Lorenzo Beretta
Page 23
She was safe here.
Safe with me.
“Fine.” I stepped back, hating that I wasn’t touching her any longer. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“It’s going to take me a couple of hours,” Doctor Dubeke said, placing his kit on the table.
I pulled in another breath, needing to calm my racing heart, and turned, feeling like I was missing half of my body as I stepped back into the hallway. There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to not be around her, but it was all so different now. I was different. She was different. We were different.
I’d married her to become the Mafia boss, and now was the time to be that person. To find out what the fuck happened.
My gaze met Christian’s, and I didn’t have to say a single word as I darted into my office. I headed right for my whisky, pouring the biggest goddamn glass of the amber liquid, and waited for the sound of the door to close.
I told myself to take it steady, to be calm, but as soon as I turned back around and saw the five men in my office, I couldn’t keep my anger down. “What the fuck happened?”
No one spoke, all of their faces frozen as they stared at me until Mateo said, “I…” He blinked. “You were dead.”
“Does it look like I’m dead?” I fumed. My skin burned hot, my rage bubbling over and threatening to ruin everything in its path.
“I…I watched them.” Mateo shook his head, the dark purple bruises on his face telling me that he hadn’t gotten away without any injuries either. “When I woke up, the SUV was burning and—”
“They found two bodies in there,” Dante finished for him, stepping forward. “They thought it was you and Aida.”
I chugged back the whisky, trying to make sense of what they were saying.
“What happened?” Uncle Antonio asked, his deep voice deceptively calm, but I knew it was an act.
“Paolo.” I snapped my head up, looking at each of them in turn. “He never left the country. He wanted to take over the business.” I laughed, leaning against the edge of my desk. Tiredness was setting in quickly. “He made it look like we were already dead, so you wouldn’t come looking for us.” I shook my head. “Clever. Real fuckin’ clever.”
“Where is he now?” Dante asked, his hands clenched at his sides. I hadn’t seen him since he’d stormed out of my office, but now he was here, his rage trying to match mine.
“Dead. And so is his daughter.”
“Daughter?” Uncle Alonzo asked, frowning at me. “Paolo doesn’t have a daughter.”
I scrubbed my hands over my face, not wanting to relive this but knowing I didn’t have a choice. “Yeah, he did.” I paused. “Veev. Veev was his daughter.”
“Was?” Dante asked, his lips pulling up into a smirk. “You killed her too?”
“Damn fuckin’ straight I did.” I pulled in a breath, wincing as Aida’s cries thrashed through the mansion. I stood. I wasn’t going to do this, not right now. There was nothing left to do but fill them in on what had happened, and it could wait. The threat was over. I’d made sure of that. “Meeting tomorrow morning,” I stated, clearing my throat as I took a step away from the desk. “I’ll fill you all in then, but right now…right now I need to be with my wife.”
They all nodded in understanding, not that they had a choice anyway. I was the boss. I was the one in charge.
“I won’t be here,” Dante murmured. I halted halfway to the door, my gaze meeting his. “I’m leaving for the other side of the state. Remember?”
I frowned. I did remember. The only contact we’d had since he’d stormed out of my office was for him to have permission to move away for a while, to create his own soldiers. To find his own path.
“I’ll call you.” I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Be careful out there, brother.”
“I will.”
I took one final look at the men who were closest to me, the men who thought I was dead, and knew that if I lost it all, it wouldn’t matter, not as long as Aida was at my side.
EPILOGUE
AIDA
I waited at the bottom of the aisle, nerves rolling around in my stomach as if this was the first time I was doing this. Twelve months ago, I’d been standing at the end of an aisle, not realizing how much my life would change. I thought I’d had an idea, but I hadn’t, not really. Back then, I’d had no expectations, but now I did. Now I knew what waited for me, and I wanted nothing more than to run to him, kiss him, hold him, but more importantly, start the rest of our lives.
There was a thin line between love and hate. A line I’d traveled over the last year. A line that had been scrubbed out, leaving Lorenzo and me standing next to each other instead of on opposite sides. It had been a long, winding road to this point, but as soft music played, signaling it was time, I knew it had all been worth it.
The grass in our backyard whispered across my feet as I started walking, following the flower petals Vida had laid out, marking the path I needed to take. My gaze flicked around the small gathering, only people who mattered the most in attendance. Christian and Mateo were in the front row next to Lorenzo’s ma and Sofia. Mateo smiled at me, and I lifted my lips in return. A small bump in his nose was the only indication that it had been broken that night, but I knew he was forever changed just the way Lorenzo and I were. Mateo had been left behind, an insignificant person to anyone else, but they’d never know how important he was to us. He was part of this family, a family that I’d go to battle for.
I frowned as I spotted the empty seat in the row. Dante had been invited, but we hadn’t heard back from him, not since he’d moved to the other side of the state. Lorenzo had said he was giving him space, letting him find himself, but I didn’t think that was what he needed. He needed to be with his family, not on the outskirts of it.
I shook my head, trying to get rid of my thoughts as I glanced at Vida, who stood on a chair in the front row on the left side along with my ma, dad, and Noemi. I stepped forward. Every moment that I’d spent with Lorenzo had been one I wouldn’t change, not now, not ever. He was my destiny. A destiny I had no control over.
