by Posey Parks
“Could you?” I quizzed adjusting my cap.
“Hell no. I would’ve limped into battle to stand beside my woman. That’s the kind of men we are.”
I snickered. “You’re right. There’s no way I could let her go out there and I not be by her side.”
Tony pulled me into a bro hug. “That’s right. Our families have always been there for each other. We’ve got your back.”
I slammed my fist against his back. “That’s right. Always.”
He stepped back. I gripped my nose. Holding back any tears that felt the need to burst free.
“Send her out.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I ran my hand over my black T-shirt. We were headed into war. No suits would be worn this go round.
“Emoni, come here.” Tony motioned in the doorway.
“Yeah?” I heard her voice as she approached.
Head down, I clenched the brim of my black cap.
“Someone’s here to see you.”
I peeked into her confused eyes.
Tony disappeared inside.
“Marco…what are you doing here?”
I extended my hand. “Come.”
Her soft palm fell into my large hand. I led her to the side of the building and we sat on the bench.
“Marco, why did you come here?” she asked again. Disbelief written all over her face.
I tilted my hat upward, resting it on my hair. “That burgundy dress you wore the night I met you.” I blew out a breath.
“Shit, I knew you were trouble.”
Her hand flew over her mouth and the tears flooded her beautiful cheeks.
“You flirted with me.”
She laughed and cried. “What can I say I’m a sucker for a man with tattoos.”
“Don’t I know it. I still think you love my tatts more than me.”
She scooted closer. Emoni visibly swallowed. “You’re the best man I’ve ever met. The way you love me. You treat me like a queen.”
“Yeah?” I felt the tears threatening to break.
“In Vegas you told me not to bite my tongue. Not to give a shit about your feelings. To be myself.” Her eyes stared into her lap.
“I didn’t know what that looked like anymore. Who was I?” she shook her head.
Gripping her chin, I turned her face until our eyes locked.
“He made you forget who you were. The strong black woman you are. No man should ever bury a woman’s self-confidence. Bury a woman’s individuality. That night at the charity you were in your element. I want you to create your own charity. It’s all right that you help your best friend from time to time, but you deserve to shine by yourself. You don’t need me to do that. Baby, I am a strong confident man. I know my woman’s worth. I’ll be right here whenever you need me. I crushed those sweet lips.
“Thank you, Marco.” She breathed against my lips.
“No, need to thank me. “I knew you’d make a powerful Donna.” My lips skimmed her cheek and along the side of her neck.
“I told you I’d find my way back to you.” My large hands caressed her stomach.
“All I want to do is hold you two in my arms all night.” I pulled her into my chest.
“You remember everything?”
“Yup, on the flight here my memories came flooding back.”
“The warehouse?”
An awkward silence hung in the air.
“Emoni, I told you I’d protect you. I understand you feel guilty that I was shot. You becoming my wife was a no brainer on my part. We fit. A part of the reason I married you so soon was because…maybe you’d feel stronger. Less guilty if anything happened to me.”
The terror that filled her eyes hurt my soul and warmed my heart at the same time.
She shook her head profusely. “I-I needed you.”
My hand caressed her face. “Hey, hey. You did and you didn’t. What did you do while I was down for the count?”
She pinched her eyes shut. So tight like she was recalling a nightmare. “I stood there in the chaos. All the while, José taunted me. My men were down. I called out to them after I cut off José’s hand. No one answered at first. Finally, Maceo and Kagan rose. I begged you not to leave me. Maceo told Kagan not to kill José. You said I was to kill him.” Her eyes slowly opened.
“Thank you.” Gratefulness danced in her teary eyes.
“Maceo took you and Kahn to the hospital. Kagan stood by while I continued torturing José.” Emoni tilted her head to the sky.
“I felt free, Marco. He couldn’t hurt me anymore. Hard to believe I’m carrying another life. I thought I couldn’t have children.”
