by Shanna Bell
Then she turned back to him. Her eyes promised to kick his ass next.
He grinned. He couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER 26
CARMEN
She’d won! She made that blonde silicone bimbo eat mud. Sweet, sweet victory. Her muscles ached as never before, her back hurt because a foot had landed there, but still, Carmen had never felt better.
The crowd cheered her on as the microphone guy announced her victory. She almost forgot she was part of an underground fighting ring that preyed on women in dire circumstances.
It felt good to feel alive. And even better to win. Goatee directed her out of the arena, back up the stairs to her cage. That’s when it hit her she would have to go another round.
Crap. She should’ve thought that one through, but seeing that woman making a move on Sy had pushed her buttons. Speaking of which, where was he?
“Good game.” Goatee sounded impressed. She couldn’t help but preen at his praise.
She stilled when he opened the door to her cage. “Um, I really don’t want to go another round.”
As the adrenaline left her body, she remembered how she ended up here in the first place. But, more importantly, why she had to get the hell out.
“Too bad.” Goatee smirked. “Rules are rules. You have to—”
His words were cut short.
Two pissed-off, about-to-spout-fire dragons, stood behind him. Vince decked Goatee and the man dropped like a log. Two men carrying guns walked up to them, but after exchanging a few words with Sy, they backed off.
“I’m so happy to see you guys—oh!” Vince lifted her off her feet, mud and all, and scooped her up in his arms.
Before she knew what was happening, he raced down the stairs and went through a back door, distancing them from the arena. The sounds of cheers turned more faint by the second.
“What are you doing?” she protested. “I’m not done yet. You need to take me back.” Marni was there. It was the most solid lead she had on the girl.
“Not a word,” he hissed.
His body was tense and practically shaking when he stopped at their car.
Sy opened the back door and Vince all but dropped her in the back seat. When Sy started the car, she scrambled up.
“We have to go back. Please, I—”
“No.” Vince looked ready to explode. “Do you know what I went through on the way over here? Do you have any fucking idea?” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Whatever elated feeling she had disappeared as she saw how tense he was. She realized she had scared the crap out of him. The look she exchanged with Sy in the back mirror wasn’t much better.
Yep, they were both pissed.
The trip back home was made in silence. Vince did give her his sweater and she clung to it as she suddenly felt cold.
Back home, she all but ran into the bathroom, debating what story to tell them.
How about the truth?
It would crush Sy. The angry, vengeful part of her wanted to expose his mother for what she was—a terrible human being capable of… well, probably anything. But her heart couldn’t live with the thought of hurting him. No matter what Erica had done, she was still his mother. Every estranged child, no matter the age, would cling to the idea that one day he could mend things with his mom. Furthermore, her selfish part feared that the guilt he’d feel about his mom’s betrayal would drive him away once more. Then again, she couldn’t let Erica just get away with jamming a needle in her neck and pawning her to a loan shark. It was quite the conundrum. Perhaps it was best to discuss this later with Vince.
There was also the case of Marni, of course. She needed their help in finding her. But telling them about the girl meant she would have to come clean… about everything.
When she came out of the bathroom, she still didn’t know what to do. No sooner had she put on her pj’s when Vince and Sy walked into her room. Her hand holding a brush stilled.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Vince roared.
She didn’t appreciate him yelling at her. Judging by his thunderous face, he wouldn’t give a damn if she pointed that out.
Sy wasn’t much help either, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed just fine letting Vince handle the scolding.
“I don’t know what made you go over there, but I suspect it had something to do with the pictures.”
She flinched.
Vince sat on the end of the bed and patted the place next to him. “Get over here.”
“I don’t think I want to do that.” Her butt was sore. Every part of her body was sore. Now that she had left the ring, she felt the toll it had taken, rolling in the mud, fighting to win. She’d never really given it a thought before, but women in sports were badass.
His eyes flashed. “I didn’t ask what you wanted. Get over here, now.”
Resigning to her fate, she did as he asked. “Can’t this wait?”
“No. I call in my next IOU.”
Of course. How could she have forgotten about them?
“Tell me about the night the pictures were taken.”
For a second, her vision went dark and she had difficulty breathing. Then the bed dipped and Sy sat next to her.
“You’ve seen them,” she croaked. How was she ever going to get past that mortification? “You don’t know what it feels like to feel powerless,” she whispered. “Being married to a man like Franco was hell from the beginning. Nothing I ever did or said was good enough. He loved putting me down, and controlling every part of my life. But most of all, he liked to… hurt me.”
A low growl erupted from Sy’s throat, but she didn’t dare reach out to him. She feared if he gave her even the slightest bit of sympathy, she would crumble at his feet.
“After a while, I began to think that it was me. That I was responsible for the beatings, that I ‘asked’ for it. I was young, and naive, and believed that if I did everything he asked, no matter if it turned my stomach, it would make the beatings stop. So, when he suggested we go to a club, I agreed.”
“Red Velvet.” Vince sounded grim.
