“And just where do you think you’re going?” The cool metal of a semiautomatic handgun pressed against the back of my head. If he thought I was intimidated, he was fatally mistaken.
When I turned my head to look at him, he took a step away from me. No doubt the deadly intent shone in my eyes, even in the darkness. He opened his mouth to issue another threat, but I raised my gun and silenced him forever. The crackle of his two-way radio caught my attention, so I pulled the cord to his earpiece out and grabbed the handset from his belt.
“Curtis! Answer me! What do you see? Is Damon here?” A panicked voice asked repeatedly in a whispered shout.
I lowered the earpiece and strained to locate where the other soldier hid. Then he made the mistake of leaving his post and moving closer to Curtis, and I had him dead in my sights. Literally.
The muffled sound of gunfire from my right meant Marco had taken another man down. Hearing the shot, another man stepped out and leveled his gun on me, but that didn’t break my stride. A double tap later, and even dental records wouldn’t identify him. The bastards were dropping like flies around us, but I was still looking for one specific fucker.
When Marco and I reached the door, I realized why Geno had chosen this structure. The metal door was impossible to kick in and could only be locked from the inside. With no locking mechanism on the exterior, we couldn’t pick the lock to get inside. But he only thought he had outsmarted me. I had other news for him that could only be delivered in person.
Keeping in line with the rest of the structures, the outside of the garage was littered with discarded items and pieces of plastic or metal that used to be useful tools. I grabbed part of an old metal file and a thick rock and removed the pins from the door hinges. Within seconds, I’d removed the last barrier between Jillian and me. The men inside that room didn’t count because they were already dead, they just didn’t know it yet.
Two of Geno’s goons were positioned on either side of Jillian, their guns aimed at my chest as I stood in the doorway. Geno stood behind Jillian with his gun pressed firmly against her temple. But I wouldn’t be intimidated by that motherfucker, so I walked straight at him without acknowledging his bodyguards. The experienced hit man in me surfaced without a hitch. The terror in her eyes would’ve swayed my approach if I allowed myself to think about it. So I couldn’t. I had to push it aside. If I showed a millisecond of weakness, Geno would exploit it and tear my world to pieces.
“Dad and the rest of the family just pulled up. This is over, Geno. There’s no way you walk out of here alive if she’s hurt. Let her go right now.” Marco stepped into the room and moved to my side.
“If she didn’t want to be a target, she shouldn’t have tracked my money. Your fucking sister shouldn’t have stolen it from my account. The Marchetti family ruined my life, so I’ll take your world away while you watch. Now, say goodbye to your girl and your baby, Damon.”
“Babies.” With an even and calm voice, I corrected him.
“What?” He scrunched up his face and drew his brows downward.
“Not baby, you fucking moron. Babies, plural. She’s pregnant with twins.”
“What the fuck does that matter?”
When he asked the question, he raised both hands up in front of him. Some stereotypes were accurate. As with any typical Italian, he talked with his hands, making big gestures to amplify his point. In the split second the gun was away from Jillian’s head, I aimed and fired at his head, putting an end to the pseudo-threat that was Geno Sanfratello. Marco and Paulie fired immediately after me, taking out the two extra dead weights.
“It matters a lot.”
In two strides, I knelt in front of Jillian and pulled the tape off her mouth while Marco cut the ties off her wrists. As soon as her hands were freed, she threw her arms around my neck in a death grip and cried into my neck.
“Are you hurt anywhere, doll?”
She shook her head, and I barely discerned a muffled “no” coming from the general area where her face was still pressed against me. I slid one arm under her knees and the other around her back then stood while cradling her.
“We’re going to the hospital to have her and the babies checked out.” I didn’t bother to stop and talk to my father as we passed him.
“Go. We’ve got this covered, son. Call me when you know something.”
Despite my near sprint all the way from the farmhouse back to my car, I didn’t feel like I’d exerted any effort at all. The adrenaline that flowed through my veins was more than enough fuel to keep me going for days on end. If we got an all-clear from the doctor, then I’d slow down. Until then, I couldn’t and wouldn’t rest.
When we reached Columbia Medical Center, I was so relieved to find Dr. Bowers was on call and already in the hospital. He met us in the labor and delivery triage area and gave Jillian a thorough examination.
“Everything looks and sounds fine, but I’d like to keep you here the rest of the night for observation. I don’t know exactly what all has happened to you, but I can tell you’ve been under a lot of stress, my dear. I’d feel better if we put a fetal monitor on you for the night and just kept tabs on the babies’ heartbeats and movements.” Dr. Bowers moved close to Jillian on the rolling seat, studying her features and committing every sign and symptom to memory.
He wasn’t Matteo, I got it. But his scrutiny made me uncomfortable.
“Observation sounds great to me, Dr. Bowers. I just want to make sure my babies are healthy. I’m fine, physically. Just a little shaken up.”
