by Samantha Lee
Antony interrupted. “Daemon, if you drove you should take care not to drink anymore, it won’t do for you to endanger your lady when it can be avoided.”
“Good point Antony, she is mine to care for, so I should do it properly.” Daemon said.
Yvette kicked him under the table, Daemon looked down at her, “What?” he asked.
“Why are you being an ass?” Yvette whispered
Daemon shrugged, “I get the feeling Antony did something to hurt you, and I don’t particularly care for that, and you don’t need that shit either.” Daemon said.
“Can’t say you are wrong there.” Yvette said.
Daemon gave her a smile that told her he was up to no good, he bent down and kissed her. His lips were soft on hers, he grabbed the back of her neck and deepened the kiss, but she didn’t feel anything. She felt awkward, like she was kissing her best friend.
Antony cleared his throat. “Daemon, you are going too far on a day I can’t really be responsible for my actions. Too damn far.”
Daemon pulled back, “Why can’t you be responsible for your actions?” Daemon asked. Daemon knew Antony needed to talk about what happened to his family or at least acknowledge that he said something to make Yvette cry herself to sleep last night. Instead, Antony closed down. Daemon watched him, and all night he looked past everyone, he held conversation, but he wasn’t truly engaged. He was keeping his parents murder under close wraps until after tonight, he couldn’t even grieve them. Daemon shook his head. Damn, Antony’s life wasn’t one he envied.
It had to be hard to push down those emotions for the sake of the Family, and he was managing it, but at the risk of losing the woman Daemon knew he loved. Daemon thought it would be good for him to lose it a little, because that was better than no emotion at all.
Antony stood, “Never mind, continue inappropriately kissing at a benefit ball, I am going to go to the restroom. Excuse me Areyanna.” Antony stood and made his way to the restroom, he stopped to talk with a few people as he found his way. Daemon stood and pulled Yvette up with him, “We can kiss and dance, shall we honey.” Yvette looked at Areyanna and said goodbye with her eyes. Areyanna acknowledged her. Daemon and Yvette walked toward the dance floor, one of them kept eyes on Antony’s progress toward the bathroom. Daemon spoke into his cufflink, “Ice, Antony is in the restroom, I don’t have eyes, now would be a good time for someone to take him. Keep a lookout on the outside.”
Yvette wanted to do something, the waiting was nerve wracking, waiting to hear or see Antony be kidnapped, didn’t sit well with her, she wanted to do something, every moment Antony was out of her line of sight, made her feel as if the walls were closing in around her. Then she felt Daemon’s hands move up and down her back, “Easy Archer, our plan is tight, he will be alright.” His soothing voice and touch took the edge off. Daemon turned her and spoke into his cufflink, “Ice, we have pick up coming out of the front door, Antony plus two. We are hot on their tails, call Sal but keep your eyes on the prize.”
Daemon waited for the group to move around the corner then pulled Yvette to the door. They walked outside of the ballroom in time to see Antony being thrown into a black car. Yvette kept eyes on the car, she memorized the license plate number. Ice was there within seconds, Yvette and Daemon jumped into the car, and they sped off after Antony. When they caught up to the car, Yvette was pulling off her shoes and dress. “Keep your eyes toward the front everybody.” Yvette shimmed out of her dress and slipped on a t-shirt and combat pants with tennis shoes, she pulled her gun and holster from the driver’s seat back organizer. She sat back and watched trying not to be a backseat driver, like Daemon was doing, “What are you doing Ice? Get over there, you are too close, damn it, next time, I am driving.” Ice didn’t say anything, he kept a good pace, Yvette imagined Daemon was feeling like her, he knew Antony and if they lost him he wouldn’t be losing a client but friend as well. The car’s phone system rang, Yvette looked on the dash, it was Sal. Ice answered the call, “We are behind you.” Sal said.
“Roger that. It looks like the fucking idiots are taking him to the meatpacking district. If that ain’t the most cliche thing to do.” Daemon said.
Sal grunted, “We are locked and loaded on our end. Remember Antony needs at least one alive.”
Yvette piped up, “We can’t make that promise.” Daemon turned around and looked at her as if they had never met. Ice hung up the phone, “A little bloodthirsty aren’t we kitten?” Ice said and smiled at her through the rear view mirror.
“No, just saying I am shooting to kill.” Yvette said.
“Roger that.” Daemon said.
The car pulled off the highway, they followed. There were a series of turns, then the car Antony was in stopped. Ice rolled past them slowly, Yvette rolled out of the car and into the night. Yvette ducked and rolled, putting her back against the brick wall of the warehouse they passed. She ran catching the door with her foot, before it closed. The pain from the heavy door closing on her foot made her want to cry out, but she held it in and dismissed the pain. She slipped in and used the shadows to hide her presence. She stayed close against the wall.