I kissed her forehead. “Not to worry, baby. Like I said before you’ll carry all my children to term. But first we’ll take out the slime and his la familia.”
Her head fell against my chest. “I understand we’re at war at home too. With Vanisha’s dad?”
I sighed. “Who told you?”
“Kagan. He said I am the Donna and I should know.”
“Shit, he made a good point. Gage and the rest of our men are handling that battle while we’re here. We’ll worry about him and his motorcycle crew once we return.”
She nodded. “God, I’m happy you’re here. Nadine and Tony are wonderful.”
“The Magarelli’s are a second family to me and now you.”
“Nadine agreed to be our baby’s doctor.”
“That’s great news. We should probably get in there. I want you to meet Dominic and Carmen. Dillon couldn’t be here. He has to keep an eye on Sierra. She’s due next month.”
“I think we’ll be fine.” She smiled and stood.
“Kagan said he has tactical drones. Sounds like fun toys.”
I followed her toward the house.
“Tony was excited.”
“I bet he was. He lives for this shit.”
I tugged her hand, turning her to face me. “Emoni Esposito.”
Her eyes sparkled and she blushed.
“I love you.” My lips captured hers.
“Marco, I love you with all my heart.”
“Believe me, baby. I know.”
The moment we stepped inside our team clapped and cheered.
Romeo stepped forward and smacked me on the back. “You got your memory back. Thank God.” He grinned.
The smile was so wide across my lips. Remembering my wife was most important on this trip.
“It was a little weird when it happened, but I feel good.”
The team I brought together was the best. They were warriors. Each couple in the room had been through their share of turmoil, but made it through on the other side. My lips landed against the top of Emoni’s head. We would too.
“Baby, I’d like to introduce you to Carmen Magarelli. Watch out for her.”
“Emoni, nice to meet you, Carmen.” They embraced.
“Carmen’s a rebel. Had her bodyguards wrapped around her finger. They brought her to Jersey to find Dom.”
He gripped Carmen’s waist from behind and stretched his hand toward Emoni.
“Yeah, I flew to Jersey at the last minute to help your husband.”
His thick brows rose. “So weird to look at you as her husband. I remember you wanted to settle down, but couldn’t stay out of the strip club.”
Emoni peeked up at me then back at Dom. “Yeah, well I fixed that. The strippers know he ain’t taking care of their asses anymore.”
“She’s a spitfire. You need to be in this business,” Dominic winked.
“As I was saying, Carmen flew to Jersey to make sure Dominic wasn’t…”
Carmen cut her eyes at him. “Dead.”
“Baby, I told you we were knee deep in body parts.” He gestured with his hands.
I threw my head back in laughter. “That we were.”
Nadine cut between us. “I’ll take the mob wives. Thank you very much.” She grabbed their hands and led them across the room.
“Drinks guys.” Kagan placed red s
olo cups in our hands.
I peeked inside. “Just what I needed. Thanks.”
Dominic and Tony nodded in appreciation too.
“We all need a stiff drink before tomorrow. There are burritos in the kitchen too.” Kagan walked away.
Tony gripped my shoulder, then sipped the whiskey. “Look at them. Beautiful, smart, and powerful.”
“Makes my dick hard, thinking about how well Carmen handles a Desert Eagle.” Dominic snickered.
“A woman who knows how to handle her weapon of choice is definitely sexy.” I grinned.
I glanced at Tone. “How’s fatherhood treating you?”
He shrugged. “It takes some getting used to. The crying in the middle of the night. Peeking over watching my wife breastfeed the girls…man it’s so surreal. If you would have told me I’d have three kids, I’d tell you to go fuck yourself.”
We chuckled.
“But I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.” A smile spread across his face.
“I look forward to watching Emoni’s belly grow.”
Her smile was infectious. She was happy. Despite our reasoning for being in Mexico, Emoni enjoyed the right now.
“Carmen’s a workaholic. Not sure when we’re having kids. I’m confident it will happen.” He rubbed his stubbled chin as if he was plotting on his own wife. He and his dad never had the best relationship. I bet he wanted to be a better father.
