Angelica (The Family Book 1)

by Jones, Angelique

  The entry hall was empty. Before she could look any further, screams and pounding reached her from upstairs. Angie made it to the fifth step before something landed on her back and she was pushed heavily down. It gripped her hair and slammed her head down hard onto the stairs. It was about to do it again when she bucked up and threw it back. Not letting go, it took her with it, and in a heavy heap they landed at the base of the stairs. The gun left her hand, sliding across the tiled floor, while the knife fell in a heavy clank next to her.

  Pulling herself free, Angie rolled to her stomach, reaching out for the knife. Her fingers had just grazed it when a spiked heel was planted firmly on her hand. Pulling her bloody hand free, she rolled onto her back and looked straight into Sophia’s face. Insanity reined free in her eyes as her hate-filled gaze locked with hers. Rolling quickly, Angie was able to avoid a second strike of Sophia’s heel and swipe her leg to bring her down heavily on her back. The sound of Sophia’s head as it hit the tile brought a smile to her lips. “Cousin Sophia, it’s so nice to see you again,” Angie purred, pulling herself up to her feet. Unfortunately, Sophia got to hers, too, with the knife firmly in her grip. She didn’t have the time or strength for this.

  “You’re dead, bitch. This is all your fault. He’s mine,” Sophia screamed at her.

  Angie kept her voice amused; she needed Sophia even crazier or she wouldn’t have a chance. Sophia’s heel had finally finished its work; that hand was definitely broken now. “How is this my fault, Sophia? You’re the one he doesn’t think is good enough to be his bride.”

  Real hate twisted her face. “I will be his bride. As soon as you’re gone, he’ll see it’s me that he wants. You tricked him. You and my father tricked him. Your fortune should have been mine, and it will be, as soon as you, your brother, and your little bastard are dead. It will all be mine, and then he’ll see I’m the most beautiful. I’m the richest. I’m the perfect bride,” Sophia shrieked, lunging at her with the knife.

  Raising her useless arm, Angie tried to block the knife while her other hand gripped Sophia’s throat, her nails digging deep, drawing blood. The momentum forced her down hard, causing her bad arm to fail and the knife to land firmly in her shoulder. Between the shock of that and the hit that her head had taken against the tiles, Angie must have blacked out for a moment. The next thing she knew, Sophia’s hands were wrapped firmly around her neck and she was clawing at them, trying to get free.

  Smiling sickly down at her, Sophia’s squeezed hard, insanity giving her strength. It was going to end like this. After everything she had suffered, it would end like this. Angie had finally failed to protect her family. It was kind of poetic; it had begun with a member of her blood wanting what wasn’t theirs and it would end with a member of her own blood the same way. Black spots danced in front of her eyes and she felt light, as if she were floating.

  It took Angie a while to realize she could breath. Someone was stroking her face and his voice sounded far away in the distance. It was her daughter’s cry she registered first, whimpering “Mama,” before anything else.

  Angie opened her eye and a white shirt danced in front of it. Raising it higher, she took in Nicholas, focusing on his moving mouth. “Angelica, don’t leave me, baby,” he said over and over, stroking her pain-filled face. Taking a deep breath, she began coughing as her body fought to take in the oxygen it had been denied. She could feel his lips touching her face as he rocked her and pulled her closer, causing the knife in her shoulder to go deeper and letting loose a shock of pain so profound that it almost knocked her out again. A whimper she couldn’t control escaped her lips. Loosening his grip, Nicholas looked down at her and the knife in her shoulder. The sight of it filled his face with pure rage. Raising her broken hand, Angie touched his face with it, allowing another whimper to leave her. Seeing the state of it, his eyes took on a glint of insanity. Lowering her gently to the floor, he took it in his hand and kissed it. He was just like Enzo; it was all right for him to hurt her, but no one else was allowed to. As weak as she was, it would be a weapon she had to use. She needed to stall for time.

