by Harley Wylde
“And this one?” I asked, tapping the second picture, thinking the man looked familiar.
“Mara’s stepdaddy, Carl Rossi. You’ve probably seen him on TV a time or two. There isn’t much that asshole isn’t into. If it’s illegal, he’s either tried or is currently running it. He’s a real piece of work. Deals in women, guns, drugs… and he’s not afraid to get his hands bloody. I went back as far as I could with his financials. Your team was killed ten years ago, correct?” Wire asked.
“Yeah.”
Wire pulled out some papers and handed them to me. Certain amounts were highlighted. “Those checks were made out to Sara Rossi, starting about five months before your team was taken out. So, three months before she vanished with Mara.”
My brows lowered as I stared at the paper. “Rossi? But Mara said they were only recently married. Wouldn’t she have gone by a different name back then?”
Wire pulled out another sheet. A marriage certificate for Carl Rossi and Sara Jane Wilkerson. “Motherfucker!”
“Yeah,” Wire said. “I don’t know what those two were playing at, acting like they were getting married a few years ago. According to that, they’ve been married since before Mara was born. It gets even better.”
Wire pulled another document. Sara’s birth certificate. My eyes widened as I looked from the date to the one on the wedding certificate. “This says she was fourteen when she married Carl Rossi. How is that even fucking legal?”
“He was thirty-five at the time, and likely paid her family a handsome sum for them to sign off on the wedding” Wire said. “The research I did on the two showed that Sara Rossi was admitted to the hospital within six months of their marriage. For a D&C.”
My gaze jerked up to his. “She was pregnant? At fourteen?”
Wire nodded. “Seems Rossi didn’t keep his hands off his child bride. Sick fucker. Around the time Sara turned seventeen, she dropped off the radar. From what I’ve been able to find, she forged documents, giving herself a new name and a new life. As the girlfriend of Thomas O’Malley.”
Thomas had to have known who Sara really was, and what she was running from. Had he helped her in some way? I looked at the birth certificate again, and Wire slid another one across the table. This one for Thomas O’Malley. If he’d been with seventeen-year-old Sara, he would have been twenty at the time. Not exactly legal in most states, assuming they were sleeping together at that point, but at least they were only a few years apart in age. If he’d waited another year to date her, no one would have thought anything of it. Wire slowly eased another form in front of me.
Amelia Renee O’Malley.
I looked at him in confusion. “What’s this?”
“Mara’s real name. This is where the story gets a little more fucked up. I don’t know why, but within a few months of Mara being born, Amelia disappeared -- in a way -- and Mara suddenly came on the scene. After age four months, Amelia ceases to exist. No death certificate or anything. But there are no records of Amelia from that point on. No doctor visits, no school records. Nothing.” Wire handed me another form. “That’s the birth certificate Mara thinks is really hers. While it gives her the same last name as Thomas, he’s not listed as the father. Robert O’Malley is. Thomas’ brother who died at age ten.”
I dropped the papers and rubbed my hands over my face. “What the ever-lovin’ fuck is going on? None of this shit makes sense.”
“My thoughts? Carl Rossi found them, or was closing in. It’s not just Mara’s birth certificate that changed, Sara changed her name again at that same time, and they moved. In fact, they moved every six months, up until the night Sara grabbed Mara and they disappeared. Now here’s where things get more intriguing. Look at that bank statement again for Carl Rossi.”
I picked it up and scanned over it.
“You said Mara moved in June, right?” Wire asked.
I nodded.
“The payments to Sara Rossi began three months before that, and continued up until her supposed marriage to Carl Rossi three years ago.” Wire leaned back in his chair. “What I think happened is that he found them and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. But I don’t think Thomas would have left his daughter. Not willingly. Do you?”
“No,” I said. “Thomas never would have walked away from Mara.”
Torch slid a paper toward me, and I scanned over it. First I went ice-cold, then I was burning hot as fury gripped me. It was a letter to my superior a week before the incident, guaranteeing that my team would be placed in a certain position, with no backup, at a specified date and time. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Carl Rossi was responsible for what had happened to my team, for killing Mara’s dad.
