“We’ll have to give her an anonymous tip, so she narrows her search.”
“Already got it covered,” he said, pulling the car into a space, and shifting it into park. “You’ve got less than seventy-two hours.”
I nodded. “Just got a few stops and then I’ll be ready.”
He nodded, handing me the replicated key to Agent Rhodes’ apartment and a bag of dog treats.
It had only been a matter of hours, a few days, but it felt like a lifetime. The world moved around me like it was just any other day. To them, it probably was. To me, it was the start of a new life. The first day of my forever.
I watched Agent Rhodes from a bench on the street, my ball cap pulled low as I kept my head down, pretending to be busy on the burner phone in my hand. I knew she figured out another piece of the puzzle as soon as she charged the rubble of my family’s restaurant. Eric had said she was already piecing it together in her mind. It wasn’t a surprise to either of us. Special Agent Ally Rhodes wasn’t one to let things go unanswered.
When she pulled out her phone, I held my breath. There was a fifty-fifty chance she’d make the call. If she did, I’d owe Eric a second bottle of his favorite whiskey. When she lowered her cell, I breathed a little easier. A smile curled my lips, knowing there was still hope Agent Rhodes would start living a little and stop seeing things so black and white.
As she untied her dog, I stood from the bench, tucking the phone back in my pocket. My time was up. I had a flight to catch. Wishing her a silent farewell, I walked around the corner, climbing into the awaiting car.
“You owe me a bottle,” I told Eric as he steered the car away from the curb and in the direction of the private airport.
“She could still change her mind,” he challenged.
“Fine. Double or nothing?”
Driving onto the tarmac toward the small jet, I felt nervous about the future for the first time since the start of my mission. I knew the people awaiting me, knew what they were likely feeling, knew them to their core. But I still had no idea whether they’d forgive me for what I’d put them through in the last seventy-two hours.
Ma, Gia, and Lena all stood outside the plane talking with my former boss, Rhett Blackwood, and my new ally, Declan Connolly. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, stepping outside the safety of the vehicle.
They all stared at me, waiting for me to make the first move. I took two hesitant steps forward. Lena was the first to react, charging me in a full-on sprint. I waited for her blow, but was instead welcomed by her arms wrapped around my neck, her lips pressing to mine as her tears smeared onto my cheeks.
I hauled her up against my chest, her entire body twisting around me in a never-ending grip. “I’m sorry, bella.” My voice cracked as I begged for her forgiveness.
“Shhh,” she soothed, kissing me again. “You saved me. You came back to me. That’s all I care about.”
We held each other a few more moments before she slid down my body and out of my arms. I held her hips, helping to steady her on her feet. She folded her hand around mine as she walked me toward my sister and mother.
Gia was the next to hug me and whisper in my ear, “I’m so mad at you right now, but I’m so glad you’re still alive.” Breaking away from our embrace, she stared at me, then nailed me in the shoulder with her fist. “If you ever do that again, I’ll kill you myself.” Lifting to her toes, she kissed my cheek, then boarded the plane.
I rubbed at the sore spot Gia had left and looked at my mother, expectantly. Her hand raised, landing across my cheek with a loud slap. Lena’s grip on me tightened reflexively as she watched me take another hit I had coming.
A single tear dripped from my mother’s face before her arms were around me in a strong hug. Dropping Lena’s hand, I held her, kissing the top of her head, quietly repeating my apology over and over. She didn’t say a single word, even after she finally pulled away. She left my side and I watched her climb into the jet with Gia, hoping that one day she’d forgive me for everything.
Lena ran her fingertips over the sting on my cheek with a delicate smile on her face. “Give her time,” she said, repeating the words I told her the day I forced her to go to my family’s home. “She’ll come around. She was already saying earlier how she’d been wanting to retire.”
I chuckled, shaking my head, before kissing her hard, glad that she had somehow found a way to make light of the situation. It’s what I needed after the last few days.
A throat cleared behind me and I turned away from Lena to face her half-brother.
“Declan,” I offered him my hand, “thanks for your help,” I said as we shook.
“A deal’s a deal. You took care of Moretti as promised.” He glanced at the private jet waiting for us. “You’ll be safe in Ireland.” He handed me an envelope that contained our new passports and identities. “Even if they find out you’re all still alive, they won’t have a chance at getting to you.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m sure if Lorenzo gets even the slightest idea that we are, he’ll do everything in his power to make me pay.”
It was my one regret. I was hoping to take him out along with Moretti. But Eric had informed me Rhodes and Maxwell didn’t have enough on him to arrest him with Leo and some of the others.
“You won’t need to worry about Lorenzo Ricci for long.”
I raised an eyebrow as I titled my head to the sigh.
“What? Did you think I’d let you have all the fun?”
I grinned. “No. I guess not.”
Declan looked toward Lena and she dropped my hand, throwing her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear, kissing him on the cheek before returning to my side. She kept it quick, which was probably for the best, the emotional display had obviously knocked Declan slightly off kilter.
