by V. F. Mason
Name. We had his real name; a task that had seemed almost impossible throughout all those years.
Show no emotion.
The words were like a fucking mantra in my head.
"And you think I'll find it interesting because…?" My voice was firm and steady, giving nothing away of my inner turmoil.
"We have something you want." His words brought a chilled and humorless laugh from me.
"Really?" My brow rose, and I leaned forward. "Name it." We held each other's stare, S and I, for a few seconds, and then he took something from the inside pocket of his jacket and threw it on the table.
The picture showed a beautiful young girl, barely legal I would say, with silky, dusky hair and the deepest brown eyes I'd ever seen, and they were filled with so much pain. Everything inside me shouted to reach out to her and soothe it. At the same time, though, my body hardened at the unexpected image in my head of her spread on my bed to do as I pleased, while her skin glowed from the candlelight. The unfamiliar emotions that ran through me were unnerving because I'd never fantasized about anyone. Plus, it made me sick considering how young she probably was.
"Her name is Rosalinda Giovanni. She's the only daughter of Emmanuelle Giovanni, the center of his universe." The surprise at this information was so huge it was impossible to mask my reaction from the men.
Emmanuelle Giovanni, aka Don, was the head of the most powerful Italian Mafia in the United States. He controlled the drug and gun dealerships, and everyone had to ask his permission to enter New York where his main headquarters were located. No mafia, be it Russian or Irish, wanted to cross the man. Fifteen years ago, he had lost his beloved wife when one of his business associates hit her with a car on the sidewalk. She died instantly, and Don lost it. By himself, he destroyed an entire organization for her, by torturing, killing, and then ripping the bodies apart, piece-by-piece, as a form of revenge. He was a lethal motherfucker who had no mercy for those who betrayed or didn't obey him.
Emmanuelle had only one weakness: his daughter. She seemed almost like a ghost because no one had ever seen her. Mafia usually didn't touch family, one of the sacred Cosa Nostra rules, but Don simply had too many enemies and too few allies to ensure the safety of Rosalinda. Lately, however, Emmanuelle almost never attended the meetings. Enrique, his second-in-command, handled the majority of his business. Not that any man was stupid enough to ask where the Don was or why he hadn't shown up.
Rosalinda. I slowly said her name in my mind and ignored the pleasure that spread through me. "She was kidnapped a few years ago, right from her Catholic school." His lips lifted in a smile that always made my stomach flip during my childhood; S shared it with his brother. "And she was delivered to us."
His words stopped me cold, but he hadn't noticed my reaction, and continued, "I had plans to marry her off to my son, Erik. Giovanni blocked my major business and didn't want to deal or be persuaded to join in anything I had to offer." Considering what kind of business he liked, it didn't surprise me. Don had one golden rule. Nothing was off limits except kids and unwilling women.
"So you traded her for money?" I barely contained my impulse to grab his collar and choke the life out of him. S shook his head and again exhaled a heavy stream of smoke.
"Erik was supposed to fuck her so she would lose her virginity. Giovanni, you see, is a big traditionalist. Virginity is sacred to good Sicilian girls and their fathers." Michael's eyes widened in horror at those words, and he swallowed loudly.
Bratva, created by Vasya, consisted of dangerous men who had no problem in eliminating whoever stood in their way. We kill, steal, beat the shit out of people, and induce fear. The words mercy or second chance didn't exist in our vocabularies. You fucked up, you paid with your life. Usually, I held the gun and pulled the trigger to end someone's life.
However, once I came here, I made sure of one thing. We never raped or forced ourselves on anyone. If anyone did, they paid for it with their life like our enemies. First, they would have their dick cut off and then die a painful death. Whores at the headquarters had the right to say no, to whomever. No one was raped on my watch.
"But then the cunt escaped with her virginity intact, smacking Erik on the head with a bedside lamp," Richard said disapprovingly. "The only thing he accomplished was to cut her face with a kitchen bread knife, leaving two long scars." Richard chuckled as fury like I'd never felt before washed over me, threatening to snap my control and kill the fucker with my bare hands. "Point is, we don't know where the stupid girl ran to and we need you to find her."
Keeping the mask on my face, I took out a cigarette and lit it. "And I would do it because…?"
The minute those fuckers left my office, I'd be contacting Connor about it and sending my people on a rescue mission. The girl must be terrified out of her mind with everything that had happened. Benjamin shifted on his seat and snarled.
"Because it's been five years."
I almost choked on the smoke. "Why now, after all these years?" Disbelief colored my voice.
Richard frowned and answered, "We don't need Don as our enemy right now." Rosalinda had been missing for five fucking years. Dread and a deep ache inside my chest shifted painfully. She was dead; hope was a stupid thing. If no one could find her, then her corpse was probably in some river or under a bridge. Just one more thing to get revenge for. Not aware of my thoughts, Benjamin continued with a nod of agreement. "If you can find her or at least give us a clue where she might be, we will sign a business deal with you."
