Merciful Vows: A Bittersweet Second Chance Romantic Suspense (The Giannotti World Book 1)

by Vanessa Luisa

  “Sometimes the heart wants what it wants. There is nothing wrong with that.” I reassure her. “I mean, look at me! Look at how far Giulio and I have come! We’ve surrendered to the pain and have committed to make it work again. Somebody will come into your life again and love you for you. They say patience is virtue and with everything that happened with Addilyn, I now know that all the anxious wait was worth it because soon she will be ours. Soon, you will find the next love of your life. You will, honey.”

  This isn’t the first time I’ve seen her like this.

  I can’t begin to imagine what losing Giulio so soon would do to me and how it would affect me and my children, but what I do know is that ever since Addilyn’s disappearance, at the end of the day, those you love will always rally with you.

  I will always be here for Helena because she deserves a man just like Ben. One who respects, commits and is devoted to her and her children. That’s just as important.

  “But what if it doesn’t happen for me again?” Helena frowns, weaving her hands through ours. “What if Ben was it? I loved that idiot so much. Maybe all I’ll ever have are the memories…”

  “Ben was your soulmate and you two had a love that inspired my outlook on it. This year it’s been important for me to turn ‘what if’ into ‘will.’ So, if finding love again is something you truly want and you are ready, then with time it will come to you.”

  “And when he does…” Giulio adds with a similar smile, “I’ll be right here to sit him down and make sure he has the best of intentions, just like the interrogation you did to me when Lencia and I first started dating, but worse.”

  And just like that, her sarcasm returns with a smirk. “Gee, thanks Dad.”

  “Giulio’s right, honey. If any man wants you, he needs to get through us first.”

  “I’m only kidding! Thank you. I really do appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.” Her smile widens. “Oh, and Lencia? I’m loving the new you. I’m so proud of the new strong, confident badass woman you’ve become. Not that you weren’t it before, but it’s amplified. I just love it!”

  For the first time in my life I don’t feel like hiding away or fussing at the compliment. I want to live in the moment and learn to appreciate it. “So do I.”

  Giulio kisses my cheek. “And I love it too.”

  My phone buzzes just as Helena opens her mouth to speak again. An unknown number. When I answer, an automated machine asks me if I would like to accept a COLLECT call from King County Jail from inmate… Bryce speaks his name at the pause and then there is a tone. I accept the charges.

  “Valencia?”

  “Bryce!”

  “I can only make this quick,” he says, his Cockney accent hushed yet reverent. “You are my only call and I…know ya would listen. I’m being held in King County jail now without bail and my court hearing is tomorrow. They can’t find any fucking evidence because deep down they know I didn’t do it. I want ya to know that I didn’t light that fire. I didn’t do any of it.”

  My breath stutters. “I believe you, Bryce.”

  There’s a long pause on his end. “You do?”

  “I do.”

  There is relief in his sigh. “Thank you…Are you with Giulio?”

  “I am.”

  “Put me on speaker. I have something to say.”

  Something to say?

  I hit speaker and I glance around us. “You’re on.”

  Helena leans in closer, but Giulio remains beside me with knitted brows. “Bryce, do you have a lawyer? I can arrange to—”

  “No. No, let them appoint me a public defender.”

  “But I don’t have an issue having my lawyer represent you.”

  “No, no I don’t want that. I don’t want to cause any more trouble.”

  What is going on?

  “Valencia…Giulio…I’ve done things I regret. Things I am not proud of. I did things to both of ya and I know I’ve hurt ya both. Things revolving around…the investigation.”

  No.

  No.

  No.

  Heat courses through my veins. “What do you mean, Bryce?”

  “Giulio? Do you remember when I told you that the good guys always have the darkest secrets? That ya don’t see it because they conceal it well?”

  Confusion strikes me when Giulio nods to himself and swallows hard. “I remember.”

