“And you’ll need a second pair of hands,” Kat chimed in. “To help with all the…murdery things that might happen.”
Everyone looked to Anna as she sat there drinking her martini. When she noticed that we were all looking at her, she looked up. “What? I don’t need to be there. What am I going to do? Take notes?”
Andrew stood, his face intense and…constipated? “We’ll go as a family, because that’s what families do in hard times. We may not always be in the same city or even the same state, but we will be there tomorrow to fight this battle together. No one pushes around the Cortells. We will go in strong. We will defeat the enemy. And we will get our girl back,” he shouted, raising his fist in the air.
I swear, it was like it was out of a war movie. And when his speech was over, we all just sat there staring at him. And then everyone started speaking all at once, telling each other their plans for tomorrow. Andrew just stood there looking defeated that no one had applauded his big moment.
The back door opened and Ma rushed in with Dad right behind her. She ran up to me and smacked me across the back of the head and then hugged me.
“You should have told me you had a girlfriend! Why didn’t I hear about it on the Facebook page?”
“Because if Joe isn’t posting about it, nobody knows,” Eric grumbled.
Ma continued as if Eric hadn’t even spoken. “Now, I know it’s not ideal, her being pregnant before marriage and everything, but we’ll work all that out after we get back.”
“Get back?”
“Yes, Andrew, my only good son,” she said, glaring daggers at all of us, “called us and told us what was going on. When I got off the phone with him, we booked the first flight out here.”
“Why do you want to come along?”
Her face softened and she looked around the room. “I know I interfere a lot, and sometimes that decision has turned out wrong.” She looked to Robert and Anna, but then swung her gaze back to me. “But this is one thing I just can’t stand for. I will not allow my son to be kept from his child. Besides, Cortells stick together.”
“Hoozah!” Derek shouted, and then everyone else chimed in with their own raised fist, shouting the same thing.
Andrew rolled his eyes. “Oh, sure. Now you do the battle cry.”
Sofia
I had lost weight over the last two weeks, which wasn’t a good thing. I wasn’t getting sick or anything. Graham was wielding food against me like my mother used to. After my outburst when Joe showed up, he was furious with me for misbehaving. He said that I made him look like a fool in front of my father for not being able to control me.
In the last two weeks, I had been locked in my room more times than not, and my meals were sparse. I was sure the only reason he was feeding me at all was because I was pregnant. But one meal a day was hardly enough when I was growing a human inside me. I was pretty sure my mother had given him this advice so I could drop the weight and get back to something more reasonable in her eyes.
I took a shower and prepared for my parents to show up tonight. I stood in the shower much longer than necessary, and I knew that I had to get moving. If I was late, Graham would only make me pay for it later. Turning off the water, I stepped out of the shower and dried off my hair, then wrapped a towel around my body. Stepping up to the mirror, I hated the girl standing in front of me. I had gone from a woman that was defiant, but played by the rules, to someone that was free. Now, it was even worse for me than before. I was the shameful woman that wasn’t allowed out of the house. I was literally locked away at all times unless Graham needed me on his arm. He had only taken me out twice and both times I was reminded of all that was at stake if I acted out.
I had played my part perfectly. My training never really went away. I had just shoved it to the back of my mind. I quickly dried my hair and styled it as expected, then got dressed and put on my makeup. I looked in the mirror one last time and gave the finger to the woman staring back at me. I hated her. Slipping into my heels, I waited for Graham to come unlock my door. I sat by the window, staring out at the city. When my parents’ car pulled up, I stood, knowing Graham would be here any second.
I heard the snick of the lock and took a deep breath. He was dressed in a nice suit, but that was the only nice thing about him. My one futile attempt to get him on my side had failed miserably. I walked over to him and slipped my hand through his arm as he expected. We walked down the stairs, and for just a second, I wondered if I could fake a fall down the stairs. Maybe I would break my neck and kill myself. But if I did that, I would also be killing my child, and if I didn’t succeed in killing myself, I would have to deal with the fallout.
We walked to the front door together and Graham opened the door. I plastered a gentle smile on my face and leaned in to give my mother a kiss on the cheek and then my father. I could smell my mother’s cloying perfume heavily in my nose. It made my stomach churn and I stepped back quickly so I didn’t puke on her. After taking a few deep breaths, I felt like I was back in control again.
My mother narrowed her eyes at me and grabbed me tightly by the elbow, dragging me away from my father and Graham. “Try to keep your disgusted faces to a minimum. Is that how you treat all your guests?”
“I wouldn’t know, Mother. I’m locked in my room most days. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“This is not the woman I raised you to be.”
I stopped myself from further pissing her off and calmly spoke. “I only stepped back because your perfume was making me nauseous. I thought that would be more appropriate than throwing up on you.”
“Shall we move this into the dining room?” Graham asked before my mother could say anything.
As much as I hated Graham right now, he hated these dinners just as much as I did, and he would do anything to get away from my father. The sooner dinner was over, the sooner they would leave and Graham and I could go our separate ways.
I took my place next to Graham, while my father and Graham took the heads of the table. My mother sat across from me. I hated that I had to see her face in front of me as I ate. But the one nice thing about these dinners was that they were five course meals, and I was starving.