“He was gay,” Torch said. “And Rossi threatened to ruin him. The man was living as a straight guy with a stable family, career military. He was a staunch supporter of conservative officials, and vocally he was all things anti-LGBT. So, Rossi threatened to out him, or he could do the man a favor, get rewarded, and keep his secret. He cashed the check, in case you’re wondering. The lives of your team were worth half a million.”
I growled and fought the urge to get in my truck and hunt down Carl Rossi. The man needed a bullet in his brain.
“Mara said they lived in poverty,” I said. If Sara Rossi was getting paid by Carl Rossi all that time, why had Mara grown up in the worst part of town?
“Sara could have paid for a really nice place with the money Carl was giving her. Ten thousand every month. Unfortunately, Sara has a little problem and living in the seedier part of town not only let her blend in, but gave her easy access. Heroin. I think Carl was also prostituting her to his friends.”
Well, wasn’t that just fucking perfect? This situation was so fucked-up I didn’t even know where to start. I eyed the rest of the papers in front of Wire and wondered what the hell else was in there, and did I really want to know? I didn’t have a clue what to do with this shit. I didn’t want to keep secrets from Mara, but I also didn’t think she needed to know absolutely everything either. She was happy for the moment, and I didn’t want to ruin that with this giant pile of crap.
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked Torch. I knew he had to have already gone over everything with Wire, which meant he probably had an idea of how he wanted to handle this mess. And honestly, I’d take any help I could get. I wanted Mara safe, but I wasn’t stupid enough to go up against the Rossi crime family on my own.
“I’m working on getting pictures of the men Sebastian Rossi hired to track Mara,” Wire said. “Once I have those, Torch is going to have the Prospects scout around town and keep an eye out for them. Has Mara done anything that could lead them here to the compound?”
I shook my head. “I tossed her phone out of the truck while we were still on the mountain, and she hasn’t used her credit cards.”
Torch’s eyes narrowed. “You’re certain?”
“She’s been with me the entire time,” I said. “Why?”
“Because when he hired those men, he made a flight itinerary for each. And they were flying into Birmingham. If they don’t know where she is, why are they coming to Alabama?” Wire asked.
Fuck!
“Gather anything she had with her when you found her,” Torch said. “I’ll have a Prospect leave town with it and dump it somewhere. But the damage is probably already done. They likely know the address of the compound by now, and who we are. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing from the Rossi family before too long. They tend to buy what they want, and they’ll think they can buy us too.”
“When is Zipper getting back? She needs to be inked now,” I said.
Torch sighed. “Do you honestly think something like a little ink or a cut is going to make Sebastian Rossi back off? He’s not going to care that you think she’s yours. He wants her, and he’ll take her regardless.”
I growled, not liking any of this.
“I know my opinion isn’t going to be very welcome right now, but I say we let them come for her. K
eep her inside the compound where they can’t get to her, or if you take her out, take a handful of brothers or Prospects with you. Make sure they can’t get to her, even if they know she’s here. And then take them out, one at a time,” Wire said. “Half our brothers, the two of you included, have military experience. Taking on some hired goons shouldn’t be that hard of a task.”
“They’ll just send more,” Torch said. “The only way to make sure Mara stays safe is to take out Sebastian Rossi and his father. Because if we take down the son, the dad will come after us next.”
“I shouldn’t have brought this shit here,” I said. “I wanted help protecting Mara, but this is way bigger than I anticipated. I knew Sebastian Rossi was after Mara, and my gut said that Mara’s mom had something to do with my unit being set up, but I wasn’t expecting” --I waved a hand over the papers on the table --”all this. It’s insane, and I can’t ask any of you to take this on.”
Torch drummed his fingers on the table. “I know you didn’t mean to bring all this to our doorstep, but you did, so now we’re going to handle it. I’m going to call Church. We’ll let everyone know what’s going on and come up with a more concise plan than ‘take down the bad guys.’”
