by Chelle Bliss
Austin looks a little freaked out as my mom grabs him and squeezes tightly. “Ma’am,” he squeaks, losing his badass edge pretty quick.
“Are you okay?” she asks him.
My mom worries about everyone, and it’s totally adorable when it’s not aimed at me.
I turn back around, letting my mom do her thing, and bring my gaze back to my father. His body is stiff, arms straight, hands in tight balls at his sides. Is he pissed off? For sure.
I cross my arms, dropping my shoulder, and cock my head, throwing the vibe right back at him. Whatcha going to say now, big guy? I raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to open his mouth, but he just tightens his jaw and swallows whatever angry words are sitting on his tongue.
“After the funeral,” I say, reminding him that the two men behind me just lost their mother, “Pike felt it was best to bring Austin home for his last year of high school. Family first, right?” I throw his own words right in his face, but I do it with a hint of a smile.
Suck on that, Dad.
“We’re so happy you’re here,” Mom tells Austin. “Family is the most important thing to us, and you’re just in time for Sunday dinner. I hope you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving.” Austin rubs his stomach. “Pike’s fridge didn’t have much in it that was edible.”
“I wasn’t expecting company,” Pike mumbles as he grabs my hand, ignoring my father’s angry presence. “You okay?”
I nod. “You?”
“Great,” he replies, but not in a way that’s convincing at all.
“What’s going on out there?” My grandma’s voice comes from the kitchen.
“We have an extra guest,” Mom calls out, and within three seconds, my grandma is in the foyer, pushing my father out of the way.
“The more, the merrier.” Grandma eyes Austin and then looks at Pike. “I can see the resemblance. They build them cute up there in Tennessee.”
“Gram,” I groan, covering my face in embarrassment.
She touches my cheek, looking at me with nothing but joy. “Sweetie, I’m old, not dead. Guess who’s back?” she says to me, holding on to my shoulder.
“Who?” I glance around, seeing no one out of the ordinary besides Austin.
“Tamara and Lily finally came home for summer break.” She pitches her thumb over her shoulder toward the lanai. “They’re out by the pool.”
My eyes widen, and for the first time in days, I’m freaking excited. I’ve missed Tamara since she wouldn’t leave her shit-in-the-pants boyfriend behind, and Lily… I haven’t seen her in what feels like forever.
“Can I talk with you?” My father motions toward my grandfather’s study, killing all my joy. “Alone,” he adds.
I squeeze Pike’s hand, trying to smile. “Give us ten. If I’m not out, send in a search party. One of us might not come out alive.”
“I’m sorry.” Pike blows out a breath, glancing at my father over my shoulder. “This is all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault. Stop. I’ll handle my daddy. Trust me.” I brush my lips against his before turning around to face a very angry Joe Gallo. “Let’s go, Dad,” I demand, walking toward the study without even waiting for him.
“Joseph,” my mother warns, trying to come to my aid and throwing out his full name like he’s about to be in trouble.
“Giovanna.”
Ah. He’s busting out my full name. That means shit is serious. “Yes, Dad?” I fold my arms again, throwing him all kinds of shade as he closes the doors to the study.
He blows out a loud breath, scrubbing his face with his hands. “Do you really think being involved with a man who has a criminal family and is now in charge of a kid is something you should be getting into in your life right now?”
“Are you for real right now?” I bite out, dropping a shoulder.
He mimics me and crosses his arms too. “As real as you’re gonna get.”
“So…” I grit my teeth, staring him down. “Pike’s father is an asshole, and his mother’s dead. None of which Pike was involved in. The kid out there—” I point toward the foyer “—who’s seventeen, by the way, has no parents left. What’s Pike supposed to do?” I throw up my hands, exasperated. “Just leave him behind to fend for himself?”
My father glances up toward the ceiling as his jaw ticks. “Of course not. Pike did what any man should do in that situation. My issue isn’t with what he does in his life. My issue is the choices you’re making in your life.”
I laugh, putting my hands on my hips. “How old am I?”
“Twenty-two.”
“So, I’m an adult, yeah?”
His eyes flash with anger. He knows where I’m going and that I’m right. Lord, the man hates being wrong. “Of course, but I’ll never stop being your father.”
“Then you should support me instead of getting pissed when I don’t do what you want. You know what you’ve always told me?”
His shoulders slump. He knows I’ve stored away every word he’s ever spoken for moments like this. “What?” he growls.
“You told me to be strong and be my own person. To follow my heart and never let anyone lead me astray. You taught me, hammering it into my head, that family is the most important thing in the world. We stick by one another no matter what bad shit happens and never turn our back on someone in need.”
He raises his chin. “You sure I said all that?”
I nod. “I could go on if you’d like.”
He shakes his head and throws up his hands. “Damn it. I wanted something different for you.”
“Different?” I arch an eyebrow, challenging him. “Different from what?”
“I wanted your life to be simple and filled with nothing but happiness.”
“News flash, Dad, I am happy.”
He rolls his shoulder and moves his neck from side to side, grunting. “But this isn’t simple. Let me remind you what hasn’t been simple.”
I roll my eyes. Here we go.