“So it was you Torre,” Antony said. Yvette heard Torre laugh, then he said, “Not me alone right?” Donato’s voice came through on a speaker phone. “Hello and goodbye Antony you piece of shit. You put me here and took everything away from me. If I weren’t here Sandra wouldn’t have been named the new heir. I have nothing to lose, and killing you will be a balm to all the wrongs I have suffered. This will set the world to rights, just a little.”
“You sound completely insane Donato, has sitting in that cell for the last three months driven you bat shit crazy or were you like this before?” Antony asked.
“Somebody hit this asshole!” the man screamed over the phone. Yvette heard Antony grunt, and cough, they hit him in the stomach. That motherfucker Donato. Things were escalating, she needed to move, Antony would need to hurry up and get his answers, because she didn’t think they were going to stick to just hitting for much longer. She took a quiet breath and moved into position, she had a clear shot to two of the three men, one stood in front of Antony, she couldn’t get a bead on him.
On her call Daemon, Ice, Sal and his men would come running in to extract Antony, but she wanted to give him time to get the truth he needed.
“So you and Donato have been working together all this time?” Antony asked.
“Of course, how do you think Sandra got into our operations? Dumb luck? How do you think Jim and Peter’s dealings were hidden from your father for so long? Because they were smart? No, I did that, but your father was smart enough to figure out someone helped them. He started investigating and asking questions, I tried to throw him off the path, then Sandra blew your car up and I thought for sure that would take the heat off me, but it didn’t. Your father was like a dog with a bone when he thought he was being handled. I had to kill him, I couldn’t let him kill me first. Now, I have to kill you, but I am actually going to enjoy killing you. Donato, I will call you back when this piece of business is over.”
Torre raised his gun toward Antony, “Antony move!” Yvette said and fired off three shots, one going wide the other two head shots to the men that were holding Antony. Yvette was running toward Antony. She continued firing the entire time, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder then it felt on fire, she couldn’t stop to see what happened. She had to cover Antony so he could move. Shots fired from behind her, Daemon and Ice arrived, Torre ran further into the warehouse. She felt Ice and Daemon pass her to pursue Torre and she ran toward Antony. Yvette bent down on one knee keeping her weapon drawn and alert. They must have beat him in the car. He had blood dripping down his mouth and his eyes were swollen and red. “Are you okay?” Yvette asked. She looked down at him quickly assessing his injuries. He was beat up but otherwise uninjured, Yvette pulled him toward the wall behind a crate, so they had cover. She laid on top of him. “What the fuck are you doing?” Antony whispered. �
�What you paid us to do, protect you.” Yvette whispered back.
“Antony!” Sal had arrived relief rolled off her in waves.
“Over here Sal!” Yvette yelled, she rolled off Antony and felt the pain that radiated from her shoulder.
“Shit, Antony, she’s been shot.” Sal said.
Yvette peered at the wound, “Only a flesh wound.” Daemon taught her the difference, and field training to take care of it, but apparently Antony didn’t care.
“Sal let’s go, we need to get her to an hospital.” Antony said.
“But what about finishing up here?” Sal asked.
“Daemon knows what to do, he won’t kill Torre, that is for me to do, now, help me get her to the fucking car.” Antony said.
Antony gently lay Yvette on the seat and ran around to the passenger side. He closed the door and placed her head on his lap. “Get the fuck out of here Sal.”
Antony ran a hand over Yvette’s head gently petting her, “I am fine, it is only a flesh wound Antony, nothing to get worked up over.”
“Don’t fucking move Yvette, you were shot, whether you want to take that seriously or not doesn’t fucking matter to me, but I do.”
“That’s rare coming from you. Didn’t you call me a bitch and tell me to fuck off yesterday? Now today you care about whether or not I survive a fucking flesh wound.”
“Close your mouth Yvette.” Antony said through clenched teeth.
“No, fuck you Antony. You always get the last say. You said some pretty fucked up shit yesterday, and I get that you are grieving, I know where you are, I. Have. Been. There, remember, I am alone in this world. My family wasn’t murdered but they are dead just the same. I want to be there for you, I had nobody to go through that pain with me, I made it, but look at the woman I was when you met me. I was a bumbling idiot that was scared of her own shadow. It took some fucked up shit to make me see my own potential, sure, I didn’t turn into something everyone would be proud of, but I am proud of myself. But it took years to turn into this woman, I don’t want that for you. I don’t want you to become paranoid, believing everyone is out to kill you and isolate yourself. Let me help you.”