She wasn’t even going to ask how he found out about it. All she wanted was to get this over with.
“That night, at Red Velvet, he introduced me to a business partner of his, Dwight.” If, by introduced, you mean handed him a whip to beat me with while I was bound and gagged. “When it was time to go into a private room, I chickened out. I got a drink to calm my nerves. Next thing I knew, I could barely stand on my feet.” She swallowed. “Franco took me to a private room in the dungeon. More men were there and they… Please, don’t make me say it.”
Vince grabbed her hand. “The pictures have been taken care of. You never need to worry about them again.”
A crushing weight she hadn’t known she carried with her lifted off her chest.
If she wouldn’t spit everything out right now, she never might again. “After I regained consciousness, I made a run for it. I got lost in the dungeons of the club and that’s when I met Marni.” She told them the story, just as she’d told Tess.
Sy cursed, while Vince looked ready to commit murder.
“I need to find her.”
“We will,” Vince reassured her.
“It’s the only way I can make amends. It’s my fault that—”
“You didn’t know—” Vince started.
“Don’t defend me! I went with Franco voluntarily. I could have gone straight to the police that night, but I was scared. Can you believe that? I’m the kind of woman who had to think all night long how to help a little girl while protecting my own ass. I called the police the next night with an anonymous tip, and nothing came out of it. And how could it? They didn’t have a solid lead. It’s not like I could give them the location. What I should’ve done was give them Franco.”
“He would have killed you,” Sy pointed out.
It didn’t matter. Nothing was more important than protecting the innocence of a child. She swall
owed. “I didn’t do everything I could to help that little girl, so I got punished by losing my own baby.”
Those words were the hardest thing she ever said out loud. No matter how the guys told her this wasn’t true, deep in her heart, she knew the truth. She hadn’t deserved her baby, because she hadn’t protected someone else’s child when she had the chance.
She wiped away the tears after that confession. However, there was no time to break into pieces. “I failed her back then, but I won’t this time. I think I saw her tonight.” As she looked at the men she loved, she finally realized she was no longer alone.
It was then she finally understood. The penthouse above the club, the IOUs, him offering his protection. Vincenzo Detta did it all for her. Her first IOU had been to face her fear of a BDSM club, the second about the pictures. He had gone above and beyond to redeem himself for a deed she’d already told him he wasn’t guilty of. She didn’t deserve him, yet she wanted to keep him—both of them—anyway.
But what if they didn’t want to keep her? What if, after the third and final IOU, they decided their housing situation was over? Sy had already left before. What if he did it again?
Waiting for the ax to drop was no way of life.
With a dull pain in her chest, she decided to just rip the bandage off.
“And there goes the second I owe you,” she whispered. “Only one more left.”
Sy grunted. “Yeah, about that. I’m calling it.” He locked his eyes on Vince. “See, I’ve done some counting these past days. Thinking back on when you were about to elope with Vince, how you ended up with Franco, and then those pictures. It’s all happened about ten years ago; right when Vince and I met.”
Vince narrowed his eyes. “Don’t.”
“Oh, but I’m gonna.” Sy sounded grim. “If we share, we share everything, if you know what I mean.”
Something was going on between the two that went over Carmen’s head. Vince had his jaw locked, which made Sy take a deep sigh.
“Whatever.” He then looked at her. “Final I owe you. Tell Vince how you felt when he didn’t show up ten years ago.”
“Gutted.” The word burst from her mouth before she could stop it. She grabbed Vince’s hand in an apology. “I’m sorry. We’ve discussed this and you know I don’t blame you anymore. It was unfair to you to begin with.”
“Funny you should say that.” Sy smirked. “Get this. Ten years ago, I was delivering a package for my brother, when I see a bunch of Morelli’s men sneak up on Vince. It was at the old cemetery. Now what kind of idiot goes to a cemetery, alone, before dawn?”
Her chest tightened as it dawned on her where he was going with this.
Vince got up and started pacing. Then he leaned against the wall, hands in his pocket, scrutinizing her, as if he was afraid of her reaction.
“I’ve never seen a man duck behind a tombstone so fast,” Sy continued. “Vince here managed to take two of them out, while being shot. He bled all over the place but refused to go down.” He looked at her. “Back then, I figured he was a badass motherfucker who deserved my respect for sticking it to Morelli’s men. I had no idea he was fighting to get back to you.”
Neither had she. He’d let her hate him for so many years. Her mind swam in a vortex of guilt, shame, and pain, and a heady cocktail of other emotions she couldn’t even begin to describe.
In the end, all she wanted to know was, “Why?”
Vince uttered a long, low sigh. “What was the point? It wouldn’t change anything. Besides, when I woke up in the hospital a few days later, it was too late. I thought about asking Gio to get you out of Franco’s clutches, but I didn’t. I figured he’d get himself, and you, killed.”
That still didn’t explain everything. “I understand why you didn’t tell me back then, but what about now? All those things I said to you, the accusations…”
His eyes bore into hers. “Isn’t it obvious? I want you to be with me because you want to, not because you feel guilty for hating me.”