“Pike’s been arrested and taken to FBI headquarters to be questioned—”
“For something he didn’t do,” I interrupt.
He holds out his hand to silence me. “He, along with you, sweetheart, was forced into hiding.”
“They weren’t looking for me.”
Again, he gives me the hand. “Men shot up the compound, and from what I hear, Pike put a bullet in a man’s head.”
I grimace. “He saved our lives,” I tell him, because fuck him and this conversation.
That goddamn palm is back up as he continues talking. “Pike’s mom gets assassinated somewhere in there.”
“Again, not Pike’s fault.”
He bristles. “Then, you come home, and Pike’s father is in your apartment and tries to kill you.”
I blow out a breath, squaring my shoulders. “Pike saved me.”
“If it weren’t for fucking Pike, you wouldn’t have needed saving.”
I flinch because my father rarely swears at me, but he just dropped a doozy. “This isn’t his fault,” I groan.
“And now…” He steps forward, dropping his voice. “You come home from his mother’s funeral with a teenager in tow.”
“Family first, Daddy.”
He crosses his arms again, clearly not amused by my words. “Are you going to be a stepmom at twenty-two, Giovanna?”
I shrug. “Austin doesn’t need a mom. He needs a friend and to know that there are still people who care about him. Maybe—” I glare at him. “Maybe instead of making him feel unwelcome, you should get to know the kid whose mother was just murdered while he was in the room.”
My father’s body jerks. “He was in the room?”
I nod. “They knocked him out, but when he woke up, he found her body.”
My father sucks in air between his teeth. “Damn.”
“Uh, yeah.”
He rubs the back of his neck, head bent toward the floor. “I can’t imagine.”
“So, instead of being Mr. Judgy McJudgerson
, maybe you should try to find out what happened before you fly off the handle first.”
“I feel bad for the kid, but I still don’t approve of your relationship with Pike.”
I step forward, getting right in my dad’s face. “Do you hate that I fell in love with a man who’s exactly like you?”
“He’s nothing like me,” my father snaps.
I throw my head back and laugh. “He’s so much like you, I should probably get my head examined. I love Pike for all the same reasons I love you, damn it.”
“Just don’t do something stupid like run off and get married. You two are still so new. It’s already complicated enough with Austin. I don’t want you to get your heart broken again, baby.”
“Dad, we eloped in Tennessee.” It’s a lie, but I figure he deserves it now.
“What?” His eyes widen, and all the color drains from his face.
“I’m kidding,” I snort, putting him out of his misery when, really, I should let him suffer longer.
The vein down the middle of my dad’s forehead bulges. “That’s not funny.”
“It was to me.” I smile. “Pike’s a really great guy, Dad. You liked him a lot before the bad shit went down. You even pushed me to be friends with him, remember?” I nudge him with my shoulder.
He mumbles under his breath before he clears his throat. “I was an idiot.”
“No. Now you’re being an idiot,” I correct him, resting my hand on his bulky forearm. “Be nice to Pike and Austin. They could really use some friends right about now, Daddy.”
“Sweetie.” My mom’s voice comes from the other side of the door before her knock.
“Yeah, sugar?” Dad moves his gaze toward the door, and I use the moment to relax because this has been freaking exhausting.
Mom opens the door, looking between us. “Come out and spend time with the family. Your mother is asking for Gigi, and she told me to tell you to leave the child alone already.”
I smirk, but I quickly sober when my father glances at me. “We’re done, Mom,” I tell her, shutting down the conversation, whether he likes it or not.
She motions toward the door, excusing me. “Give us a minute alone, Gigi.”
I nod, smiling at my dad as I close the door behind me.
You’re in so much trouble, Daddy.
Someone’s going to get their ass chewed out, and for once, it isn’t me.
9
Pike
“You’ve had a rough few days. Poor baby,” Fran says, kneading my shoulders as she stands behind me. “I’ll make you feel better.”
The woman is harmless.
Her husband, however, is not.
“Fran, get your hands off that boy,” Bear growls, eyes locked on her from across the table, looking like he’s about to drag her out of the room. “He doesn’t need some old lady pawing at him.”
Her fingers push harder, working my stiff shoulders like a pro. “You love when I do this for you,” she tells him, earning herself a slow headshake from Bear.
He cocks an eyebrow, and his jaw tenses. “He has his own woman to do that.”
Gigi stalks into the kitchen, shaking her head as soon as she sees Fran’s hands on me. “Aunt Fran, you just can’t keep your hands to yourself, can you?”
“You takin’ over?” Fran asks Gigi.
Gigi glances down at me and winks but looks up at Fran a moment later. “I was going to see Lily and Tamara, but if your hands are tired, I will.”
Well, there went my rescue.
“I’m good, doll. I can do this all day.”
I can just imagine the shit-eating smirk on Fran’s face as she said those words. And based on the scowl on Bear’s face, I’m not far off.
“I could use some air.” I pat Fran’s hand on my shoulder as I push back from the table, finding a way out.
“I’ll be waiting if you need another rubdown.” Fran winks at me, and my face instantly heats.