Antony sighed, this woman, this strong fierce woman, who took a bullet for him and wanted nothing more than to be with every part of him, was laying in his arms bleeding and begging to help him. But he couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t be with her and he didn’t want to see her and know that something so wonderful, and precious, was forever out of his reach. He reached for his cufflink only to realize one of those bastards had stolen them. “I can’t let you be next to me because I am engaged to someone.” Not exactly, Antony thought but that was the intended outcome of the agreement between Pio and Gino.
“What, say that again.” Yvette said.
“I am engaged to Gino Bonello’s daughter.” Antony said slowly.
“You fucking bastard. When did this happen?” Yvette asked.
“My father set it up before he died and asked me to promise him that I would marry her, it was the last thing he said to me before he died, and I promised.”
Yvette stayed silent. “You promised even after the night we shared?”
Antony nodded.
“It meant that little to you?”
“No, it meant a lot to me, but the Family means the world to me.”
“Boss we are here.” Sal interrupted from the driver’s seat.
Yvette sat up. Antony moved to get out. Yvette lifted her good arm, “Stay in the car Antony, we end here.”
The End until Release Me
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RELEASE ME | BOOK TWO
Anna Bonello brushed her hair and waited for her father to return with Antony Carbonaro, her new fiance. She didn’t know the particulars, but something terrible happened to him tonight. Her father told her to stay in the house and that he would more than likely bring Antony back with him. Anna had been in love with Antony for as long as she could remember, but he never paid her any attention. When they were children all he wanted was Kelly and Sal. They were his only friends. Growing up she stayed on the fringes of his world, she watched him. She wanted to see what kind of man he was going to grow to be. She knew early that she would marry a made man, but she would be damned if she married one with no power.
Ever since Antony had taken over operations at B&E, Anna had dropped hints to her father that they should merge the Families, “If only there was a way for both families to tie together, so the two families could become one.” Her father was a smart man she knew eventually, he would figure out a marriage would tie both families. But to her surprise it wasn’t her father who suggested it to Pio, it was Pio who suggested it to Gino. She didn’t anticipate this change, but it didn’t matter, it all worked toward her end game. To have Antony Carbonaro.
She heard the door open downstairs, it was early in the morning, it would be awkward for her to come down to meet Antony. She had to play things perfect. She had to be perfect for him, so he would want her, desire her, love her as she loved him. She climbed back into bed, her heart filled with joy over what was to come in her life. She would get the most sought after man to be hers. Finally, it was her time to become the mistress of a Family of her own, and with a little help from her, she and Antony would take the coast.
***
Daemon ran up to the information desk at the hospital, “How do I get to the emergency room from here?” The woman took her time answering him. Daemon needed to get to Yvette, she was alone and she had been shot. He didn’t know how bad it was, where the wound was located, and it was driving him insane. He pushed off of the desk and looked around the hospital lobby. There had to be signs that he could use to find the emergency room. There, past the double doors was a sign, the emergency room was that way. He took off running in that direction, he almost ran down a man in a wheelchair rolling to the bathroom, but he deftly dodged him. “Sorry, sorry,” he said to the man and kept going. He stopped at the next hallway and looked for a sign, there wasn’t one. He kept straight until he saw the red EMERGENCY written on a set of double doors in front of him. Here was where he needed to be. He ran up to the doors, and moved his hand wildly to get the motion sensor to open. He ran to the desk, “I am looking for Yvette…” shit, he didn’t know her last name. “One second,” he pulled out his phone ready to text Antony, when he heard his name.
“Daemon?” Relief flooded him, he knew her voice anywhere. “Yvette,” he turned around, she was sitting in the waiting area bandaged, watching TV and eating a bag of chips with a small juice. He rushed to her, and knelt in front of her, “Let me see it,” she smacked his hand away.
“You idiot it is only a flesh wound. What did you think happened?”
Daemon held her eyes, “You were shot. I don’t care if it is a flesh wound, through and through, or lodged somewhere, it is all the same to me. A bullet came in contact with you and that scared the shit out of me.”
Yvette hit his shoulder. “Will you keep it down. I haven’t told them how this happened and if you don’t quite down and get that deranged look off of your face, they will think it was you.”
Daemon looked around,, she was right, “Why didn’t you call me?”
Yvette shrugged. “I just-I just,” she couldn’t help it, she started crying. Daemon pulled her to him in a tight embrace. He rubbed down her back, “It’s alright, it’s alright.” His care and attention only made her cry harder. She was doing what people called, “Ugly crying.” She had been through a lot, she lost Antony for good, she was shot, she killed two more people, she didn’t know what to do with all of her feelings.
“It’s okay, I have you now.” Daemon said…
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