by A J Wolf
He nods and runs his hand through his hair, "I'll debrief Andrea when we get back." After a pause he starts smiling at me, "How do you think him and Bev are doing? They're always arguing about something. Remember when they got into about the advent calendar last year?"
I return his smile and laugh. He's not wrong. They’re always bickering. "I'd think they were siblings if I didn't know better."
Pulling into my iron gates I let out a deep breath. I just want to change and spend the rest of the night with Bev. Preferably naked. Exiting the vehicle, I frown over at Donatello; you can hear people yelling around inside the house but can't make out what is being said. He shrugs and we start towards the house, words getting clearer as we get closer.
"Andrea! Get back here! I swear to god I will punch you in the nose again!" Beverly’s voice is coming through the closed door as Donatello and I reach it, both sharing a look before I push it open.
Andrea is nowhere to be seen but a very angry looking Beverly is turning to face us as we walk into the living area. Dylan is lying next to the couch with a piece of fabric and Rico is standing in the hall trying to keep a straight face. "Cuore Mio why are you yelling at Andrea?"
She huffs at me, pushing hair from her face and crossing her arms over her chest. "He told me I looked like a frog in my new hat and then had the audacity to say that Dylan purposefully ripped his jacket!"
Her face is red and her fists clenched. It's taking all my will power not to smile at her. I don't see the hat in question but I'm not sure if I should even ask about it. I just nod and look to Rico, "What exactly happened Enrico?" Bev huffs next to me, undoubtedly annoyed that I'm questioning her version of the events.
Glancing at Beverly, he nervously clears his throat, "Beverly forced Andrea to pet Dylan and Dylan bit his jacket..." Beverly loudly scoffs which makes him pause, sending a wary look her way then back to me, "Andrea's jacket ripped so he got mad and told Beverly that Dylan was a nuisance and they started arguing. At some point Andrea told her that her hat was stupid and made her look like a frog I guess."
I look over at Donatello who has his hand over his mouth, covering his smile. I feel my own trying to fight its way out, so I clear my throat and force a frown. Beverly is looking at me expectedly like I should be doing something. "Well where is Andrea now? And where is this hat?"
"Andrea took it and then ran off like the asshat he is." Bev spits out. I pull her to me and kiss the top of her head to hide the smile that couldn’t stay contained.
"Donatello please call Andrea so we can get Bev's hat back."
Beverly huffs once more and pushes from my arms, frowning up at me, "Aren't you going to make him apologize to Dylan?!"
Donatello starts talking on his phone and I quickly turn my attention to him to avoid Beverly's question. We all know Dylan ripped Andrea's jacket on purpose but I'm sure as fuck not saying that and I'm not about to make Andrea apologize to the damn dog.
Donatello hangs up the phone and glances at Beverly, smile still fighting its way onto one side of his mouth. "Andrea is on his way inside but he refuses to pet Dylan again if that's what Bev wants."
Beverly loudly slaps her hands down at her sides at this, like that's the most absurd thing she's ever heard and I can no longer hide my smile from her.
Before I can say anything though, Andrea is stomping into the room, handing Bev a green beanie with two fluffy balls on the top. "I'm sorry I said you look like a frog."
She snatches her hat and pulls it on, looking extremely frog like and Donatello starts coughing to hide his laugh. She sends him a glare and I step forward, turning her towards me, "Cuore Mio where did you get your hat?"
She frowns at me, eyeing Donatello around my shoulder before answering, "What are you talking about? You left it on the bed for me."
I stiffen and so do the other men in the room. "Beverly, I didn't get you this hat. Where did you find it?"
She reaches up and touches the two fluffy balls on top of it, looking confused, "On the bed when I woke up. It was in a gift box with a note."
"I send a look to both Donatello and Andrea, "Do you still have the note? I want to see it."
She nods and heads up the stairs, Dylan trailing after her. "What time did you get here? Do you know how long she may have been alone after I left?" My eyes track Bev until she is out of site, my question directed towards Enrico, who I notice looks equally concerned when my gaze lands on him.
"Couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes. I was already on my way here when you said you were leaving."
I nod as Bev comes down the stairs, heart banging in my chest. If someone is getting into the house, we have a bigger problem than I thought.
Chapter Ten
I hand Remy the note, extremely confused and slightly nervous. I had just assumed he left the box because who else would? If Laney had given me a gift, she would have told me already and I would have seen her at the house. Admittedly I couldn't read the note, it's written in Italian, but that's not an uncommon thing for Remy to do so I didn't question it.
Remy looks at the note for a moment and hands it over for the other guys to look at. "Bev do you know anyone that calls you their sad angel?"
"What? No. What does the note say? I assumed it was from you, so I didn't think anything of it."
Andrea answers, a deep frown on his face, "It says 'You'll need this when we go on our trip, see you soon my sad angel'…Are you planning a trip with anyone?"
I cross my arms over my chest to combat the sense of unease running through my limbs while shaking my head in confusion. "No and if Delany were planning something, she would have okayed it with Remy already. Besides her I don't talk to anyone but you guys." I look at Remy who has a scowl etched into his beautiful face. Walking to him I wrap my arms around his middle and press my face into his chest. I don't know what's going on but based on his expression it's nothing good.
I feel him press a kiss to my head before he speaks, "Can you think of anyone who has talked to you lately that was off or anything that seems weird Cuore Mio? Whoever gave you this gift either slipped past my guards or is infiltrating my ranks and neither bodes well for us."
I shake my head against his chest until I remember the texts I’ve been getting. Stepping back, I pull out my phone and hand it to Remy as I talk, "Since I got my new phone I've been getting texts at least once a week in Italian. I figured it was a made man with the wrong number and I just delete them. It's happened before..." Remy takes my phone, looking extremely annoyed. "Now I feel like a moron though, I should have told you sooner." Andrea, Donatello and Rico all snort at the same time at my comment and I shoot them a glare. Pricks.
"When is the last time you got a text?" Remy is sorting through my phone as he speaks, opening every message and contact.
"The night of the event, right before we left."
Remy stops to stare at me and I squirm under is gaze, feeling like a scolded child. I side eye the other three and see the same look on their faces too. Donatello runs a hand over his face and breaks the silence, "Do you remember anything it said?"
"I barely looked at it…” Andrea puffs out an annoyed breath but I ignore him, “But I'm pretty sure it had 'salverai una danza' somewhere in it." I had closed my eyes while I was thinking and open them to find Remy frowning down at me.
"They asked if you'd save a dance… whoever it is must have expected you to be at the event and most likely didn't know about the ambush." Andrea says after a moment, words directed towards Remy.
"I'm so confused. Why would anyone even care about me?" I ask literally any of them. None of this is making any sense to me and my earlier nervousness is turning into irritation. They obviously know something I don't.
"We think the Daly Brothers were blackmailing Julian into working with them, using you as leverage." Remy says and I frown at him. When did he start thinking this? Why didn't he tell me? Before I can ask, he starts talking again. "Donatello suspects Gavino of also working with them. We t
hink they were using Gavino as their inside man because he had access to you, being one of my Capos and my brother."
I honestly don't even know what to say. Why would they all keep this from me? Especially Remy. He knows how badly I need closure and answers for Julian. How did he not think to tell me something so detrimental? That I could be the reason Julian is dead. My heart constricts painfully in my chest and I spin on my heel towards the stairs. I don't know how to handle this but I'm not about to cry in front of them.
"Bev, we didn't want to tell you until we were completely sure..." Andrea’s words hit my back as I climb the stairs, ignoring both Donatello and Rico as they try and get my attention.
Once inside my room I shut the door and walk to the closet. Ripping the hat off I throw it across the space then yank my jeans and top off to replace them with an oversized tee. Crawling into bed I curl around my pillow, feeling the bed shift with Dylan's weight as he lays at my feet. Staring at the tree line through the windows my agony feels like a weight sitting on my chest, making each breath tight and uncomfortable. Tears are seeping into my pillow as they silently slip down my cheeks. I'm not sure what hurts more, knowing that Julian didn't trust me or Remy enough to let us help him or that I was the pinnacle for all of this.