“What about Mara?” I asked.
“She can stay here with Isabella. The two seem to be getting along. I’ll ask Johnny and another Prospect to come watch over them. One in the house and one outside. It’s not likely anyone is getting into the compound, but in case they find a weakness and take us by surprise, the women will be guarded,” Torch said. “If Johnny calls, I’ll answer even in the middle of Church.”
I nodded.
Wire began gathering his things. “I’ll meet both of you at the clubhouse. If you’re putting Mara on lockdown, you might want to let her know. And then she’s going to ask questions.”
Why couldn’t anything ever be easy? Oh, right. Because easy was boring.
I finished my coffee and then rinsed my cup. Torch did the same, and then we went to find the women. The TV was on in the living room, but they weren’t in there. I hadn’t heard the front door open. Had they somehow slipped past us? I hoped like hell Mara wasn’t off wandering around without protection. I didn’t think she’d do something so stupid, knowing Rossi was after her, but there was a first time for everything. A giggle sounded from somewhere upstairs, and I followed Torch up the steps.
A door in the middle of the hall was open with light spilling out. Torch smiled and motioned me forward. I’d seen the man smile before, usually when blood was about to be spilled or he was going to get laid, but this was a look I hadn’t seen him wear before, a softer look that took me by surprise. I wondered what was in the room.
He stepped inside, and I stopped in the doorway. I’d noticed Isabella’s baby bump, though it was still slight, but I guess I hadn’t realized Torch would have a nursery set up already. The walls were a soft yellow with teddy bear decals. A white crib, changing table, and dresser took up wall space. The bear motif seemed to carry over into the bedding, and a white blanket covered with teddy bears hung over the railing.
Mara and Isabella were standing near the dresser, and Isabella was pulling out the tiniest damn clothes. They were all those things with feet that people always put on babies. They were currently cooing over a white one with yellow ducks. When Isabella tried to hand it to Mara, my woman looked like someone was giving her a snake. It made me wonder how she felt about kids. We hadn’t discussed it, but after last night, there was a good chance she could be pregnant.
Yeah, I was an asshole and hadn’t even asked. I’d just taken her bare, wanting to feel her wrapped around me. The caveman in me had wanted to brand her with my cum, especially since she didn’t carry my ink on her body yet. And one day soon I was going to come down her throat, in her pussy, and then I was going to take that delectable ass of hers. My cock started getting hard just thinking about it.
“Bella, I don’t think Mara is in baby heaven like you,” Torch said.
“Oh.” Isabella looked at Mara. “We don’t have to look at all this stuff if you don’t want to. I just get so excited sometimes I can’t help myself. Don’t get me wrong, I was scared to death with I found out I was pregnant, but it didn’t take long for me to be really happy about it.”
“I guess I’ve just not thought that much about babies,” Mara said, casting a glance my way. That look told me enough. Babies made her nervous, and she didn’t know how I felt about that. Truthfully, I’d never thought much about kids, but now that I had Mara, the idea of having a baby or two wasn’t repulsive. I kind of liked the idea of a mini-Mara running around the house.
“Bella, I’m calling Church,” Torch said. “I want you to stay here with Mara. I’m sending over Johnny and probably Ivan. Keep Johnny in the house with you. There’s someone after Mara, and we need to make sure the two of you stay safe.”
Isabella cupped her belly.
Torch got that soft look again and crossed the room, pulling her into his arms. “You’re going to be fine, baby. Just keep Johnny close, okay? Watch movies with Mara or something. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
Isabella curled against him. “Love you, Connor,” she said softly.
His gaze narrowed a moment, but then he sighed. I figured it had to do with her using his actual name, something no one was allowed to do.
“Love you too, Bella,” Torch said.
Mara’s eyes held a sheen, and I wondered if the touching scene was about to make her cry. She came toward me, and I wrapped my arms around her. I hadn’t given her any soft words, and I honestly didn’t have a clue what love felt like. But she mattered to me, and I wanted her to be safe.