  “Good, because I forgot to add something. That the nutters have the deepest lies. I’m a nutter. Why? Because when I first arrived in Seattle, somebody lured me with a big sum of money. Four million dollars to be exact. I didn’t know anything about Addilyn, who she was, or who had her. They lured me with the huge fucking sum of money and because I’m the sick bastard that I am, I took the deal. I took the deal, right, because my mother needs the money. It would change her life and pay off the millions she needs to pay back…”

  “Bryce, I—”

  “Please listen to me, Giulio. If I don’t say it now…I don’t know if I ever can.”

  My husband clears his throat. “Go on.”

  “So it began and I had to submit to these fucking guidelines, right. Valencia, violating you at the bar was never in any part of my guidelines. That was a pure mistake. A drunken lonely mistake I still regret even though you say you’ve forgiven me. I fell in love with the idea of you that night…the idea that somebody cared for me even for a split second, because nobody else ever has in that way…I’ll forever be sorry for that, even though I already gave you my reasons. I’m sorry. However, Giulio, I did purposely act like I was shit at my job to follow my appointed guideline. I…I created those letters and placed them in the mail. I distorted the cameras. I was an accessory to stealing your Porsche, an accessory to Oscar and Slonne’s kidnapping and Valencia’s attempted murder. I didn’t touch them or you. I simply was there. Watching. I know it doesn’t make it better…I did it all for the money. I began having this envy for you both.”

  I clutch at my heart, yet cannot feel the beats.

  McCarson continues, “But then something changed. Valencia, you forgave me. Even when I wanted you to hate me the most, ya forgave me for what I did. And you, Giulio, that day when your half-brother was beating you up, I had this calling to help you. I was supposed to light the fire. It was supposed to be me, but this empathy came over me, one I’ve never experienced in me whole life. It made me want out. I didn’t care about the money. I couldn’t hurt ya family more. I wasn’t involved in the fire. I wasn’t involved in physically kidnapping or putting my hands on any of you five. I was told about the ransom calls, but I never made them. I never saw or was involved in any aspect of Addilyn’s disappearance. When I said I wanted out before the fire, I was almost killed. They got livid and framed this on me. Ya see? They framed this all on fucking me and I know I’m not perfect; I’m very much the opposite, but I will not go to my grave without honesty. I’m sick of disappointing others, sick of it because I feel sick to my stomach for what I did. I want to be honest with ya both and I want to help.”

  The phone trembles in my hands.

  No. No. No.

  Fear twists in my gut, as if somebody has just punched me right there. Bryce is involved. I trusted him. I helped him. I defended him. I feel so betrayed now.

  Helena begins pacing up and down the living room, fingers through her light honey brown hair. Her instincts told her not to trust Bryce from day one…

  Giulio’s stance mirrors mine. He remains still, his hot gaze burning straight into the phone with a disheartened grimace. My throat tightens. Anger boils my blood. We’re so shocked that we don’t even have the fight in us.

  “Were you in the basement when they counted the money?”

  “Yes. In one of the corners, but I never touched you or your children.”

  “Where’s that money now?”

  “Burned. It was destroyed, but not by me.”

  “All of it?”

  “Yes. Initially, I heard it was going to be used to help pay off other people
who were hired.”

  Giulio clears his throat. “And you never saw Addilyn or were an accessory in any way?”

  “Never.”

  “Bryce,” I begin, so shattered, “were you pretending to be my friend this entire time?”

  “Never. Even though I needed to be pretending, I couldn’t with you. The friendship we have…had…was an authentically genuine one. I really did develop a bond with you. With ya both, but especially you, Valencia. I…I value you so much and it hurts me to the core that I’m losing my only true friend I have here because of a manipulative game that I thought at the time was—” A jagged breath escapes him and a heart-wrenching cry cuts through the phone. Pain marks his every word. “I can’t believe I did it…I want to go back…I don’t want to be alone in this world. I swear—I promise, I never knew about Addilyn, only about my deal. I just wanted the money. I needed it. By the end I realized just how much it was a cruel and selfish thing to do, even if it did help my mother. I couldn’t get out when I wanted to, so they lit that fire and are framing me to prove a point. I deserve all the convictions coming my way…I’m a fucking monster. That’s all I am. That’s all I’ll ever be.”

