by Sarah Bailey
I leant against the doorframe, watching him for a minute. He knew I was there, but with Raphi, sometimes you had to let him talk things through in his own time. I might push my brother to open up, but only because I had his best interests at heart.
“I can’t imagine what Meredith is going through right now.”
His voice sounded all choked up.
“Me either, but I doubt she’ll want anything to do with us right now.”
He sighed and fiddled with his glasses.
“She’s not like that, Duke, she knows we have nothing to do with Cole’s choices.”
“This wasn’t really his choice, though. He was forced.”
He shook his head and sat down on the edge of his bed.
“I hate that we have this fucked up legacy hanging over us. Always have.”
We didn’t talk about our parent’s history. It was like an unspoken rule between us kids. Aurora had never been bothered by the whole thing. To be honest, she took it in her stride. It fucked with Cole and Raphi. I’d always wanted to forget about it. It wasn’t easy knowing your parents were killers. They’d never sugar-coated the truth. Guess I was grateful in that respect, even though there’d been times I wished I didn’t know. It never changed how I saw them in the way they had for my brothers.
“That why you never wanted to follow in their footsteps?”
Raphi didn’t want to go into the family business. Instead, he was studying environmental sciences at university.
“No… the casino business is just not my thing. I don’t care about gambling and money. You know that.”
I grinned and shoved off the doorframe, approaching him with casual steps.
“What’s really bothering you, man?”
“They promised we’d never be in danger from their past. They said they’d make sure of it. Now, look what’s happened. Our brother had to go on the run. Like what the fuck? Is that not something they can fix?”
I took a seat next to him.
“You know the answer.”
He sighed and rubbed his chin.
“They left the life behind so they don’t have the same clout.”
“Bingo.”
Once upon a time, Quinn had been known as Il Diavolo or the devil, and Mum had been the daughter of the most powerful man in London. Now, my family was known as the owners of the Syndicate. They kept their private lives under wraps to shield all of us from gossip and scandals. Dad told me they never wanted us in the spotlight. Our parents had tried to give us as normal lives as they could. Though what was ever going to be normal about having five parents, I had no idea.
“They found Wyatt for you.”
“They pulled in a favour for that. Don’t think they go around storing those up on the off chance their son gets in trouble with the mafia.”
Raphi snorted.
“No, I suppose not.”
“If anyone can survive this, it’s Cole, the determined little shit he is.”
I might give my brother hell, but I respected him all the same. Cole had always been the solitary type. He took after Rory. Guess Raphi and I hadn’t made it easy for him to get close to us when we were thick as thieves. When Raphi moved out, Cole and I spent a lot more time together. His having to leave and us not knowing if and when he could return left a gaping hole in our family.
“He’s got a thicker skin than I do.”
I wrapped my arm around my brother’s shoulder and gave him a squeeze.
“Nothing wrong with being sensitive, Raphi.”
He didn’t reply, merely stared at his hands and shrugged. I wasn’t sure what else I could say to make him feel better. I agreed this whole thing was fucked up and our family legacy messed with me too, but falling apart wasn’t an option for me. Besides, I’d learnt to deal with my shit way better now. Raphi needed me to be the strong one.
“How are things with Kira?”
I smiled at the change of subject.
“Okay, I think.”
The reminder of Kira gave me pause. She didn’t know about the past history with my family. It’s something we’d always kept from her, no matter how close she’d been to us. I mean, she knew it was dark, but none of us had divulged the details. Perhaps it was time I told her. If we were going to be together, she needed to know exactly what she was getting into. The shit with Cole had put Meredith in danger. I didn’t want Kira to meet the same fate. Not that I thought she would, but life had a funny way of fucking with people.
“Yeah?”
“She’s sent off the withdrawal paperwork for the divorce. Hopefully, we’ll get confirmation in the next few days. Now we just have to work on us.”
“When you going to tell our parents?”
I sighed and dropped my arm from his shoulders.
“Don’t know. She wants us to spend some time together first. I get it… and now this shit with Cole? I think it’s better we wait. Don’t want to land them with too many bombshells in one go.”
Raphi snorted.
“Oh shit, yeah… Mum’s going to be pissed about the wedding.”
“Tell me about it. She’s going to lose her mind when she realises one of her kids got married and she didn’t get to see it.”
“Better you than me. She expects you to fuck up.”
I shoved him.
“Fuck off, I’m not the troublemaker in this family, thank you very much.”
He gave me a wink.
“Nah, that’s Cole. Don’t think any of us could top his antics after this.”
I chuckled. There was no way in hell I was getting myself mixed up in that kind of shit. I might have been known as a player, but for the most part, I kept my nose clean. All I’d wanted was to get my degree and start work at the Syndicate. Now, I had a new goal. Make my marriage work.
“You going to be okay?”
Raphi looked away.
“Guess so… suppose I need to go apologise to them.”
“I’m sure they get it, Raphi. Not like they’re unaware of how much you hate their past.”