“After we’re done with this shit.” I quirked a brow.
“Well this shit and the war I have brewing in Jersey City. I want you guys to bring your wives over to the house and we’ll enjoy a nice dinner. You guys gotta see my theater room. Romeo and the guys have already enjoyed it.”
Dom nodded. “Yeah, that would be cool.”
“Dominic and Tone, I’ll destroy you both in Call of Duty.”
Tony chuckled. “You and Dillon always think you can beat us.” He pointed at his chest.
“I’ll bring my son the younger version of me. He’ll whip all of your asses.” He snickered.
“No, one said play dirty Tone. These kids cheat. They watch YouTube videos on how to beat the game. They aren’t real gamers like us.”
Tony’s brows wrinkled and he rubbed the back of his neck. “True.”
We laughed.
“Hey, wait a minute. You tried to skip over the shit about a war at home,” Dominic sipped his whiskey.
I scrounged up my face. “See here’s the thing. Emoni asked my permission to kill Vanisha. One of the strippers I was fucking. She disrespected Emoni. So naturally she asked to end her.”
Tony and Dominic laughed.
“Naturally,” Dominic added. “Let me guess before she met you, she ran around killing women because she could.”
I tossed my hand in the air. “Fuck you.” I chuckled.
“Hey, we created brutal women.” Tony nodded.
“Damn sure did. I ain’t mad.” Dominic’s lips ticked up at one end.
“Finish the story.”
“Yeah, yeah. I had a heads up from one of the strippers at the club that Vanisha planned to crash my mother’s holiday party. She was rude to my wife in front of guests. She fucking had to go,” I scowled.”
“Shit, we agree. We ain’t questioning your decision,” Tony stated.
I rubbed my gruff chin. “Emoni wanted to handle it alone. I wouldn’t allow it. She ended her and I assisted in the clean-up. Her father is the leader of the Knights of Hell Motorcycle club. He burned down the strip club Vanisha worked at. Gage never told me Griff was looking for me. I understand why he didn’t. Not like I remembered what took place the last couple of months. He burned the club down to get my attention. My response was he needs to pay fifty large for every day the club ain’t open. I doubt he’ll pay. He has the charter behind him and I have the four families.”
Dominic smacked my arm. “That you do. Fuck him. He has to go.”
“Agreed.” I sipped my whiskey.
Tony gripped my neck. “We’re behind you. Whatever you need.”
“Thanks.”
~
Around two in the morning, we finally settled in for the night. Romeo and Rémy laid in the bed a few feet over. I couldn’t make love to my wife. I’d have to wait until we returned home. I still, wasn’t one hundred percent. But I’d give my all to please her. Earlier, I popped pain pills like candy. I needed to push down the pain, so I could be at my full potential as broken as my body was at the time. Once we returned home, I’d be on a strict diet and workout plan. I pressed Emoni’s fingers against my lips. Her head nuzzled against my side. I felt at ease. Just having her by my side was enough to keep my nerves calm.
I dozed off.
The spray of an AK-47 riddled bullets directly in the direction of my men and me. My wife was never in danger. It was Vargo’s plan all along. He sabotaged our bulletproof vests so he could kidnap my wife. I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze until his eyes popped out of his head. The searing pain in my abdomen and back crippled me instantly. I…couldn’t… save…her. I hit the ground like a ton of bricks. Lights out.
“Fuck,” I blurted out.
Sitting straight up, I gripped my head, gasping for air. Emoni shot up, caressing my nape. “Marco, are you ok?”
In my peripheral Rémy and Romeo hovered. “Bro, what happened?”
I glanced at Romeo. “It was a fucking nightmare. I guess now that I remember everything, the day I was shot will continue to haunt me.”
My eyes met Emoni’s. “He planned to take you from me.”
She climbed between my legs and her messy head fell against my chest. She shivered in my embrace.
“I know, Marco.”
