful for Xander and me but they were also hard.
“Is there anything else I can do before I go?” Anya asked pulling me from my thoughts.
My best friend had been my rock for the last six months. She’d barely left my side. Barely, and only when Xander was around. It was only then that she’d take her leave and honestly he was just as bad.
She’d come by to spend the day with me.
“I’ll be fine Anya. Go have fun with Tim.” I turned away from my easel and gave her a mischievous smile. She’d gone outside to talk with him over an hour ago. That was why I thought I’d spend the time painting.
She started blushing and ran a hand through her hair.
“Oh my gosh. I didn’t mean to be gone for so long.”
“It’s okay. You didn’t have to break away from your phone sex to come check on little old me.” I giggled. That was me trying to be me.
“We weren’t having phone sex.” She shook her head and came over to sit on the little wooden chair next to me.
“Weren’t you?”
“Not just now.” She smiled wide.
She and Tim, who were very serious about each other had a date last night and I knew she felt guilty for not seeing me. I wished she wouldn’t though. I knew she was meant to be going somewhere with him today but rearranged so she could see me.
Xander was doing some stuff with Wes and Jack so I would have had the house to myself. It wasn’t a bad thing. Everyone however had decided that leaving me alone was off the table. I understood why.
I literally fell apart after Pa died.
For months I wasn’t myself. there was rarely a minute that saw me without tears in my eyes. Every day was hard. It was only in the last few months… maybe the last two months that I started to resemble something like myself.
Anya turned and grabbed the bowl of candy she’d shared out earlier when she got here. It was one of those party sized serving bowls. Earlier it was full, now it had gone down to more than half.
I rolled my eyes at myself and reached in for a tootsie roll.
“Good, it’s half the fat if we share it,” she bubbled.
I lifted my shoulders into a sassy shrug. The seriousness returned to her face when I popped the candy into my mouth.
“You sure you’re okay?” she asked. “Jia you know I worry about you.”
“You don’t have to, and I really hope you’re going to see Tim later.”
She nodded. “I am, we’re gonna go to dinner. I’ll leave when Xander gets back.”
“Or you could go before and get some time to yourself.”
“But, you know I’m going to pass on that so I can make sure I hand you over to the safety of that amazing man of yours.” She quirked a brow. “You won’t get rid of me so easy, plus I brought the sweets and I’m actively making sure you have enough serotonin to bring out the happy.”
I had to laugh. “You are so funny Anya. You really are.”
“I’m serious though. I know it’s been hard. Every time I think about how hard it’s been for you I remember when I felt so helpless. Every time I felt helpless and it was like there was nothing I could do to help you. It’s been three major times now. Your mom’s death, going to Italy with Armand and your father’s death.”
I looked at her and I understood.
We were as close as sisters could be. She was definitely that for me. I’d known her for so long and we’d gone through life together. I knew what she meant about feeling helpless. I knew if the tables had been turned I would have felt the same as her.
I reached over and took both her hands into mine.
“Anya, you may have felt helpless but your presence was what I needed. That was all. That was all I needed, just to have you. You did all you could do for me by just being there. You’re here now.”
She gave me a curt nod. “Thank you, and please humor me a little longer so I can just know you’ll be fine tonight. I rejoice every day that you didn’t end up with Armand. I just wish things could have turned out different all around.”
“Me too.”
Me too
indeed.
I wished Pa didn’t die.
The grief that had taken hold of me after was indescribable. No one had ever seen me in that state. What they didn’t know was that I’d gotten like that as a result of everything.
What kept me going was Xander.
He was my good thing that came out of the darkness.
Between him and Anya they helped me find myself.
And, I had to do that part fast because Pa left me everything. Absolutely everything.
My father left me the whole empire that needed my attention. Things to restructure and sort out.
Everything in Vegas, Italy and the other property development businesses in L.A and New York.
Everything: all is assets and people. The knights stayed together and became mine. All except Armand who’d been incarcerated for the last six months. Who I relied on a lot to help me run the place was Frankie.
I put him in charge of everything. When I could I went to The Grand Marchesi probably once every other week. It was just to check in on the place. It was all I could stand to bear since it was weird not seeing Pa around. Or feeling his strong presence.
Frankie became my right hand man, and truthfully he was more like the boss. He did a lot for me. A lot I never knew about and honestly, a lot I didn’t want to know. I asked him and Vinny to clean up and sort out all the dirty dealings.
They’d know what to do and what I meant.
There was enough wealth to take care of everything. I wasn’t going to fall prey to greed and want after more. I guess I was the boss now and had a multi-billion- dollar fortune of countless wealth untold and the people that came with it.
What I valued most of all was my freedom.
That came too with deciding what happened next.
That part was where I was at. I was finally ready to do more with my life.
Anya grabbed some more sweets and beamed from ear to ear just as we heard the door downstairs open.
That would be the amazing man of mine. It was eight and he was here just as he promised. He was like clockwork and as reliable as the sun.
My stomach still did that little flutter when I knew I was going to see him.
In the mornings though, when I woke up in his arms, it was more of a tingle that flushed over my whole being.
“You should see your face.” Anya giggled getting up.
Heat crept into my cheeks. “I’m just happy to see him.”
“I can see that.”
Xander appeared at the door looking as handsome as ever. The sight of him brought an instant smile to my face.
“Girls, everything okay here?” he asked grinning back at me.
“You know it is.” Anya beamed then waved her hand at him. “I will see you guys later.”
She bent down to give me a hug then sauntered away with a bounce in her step.
As she walked out Xander approached me and I stood when he got up to me, falling into his embrace. I loved resting my head on his wide powerful chest.