  From her new position on the floor, Angie could see her daughter being held tight in Maria’s arms. Michael and Nico were pushed tightly to them, while Joan, Eva, and Camilla stood in front of them, trying to use their bodies as shields. Following Camilla’s gaze, Angie found Sophia being held between two guards, screaming. The sound was so loud, she didn’t know how she hadn’t heard it before now. “You promised I was going to be your bride. She needs to die. The fucking bitch needs to die. You’re mine,” Sophia screeched, bucking wildly when Nicholas leaned down and gently kissed Angie’s brow.

  Standing up, Nicholas moved to Sophia, who was too far gone to realize the danger she was in. He held her death in his eyes, and while she’d planned to kill the bitch herself, she didn’t want it done in front of her family. Catching Joan’s eye with hers, Angie willed her to understand what to do. Seeming to understand, Joan whispered something to the others. Maria immediately covered Alexa’s eyes, but the others just looked on. There was nothing she could do about it. She didn’t want to draw Nicholas’s attention to them. Pulling herself up into a sitting position, Angie was glad for the distraction Sophia was causing. The eight men he had with him were so engrossed in what Nicholas was about to do to Sophia that they weren’t paying any attention to her. She could see the gun she had dropped peeking out slightly from under the buffet, and the only thing she could hope for was that Nicholas would take enough time killing Sophia that she could reach it before he returned his attention to her.

  Chapter 27

  Lucca could see the gates in the distance. Were they still here? Were any of them still alive? The sound of the gunshot still echoed in his ears from before the phone went dead. She had called for help, which meant she didn’t think she could handle what was to come. Sal had already turned the lights off as they approached, but you could still see the body on the ground just beyond the gate. Stopping the cars, they quickly unloaded, spread out, and headed in, hoping there was still something there to save. Stopping at a sound, Lucca turned and found two women huddled next to a car. Terrified, they looked at Lucca and pointed to the house. Leaving them for someone else to deal with, he rushed forward, careful to stay to the shadows. The guy on the ground was dead. Looking into the guard box, he saw Vinny was also gone, the hole in the back of his head telling him not to bother checking.

  Now that he was closer, Lucca could hear faint screams coming from the house. Looking to his father, he nodded his head and signaled to the guys. Motioning for some to go around back, they moved quick and low. The closer they got, the louder the screams were: jumbled words—“you’re mine,” between pain-filled pleas, “please, stop.”

  The doors were wide open, so Lucca could see as they approached that the entryway was almost empty. One guy stood looking into the living room, and a white and red form slowly moved across the floor. Seeing the red hair, he realized it was Angie, dragging herself. Lucca could only see her back, so he couldn’t tell how bad she was injured, but with the way she was moving, it must have been bad. Shoving his gun in his waistband, Lucca motioned everyone out of sight. Picking up a rock, he bounced it off the concrete and waited. The fucker’s gun came through the door, and he pressed himself to the wall until his head was visible. Knocking the gun from his hand, Lucca wrapped his arm around his neck, pulling him against his chest. He covered his mouth and jerked, taking pleasure when he heard the snap. Getting him out of sight of the door, Lucca set him down, pulling his gun free, and went in, listening as he waited for the others to get into place.

  “You’re mine, not hers,” Sophia whimpered before something cracked her flesh loudly and she cried out.

  “You, you fucking whore, were a means to an end. The only reason I touched you was for the information you were only too willing to give.” The sound of flesh hitting flesh and moans echoed in the room before Nicholas continued. “Look at your whore daughter, Camilla. S
he sold your whole family out and you sit there and beg for her life. You’re weak, just like your daughter. Nothing of Angelica’s blood flows in her veins.” He laughed cruelly. “Do you honestly think she’ll live, even if I don’t kill her?” Nicholas asked, chuckling out the words that came next. “Oh, you did. Even if I don’t kill her, Angelica will for betraying her.”

  At the mention of her name, Lucca did what he had been avoiding and found her looking at him. It took everything in him not to race to her. She was covered in blood, her face was so swollen it was almost unrecognizable, and there was a knife planted so deeply into her that only the hilt was visible. One hand was lying useless across her lap as she lay propped against the wall, while the other held a gun. Keeping his gaze firm, Lucca shook his head, trying to tell her to wait and let him handle it. She just stared back at him as he watched her slide the gun under her dress. Giving him a small, sad smile, she closed her eyes and started groaning and spitting out blood. Lucca was gripping his gun tight as the room beyond went silent except for a howl of rage. Footsteps pounded toward her before Nicholas went to the ground and gathered her in his arms, his men following close behind.