“I’ll have them put you in one of the delivery rooms for the next several hours to monitor all three of you. These nurses are great—they’ve worked with countless pregnant women. Sometimes I think they know more than I do.” He laughed good-naturedly, taking their expertise in stride and putting Jillian at ease. “And I’ll be around if you should need me for anything. I’ll put the order in now, and one of the nurses will move you out of the triage area and into your room in just a few minutes.”
We thanked him as he left the room, and I released a long, tired sigh. The events of the day and night were catching up with me, but until we had the answers we needed about the health of our twins, I’d remain on guard.
“Jilly.”
When she met my gaze, tears immediately filled her eyes. “Damon, I was so scared.”
“I know you were, doll. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you when you needed me. I wish I could take that fear away from you. If I could bear it for you, I gladly would.”
“Geno said he’d set up an ambush to kill you here when he realized you weren’t in the car with me. He bragged about how his goons were the best and you’d be too busy hunting for me to realize you were the one being hunted. I was so afraid he was right, because I knew you wouldn’t stop until you found me. He knew you’d come for me. He even said you’d find me within minutes of realizing I was missing. He picked a place that would be fast and easy to find so he could get to you. How did you find me anyway? Geno trashed my phone.”
“Dad had heard a rumor about Geno moving to Vegas, but we knew better than to believe it at face value. I hid a burner phone under the liner in your purse this morning. Call it a sixth sense or intuition, whatever, but I knew something was coming. Anyone who grabbed you would get rid of your smartphone, but they wouldn’t take time to look under the lining. Carrie was able to track the burner phone to a general area. From that location, I knew exactly where you were from the video text Geno sent to me.”
“Geno must have counted on me having some sort of tracking device other than my phone. You saved me again, Damon. You’re always rushing into dangerous situations to help me out of them.”
“And I always will—no matter what the situation is. Remember that warning I gave you a long time ago? That still stands. You go, I go. Simple as that.”
�
�Would you think less of me if I told you I’ve had enough scrapes with death over the past year, and I’m okay with waiting until my nineties for the next one?”
“No, doll, I wouldn’t think less of you at all. I’d be so fucking relieved, you wouldn’t believe it. If you’ll put that in writing right now, I’ll let you be the boss at home for the rest of our lives.”
The sound of her laughter was music to my ears. “Damon, I don’t want to be the boss at home.”
“Oh? So you want me to be the boss at home and at work?”
“No. You can be the boss at work. But at home, we’re a team. Deal?”
“Deal, my love. That is the deal of a lifetime, and I’ll take you up on that starting right now.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jillian
For the first two weeks after I was released from the overnight observation, Damon barely left my side. Knowing that the only remaining threat had been eliminated didn’t console him in the least. The video Geno sent to Damon’s phone struck a chord deep inside him, ringing a bell that wouldn’t easily be un-rung. Even when I went with Mama Lina and Carrie to pick out my wedding gown, he insisted on going with us. But he knew how important keeping the dress a surprise was to me, so he agreed to stand guard outside the enormous dressing room without peeking.
Choosing the one dress I’d wear for my one and only wedding was more than a little daunting. Besides finding the perfect gown, I also had to find one that would fit my ever-growing midsection and still look halfway decent on me. Damon claimed I was overreacting, but he only said that to placate me. The reality was, I could tell a difference in the size of my belly every morning when I woke. Our wedding day seemed so close yet still so far away. At that rate, I wasn’t even sure the dress would still fit when the day finally arrived and it was time to wear it, yet I didn’t want to get a size so big it swallowed me whole either.
There was no one-size-fits-all dress or solution to my conundrum.
“Good morning, gorgeous. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?”
“Good morning, my love. I slept like the dead between the fifty times I had to get up to pee in the middle of the night. Did I wake you?”
“I’m naturally a light sleeper, doll. Comes from years of sleeping with one eye open.”
“Good to know. I’ll try not to disturb the eye that’s asleep in the future.” With a smile for my fiancé, I slid into my seat and began devouring the scrumptious breakfast he cooked.
“By the way, I have a pre-wedding gift for you.” The words rolled off his tongue so nonchalantly, but I sensed the undertone of excitement he tried to hide from me.
“What is it?” I was intrigued. There weren’t many material possessions that excited him.
He smirked at me for a moment, considering his extortion options. What could he get from me in exchange for information? How much should he hold out for? All the old negotiation tactics I’d seen in contractors over my years of professional experience. But I was good at negotiating for what I wanted too. With my fork held in midair for added emphasis, I arched one brow and pursed my lips, waiting for him to make a decision and daring him to make the wrong one.
He reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a key fob, and held it out in the palm of his hand. “I’m sorry it took me so long to do this.”
I took the key fob attached to a leather keychain from him and ran my finger across the four connected circles at the bottom. “An Audi?”
“Yes, ma’am. A dark blue Audi RS7, to be exact. It’s a luxury sedan—sporty but still very safe for you and the twins.”
“I would jump into your lap and cover your face with kisses right now if I could fit between you and the table.”
Without hesitation, he pushed back from the table using his legs then patted his lap. “Problem solved.”