Seems fitting really, that all this time I've blamed Remy for Julian's death, when it had actually been my own damn fault. I should never have been able to be used against my brother. And now I've somehow managed to get myself tangled up with some freak stalker who can potentially harm Remy. A wild humorless laugh squeezes through my tight throat; this is such a fucking mess. I should be more worried about this whole situation, but I just can't bring myself to care about my own safety, if I'm gone, I can't be used against the people I love. I hear Remy come into the room, but I keep my face turned away. Dylan grumbles as Remy gets on the bed and I close my eyes as he wraps his arms around me, pulling my body flush with his.
He kisses the back of my neck, "I wanted to be sure before I told you, it was never my intention to keep this hidden to hurt you." He places another kiss on my skin, "I don't know who is watching you Bev, but I promise I'll take care of it."
I don't respond but grab his hand from my waist and pull it to my lips to kiss his palm. I know, despite my earlier anger, that he didn't try to hurt me by not telling me sooner. I'm not angry with him but at myself…and finally with Julian. Months of repressed and redirected anger is bubbling up under my skin like an infection, digging in my veins with its black vile. Julian should have trusted that Remy could protect me, he should have trusted me to be able to help him. He let this secret kill him for what? To play hero? My soul is permanently marred for what? He turned on me, on the famiglia, walked into his own death sentence to protect me...and yet I'm still here, without him, being stalked by a psycho who probably had a hand in his death also. How could he be so fucking stupid? His act was selfish and brave but also so. Fucking. STUPID.
I sit up abruptly, jerking from Remy's arms and throw my pillow across the room. Standing I slap over a stack of books on my nightstand with an angry scream, pulling my hair at the roots with clenched fists. I know I'm being irrational and childish, but I just can't rationally handle the pulse of anger strumming through my broken heart. I spin wildly, my eyes searching for Remy. He's shifted so he's sitting on the edge of the bed, feet on the floor, watching me. "Julian didn't tell me what was happening but I'm his fucking twin Remy. I should have seen the signs that he was off, that something was wrong. I should have known to question him, known he needed me. But he didn't tell me and I didn't notice so now he's dead. Dead. Forever. He's dead and gone forever."
I'm aware my voice has gotten more erratic with each word, tears falling freely while I fist my hair, but I can't make it stop. "And I'm still fucking here. While the other half of my soul rots, I'm still here, blaming you for the death sentence Julian walked himself into to protect me…when it was really my fault all along. Because I should have fucking known." I drop my hands at my sides and another wild laugh spills out as I start wiping my face with my sleeve, "It turns out he died for nothing. I'm a dumb bitch walking right into my own grave, hand in hand with my own psycho stalker because I clearly enjoy putting the ones I love in danger."
At this Remy stands, forces my gaze by gripping my face tightly in his hands. "This is not your fault Cuore Mio. Julian chose to hide this from you, from me. He should have trusted that his Capo Famiglia could protect him. He disrespected me by not having faith in my abilities, not just by breaking his omerta. Regardless of his reasons, he did it to himself by making the wrong choices." I try to pull from his grip and he boxes me in, pulling my face to his chest and locking my arms between us, "I won't let you blame yourself for his actions. No one chose them but him."
Placing a kiss to my hair, he rests his chin on my head, "I will find out who is contacting you. Yes, you should have told me you were getting texts, but you didn’t, and it doesn't matter now. You're not dumb Bev, you were unaware of the situation you were in and therefore acted accordingly. If you'd have known about Julian earlier, you probably would have taken them more seriously. If you need to cast blame then put it on me, I'm the one who didn't tell you sooner."
Even after all the bullshit I’ve put him through he tells me to blame him instead of myself; the thought warms my aching heart, wrapping it in a warm embrace. I’m not sold on his exclamation but there’s no use arguing. I move my face so it’s pressed directly into his chest, barely able to breathe through my squished nose. "I'm sorry." My words are mumbled as I take a big shuddering breath. Remy loosens his hold just enough to let me look up at him, leaving a dark wet spot from my tears on his dress shirt.
