He’s out of his seat, bent over the desk. Spit falls out of the corner of his lips and onto the surface. “One … million.”
“That had to have been a hard offer to pass up,” I muse. “That’s six million dollars in your pocket, and you didn’t have to do anything for it.”
“Please … I …”
Removing the knife from my other pocket, I flip it open and stab it through his other hand, pinning it to the desk as well.
He screams so loud, the shrill hurts my ears. “Please …” he pleads, closing his eyes tightly, trying to hide his tears.
I look up at Bones and nod. He places the plastic bag back over his head. This time he pulls out a roll of duct tape from the duffel. He then proceeds to wrap the tape around his neck, securing the bag to his head.
I sit back in my seat and watch the fat bastard lean over his desk, fighting to breathe. To move.
“Listen to me,” I order, but he’s in panic mode, his body thrashing uncontrollably. I shoved the knives so far through his hands and into the desk that he won’t be able to get free unless he wants to rip them in half.
Bones leans over his back and grabs his face on either side, forcing him to look up at me. “Pay attention,” he orders.
“Did you know that it can take thirty seconds or thirty minutes to suffocate?” I ask. “It all depends on how much you fight it.”
He struggles, and his voice muffled. His mouth gaping as the bag sticks to his face while he tries to breathe. It’s wet from saliva and tears.
“Suffocation doesn’t hurt. So I thought I’d add the pain.” I wiggle the knives, and he bangs his hips into the desk, making the wooden legs scrape across the floor and objects fall off the sides to the floor. “And just to make sure you don’t survive; I’m going to cut your head off before we bury you in the desert.”
Blood covers his desk as Bones and I watch the man lose his life second by second. Within a few minutes, his face grows white. His lips purple. His fight turns to nothing. He face-plants into the blood, and all movement stops. I stand, buttoning up my suit jacket. “Take care of him. I want his head at least three miles from his rotting corpse,” I order and then pick up the papers off the floor and exit his office. Bones doesn’t usually take care of dead bodies. We pay people for that, but I know he has my back on this. I’ll owe him, and when he calls, I’ll pay up. No matter the price.
I go to walk down the hall when I see her mother exit a door at the end on the left. I make my way toward her.
“Luca? What are you doing here so late? I thought I heard …”
I slap a hand over her mouth and shove her back into the wall with so much force it knocks a picture off, sending it crashing to the floor and shattering at our feet. Her green eyes go wide with horror.
“I’m going to give you one chance. One chance to explain what you know. Do you understand me?”
She nods quickly.
I step away, and she sucks in a long breath. Tears streak her cheeks as her eyes go from mine to the office door.
“Rossi,” I say just in case we’re not on the same page. “Did you know he went to your husband?”
“No.” She gasps out. “Well, I did but not until after.”
“Make sense,” I grind out through gritted teeth.
“I overheard him talking in his study. He thought I was out shopping. He had Rossi on speakerphone. He told him the banks were in debt, and that he needed a loan. Rossi laughed. Then there was silence.” She sucks in a deep breath. “I guessed he had hung up. That’s when I reached out to you. I knew you’d do the right thing for her. She missed you so much, and I knew you could protect her. Then just a week ago, I overheard another conversation between them. Rossi had seen the pictures from the engagement party and wanted to know how much you paid him for Haven. That’d he’d double it. One million up front and the rest after it was done.”
“After what was done?” I demand, but I already know the answer.
“Said all he had to do was give him time and location of the wedding. That he didn’t care if she was caught in the crossfire. That it would make him look good. Dead. Adopted daughter killed in a mass shooting at her own wedding. The press would eat it up.”
Motherfucker! My jaw clenches. “Why didn’t you come to me? Or her?” Anything would have been nice. I knew the risk the Mafia put my life in by the time I was eight. But Haven? I have to protect her no matter the cost.
“I tried to tell her at the spa, but your men interrupted us and took her away. She’s avoided me. That was the first chance I had. I was afraid that he would find out that I knew his and Rossi’s plan. I couldn’t chance putting Haven’s life in danger. Even now …” She sniffs. “If he found out that you knew he betrayed you? I don’t know what he would do to Haven.” Her wide eyes dart around the empty hallway.
I grab her hand and pull her toward the office.
“Luca. What are you …?”
I shove her into the office, and she gasps when she sees her husband bent over dead on the desk. He’s facedown, hands still pinned to the surface with the two knives. Bones stands behind him with his cell to his ear. “Make it fifteen minutes,” he orders and ends the call once he sees us.
“Oh my God.” Her shaky hands come to her face to cover her mouth. “Is he …?”
“Yes,” I say simply. “He was willing to put her life in danger. I couldn’t take that chance.”
She spins around and buries her head into my chest. “Thank you.” She begins to sob. “Thank you for saving her. I knew you would.”
Awkwardly, I rub her back. “I’ll give you five minutes.”
She looks up at me, her green eyes swimming in tears. Her cheeks red and lips swollen. She looks nothing like Haven. No one would ever guess she is her biological mother. And as much as I hate this woman for lying to Haven all her life, I have to protect her. I can’t let Rossi come after her too. “For what?”