Giving us a final nod goodbye, he climbed into his car and drove away.
“I’ll wait for you on the plane,” Lena said, squeezing my hand as Eric and Rhett waited patiently.
I watched her as she boarded, not quite ready to be away from her yet, then turned my eyes back to Rhett and Eric, who were approaching me.
I owed everything to these two men; a lifetime of favors wouldn’t be enough to repay them.
Eric extended his hand. I grasped onto it, pulling him in for a half-hug, half-handshake, while clapping him on the back.
“Take care,” he said as we broke apart.
“You got it. Keep an eye on Agent Rhodes for me, will ya? She’s kind of grown on me.”
He grunted a laugh. “Yeah. Me, too.” He grinned. “I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble.”
I looked toward Rhett, who stood with his hands in the pockets of his tailored suit. “Thanks for the ride.” I thrusted a thumb towards his private jet.
“It’s the least I could do after what you did for Val,” Rhett declared.
I gave him a weak nod, and he gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder before boarding the plane. He would be flying with us in case questions arose about why the Blackwood family plane made a trip overseas.
“You better get going,” Eric commanded.
I gave him one final handshake before climbing up the steps.
As I entered the Blackwood private jet, I saw the three most important people in my life waiting for me. Gia and Ma were sitting next to each other, leaning against one another, already dozing off. I’m sure they hadn’t slept much since the night they all escaped through the old tunnel. Declan had been waiting for them at the end of it, the one detail I’d left out when I told Lena my plan. At this point, I knew she’d figured out how he suddenly came into her life. Declan kept them hidden and safe until bringing them here to meet me.
Rhett had claimed his normal seat near the back, already on the phone, likely checking in with his wife, Ava, before we took off. I moved my gaze from the others to Lena. Her eyes were on me as I walked down the aisle. I lowered into the seat beside her, placing my hand on her knee. Her pink
y wrapped with mine as she rested her temple against my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head as she breathed peacefully beside me.
“That day in the alley,” she said softly as the plane began to roll down the tarmac, picking up speed.
She lifted her head and I turned mine to look at her. “It was the day I fell in love with you. You protected me even then, at only nine years old. You saved me in so many ways that day. I’ve always known it was you and me forever.”
A single tear ran down her left cheek. Cupping her face with both of my hands, I swiped it away with my thumb before claiming her mouth. I licked at the gloss on her lips before parting them further and tasting more of her.
The jet ascended into the air. Breaking away, I tucked her into my side, holding her close. For the first time since leaving for California, I breathed easy.
Some would claim that luck was on my side and that was how I made it out of the Mafia alive. But the truth was, the only thing that got me through the last few months was knowing I had Lena Moretti by my side.
There was only one rule I lived by: protect the ones I loved—my family—at all costs.
And there was only one reason I risked everything: she was the love of my life, my future wife, and God willing, the future mother of my children. She was my family.
Epilogue
Lena
There are many who will never understand the love between Mario and me. They won’t understand how I could forgive him for the crimes he committed. They won’t understand how I stood by him after he carried out a plan that ended in my father’s death. They won’t understand because it’s a bond that can’t be explained, one that will never be broken, not even by some of the most dangerous men in the world.
They won’t understand because they didn’t live the life I lived. They didn’t grow up in constant fear that one wrong move, one wrong word, could end your life. A fear that was brought on by the man who was supposed to love me unconditionally, the man that was supposed to protect me above all else and all others.
Did I cry for the loss of my father in the end? Yes. Mario had wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight as he whispered soft apologies that night on the plane. My tears were for more than just the death of my father. They were for all the loss I suffered over the years and partly from the guilt caused by the overwhelming relief I finally felt.
I believe the day we were born our two souls were destined for each other. Most don’t believe in love at first sight, but I do. I believe the moment your soul meets its other half, it knows. Maybe you don’t know what that feeling is in the moment. Maybe you spend hours awake, convincing yourself it’s simply puppy love that will fade with time or is only lust. Either way, there’s no fighting it.
Mario Leoni had always been mine. And I would always be his. My whole life was filled with lies and deceit. This was the one true thing I’d always known.
He’s my savior, my hero, my best friend, the love of my life, my future husband, and very, very soon—seven months to be exact—the father of my child…
Epilogue
Mario
SIX MONTHS LATER…
Dropping my head back against one of the chairs we kept on the beach, I looked at the sky, watching the clouds roll by as the summer sun heated my skin. The ocean waves provided a relaxing soundtrack as I closed my eyes, ready for a rare nap after my morning surf. I was determined to soak it all in before the cooler months hit.
Two hands touched my damp skin, sliding from my shoulders to my bare chest. I kept my eyes shut, deciding to wait and see how far she took them south just to wake me up.
“I know you’re awake,” she whispered in my ear before lightly sinking her teeth into my shoulder and then following it up with a soft kiss. “Your tented shorts are a dead giveaway.”
I flicked them open, a deep laugh rumbling from my chest as she walked around to the side of my chair. I latched onto her hips, pulling her over the armrest into my lap, careful not to hurt her.