  As if on cue, all hell broke loose. Noticing them, Nicholas’s boys raced to pull out their guns, but his people were ready. Opening fire, Lucca saw the guys they sent around back rush into the room, getting in front of the little group huddled together and pulling them all out except for Camilla, who threw herself at her daughter. It was quick and bloody; now that the others were safe no one held back until it was only Nicholas left, holding Angie in front of him like a shield, with his gun pressed to her head. “She’s mine!” he yelled, making it clear that if he couldn’t have her, no one would. “Lower your fucking guns and let us out of here.”

  Before Lucca could move, Angie opened her eye and whispered, “Nicholas.” Drawn by the sound of her voice, he pressed his face into her blood-soaked hair, loosening his grip enough for her to turn in his arms. Raising her face to his, Angie placed her lips to his in a gentle kiss before pulling back and smiling. Absolute devotion shined fanatically in his eyes at that smile. He died with that look on his face, never seeing the gun between their bodies. Blood and chucks of flesh covered Angie in gruesome gushes after the bullet ripped from under his chin through the top of his head.

  Slowly, the body released her and fell to the floor as she looked on, disinterested, while all around everyone stared in shock. Moving forward when he saw her start to weave, Lucca was stopped by the gun she swung around and pointed at him. Putting his gun down on the floor, Lucca held his hands out to show her they were empty. “Angie, baby,” he whispered, not knowing if she understood that it was him.

  She looked like death and he wasn’t sure how she was still standing, but standing she was, with a look of determination stamped on her face. Pulling free of the body that clung to her even in death, she moved into the living room, and he understood what she wanted. Turning his head sharply to Angelo, Lucca watched as he lowered his gun and nodded his head in acceptance. He understood that Sophia had dug her own grave. Nothing could save her now and he wasn’t going to try. Moving forward, he stopped in front of Lucca and handed him his gun before following Angie into the room. Stopping when her gun swung his way, Angelo stared at his niece for a long moment while they communicated silently. Whatever had passed between them was finished, and he went to his wife, pulling her from Sophia, who spat and cursed that it was their fault, that they should have gotten her Nicholas and Angie’s money. Taking his weeping wife from the room without saying a word to his daughter, everyone watched as the bitch spouted her last curse before a bullet landed squarely between her eyes.

  As if that was all her body had held itself together for, the gun fell from her now lifeless fingers to the floor, and her body would have followed if he had been any slower. Gathering Angie into his arms, Lucca half listened as his father told him to take her upstairs, that the doctor was almost there. Holding her tight, Lucca carried her to his room and laid her down on the bed. Taking out his knife, he cut the dress from her body, wanting to weep as more of her body was revealed. Hardening himself, he got her free of the dress, throwing the thing to the floor to burn later, and went to the bathroom to grab wet towels. Wiping gently at her face to get rid of the blood, Lucca shuddered at the mess underneath. She was a swollen mess, and he wished to God she hadn’t killed Nicholas. He would have loved to have made him suffer the same way she had.

  Looking up at a sound, Lucca watched his father and brother Dominic enter, followed by the doctor. Lucca pulled the blanket over her naked body. The doctor stared at her in undisguised horror. Stepping back, he prayed the doctor was good enough to fix what was so broken.

  Chapter 28

  She floated in a sea of pain and morphine for weeks. Her drug-induced sleep took her to a place from which she could normally hide, but she was unable to do so now. Forced to relive her youth again and again, Angie was afraid he was going insane. When they finally allowed her to awaken, she couldn’t keep her eyes open for more than a few moments, and everything seemed strange. She thought that was two or three days ago, but she’s not sure; time has no meaning any longer. It was dark when she opened her eyes again, and her mouth was dry with thirst. Weak as a newborn, she rolled from the bed, landing on the floor. Her mouth opened and she cried out silently in pain, unable to find the strength to make the sound. Each movement she made brought tears to her eyes that she was unable to stop. When she finally reached the bathroom, sweat covered her, but her need for water was so great that she forced her body to find the strength to pull itself up. Clutching the vanity like a lifeline, Angie wanted to weep with relief when she finally got the water on, but she didn’t have the energy. Greedily, she put her mouth to the steady stream and gulped until she gagged.