“Like hell you will, woman. Get over here and give me those lips.” Bear taps his leg, and Fran moves around the table, doing as she’s told. “Good girl,” he says, rewarding her with a deep kiss as soon as she’s firmly planted in his lap.
“How’d it go?” I ask Gigi, pulling her off to the side before she can sneak out to the patio with her cousins.
“Fine.” She rolls her eyes. “You know how he is, but I think we made headway.”
“You made headway, or he did?”
“We did.” She shrugs and snickers. “Well, I did.”
I look over her shoulder, watching as her father stalks through the living room, clearly not happy. “Maybe I should talk to him.”
She slides her hand up my chest, resting her palm on my shoulder, drawing my attention back to her. “Don’t do that. I really took care of everything.”
I’m sure she thinks she did, but I need to have another man-to-man talk with her father. This shit needs to end. “Thanks, darlin’,” I tell her, brushing my lips lightly against hers.
“Where’s Austin?” she asks, all sugary-sweet and totally trying to change the subject.
I shift my gaze toward the pool, catching sight of the Casanova lying between the two girls. “He’s outside with your cousins.”
“Shoot,” she grumbles and shakes her head. “He better not get any ideas.”
I laugh. “He’s seventeen. All he has are ideas.”
She chuckles, pushing me away before dashing out the door.
“Gigi!” The two women run toward her, almost knocking her off her feet as they hug.
Austin’s eyes find mine, and I mouth behave before sliding the door closed again, leaving them be.
“Pike, can we talk?” James asks.
I nearly jump out of my skin because the man just appeared out of nowhere. “What’s up?” I try to sound casual, like he didn’t just scare the living shit out of me.
He motions toward the dining room and waits for me to make the first move, lifting an eyebrow like he’s talking in code. “I have some news,” he blurts out.
James always has news. The man never stops digging, and with all his contacts in the legal and criminal worlds, I’m sure he always has something crossing his desk.
“Thomas, you comin’?” James yells across the room to where Thomas is watching the Cubs game with the other guys.
I barely have my ass in the dining chair before James starts to speak. “Your father was arraigned two days ago. No bail, so he’s going to be behind bars until his trial.”
I place my palms on top of the table, trying to be relaxed, but happy as freaking fuck. “More than one charge, I hope?”
James nods. “So many, but the biggest are money laundering, conspiracy, attempted murder, and murder.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Murder?”
“He killed a man back in Tennessee before stealing his car and heading here,” James replies before blowing out a long breath.
“He’s a heartless SOB,” I mutter, but this is Colton Moore, and he’s always been cold-blooded.
“That he is,” Thomas agrees, resting his hand on my shoulder like I need comfort.
“We haven’t been able to find out why he was in Gigi’s apartment or why he came to Florida. We’re sure it has something to do with you, but we haven’t pieced it together yet.”
“Maybe he wanted to kill me too.” I shrug. Anything’s possible, especially when it comes to him.
Thomas takes a step back, crossing his arms as he studies me. “Maybe he thought he was in your apartment.”
“It’s possible.” I nod.
James pulls out the chair at the head of the table and sits. “I got word from Tiny and Morris. They’re headed this way for business.”
“Okay,” I draw out, leaning forward and thinking there has to be something more to the story because there always is.
James glances at Thomas briefly before he explains, “They’ll want to see you. They know you were at your mother’s funeral. They held off on coming to this coast until t
hey knew you’d be back. Should be here in a few days.”
I nod, always happy to see the guys, especially since they saved our asses without asking for anything in return. “I’m sure Morris will reach out.”
James rests his hands on the table and pushes back, straightening his shoulders. “They’re going to ask for payback,” he tells me, like his words aren’t a big fucking deal.
And they are…they’re a huge fucking deal.
“Payback for what?” I ask, looking between James and Thomas.
“They lost a lot in that gunfight with DiSantis’s men. They’re going to want something for that.”
I squeeze my hands together, not liking the sound of this. How could they willingly come to my rescue, pretending to be my friend, and then ask for something in return? “What’s their price?”
James throws up his hands as he shrugs, not looking rattled in the least. “Fuck if I know, but I’m sure it’s going to be big.”
“I don’t have jack to my name,” I admit, and I don’t. I have enough to live, but by no means do I have a pile of money sitting in the bank for moments like this.
Thomas laughs, shaking his head at me like I’m an idiot. “They don’t want money. They’ll want a favor. When they ask, if they ask you and not us, talk to us before you give them an answer. Got it?”
I cross my arms over my chest, trying not to take offense. “Didn’t know I had to run my life decisions by you two.”
I know I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t be smarting off to the two guys who have saved my ass more times than anyone else ever has in my life.
“Pike.” Thomas leans over the table, crowding my space. “You lived with these guys. You know how they operate. You want a cell right next to your pops?”
I shake my head, gritting my teeth. “No,” I growl, keeping my eyes on James and not the scary-as-fuck guy looming over me.
“Then talk to us before you make a move,” Thomas whispers so quietly, the hairs on my arm stand up like even they want to get away from him.
“What’s wrong?” Izzy’s in the doorway to the dining room, gaze sweeping between the three of us. “You three together never means good things.”