I sat quietly as the first course came out. Graham’s cook was very good, which I was grateful for, but before I was even finished, the dish was removed and I was left wanting more. My mother looked at me from across the table, raising an eyebrow at me like she was proving a point. I really thought it was possible for me to commit murder right now. I would pick up this knife and carve her heart out, and I wouldn’t feel remotely guilty about it. I had never detested someone in my life as much as her. And that was saying something considering who I was living with.
The doorbell rang and Graham excused himself from the table, only to come back with an angry look on his face. “Sofia, you have some guests.”
“Me?”
“Yes,” he said tightly. His gaze flicked to my father and he clenched his jaw. “Apparently, we’re all being summoned into the living room.”
“What, now?” my mother said, like that was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. “We’ve only just begun dinner.”
“I’m told that this is something that can’t wait, and seeing as how they all just burst inside, I’m going to have to wait for the police to show up if I want them all to leave.”
I swallowed hard, wondering who the hell was here, and how I was going to pay for this later. Slowly, I rose from my seat and set my napkin on the table. Smoothing down my dress, I walked around the table and hesitantly put my arm through Graham’s. I could feel my mother at my back.
“It’s been three weeks, Graham. I would think you would have your wife under control by now,” my father muttered under his breath.
We walked down the hallway and upon stepping into the living room, I stopped in shock. My face lit with a smile before remembering that I had to keep my emotions locked down. Joe was here. Everyone was here. Eric, Kat, Robert, Anna, Jos
h, Carly, Will, Charlie, and Andrew were all standing in the living room. Even Derek was here with a woman I assumed was Claire, and then an older couple that must be his parents.
“Oh my gosh, Joe!” an older woman squealed. “She’s just beautiful. A little underfed, but absolutely gorgeous.”
I flushed at the praise and chose to ignore the underfed part.
“Ma, I said you could come along, not that you could interfere.”
“I’m so sorry,” his mother rushed forward, wrapping me in a warm hug. I shut my eyes tight as I held on and hugged her back. This was what it felt like to get an actual hug from a mother. I could feel her warmth and love wrap around me and I hated to let it go, but I could feel Graham’s intense gaze on me.
Blinking back tears, I gave her a smile. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Oh, well, I had to come meet Joe’s girl.”
I looked to Joe. “You brought your mother to meet me?”
“Well, bring is the wrong word. She showed up and there was no stopping her from coming.”
“Sofia, dear,” my mother said in a sickeningly sweet voice. “Perhaps you can introduce us to your…friends.”
I didn’t miss the hint of disgust in her voice. I didn’t dare move from my spot, but I also didn’t miss how Joe’s mother didn’t back away either. She stood right beside me and gripped my hand tight. I wished that it was Joe, but I had a feeling he was barely restraining himself from rushing over to me. I just wasn’t sure how this was all going to end.
“Of course,” I said, politely. “This is Joe’s family. Joe is the one in the leather jacket. And then Eric is the oldest and that’s his girlfriend, Kat,” I said gesturing to them, and then I continued around the room. “And this is Robert and his girlfriend, Anna. Then Josh and his girlfriend, Carly. And the one over there with the big grin on his face is Andrew. Standing next to Joe is his brother, Will and his girlfriend, Charlie.”
Before I could finish, Derek turned his scowl on Graham. “I’m Derek, and this is my wife, Claire. I’m ex-military and I work for a security company now. And I play with knives for fun.” The way he spoke, it was more of a threat than anything. I smiled as I looked at him, and he winked back at me.
“And that old codger is my husband,” Joe’s mother said.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” my father said cordially. “Now, perhaps you wouldn’t mind telling us why you dropped in unannounced during our dinner.”
“I’m glad you asked that,” Joe said, standing tall. “I’ve come to take Sofia home.”
“Sofia is married,” Graham seethed. “Or did you miss the huge diamond on her finger?”
“Oh, no I definitely saw that. I’m assuming you’re trying to compensate for something, and since you have plenty of money, I would guess it’s something else.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing and looked down. It wouldn’t do any good to disrespect Graham right now. I already knew I would be paying for this later. But just for this short time, I would hang on to their strength and be happy to be surrounded by them.
Graham smirked slightly, like he found the whole thing funny. “And you brought your mommy and daddy to help you?”
“Yeah,” Joe grinned. “I did.”
“And what are the rest of them for?”
“Well, I have six brothers, and they’re all here to support me. One is a lawyer, one is a computer specialist, another is a teacher…he just came for the fun. Two of them are the muscle. Oh, and Eric, he’s just here to keep us all in line.”
“And the women?” Graham chuckled. “Are they supposed to make me feel sorry for you?”
Joe glanced to the women and Anna was the first to pipe up. “Hey, I’m just here to take notes.” Even though she didn’t have a pen, paper, or even her phone in her hand. I covered my mouth as a grin split my lips.
“I’m here for the potential bloodbath,” Charlie said. “I’m a doctor, so if anyone decides to shoot anyone, I’m your gal.”
“And I’m her assistant,” Kat grinned.