  Shaking as her strength failed her completely, she began to slide down. A sound in the distance caught her attention and she turned her head. Maria rushed toward her, terror on her face as her mouth opened wide, but Angie couldn’t make out the words. Getting behind her, Maria’s arms encircled Angie’s chest, holding her like a rag doll. Coughing, Angie began to gag until the water she had just consumed came up. Sweet oblivion was calling to her as Lucca rushed through the door toward them. If he ever reached them she didn’t know, because she closed her eyes and answered its call.

  ****************

  Reaching down, Lucca gathered Angie into his arms. “Why the fuck weren’t you with her?” he yelled at Maria. He knew he shouldn’t have left her alone.

  “Lucca, I’m sorry. I just left the room for a minute,” Maria sobbed, pissing him off. Ignoring Maria, Lucca rushed to the bed and set Angie gently down, keeping her half propped up so he could undress her. Moving quickly, he made short work of the nightgown. Angrily taking the fresh gown and towel from Maria’s hands, he dried her off and redressed her before settling her back into the bed and under the covers. Checking the bandages on her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t reopened the wound, Lucca was relieved that at least that hadn’t happened this time. At first she had moved around so much that the doctor had tied her down, but it had put her in a rage of fear that kept her thrashing until every wound she had reopened. After that, Lucca held her in his arms to make sure she didn’t move. The first nights he held her had been the worst. The fever ruled her mind, and the things she had said made him want to dig up the bodies of her many kills, but especially Enzo. If there was a way to resurrect him so that Lucca could kill him, he would have sold what was left of his tattered soul to do it. Nicholas was right up there on that list. Once they were sure she would live and the house had been cleaned, Lucca took Sal and a few men and returned to the house in which she had been held. The shit he watched on those videos haunted him. He burned the fucking house to the ground with Nicholas’s and his men’s bodies inside it. The women who had been crouched out there that night were really no more than girls, the hardness of the life they had been forced to live aging them beyond their y
ears. Sal had found out that Enzo and Nicholas had murdered their families to have them. They had nowhere to go, so they took them in until something could be arranged for them. With their help, they were able to find all the brothels and take them over. The family might run clubs, but they didn’t force women to work there, and they sure as hell didn’t torture them. A lot of the women stayed on, having nowhere else to go. The few who still had living families, were returned them to.

  The only bright spot was that Joe, Enzo’s man, hadn’t been killed that night. Lucca took special care to make sure the last hours of his life were beyond painful. If his mind had been clearer of rage he could have made it last a lot longer, but as Joe told him the shit Enzo had done to his wife with Joe’s help, Lucca couldn’t control himself.

  Angelo had returned home with his family as soon as they were sure Angie would live. Before he left, they found tapes Nicholas had made of him and Sophia at Nicholas’s house. She had been betraying her family for a long time, and many of the men Angelo had lost recently had been because of her. When Angelo’s wife had tried to attack Angie with a knife, he had forced her to watch the tapes. The woman had completely shut down for a few days after that, but when she came back to the living she acted like the girl had never existed. It would seem one of the men Sophia had gotten killed had been Camilla’s younger brother, Thomas. Angie’s brother Michael hadn’t wanted to leave, but when Lucca sat down with him and explained that there was nothing he could do for her now, but that his mother needed him, he relented. Camilla hung on to Michael like a lifeline letting no one near the boy, as if she was afraid they were going to steal him from her.

  “Lucca,” Maria said hesitantly, pulling him back to the present. He hadn’t even realized she was still there. “Lucca, I’m so sorry, but Alexa had gotten in the room. I know you don’t want her to see Angie like this, so I took her back to Joan.”