“To pack a bag. You’re coming with me.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HAVEN
“I DON’T BELIEVE you,” I say, trying to keep the tears at bay, but it’s pointless.
He gives me a sly smile that just twists the knife that is already piercing my heart. “Ask your mother. There is DNA evidence.”
I shake my head. “No …”
“How about you do one?” He opens his top drawer and pulls out a small baggie. Lifting his right hand, he pulls a piece of hair out of his head and places it in the bag before he zips it. “You can see for yourself.” He slides it across the desk. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.”
My stomach drops, and the hairs on my arms stand. It feels like a million little bugs are crawling over my skin. “I want nothing from you,” I whisper.
He gives a rough laugh. “Everyone wants something from me, Haven. Whether that be protection or money. And you are no exception.”
“Why now?” I hear myself asking but can’t find the courage to look up at him.
“Because you have something I want.”
Closing my eyes, a tear runs down my cheek.
“Haven.” His voice is soft yet firm and demands my attention.
I open my eyes and look up at him through watery lashes.
“No Rossi will marry a Bianchi.”
His words are final. Like a nail in a coffin. The last breath taken. I will die, and it will be soon. I know what kind of man he is. I may not know him personally, but he’s just like Luca and his family. They will take out who they want, and they don’t care who stands in their way.
“I know you don’t want to be with that bastard,” he spits out, his hatred for Luca showing. “Daddy is going to take care of your problem. You have nothing to worry about.”
I’m sitting on the balcony of our room, smoking a cigarette. My hair still wet from my shower and up in a clippie. I have a pair of his sweatpants and a T-shirt on. I don’t know where Luca went, but I haven’t cared enough to call or text him either.
So much has
changed since this morning. Who I am? Where did I come from?
My father is Alberto Rossi. A mob boss who runs the South Side of Las Vegas. And I’m engaged to my ex, who just so happens to be his enemy.
My life is shit.
I take another drag from the cigarette and slowly blow out the smoke. Resting my head back, I hear the sliding glass door open.
Luca walks outside along with Nite and my mother. My jaw tightens at the look on her face. Her tear-streaked face. The proof she’s been upset.
Fuck her.
She wasn’t lied to all her life. Sentenced to death for loving the wrong man. In the end, we’ll all have to answer to God for our sins, but mine will be for falling in love. Since when should you go to hell for that?
“Why is she here?” I ask him.
“Your mother needs to talk you.” His answer is clipped. I’m not sure who he’s mad at more—her or me—but at this point, I don’t care.
I look at Nite. “Why is he here?” He’s supposed to be protecting Mia.
“Your two newest bodyguards are being burned as we speak, so he’s been assigned back to you.”
My mother gasps. I take another puff of my cigarette. Wonder if they were dead or alive when their bodies were set on fire?
“Haven?” She sucks in a long breath. “Since when did you start smoking?”
I can’t help it. I throw my head back laughing. Out of all the things that have happened in the past twenty-four hours, that’s what she wants to focus on.
“You need to talk to your mother,” Luca says.
I look up at him. Now he wants me to be social? “She lied to me all my life. Why would I listen to her now?”
She sits down beside me and reaches out for my hand, but I jerk it out of her reach.
“I had to protect you,” she whispers.
I snort and take a drag of the cigarette.
“Haven …?”
“Was any of it true?” I snap, unable to keep it in. I threw that stupid piece of hair away, but a part of me knew he was right. I just can’t understand why she wouldn’t tell me. I thought we were close.
She bows her head. “No.”
I lean forward in my seat. “Start from the beginning,” I demand, needing to know. When she stays silent, I help her out. “The miscarriages?”
“A lie,” she whispers.
Unbelievable. “Who the fuck lies about that?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” she whispers.
“Try me,” I snap.
She takes in a deep breath, and her shoulders fall. “Your grandfather … he wanted grandchildren. He wanted your father to have an heir.”
There’s that word again. Heir. “This is bullshit.” I stand.
“Haven.” She reaches up and grabs my wrist. “I … please sit.” Her eyes plead with me to give her a chance, to forgive her, but I’m not sure I can. No matter what she tells me, I’m not sure I can give her what she wants right now. “I’m begging you. Please. Just listen to the truth. I’ll leave afterward,” she assures me.
I look at Luca for help—reassurance that he will kick her out once she finally gives me what I should have known all along—but I don’t get the answer I want. He feels sorry for her. I can see it in his dark eyes. And pity for me. I hate it. Letting out a long breath, I plop back down into the chair next to her.
“Your father and I had an arranged marriage. He didn’t love me. I didn’t love him. The wedding was to forge two businesses as one. I felt lonely. He would never touch me, never look at me. He had different women over all the time. His father was pressuring us to have a family.” She swallows. “One night, I went out to a bar and got drunk. I met the owner, who just happened to be a guy I had seen around your father. He had been to our house before.”
I know who she’s talking about. Alberto Rossi. “They were friends?”
She gives a rough laugh and plucks the lit cigarette from my hand, taking a drag. My eyes widen. “I wouldn’t call them that. They did business together. He used your father’s bank to launder money.”
I look at Luca, and he runs a hand through his hair aggressively.