They all turned and waited for Claire. She raised her hand excitedly, almost jumping up and down. “Oh! I’m the backup weapon.” She lifted her shirt, showing off the gun at her hip. Then she turned to Carly, as did everyone else.
Carly glared at Graham, giving her best fuck off look. “I am the weapon.”
Derek rolled his eyes, and it took everything in me not to burst out laughing. They were all too much. But apparently, I was the only one that thought so. They just seemed to make Graham even angrier.
“You need to get the fuck out of my house, before the police come and arrest you.”
“Oh, by all means, let them come. Andrew, would you like to tell Graham here what you would like to hand over to them?”
“Why, I’m glad you asked, Joe.” He stepped forward with two file folders and handed them over to my father and Graham. I had no idea what was in them, but when Andrew pressed his nose with one finger and pointed at me with the other, I knew he had something up his sleeve. “Now, if you’ll look inside on page one, I’ve highlighted the most pertinent information, detailing all the minor crimes that you’ve committed in your endeavor to tear down every business in the city that you want for yourself. If you’ll turn to page two and three, I’ve also highlighted the more major crimes that would land you in jail for at least the next thirty years. I’ve gone over this with my lawyer. Robert?”
“Yes,” Robert stepped forward. “I’ve consulted with the district attorney about this, just gathering some information on what kind of deal could be made, just in case you’re not so inclined to go to jail,” he said to my father. “I’ve been assured that with the number of felonies committed here, there’s no way you would walk with less than twenty years behind bars, and that’s if you have a forgiving judge. I also did some research on judges that you have in your pocket and…well, Andrew, would you like to take it from here?”
“Yeah, they’re all extremely dirty, and if I were to turn over the information I have on them, they would be in jail right beside you. There’s pretty much no judge that you would be able to buy at this point.”
I stared between Andrew and Robert and then swung my gaze over to my father who looked like he was about to pass out. I had never seen him so pale or so speechless. I was expecting at any moment for him to start yelling at Andrew, but it was clear, he had no idea where to go from here.
“And our good friend, Graham,” Joe smiled, walking up to him slowly. “I believe the last time I was here, you thought you won the battle. But there’s something you should never do, and that’s fuck with the Cortells.” He slapped another folder against Graham’s chest. Graham caught it and looked inside, his face paling as he took in all the evidence of his tryst with his partner’s wife. “And those are just the pictures with that woman. It seems that you have a thing for sleeping with married women.”
“What do you want?” my father said quietly.
Joe stepped back with a grin. “I’m glad you asked that. It’s simple, really. Sofia comes home with me today. You have the marriage annulled immediately, and none of you ever speak to her again or try and come anywhere near her. All of this information is saved on various flash drives and stashed for safekeeping. If you so much as look her way or call her to say happy birthday, which I highly doubt you will, I’ll send all that information to the district attorney and to your business partner,” Joe nodded to Graham.
“How did you even get this?” my father said quietly.
“Ah, well, I happen to have some specialized talents,” Andrew grinned. He turned to Joe. “Did you see how I got through that without talking like a Millennial once? I think that book Eric gave me is really paying off.”
“Agreed. You didn’t throw out a sorry, not sorry or a Hunty or even a salty,” Joe grinned. “Very impressive.”
“Some would even say fire,” Will added in.
“Enough,” my father shouted, interrupting their antics. He l
ooked to Graham and they both nodded, knowing that Joe had them beat. “Take her and get the hell out of my face.”
My mother gasped and turned to my father. “Are you really letting them just—“
“Shut your mouth, Marissa.”
My mother flinched back in shock from my father’s words. And then he turned his glare on me. “You got what you wanted, you little whore. Get out of my face.”
I didn’t have to be told twice. I ran straight at Joe and leapt into his arms, hugging him tight. For the first time in weeks, the tension slipped from my body. I was finally free. I didn’t even have a chance to let go before he was marching out the front door with me hanging down his front. I chuckled into his neck at how ridiculous I must look, but I didn’t care and Joe didn’t seem to either.
When he set me down on the steps, I finally pulled back with tears in my eyes and pressed my hands to both of his cheeks. “You came for me.”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t?” he asked.
“Technically, he had given up,” Andrew cut in. “He was convinced that you really left him because he wasn’t good enough for you. But I knew better. So, you can thank me at any time.”
I laughed and hugged Andrew. I didn’t care who had realized what was going on, or how it came about. I was just happy to be out of there. “Thank you,” I whispered in his ear. What started out as him hating me had turned into him having my back no matter what.
“Alright, alright,” Joe said, dragging me away from Andrew. “We all know now that Andrew’s the hero, but you’re still mine and you can’t go around hugging other guys like that. You’ll give a man a complex.”
“I just can’t believe you all came,” I said, still wiping the tears from my face.
“Well, it was just supposed to be Derek, Josh, and Carly,” Eric confirmed, “but then the girls felt they should go in case there was bloodshed, and Will wanted some fun. Someone had to be the responsible one.”
“Honestly, it was a little anti-climactic,” Claire sighed. “I thought I would at least get to shoot someone.”
Priceless Ink: A Small Town Romance Page 32