  “Bryce?” I whisper, swallowing the knot in my throat.

  “Aye?”

  “I…really valued you too.” Tears roll down my cheeks. “What else haven’t you told us?”

  “I’m sorry for hurting you all and for everything I’ve done.” Bryce’s agonized voice breaks into a sob. “I want you both to know this wasn’t all on me; I wasn’t the mastermind nor have I ever had a vendetta. All I ever did was follow instructions. I need to make up for my sins because only now do I realize how much I went wrong. I lost everything. I am a monster. I know it…I overheard a conversation and know where Addilyn is. Please trust I’m telling the truth because it’s the last chance to get her back. I’ll tell you it all. I promise. I will.”

  My heart stops.

  This is it. This is the moment I have been waiting 229 days for.

  “Bryce?”

  “Yes?”

  “Who has our baby girl?”

  There’s a brief moment of silence before all hell breaks loose. “Marcus Giannotti.”

  Valencia

  Sickened is not a good enough word to describe how I’m feeling. The revelation that both Bryce and Marcus were involved disturbs me deeply. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that I trusted Marcus and grew a friendly liking towards Bryce, or that this was all a game to them.

  Bryce McCarson did supply us a Seattle address before hanging up. The sound of the line cutting wasn’t just a conclusion of a conversation; it was the conclusion of everything we once believed to be true. Now it’s all turned out to be lies.

  Helena practically shoves Giulio and me out of the door. “Go! Go to the police! You don’t have much time!”

  I pull her into a tight embrace and smile softly at Oscar and Slonne who come rushing down the stars behind their cousins. Giulio pulls us all into one massive group hug. When I kiss Oscar and Slonne’s foreheads, I tell them everything is going be alright and that we’ll get our happy ending.

  “Thank you for everything you do for me.” I tell my sister.

  Helena shakes her head, a tight smile on her glossy pink lips. “Thank you. Now go on. Go on and bring her home!”

  “Are you going to bring Addilyn home, Mommy?” Slonne asks, her vibrant eyes hopeful.

  “Yes, baby. We are going to bring Addilyn home.”

  Giulio and I take a moment to breathe when we park in front of the police station.

  “Do you really think Marcus is capable of this?”

  “That’s what I keep asking myself too.” Giulio sighs, holding my hand in his between the leather car seats. His soft skin relaxes me. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  “Whatever the verdict is we will have Addilyn and each other now.”

  “Yes, my darling. That is the only thing that matters.”

  When Giulio kisses me, everything slows. Like a rapid reminder of everything that has happened between us. It intensifies into need, as if this is the pinnacle of our existence. Because it truly is. This is our reason why and soon we will seal our forever with our sweet angel.

  On the other side of the sword, if something bad does happen, at least we have this and we’ll go down as a family.

  I will always love Giulio Giannotti.

  Always.

  The moment we pull away, there’s nothing but adoration in his eyes. It resonates within me too. We have just been given a lifeline by Bryce—a last hope.

  I catch the sight of our wedding rings and my heart flutters. “Through all the crazy, I’m glad you didn’t let me go. I’m happy you’re here with me.”

  “I’m here. I am right here and I will never let go. Never again, Lencia.”

  “We’re in this together.”

  “We always will be.” And despite the agony, he gives me that slow, sexy smile. “Let’s do this. Let’s get our baby back, amore.”

  If somebody told me seven months and fifteen days ago that we’d reach the point that the Seattle police department would be preparing to enter the suspected house Addilyn has been held captive in, I would have dropped to my knees. The entire drive behind the police seemed an eerie joy. The reality is this could very well turn into a recovery mission; the police made that very clear. We don’t know what we’re going to find. We just have to brace for it all and be bold. It’s all we can do.

  As the several police cars near this dark unknown suburban home, I hold onto Giulio’s hand tighter. Freezing air rushes down my spine as an officer orders us to stay close to our car.