I lifted my head though so I could kiss him.
“How’s my girl?”
“She’s good now that her man is home.” I loved saying that. The house had instantly felt like a home when he moved in. Then our place in Italy felt like where my heart wanted to be when we were there together.
I tried to figure out the distinction then I realized there wasn’t one. It was him.
That was the answer.
Home was where ever he was.
“How’s my man?” I asked kissing the edge of his cheek.
“Finally ready to get life on track with his girl.”
I liked the sound of that. I knew it meant more though since he’d seen Jack and Wes today. For this whole time he’d been with me supporting me and hadn’t done much for himself.
We lived together here, we had a home in Italy, and we were planning to go there in a few weeks so that I could continue my studies. That was as much as I knew in regards to us. Except that was all about me.
He pulled me into his lap as he sat on the chair and slipped his arm around my waist.
His expression looked like he had much to tell.
“I’m telling you this because I’ve thought about a lot and decided what I want to do,” he began.
“It sounds all secret.” I smiled.
“It’s supposed to be, but I won’t keep secrets from you. SMF want me back. They asked me to come back over a month ago and gave me time to think about it.”
I gasped. “Xander, over a month?”
“Yeah, it’s cool baby. I took the time because I knew I was going to say no.” His gaze clung to mine.
“You said no?”
He nodded. “I said no. I loved being an agent. I loved getting to use my skills for good. But that feels like a part of me that no longer exists. I don’t think I want that life anymore and it would mean keeping secrets from you. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you that I work there. I don’t want that.”
I cupped his chin. “What do you want Xander? Tell me. I’ll be with you a hundred percent.”
“I want you.”
I laughed. “Your sweet.”
“I’m serious. I want you. I want a life with you. That was the first thing I decided. It was true to me and when I thought of what I want with you I followed the other path.”
“What path is this?”
“The path where I’ll be working with Jack, Wes and Dorian as a consultancy.”
My gosh I remembered Jack talking about this with Frankie. In the end of the crazy saga with The Ra it was Jack who was able to summon a hundred marines who took out and shut down the secret facility. It showed the extent of his influence and power, so I knew it was no mere consultancy Xander was talking about.
“That sounds good, but is it dangerous?”
“No, just intel. That’s all. No chasing anybody. Best of all I’ll probably do a few jobs a year and we can live in Italy if that’s what you want.”
“Oh my God.” My spirits lifted. “You mean it?”
“Yeah. I mean I know you won’t just want to be there the whole time so we can travel backwards and forwards, just be there more. Live there. If that’s what you want. That’s why I bought the house.”
It wasn’t until the tear splashed on to my lap that I realized I was crying and quickly wiped the rest away.
“You are too much Mister. I want that, but only if you want it. I know you’ve been doing a lot of what I want and I love you for that. I really do. I want you to be happy too.”
“Told you what I want Jia. I mean it. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t need to be grounded anywhere to do what I want to do. I have Jack and Wes and we’ll be working together. That’s me done and I’m happy with my decision. It’s what I want and I have to say Italy rubbed off on me too.”
I laughed. “It’s so beautiful Xander. I never really thought of living there because I knew it would get on my father’s nerves but I think my heart is there. So much bad happened here.”
“I know. So how about a fresh start? You and me Bellezza.” The blue hue of his eyes sparkled with the hope I felt rippling within me.
“Yes. I absolutely love that. A new start with you.”
He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine.
Epilogue
Xander
Four months later….
The beautiful Tuscan sky was almost as beautiful as Jia.
The sight of both was enough to steal my breath away.
She was walking up from the beach toward the house. The sun was low, just getting ready to set and it cast her in that brilliant glow , enhancing her ethereal beauty.
“Xander, you still there?” Wes asked.
I pressed the phone to my ear as I refocused on our conversation.
I must have paused for a good minute as I’d watched Jia walk up the path.
“Sorry yeah. I gotta go though buddy.” I chuckled.
Wes was talking work and I would be no good to him with my min
d like this. I got the gist of the job. We were investigating a U.S general. He’d started talking about the job specs when I zoned out and my mind decided it would grab the details when I saw Wes and Jack next month.
It might be something I may have to bow out of though if it got as strenuous as the last job because I had something else planned that was going to take up the next few months.
Maybe three or four. It depended.
That plan was more important than the job.
“I just started talking to you,” Wes complained. I could almost imagine him rolling his eyes at me.
He shouldn’t because he was just as loved up as me when it came to his woman.
I was just more open about it. Like I was going to be now.
“My girl just came back and I need her.” I smiled.
“Oh my God Xander… you make me sick. One year and you are the same.”
Yup, one year. Last week was exactly a year since I’d known Jia. A year ago all the shit with Giovanni went down, secrets spilled out into the open and lies were uncovered.
Fuck.
One year and it had been quite the year.
But, the good part of it was just walking through the door of our home and she smiled when she looked at me.
“I’ll be the same for the next million years.” I nodded with a surety even though he couldn’t see me.
“Okay pal, call me when you can.”
“Sure.” I hung up and gave my undivided attention to my girl as she skipped into my arms, and pressed her lips to mine.
The kiss she gave me was like coming home and the type of hunger that consumed me made me want to devour her.
That was exactly what I planned to do. Devour her, here in our paradise home where she was all mine and she had all of me.
It was us.
She felt true to me. Everything that we were as a couple felt like what I’d wanted most. She felt true to me because we both looked out for each other, wanted each other’s happiness, and she healed my heart. She’d healed me and breathed new life into me. That was why I took the consultancy job with Jack and Wes.
Game of Love : A Mafia Romance Page 52