“Then what happened?” I ask.
She gives a wistful smile. “He treated me how my husband was supposed to, and I fell in love.”
Silence falls over the balcony. I look back up at Luca, and he turns, giving us his back as he looks out over Las Vegas, but his white-knuckled grip on the railing tells me he’s pissed. Nite stands over in the corner with his arms crossed over his chest, silently listening to us.
I shift in my seat and look back at my mom. “I don’t understand.”
“I opened up to him, and he let me cry on his shoulder. I found myself going back to that bar night after night just to see him. I just wanted to talk to him, but then one thing led to another. He told me all the right things. Three months later, I found out I was pregnant. I went to his bar and told him the news. I was going to have his baby, and I wanted to leave my useless husband.” She shakes her head. “It was all a lie.”
“How?” A lie?
“It was a setup. Rossi informed me that Jimmy knew I was sleeping with him. He told him to knock me up, so he wouldn’t have to do it.”
I jump to my feet. “They what?” I yell. “He told Rossi to fuck you? His wife?” I seethe not understanding. Yes, my parents have had their arguments, but I’ve never seen them not in love. Was all that a lie too? For me? For my grandfather? He passed years ago. Why continue with the ruse if they no longer needed to fake it?
She looks up at me, tears filling her eyes. “You need to understand. Your grandfather was pressuring him to produce a child. He needed me …”
“He played you,” I growl.
She bows her head and shakes it. “I can’t … I can’t hate him for what he did.”
“Why the hell not?” I snap.
She looks up at me and stands. Gripping my hands, they shake in mine. “Because I got you, Haven. You were everything I ever wanted.”
My heart pounds at her words.
“Your father and I decided to tell you that you were adopted.”
“The papers? You have adoption papers that you keep in the safe. I’ve seen them.”
She gives me a sad smile. “Fake.”
I take a step back from her, and my hands drop to my sides. “Why?”
“You father and Rossi had a deal …”
“Jimmy is not my father!” I shout.
She wraps her arms around herself. “He and Rossi cut all ties. Rossi paid him cash to pretend you were adopted, and we came up with that story. But please, Haven … please believe that you were always wanted. We wanted you from the moment we found out I was pregnant.”
I snort. “Of course, he was. He had his friend knock you up. On purpose. To make his dad happy,” I snap, disgusted but somehow not surprised.
“But Rossi couldn’t stay away.” Luca finally speaks.
My mother turns to him, and she swallows nervously. “He did for a while. But… he—”
“He what?” Luca demands, taking a step toward her. “Why did he come back into her life twenty-four years later? I can’t seem to stop asking myself this question. We dated years before our engagement party, and it wasn’t any secret. The media has always been in my life. And pictures have surfaced in the past with Haven on my arm. Why does he care now?”
“Rossi called me a couple of years back. Said he heard she was dating a Bianchi and for me to forbid it. I lied, told him it was harmless, and that it would fizzle out. Just to give it time. But …” She pauses and looks over at Nite who still stands like a statue over in the corner. “He wanted to get Luca away from you.” Tears run down her cheeks.
“What did he do?” I demand and look at Luca. “I don’t under …” But one look at him lets me know he does. Perfectly.
He takes a step toward my mother, hands fisted and eyes now black as the night. “He set me up too,” he growls.
She sniffs. “You have t
o understand. There was nothing I could have done. He and my husband agreed. I had no say.”
“Bullshit!” he snaps.
Why am I the only one lost? “Luca—”
“I had to keep her safe,” my mother wails, interrupting me.
“I could have kept her safe!” he shouts. “You should have come to me. Been honest.”
“You’re in the Mafia!” she shouts back at him. “I know what you’re capable of. And how much your father hated you two together.” She shoves his chest, but he doesn’t move. Fresh tears run down her face, and she looks at Nite. “At the time, I felt helpless. My hands were tied, and I couldn’t lose her. Luca couldn’t have run forever. If his father wouldn’t have found him, Rossi would have.”
I look back at Luca, confused. Why is she talking to Nite?
“I couldn’t stop what had already been done,” she goes on.
“What had been done?” I ask.
Everyone turns to me, but Luca is the one who speaks. “Rossi set me up. He kidnapped Nite and tortured him to talk about Mia. He knew she existed because he and my father were friends when she was born. He had threatened her life. But …”
“But what?” I ask breathlessly. My chest already tight.
“He knew I would run to her to protect her. But he was never going to touch her.” He shakes his head, his jaw sharpening. “No. He did it to get me away from you.”
My eyes slam to Nite. “No,” I whisper. It wasn’t Mia’s fault. She didn’t do that to him. It was me. “Oh, God.” I fall into the seat, but no one pays me any attention.
“Do you have any idea how hard I tried to find something you could use against him?” my mother asks Luca. “How I put my life in danger every day snooping around trying to find you some leverage?”
“And why was that, Misty?” he snaps.
“Because you leaving ripped my daughter apart!” she shouts in his face. “She loved you. She needed you. And I know you loved her too.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Un-fucking-believable. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you put her life in?” he growls. “How me leaving left her wide open? A target? I thought … I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving her,” he continues.
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