“Guys, I’m ok.”
They nodded and returned to bed.
“Baby, I want to cut that bastards head off,” I growled.
“Me too, Marco. He tried to take you from me.”
“Let’s get a couple of hours of sleep so we can end that bitch.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EMONI
Marco’s eyes widened as they fell over my face in disbelief. “Tony and Nadine, she looks totally different. If it wasn’t for those sinful eyes, I wouldn’t recognize her.” He winked.
My core heated. Marco had to stop flashing those sexy green eyes at me or I’d fuck his brains out in the less than stellar bathroom down the hall.
Tony and Nadine grinned.
“You’re ready.” Nadine threw her arms around my neck. I squeezed her tight.
An hour later, I stared at my frame in the bathroom mirror. The black armor suit hugged my figure. I read the instructions that were in the pocket. There was a cooling mechanism. High tech. That feature would come in handy. I slipped the long weave ponytail through the small hole in the back of the black cap. Tugging the brim closer to my eyes, I gave myself the once over one last time.
“Take him down, Emoni,” I snarled.
I walked into the living room and sat next to Nadine and Carmen. Marco stood in the middle of the room.
Julio pointed at key points on the large map taped to the wall. “We’ll wait until nightfall to strike. There’s a big party tonight for Roderigo’s cousin Maurice. El jefe. For those who don’t speak Spanish he’s the boss of the Hernandez cartel. He wouldn’t miss this party. Not saying he’ll be easy to find, but he’ll be there.”
I raised my hand and scanned the faces in the meager space. “I’ve brushed up on my Spanish. I’ll teach the basics today in route to the compound.”
“Guys you know the drill.” Marco’s eyes combed the room.
“Women, children, and staff are off limits. Tie them up. Everyone else is fair game.”
Sinister eyes bored into Marco.
“Got it,” they replied one after the other.
We climbed inside three ancient tan topless jeeps. Julio led us deep into the rough hilly terrain. The lush green trees swallowed us. Peaks of sunlight cut through the trees, burning my neck.
; Julio halted at the end of the dirt road. “We’ll walk from here.”
Nadine, Carmen, and me leaned against a large tree trunk. The guys parked the trucks beside a mountain. Bogged down with ammo and other supplies, we trekked toward the Hernandez cartel compound. The guys carried supplies and the girls and I carried our weapons and water.
There was minimal chatter. We focused on the noises amongst the trees. Survival and revenge were at the forefront of my brain.
Julio was on alert ahead of our team. During each break three people rested while the others remained on high alert monitoring our surroundings. I slept for thirty minutes. It felt like the further along in my pregnancy the more I was fatigued. My eyes fluttered open. I laid in his arms against a tree trunk. Those beautiful green eyes greeted me.
“How did you sleep, baby?”
“Good.”
Marco caressed my cheek. “We should get going.”
I nodded. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore. But that’s to be expected.”
My brows rose.
“Hey, after this is all over. I’m hitting the gym hard. I need to get stronger.”
“Sounds good, Marco.” I puckered my lips.
His soft lips pressed against mine. I sat up and peeked around us. Tony and Dominic were on the lookout, yet clutching their women in their arms. It was charming and endearing. The big, strong, tall mob men were loving on their mob wives. There was something about our team that was special. Nadine said it best. ‘We’re all killers.’ Yeah, we were, but family was most important to us.
Nightfall was upon us. We gazed at the sun setting over the mountain to our right. We laid in wait amongst the brush and trees.
I peered through the night vision binoculars. Three guards, dressed in suits and cowboy boots, were on alert clutching their AK-47’s that hung across their bodies. One after another, the Hernandez guests rolled to a stop at a huge wooden gate at the front entrance of the property. Brown clouds of dirt kicked up from their tires, affecting our visibility. An hour later the party was in full swing.
Tony flew a tactical drone over the mansion. Kagan worked quick on his laptop. “I’ve looped the security footage. We’re clear to move.”