“I know, but I shouldn’t have spoken to them like that. I’m just upset is all.”
I gave him a hug which he accepted without complaint.
“You’re allowed to be upset. Our brother is gone. Our family isn’t complete without Cole here.”
He nodded on my shoulder. We’d all have to deal with the fact Cole had to disappear. None of us knew how long it would be until he could return. Our parents hadn’t said.
For a long time, we stayed like that until Raphi felt okay to go back into the dining room where the rest of our family was. There were still things we needed to address as a family considering everything which had gone on.
When our family meeting was over, all I wanted to do was to see my girl. I wanted to make sure she was safe. And I wanted to know if she could handle being with me when I told her the truth about my family and their history.
Chapter Forty Seven
I was sat with August watching TV when the doorbell went. He got up to go see who it was. A couple of minutes later he returned with someone on his tail. I looked up to find Duke standing there with a haunted look on his face. We were due to see each other tomorrow as he was taking me on our very first date. His turning up here now had me worried since it was already gone ten at night. I jumped up from my seat and went over to him.
“Hey, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry to turn up like this without telling you.”
He didn’t look fine at all.
“No, it’s okay. Did… did you need something?”
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I needed to see you.”
“Did something happen?”
His eyes flicked to August before he nodded.
“I’m just going to leave you to it,” August said, giving me a wave before he headed out of the room.
I took Duke’s hand and pulled him o
ver to the sofa. He didn’t immediately speak after we sat down. I hadn’t let go of his hand. My thumb stroked down the back of it, wanting to encourage him. We’d always sought each other out when something bad happened. The fact he was here now spoke volumes. I was his safe place.
“Duke?”
He met my eyes and swallowed.
“Cole got in trouble… and he’s had to leave the country.”
Whatever I’d expected, it certainly wasn’t that. What on earth would be so bad Cole would have to leave?
“Can I ask why?”
Duke let go of my hand and rubbed the scruff of beard on his face. Judging by its growth, he’d not shaved in a few days. I wondered if he was growing it out for a moment before tossing out the idea of asking. It wasn’t important.
“That’s the thing, Kira, I’m worried what you’re going to say when I tell you.”
I didn’t think there was anything Duke could tell me which would change how I saw him. Sure, he’d messed up a lot of things. So had I. We were going to put that shit behind us and move forward now.
“Why?”
“I need to explain stuff about my parents or it won’t make any sense.”
The tone of his voice left me in no doubt what he had to say was serious. I didn’t know how to feel. It worried the shit out of me.
“Okay. Well, I’m listening.”
He sighed and leant back against my sofa, tipping his head upwards.
“My parents never told you how they really got together. They don’t talk about it for good reason. I’ll start at the beginning and try to give you the short version. It’s going to sound farfetched, I admit, but it’s the truth.”
I leant over and put the TV on mute so it wasn’t distracting before curling my legs up on the sofa and getting comfortable.
“My mum only met my grandpa when she was twenty-one. She grew up thinking another man was her father, and he happened to be the most notorious crime lord in London at the time, Frank Russo. My fathers had a vendetta against Frank for various reasons. Their families were all involved in crime because of Frank’s empire, and it adversely affected their childhoods. Anyway, the reason my mum met my fathers is because they kidnapped her to use against Frank. They wanted to destroy his legacy not only as an act of revenge, but to ensure no one else suffered at the hands of his empire.”
For a moment, I thought Duke was actually crazy given what he was saying, but he’d told me it was going to sound farfetched.
“And before you say anything, yes, I realise how fucked up it is. Things didn’t go according to plan. They fell in love, Mum found out who her real father was and they took out Frank Russo, ensuring they were safe from him because he would have never stopped coming after them. They’re not involved in that life any longer. However, my grandfather has links to the Russian Mafia, which is entirely relevant when it comes to what I’m about to tell you regarding Cole.”
I did not know what the fuck to think about Duke’s confession regarding his parents. It was insane, wasn’t it? His family having links to crime in the way they did. I’d known they had a dark past, but this? This wasn’t what I had imagined at all.
“Cole’s been doing an apprenticeship at a garage for the past couple of years. He got his qualifications recently, which we were all super proud of him for. What we didn’t know, well apparently my parents knew, but whatever… I didn’t know the garage happened to be owned and run by a member of the mafia. Cole somehow managed to piss them off and he’s had to leave the country because of it.” He sighed and dropped his head to his chest. “The reason I’m telling you is because it put Meredith in danger. My parents have dealt with it, but given the circumstances, I need you to understand what you’re letting yourself in for when it comes to me and my family.”
There weren’t words. How did I even respond to what he’d told me? The family I’d grown up around were not quite who they appeared to be. Then again, they had only ever shown me love, care and affection. They helped raise me in a safe environment. I’d never been afraid of Duke’s parents. They were the kindest people I knew, even Quinn, who was the most aloof out of the five of them. But learning what lay beneath all of it? I wasn’t sure if it was a hard pill to swallow or not.
“Have… have I ever been in any danger?” I whispered.