I tried to soak in every moment as I started walking past the chairs, but I couldn’t stop the memories bubbling up. Memories that I’d spent what felt like a lifetime trying to get rid of, but the scars remained, both physical and mental. I halted in the middle of the aisle, needing something to ground me, and as soon as I met Lorenzo’s stare, I knew that was all I needed. We silently relived everything that had happened in the warehouse all of those months ago, but we also acknowledged how far we’d come since then too.
My back was healed, leaving behind puckered skin, but deep down, I knew I wouldn’t heal fully. I wasn’t sure anyone could after an ordeal like that.
Lorenzo took a step toward me, moving away from the altar, and everything faded away. I got lost in his dark eyes, got lost in the smile on his face. He consumed every part of me, and there wasn’t a single thing I’d do to change that. He was it for me. He’d always be it.
He didn’t stop until he was only a few feet away, his hand extended for me. I took it without a single hesitation, knowing I couldn’t live without him. “Hey, baby,” he whispered. His white linen slacks and shirt danced on his body as the wind flowed around us, and he didn’t waste a single second planting his lips onto mine. His arm wrapped around my back, and I winced. It didn’t hurt, not anymore, but it was a knee-jerk reaction.
His palm flattened over the thin material of my flowy white dress. We’d both purposefully worn white to signal a fresh start. We’d said our vows a year ago to the date, but today would mark the beginning of the rest of our lives.
“That’s meant to wait until after the ceremony!” Noemi shouted, and I couldn’t help but grin at her words. She was right, but Lorenzo and I didn’t follow the rules—we broke them.
I pulled away, just enough to look into his eyes, and breathed out, “Hey.”
He grinned, his eyes showing me every emotion they could. He didn’t keep anything shuttered away
from me. He was open and honest, to a point where sometimes I wished he’d keep some things secret, but I knew he was doing it so that I was never caught off guard again. He’d promised he’d spend the rest of his life making it better, but what he didn’t know was him simply standing beside me was all I needed.
“Ready to do this?” he asked.
“With you?” I paused. “Always.”
The second book in the
Unseen Underground Series
is coming soon!
You can pre-order Mateo’s book here!
Acknowledgments
My first huge thank you needs to go to Paige. You’re the most awesomest Alpha Reader and PA. Thank you for loving my stories as much as I do, and generally just being you! But most of all, thank you for reading these on a time constraint. I’m not sure what I’d do without you!
Thank you to my husband and two awesome daughters who never fail to make me smile and continue to support the crazy road that is being an author. I love you all lots and lots like jelly tots!
My next thank you has to go to Jenn, my editor. I swear you saved my life and I appreciate so much you understanding everything that has been going on and still fitting me in. You’re the best Canadian a girl could ask for!
Linda. I swear I’d be lost without you! Thank you soooo much for everything you do. You’re always there no matter what, and I’m not sure what I’d do without you! You push me when I need to be pushed, and tell me to slow down when I need to stop. You save my ass more times than I can count, and I love you!
My proofreader, Judy. Thank you for putting up with me! Thank you for switching dates with me constantly. I swear, one of these days I’ll be on time. Never leave me, because I’d be lost without you!
I’d liked to say a huge thank you to my BETAs readers: Nikki & Yvonne. You ladies are amazeballs and I couldn’t do this without your continued support.
To my ARC team. You ladies are simply amazing and I love for each and every one of your messages! Thank you for taking the time to ready my stories, I appreciate so much.
To the bloggers who help share EVERYTHING. I love you so much, and I can’t put into words how grateful I am! You are a special bunch of people who continue to put a smile on my face.
To all the authors in the community. You continue to support me and I can’t thank you enough for that. I love our little slice of heaven, and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
Lastly, I want to say thank you, to you. Thank you for taking a chance on this book. Thank you for reading. And thank you for being awesome!
Also by Abigail Davies
MAC SECURITY SERIES (Alpha Security/Military)
Book 1: Fractured Lies
Book 2: Exposed
Book 2.5: Flying Free (Standalone Spin-off)
Book 3: The Distance Between Us
Book 4: ReBoot
Book 5: Catching Teardrops
Six Book Boxset
THE EASTON FAMILY SAGA
Fallen Duet (Forbidden Angst)
Book 1: Free Fall
Book 2: Down Fall
Fated Duet (Student/Teacher Angst)
Book 1: Defy Fate
Book 2: Obey Fate
Bonded Duet (Age gap/Forbidden Angst)
Book 1: Torn Bond
Book 2: Tied Bond
Burned Duet (Age Gap/Emotional Angst
Book 1: Fast Burn
Book 2: Deep Burn
CONFESSIONS SERIES (Romantic Comedies)
Book 1: Confessions Of A Klutz
Book 2: Confessions Of A Chatterbox
Book 3: Confessions Of A Fratgirl
BROKEN TRACKS SERIES,
(co-authored with Danielle Dickson)
Book 1: Etching Our Way
Book 2: Fighting Our Way
A. A. DAVIES (Darker, alter ego)
Inferno World Novella
Verboten (Extreme Taboo.)
Carnaval Series
Coquette (Carnaval des Ténèbres: book 7)
Sinner (Carnaval de la Mort Book 1)
About the Author
Abigail is the author of over twenty novels; her favorite to write being anything full of angst and drama. Her writing space is her safe haven where she can get lost—and tortured—in the world of her characters.
When not writing, Abi is mother to two beautiful daughters, a black cat, and a chocolate labrador.
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