  We are early, with eighteen hours to spare.

  Five officers march up the dark porch steps. “SPD! OPEN UP!”

  One pounds on the door with a thud. At the second attempt, Sergeant Flynn emerges and breaches the door. It flings open and the officers enter with guns drawn.

  Giulio pulls me to his side.

  The urge to rush inside behind them is there, but we can’t just yet. Staying behind fosters agitation to pump wildly through my veins. I need to distract myself and I do so with Giulio’s pounding heart against my ear. I listen until our beats merge into one.

  Soon, SPD officers emerge from the house with a group of women and men. I don’t recognize any of them. Their hands are cuffed behind their backs and their heads remain low as officers place them into the backs of four separate police cars.

  Sergeant Flynn is the next to step out of the house.

  “Oh my god!”

  He’s with a handcuffed Marcus.

  Sergeant Flynn is met with an SPD detective who gestures towards one of their cars, but he shakes his head and eyes flicker in our direction. Marcus’ sinister stare entraps me. I’m distraught as he walks to us with Sergeant Flynn, coming to a halt only a foot from us.

  It’s true. Marcus is involved. He had Addilyn this entire time.

  Trusting him was a losing game.

  Oh my god!

  Marcus’ face remains clenched as he emotionlessly glances between us.

  “I trusted YOU!” The pain is written all over Giulio’s face as he launches forward, an accusing finger jabbed into his half-brother’s chest. “With my kids. With my wife. With my company. WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?”

  Marcus flinches. “You think I did this alone, brother? Oh no. Who do you think helped me? Who do you think constructed those letters? We both know I am not a tough or creative guy. Bryce did that.”

  All the air sucks out of me at the confirmation. The coldness Marcus emits foreshadows the end before he even begins. His words cut deep. Too deep.

  Why would he do this?

  Why would he destroy his own family?

  My God…

  “We know what Bryce did, but you did the rest. You hired all these people to hurt us. You planned that fire. You kidnapped Oscar and Slonne. You tried to kill Giulio and me. You took Addilyn awa
y from us!” When Marcus’ only response is to look at me, I cannot take it. He gives me everything and nothing. It takes everything in me not to break down in front of him. He’s not worth a single tear. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Marcus!”

  “More than ashamed. Why would you bring Bryce on board?”

  “Mr. Giannotti, these questions will be answered by Marcus down at the jai—”

  Marcus cuts Sergeant Flynn off. “Because after kidnapping her, I tracked Bryce down in a bar one night in May. He didn’t know me…but I knew him. I needed people for phase two and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. I formed a deep relationship with Bryce. I thought I could trust him, but he was just another person in the plan of my defeat. I don’t know how I didn’t fucking foresee it, but he pulled out at the last moment because he grew a fucking heart.”

  Giulio shakes his head. “You made him into the monster. You bribed him.”

  “I did. Jealousy does a lot of things to a person, but envy is a whole other level. Giulio, you destroyed our father and then went on to have the perfect family. I wanted that.” His face twitches in disgust. “I wanted the successful career, the intelligent wife, the children. I wanted it all. I needed to ruin you, and ruin you I did. I began with the weakest link, Addilyn. It’s a good thing my mother and our father deceived you. Nobody loves you, Giulio. Nobody.”

  “I love him,” I grit. “Our children love him. My family and our friends love him. I would die for this man. I would have died for him. You are undeserving of every single thing Giulio has done for you. He believed in you when nobody else did, even when you didn’t even believe in yourself, he did. And I was there right alongside him, Marcus. We. Were. Always. There. For. You. We’ve always been on your side, right until this moment.”

  “Whatever.” Marcus chuckles coldly. “I’m smarter than you think. Come on. I was over for dinner with you, Helena, and your parents the night Addilyn was abducted to even make it look like I wasn’t involved. SPD never suspected me because CCTV proved I was with Valencia, yet I hired the abductors. My men did everything to make your life hell and it worked. The pressure made you separate. It made your kids fall asleep crying. It drove you both to insanity.”