“No. Never. What happened with Cole isn’t going to happen with me. The Syndicate isn’t some kind of front for illicit activities. I would never get wrapped up in that shit.”
I believed Duke. He wouldn’t say anything like this without reason. If it wasn’t common knowledge, then he had taken a risk by informing me.
“Why tell me now, after all these years? How long have you known?”
Duke finally met my eyes.
“Since I was fifteen. They told us we couldn’t talk to anyone else about it and it was never relevant until now. The shit with Cole has… rattled me.”
Maybe I should be more shocked and horrified. Duke had basically admitted his parents orchestrated the downfall of a criminal empire and hinted that his parents had killed its ruler. The thing was, those five people were my family, along with Duke’s siblings. I might not have been around them in almost three years, but it didn’t erase the ones I had been.
Duke’s confession made me reach out and put my hand on his thigh.
“It can’t be easy on any of you; that’s your brother and he’s gone. I can’t imagine how Ash feels or Rory.”
His eyes fell on my hand.
“I was honestly not sure how you were going to react to this.” His voice was quiet and vibrating with emotion as he said it. “I don’t want to fuck up again, Kira. Not with you. Not this time. I’m absolutely terrified of losing you.”
My heart slammed against my ribcage, pounding in my ears with the intensity of it. Duke wasn’t responsible for his parents’ actions, nor his brother. My beef with him was between us, not anyone else. And he’d apologised for his mistakes several times already.
“You’re not going to. I’m right here.”
I didn’t stop to think about what I was doing. Moving closer, I wrapped my arms around his neck and held onto him. It took almost a minute before he hugged me back. A sense of belonging washed over me. He was my home. He had always been.
“I love you, Kira,” he whispered into my hair.
“I know.” I love you too, Duke.
I couldn’t say those words yet. Not when I had no idea if we would work out or not. Yet, right here and now, I didn’t want to think about the future. I wanted to be here for him.
“Nothing’s changed,” I continued, “I care about you and your family. I always will.”
It would be hard to imagine how my life would have turned out if I never grew up with Duke. If I’d never met his family. If they hadn’t welcomed me into their lives.
I’ve missed them so much. I don’t want to be without him or them any longer.
I might not have seen Duke’s parents again yet, but I couldn’t deny I wanted to. I wanted my family back.
Pulling away slightly, I looked into Duke’s eyes as my fingers ran up the back of his head. I don’t know who moved first. One moment we were staring at each other, the next we were kissing and his hands were in my hair. The kiss wasn’t chaste or gentle. The desperate note to it had me crawling into his lap. There was no question in my mind about what we were doing. This was my husband and I wanted him.
“Stay with me,” I panted into his mouth.
“Are you sure?” he asked between kisses.
He held me away from him when I didn’t respond. Those blue eyes were dark and full of questions.
“I don’t want you to go.”
And I didn’t. Even if we did nothing more than kiss, I wanted him here. The part of me that yearned for our previous closeness threw all objections out of the window.
Duke searched my face for a long moment.
“Okay. Do you want to go to bed?”
“I’m not expecting anything, Kira. We can just sleep.”
He wouldn’t try anything with me. Not sure why it made me want him more. I told my hormones to control themselves as I slid off him and stood up. They did not listen when Duke got up and took my hand. I turned off the TV first. Then I led him into the hallway, making sure the front door was locked before taking him upstairs. He raised an eyebrow when we walked into what had always been my room.
“You didn’t move into the master?” he asked as I shut the door behind us.
It would have felt weird to move into Dad’s old room. It lay empty currently, August having taken one of the other spare bedrooms.
“No, it didn’t feel right.”
“Guess I can understand. It was Stan’s.”
Hearing my father’s name was unusual, but not upsetting. I’d grieved over my father’s death for a long time. Now I merely kept my fond memories of him.
“I’m having the attic converted, that’ll be the new master. They start work after I finish uni. Didn’t want all the noise disturbing me and August whilst we’re studying.”
It had been something I’d considered for a long time but had never got around to until now. I’d never been able to make my dad’s old room my own, but I wanted a bigger bedroom with more wardrobe space. Moving out of the house I grew up in didn’t sit well with me. This was my compromise.
“Certainly big enough up there.”
I nodded before slipping into my en-suite and getting myself ready for bed. Duke went next whilst I changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I turned out the main light, flipping the bedside table lamp on before sliding between the sheets. I’m not ashamed to admit my mouth watered when Duke came out without his jeans and jumper on. He popped them on a chair and got into bed with me.
I swallowed when he reached over and turned out the light. He placed a kiss on my forehead, making me shiver.
“Night, Kira.”
“Night,” I squeaked.
I heard him chuckle as he lay back and got comfortable. A small part of me wanted to snuggle up against him, but I refrained. Instead, I reached out and entwined our fingers together in the middle of the bed. The low rumble of his approval had my bones melting and me drifting off into what I thought would be a peaceful sleep with him by my side. Little did I know, my brain had entirely different ideas.