Wiping my cheeks, his honey eyes scan my face, "For what?"
"For leaving you. For blaming you for everything. For not telling you about the texts and acting like a bratty child the past few months." I pull my arms out from between us and wrap them around him, hugging him to me while I return my face to his chest, resting my cheek on the damp spot.
Stroking my hair, I feel his smile against my head, "Cuore Mio you've always been a brat, I'm not sure that part could have been avoided." I tighten my arms as hard as I can, squeezing like an anaconda until he chuckles and tickles my sides. He's joking but I know he hears my truths. Prying my arms away he loops them around his neck then grabs my thighs and lifts me up, so I'll wrap my legs around his waist. "We'll be okay my heart."
Leaning forward I nip at his bottom lip playfully, attempting to keep the light heartedness going. "Remy?"
"Hmm?" He walks us into the closet, setting me on a built-in shelf before unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it in the bin.
Watching him strip down to his boxers I reach out and grab his arm to pull him inbetween my legs before he can put on a pair of sweats. Drawing his face to mine I wrap my legs around his waist again and place a soft kiss on his lips before asking the question I almost forgot about. "Can we get pizza for dinner?"
He laughs against my lips, making me smile. Squeezing my butt, he places another kiss on my lips, "Whatever you want, Cuore Mio."
Leaning back slightly I reach down and grab the hem of my shirt to pull it over my head and drop it to the side. "What if I want you first?"
His eyes heat as they scan over my lacy panties and naked breasts, slowly creeping up to my face. With a dimpled smile he licks his bottom lip and leans forward to just brush his lips to mine, "Anything for you."
I tighten my legs, yanking him closer and he nips at my lips, his rough palms pushing up my sides to palm my breasts. I can still feel traces of my anger from earlier running just beneath my skin and I feed off it as I bite hard enough to leave a mark on Remy's neck, just below his jaw. Wordlessly understanding my needs, he squeezes a breast, pinching the nipple with one hand as he uses the other to grip my cheeks and pull my mouth to his. His hand around my face slips into my hair, pulling it just enough to give a slight burn as my tongue fights his, scraping teeth and nipping lips. My nails b
ite into his skin as he roughly grabs my body, jerking my head back by my hair to sink his teeth into the sensitive flesh at my pulse point.
He grips my hips and pulls me off the shelf, dropping my feet to the floor. Spinning me, I'm forced to put my palms on the shelf or fall forward as he delivers a hard smack to my butt, pulling a moan from my lips. He pulls my panties down and off, running his hands up my legs, spreading them further apart as he works his way up, placing wet kisses and nips along the skin of my inner thighs. He yanks my hips further back and I bite my lip, pressing my chest to the shelf as he runs his hot flat tongue down the length of my core. Reaching around, he presses two fingers to my clit as his tongue dips into me, eating me out from behind. He works me until I can feel the edges of a building orgasm, my hips moving to meet his mouth.
His touch disappears briefly until his shaft is rammed into my slick entrance, pushing me forward with the motion. Remy grips my hip with one hand as he thrusts, the other wrapping around my throat to pull me up from the shelf. He bites and sucks at the junction between my neck and shoulder, my throaty moans loud and echoey in the closet. I reach back and grip his nape, keeping him at my throat while his hand leaves my hip to rub circles on my clit. His grip tightens slightly on my throat as I push my hips back hard, riding through my orgasm.
He slips his hand from my neck to grab my hips in both hands, pumping hard to reach his own release as I palm the shelf once more to keep myself up. It only takes a moment until he's groaning into my neck, bent over my back. Giving two more slow pumps he pulls out, trailing kisses down my back as he straightens, then turns me around to face him. Smiling down at me he lifts me up onto the shelf again, pressing my lips to his for a lingering kiss as I run my fingers up his arms and neck. Palming his face, I pull back, giving him a few soft short kisses. "What kind of pizza should we get?" My voice is low and breathy, and the question makes him laugh. I give him a beaming smile as he presses kisses to the corners of my lips through his chuckles.