“Stay safe,” I said softly before kissing her. “Have fun with Isabella, and I’ll come get you soon. We’ll take some of the guys with us and pick out more things for the house. I want you to be comfortable in our home.”
“This is about me, isn’t it?” she asked.
“We’re going to discuss the situation with Sebastian, among other things. I’m going to protect you, Mara. The only way someone is getting to you is if they go through me first.”
“That’s not very comforting,” she said. “If the choice is for me to go with Sebastian or for you to die, I’m going with him.”
“It’s not a debate.” I swatted her ass. “Be good, and I’ll see you soon.”
Torch pulled himself away from Isabella, and we left the women in the nursery. Torch seemed to have found that once-in-a-lifetime type of relationship, and I wondered if Mara and I would have that one day. Things were still so new between us, but I did feel something for her. She meant more to me than the random women I’d fucked over the years. She was mine, and I’d kill anyone who tried to take her. That wasn’t love, but it was still something substantial, at least to me. I’d never cared about a woman before, never given a shit if she was with a hundred men, and I always kicked them out after I fucked them. With Mara, I wanted her in my bed every damn night, and I wanted to wake up next to her every morning.
Maybe that was love and maybe it wasn’t.
Torch rode in the truck with me over to the clubhouse, texting on his phone the entire way. I knew it wouldn’t take long for all my brothers to meet us in Church. I only hoped that we could find a solution to this insane problem, preferably before someone got hurt.
Chapter Nine
Mara
Rocky didn’t say a word after the meeting he’d had, and I’d spent the last ten days worrying about what was going on. Not a word was said about Sebastian or Rocky’s suspicions about what happened to my dad. I wanted him to talk to me, to tell me what was going on, but I didn’t know if I should ask. If he’d wanted me to know, he’d have said something, wouldn’t he?
The day he’d taken me to Isabella’s, he’d come back after his meeting and taken me shopping. We now had a couch, entertainment center, and a sixty-five-inch TV that I still thought was overkill for such a small house. Men and their toys! I’d half expected
him to buy some sort of game system and every gadget he could get his hands on, but he hadn’t. Once the Internet and cable were up and running, he’d picked up a Fire Stick at the store, and now we had access to movies online.
He’d let me get whatever I wanted for the kitchen, but I was a little clueless as to what we would need. I’d never really cooked before and didn’t have any idea what items were used for what. A spatula and spoon were self-explanatory, but why on earth did you need so many different-sized pots and skillets? Wouldn’t one of each be fine? We’d ended up purchasing one of those large sets that come in a box, same for our dishes and glassware. Since I didn’t want us to starve or live off boxed dinners, I grabbed a few cookbooks as well.
While we were busy getting the house taken care of, Zipper had returned. My tattoo was healing nicely and hadn’t hurt as bad as I feared. I’d noticed that Ridley and Isabella wore theirs on their arms, so I’d opted to do the same. Rocky had asked if I wanted it on my back. Just above my right wrist, I now sported black script that said Property of Rocky with small white and yellow roses around it, some were buds and some were fully bloomed. I’d asked Rocky why he chose those. He said he’d looked up flower meanings before we met with Zipper. White was for purity and innocence, and yellow meant happiness. He said that I’d been pure and innocent, and he promised me many happy moments in the future. I wondered if he even realized that he could be a bit romantic at times.
We’d gone out a few times since then, but always with other people. I had enjoyed getting to do things with just the two of us, even though we’d only had a few days together before reaching the compound. No matter how much I begged and pleaded, though, he held firm that we needed extra men with us when we went out. So, here I sat in a darkened theater with Rocky, while a group of Dixie Reapers were within arm’s reach. The only thing that made it bearable was knowing they were all miserable since I’d chosen a romantic comedy. The looks on their faces when I’d picked the movie was comical. You’d think I’d asked them to strip naked and run down the street. Although, from what I’ve learned of these men, they would do that in a heartbeat. Especially if alcohol was involved.