The sweet sound of her laughter rang in my ears as she linked her hands at the back of my neck and I bent to kiss her ever-growing stomach. A few more weeks and we’d be meeting our son.
“I thought you were working in the greenhouse.”
“I was. But your ma wanted me to tell you lunch was ready.” Lena rested her head on my shoulder, tracing her pink fingernail over my chest.
I exhaled a breath, closing my eyes once again, keeping one arm around her back, my hand splayed on her belly, and the other on the armrest of my chair. “She’s going to have to talk to me eventually.”
Her left hand covered mine, the ring she now wore on her finger—the one I gave her the day I married her—glistening in the sunlight. “She will. She told you to clean up your crap from the living room the other day. That’s something.”
I scoffed a grunt.
It was something.
Ma still hadn’t completely forgiven me, but I knew she’d come around. Despite her frustration with me, she was happier than she’d been in a long time. She just needed to punish me first. A silent treatment was the best way to do that. But the closer Lena got to giving birth to our baby, her grandson, the more Ma’s icy attitude toward me thawed. She was enjoying retirement, excited about the baby, and relieved not to have to worry about the sins of my old man any longer. She was content doing what she loved—cooking—for the family she loved in our new home. A home that Moretti had unknowingly purchased for us with “my debt” he paid off.
It was exactly what Lena and I had wanted. Our dream turned into reality. A house by the water for me and a garden and greenhouse for Lena to be able to work with her plants year-round.
Ma opened the back door, walking outside onto the sun deck, her hand shielding her eyes as she looked toward the beach for us. “She’s getting impatient,” Lena said, lifting her head.
I sighed. “Well, we wouldn’t want to make her any angrier with me,” I half-joked.
She giggled, struggling to haul her weight up from my lap. I supported her back, giving her a small push, then held her hips until she was steady on her feet before I stood, too.
I held her hand as we walked over the sand toward the house, the breeze whipping her hair around. Gia’s car rolled up the drive, having made the hour trip from Dublin for Sunday lunch.
A few months after we arrived, she’d decided she preferred the city to a seaside retreat. She found a job at a local tavern and I helped her secure a flat in a nice neighborhood. It took her a little longer to adjust, but she’s been finding her footing. I felt the guiltiest about disrupting her life. Gia was resilient, though, and had always made the best out of the worst. Every time I apologized, she’s accepted or brushed it off, telling me she always wanted to see other parts of the world, she just never thought she could leave Ma to run the restaurant alone. In a way, she claimed I freed her to live her life, too.
Even knowing every word she said was genuine, I still felt the need to tell her I was sorry and that someday, I’d repay her for what she had to leave behind in New York.
Lena rested her head as we strolled, watching my mother and sister ahead of us as they greeted one another with open arms. “Are you happy?”
“Of course, I am. Why would you ask that?”
“I heard you on the phone the other night with Eric. I’m worried you’re already missing the job.”
“He was just keeping me up to date on the trial. That’s all.”
“And your phone conversation with Declan last week?”
I stopped short, causing her to lift her head and look at me. I wasn’t planning on saying anything until after the baby came. I didn’t want her to stress, but I wasn’t going to lie to her either. We made a promise to each other that day on the plane: no more secrets between us.
“It was about your mother… He’s found out more about everything that happened. Do you remember that day in the alley?”
“How could I ever forget?”
“The man, Frankie, the one yo
ur father killed, the one my father took the fall for murdering. He helped your ma get away. It’s why they killed him.”
“Why? Why would he turn on my father to help my mother?”
“I don’t know. Declan’s still putting all the pieces together. We don’t know if Declan’s father had something on Frankie, or if he’d been a rat for the Irish on his own.”
Her eyes shifted from my face to the sea behind us. “Are you going back?”
“No.”
She looked at me again.
“I told you, I’m done with all of it. He only wanted to keep us informed. He’s not asking for my help, and I’m not going back to that world unless I’m forced to.”
I meant every word I said. Did I miss the thrill of the job? Sure. But I’d find something else to keep that part of me satisfied. Eric was already planning an overseas trip so we could catch up and go hunting. He’d also sent me some side work that he could pay me under the table for, mostly profiling and helping determine alternate routes and plans when escorting and protecting high-profile clients. It was desk work, things that kept my mind sharp but me out of the line of fire.
Two near-death experiences were enough for me. Now all I wanted to do was spend my life finding a million ways to love this woman.
“You and me,” I reminded her.
She smiled, rubbing her hand over her belly. “You, me, and our piccolo,” she corrected me.
I grinned down into those beautiful green eyes and kissed her forehead. “Come on. I’m determined to get off Ma’s shit-list this week, which means not pissing her off anymore.”
“Good luck with that,” she taunted.
I swatted her backside lightly for her smart mouth and then squeezed it. Despite her worries, there was no way I’d ever get bored being her husband. It was the greatest honor. And the oath I swore to her on our wedding day, was one I’d never break.
Honor (Made Book 1) Page 19