After I’d smothered him with kisses for several minutes, we walked to the garage together where my new car waited. After I’d checked out all the buttons, knobs, bells, and whistles, I wrapped my arms around Damon’s neck and kissed him again.
“I love this car. It’s perfect. Thank you, babe.”
“My pleasure. I should’ve done that a long time ago. It finally occurred to my thick head that you may want to drive yourself somewhere instead of relying on me or one of the guys. Luigi won’t be able to drive for a while. He’s lucky even to be alive. As much as I want to keep you safe, I don’t want to keep you prisoner.”
“I don’t feel like your prisoner, but I do appreciate not depending on someone else for everything I want or need.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’m the same way. The car made me realize I should’ve already given you this, too.” He pulled an envelope from his jacket’s inside pocket. “We’ll update the name after we’re married, but these will work until then.”
I opened the envelope and pulled out lots of plastic. “You added me to your bank and credit card accounts?”
“What’s mine is yours, doll. Maybe you’ve noticed the lack of any lawyer involvement or requests to sign prenuptial agreements. I told you before, once we’re married, it’ll be forever. You’re the only one for me for the rest of my life, doll.”
“No keeping secrets or leaving me in the dark about anything?”
He shook his head. “No way. Two heads are better than one. Besides, I want you by my side in everything I do. Sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally—but always with me just the same.”
“That’s where I’ll be—always with you. But I have a warning of my own.”
“Oh yeah? Let’s hear it.”
“If you double-cross me, I’ll make sure your enemies know you’re secretly a huge romantic.”
He threw his head back in laughter. “Trust me, doll. None of my enemies would ever believe I have a single nice bone in my body, much less a romantic one. That side of me is reserved for your eyes only.”
He kissed me goodbye and walked to his car. “You should take your new toy for a spin while I’m out today. Make sure you like it.”
“I’ll do that—if I can fit behind the wheel and still reach the pedals.”
He laughed, amused by my self-deprecating humor. “I’ll be home late, doll. We’re meeting with some of the smaller factions that aligned with the Sanfratellos a few months ago. They want to play nice with us now.”
“Please be careful, Damon. You’re a bad influence on me—I don’t trust anyone now, and I definitely don’t trust someone who used to be your enemy.”
“Don’t worry about me, doll. I’ll be fine. If we can use them, we will. If they don’t prove their loyalty soon enough, we’ll get rid of them. I consider everyone a potential enemy until they give me concrete proof showing they’re not. I’ll call you later and check in.” He blew me a kiss as he climbed into his car. I watched him drive away, wondering if I’d ever get used to the danger he faced in his line of work.
I grabbed my purse from inside the house and took Damon’s advice on taking my new car for a spin. As with every other high-end item, Damon also had impeccable taste in cars. I’d racked my brain trying to come up with a wedding gift for a man who had the world at his fingertips. He, on the other hand, had no problem coming up with extravagant gifts for me.
Driving through our township, I saw a sign in the window of a women’s boutique, of all places, that gave me an idea. Something he didn’t already have and wasn’t likely to initiate for himself. Something that could be completed within a day, with Mama Lina and Carrie’s help. After a brief phone call and quick explanation to each, they were both on board to make my idea a reality.
Our basement was finished, but it was initially slated to be the last room on the list for furniture shopping. But I changed my mind when I saw the “Babe Cave” sign. Damon deserved a true Man Cave where he could unwind and de-stress after a long day. A playroom for
adults, where problems didn’t exist and troubles took a back seat.
When I reached Mama Lina’s, she’d already assembled a small army of Vincenzo’s men to be at our beck and call.
“Tell me, bella. What do you want to get first?”
“I want to get the biggest flat-screen TV we can find and hang it on one end of the room, with rows of recliners like his own theater, and a sectional sofa on the opposite end of the room. We need a fully stocked bar with stools along one of the side walls, a pool table in the middle of the room, and a card table off to the other side. Can we make all this happen today?”
“No sweat, Miss Jillian. We’ll make sure it’s finished well before he gets home.” I recognized the man as one of Vincenzo’s most trusted lieutenants. If they trusted him, I knew I could trust him too.
“Thank you, Joseph. You’re such a good man. We need to find you a good wife, no?” Mama Lina patted his cheek, and I could’ve sworn he blushed from her attention.
Carrie pulled up just as Mama Lina and I were getting into my new car. She jumped out of hers and into the back seat of mine. “Where to first? This is exciting. I love spending my brother’s money.”
We laughed and took off on our shopping spree with the day’s work crew behind us. From one store to the next, I picked out every item to accomplish the room’s exact look and feel I had pictured in my mind. The men stayed with us, doing all the heavy lifting and immediately taking the items available to carry out of the store to my house.
I learned a few new negotiation tactics from Mama Lina to get the bigger delivery items dropped off within the same business day—mainly dropping the Marchetti name in the store and watching them scramble to make it happen. The furniture store was more than willing to take the sectional sofa and leather recliners right away, considering I’d already spent a small fortune there and they knew I’d be back for more.
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