Part of her wanted to rail into him. Tell him exactly how he made her feel, but that would only start the same pattern again. The past was gone and buried deep. All she had was the present and, hopefully, a future.
She kissed Sy, silently thanking him. He winked and gave her his tongue. Only when she started moaning did he let her go.
Up next, she went to Vince, who was still keeping himself apart from them, as if awaiting her judgment. Right now, with his hands in the pockets of his slacks, he resembled the teenager she’d fallen in love with so much.
She kissed him and put every ounce of love she felt for him in that kiss. No words were needed. Both of them gave her so much strength. It was time she gave them something in return—her trust.
“I need your help,” she confessed.
“About time you asked,” Vince said.
She told them about her encounter with Marni earlier that night and that Jazzy was working to get a hit on her with her facial recognition software. Vince got up and pulled out his phone.
“Get some sleep. We’ll talk further in the morning.”
He kissed her forehead, then left the room, no doubt to make some calls. She dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
This must be what a balloon feels like after losing its air.
Drained.
But that was okay. She was where she belonged; with the men she loved. Knowing that everything was gonna work out, a peace settled over her, lulling her into a sound sleep.
CHAPTER 27
CARMEN
Carmen’s morning got off to a promising start. She woke up rested and feeling as light as a feather. Angels sitting on a cloud would have felt jealous about her Zen mode. That feeling lasted for about thirty minutes—the time it took for her to take a shower and discover Sy had left. Even after everything they had shared last night, he left her. Had left them.
Breakfast had been a quiet affair and less opulent than she was used to making them. Vince hadn’t said much, but him being there was all she needed. Now, if only, she could make Sy see he belonged with them as well.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why he pulled away from her. Not only had they gotten too close for his comfort, but he probably feared to repeat what had happened after his nightmare. It didn’t matter though. He was hers, just as Vince was. And today, she was going to reclaim him, whether he wanted to or not. But first things first.
Today, she decided to go back to her old mansion and get the last of her stuff. Then she was going to shut the place down and put it on the market. After all, how could she ask Sy to let go of his past, if she hadn’t done so herself? She was done with the past, and looking forward to the future.
Vince had one of his guys drive her over. She’d asked him to stay in the car, however. This was something she needed to do alone. When she packed the last of her bags, she turned around and took one last look in the kitchen—the place that held one of her most awful memories. At the same time, it had also been a haven in this house. The place she could lose herself, baking, pretending her life was normal. Deciding she was going to focus on the good instead of the bad, she rolled her suitcase to the door and opened it.
She stopped mid-stride and her mouth fell open. On her doorstep stood a ghost from her past.
“Marni?”
The young woman she had seen at the wrestling game was standing right before her. Again, she was dressed in black leather pants and a red top, which must be her signature look.
Joy filled her at the thought that she hadn’t been dreaming back then. It was real. Marni had found her.
“You called me that before. Marni. Mar. Ni.” The way she pronounced her own name sounded as if she was trying a new language, tasting the foreign syllables on her tongue.
“Yes, that’s your name. Marni.” Carmen gestured inside. Even though she had been ready to leave, it felt odd to have this conversation on the porch. “Won’t you come in? We could talk.” There was so much she wan
ted to ask and tell the girl. “Your family will be so glad to hear—”
Marni’s head snapped up. “My family?”
“Yes, your parents…”
Her eyes narrowed. “Numbers don't have parents. We have sisters. Had a dozen of them. Now there’s only two left—Nine and Four. I'll set them free. Have to set them free.”
“Marni.” Carmen looked at the girl cautiously, then past her, to the car still parked in the driveway. “Where’s my driver?”
A growl entered Marni’s voice and Carmen took a step back.
“Dead.”
Then the world exploded.
Carmen woke up with the headache of all headaches. She groaned as she tried to piece together where she was and what had happened to her. She tried to move her hand to knead away the pain, but couldn’t. That’s when she noticed she was tied to a chair, her mouth taped shut. Panic ran through her body as she realized she was in a room with bars on the window.
How?
Marni…
A sudden coldness hit at her core.
The door creaked open and Keegan appeared, followed by Marni. Dread filled her stomach.
“You didn’t really think I’d forget about you, did you?” he muttered, sitting in a chair opposite where she was tied to hers. He leaned closer, a hand to his ear. “Say what now? Are you sorry that you didn’t accept my offer?”
The duct tape over her mouth prevented her from speaking, so instead, she gave him a glare.
She looked past him, to where Marni was standing in a military stance, her arms crossed behind her back, legs wide. Her face was completely devoid of emotion. Dressed up in black leathers, with knives strapped onto her thighs, she resembled a cold-blooded killer.
Keegan slapped her cheek. “Look at me, bitch!”
Her head snapped up to him.
“Such big, juicy tits,” he continued.
Her gut churned, acid building. She was breathing heavily through her nose, trying to keep calm. The man was disgusting. Even with her mouth free, she wouldn’t have wasted her breath on him.