"Deal?" Why in the ever-loving hell did these people feel confident enough to propose business to the head of Bratva? I hated them with everything in me, but those fuckers weren't stupid and never did anything without a purpose. Benjamin placed a piece of paper on my desk.
"The one Vasya wanted. Human trafficking." He shared a look with Richard. "Child prostitution. We used to have a bigger business back in the States, but then Sociopath ruined it. We had to close it, considering he killed off everyone but me and Alfred." Benjamin's hand hit the table hard as his face reddened with hatred.
Way to go, bro.
The bitter taste of betrayal in my mouth was hard to swallow. Vasya Konstantinov gave me a second chance in life when he found me all those years ago on the streets of Austin. He took me in as his son and taught me all the important lessons about Bratva and the code. I'd never in a million years imagined he would consider being involved in human trafficking, especially when children were involved. The only father figure I'd ever known. This information ruined some of my memories, and the disappointment required a bottle of whiskey to deal.
"Why would he spare you?"
I never understood all those years why Damian kept them all alive. Was he saving them for last? Or why would he even consider letting them breathe after everything they had done to us? If it had been me, I would have killed them first using all the torture methods known to man.
Soon.
"He didn't get the chance." Richard smiled his fucking sinister and dirty smile. "John killed him before he could get to us. And then John was killed by his own daughter because she fell in love with Sociopath."
"Where is the girl now?" I might never have met Sapphire, but she was the mother of my niece and the love of my brother's life, so she got my loyalty and protection by default. Connor kept her somewhere safe thanks to the WPP, but I preferred to know what kind of information these bastards had on her.
Benjamin waved his hand dismissively. "Who cares? She'd never talk because she has no information. She probably hides somewhere; after all, she was his whore," he said with a disgusted grimace. "I don't give a fuck about her. What I want back is my business." And "fuck boys" too, for you and your brother to play with.
As long as I lived, they wouldn't get the chance to ruin any more lives. With a wide grin on my face that didn't reach my eyes, I grabbed the contract and nodded in fake agreement.
"You've got yourself a deal."
The sound of glass breaking snapp
ed me out of my sleep, and I opened my eyes quickly, searching for the gun I always kept beside my bed. It wasn't there, and I shook my head to clear it. The woman kneeled down to pick up the shattered pieces and throw them away in what I assumed was the trash can. She glanced behind her and frowned.
"You should sleep," she said, displeasure in her voice, but she picked up the bowl from the table and sat down on the corner of the bed where I was lying. She placed it to my dry lips and ordered, "Drink." If it weren't for my thirst, I would have argued with her tone.
I became familiar with the routine, even though it drove me crazy. I would wake up thirsty and disoriented; she would either feed me or apply more bandages and then do something to my nose so I would fall asleep. Anytime I whispered something about Sapphire, she couldn't hear it, because my voice had disappeared. I constantly felt throbbing pain in my chest and neck, despite the heavy painkillers she kept giving me. She never answered any questions, and mostly stayed away from me. My body rebelled at the idea of another woman touching me, but I couldn't do much in the situation. I needed my strength to understand what the hell was going on and get away from here to find my woman.
My pregnant woman.
Pleasure unlike any other and fear spread through me at the idea of Sapphire pregnant with our baby. When she took more time than necessary in the bathroom, I knew something was wrong. Then I thought about her lack of period and the constant food cravings. Only one conclusion came to mind, and when she emerged from the bathroom with that excited but scared look on her face, I knew we were pregnant. However, Connor waited for me in the bar, and for our safety, I had to go and leave the discussion for later.
A discussion that never happened. I think that was the most difficult thing for me to handle.
After we got out from the human trafficking ring, it turned out Ben and Beth's mother wasn't as great a mom as their child's imagination described her to be. The woman had serious drug problems. Although she never abused the kids based on the reports Luke had, it was clear her environment was not a good one for raising them. They were considered dead anyway, and the mom accepted it with grief and sank more into her addiction. One year later, she died in some street fight over a dose. She wasn't a bad woman. She just never got the chance to do better. By the time we located her, it was too late to do anything about it.
Getting their birth certificates proved they were, in fact, nine years old and not six as I initially thought, which was pretty fucked-up considering their size. Luke kept them with him and homeschooled them to get on point for high school. Beth—now known as Frankie—had some artistic talents. She loved being a social butterfly and dreamed of designing clothes for a living. But Connor—formerly Ben—on the other hand, proved to have an analytical mind and some exceptional skills in school, which allowed him to graduate at fifteen due to his high intelligence. He got his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science by the time he was nineteen and had this dream of joining the FBI, but they couldn't recruit until a person was twenty-three years old. However, Luke had had used his previous military contacts along with Connor's excellent skills and they'd recruited him. We'd needed him on the force so he'd have access to all their information and help us along. Not that he had any idea that was our intentions or the stuff I was into. He was never part of my plan, and I didn't want him to be. They both deserved second chance at life, but few months ago I gave him all the information he needed for their case to protect my family.
Sapphire was somewhere safe. I made a good deal with Connor so he'd keep his promise, but I didn't give a shit about it. I had to get to her and reassure her I was alive. Sacrificing my life for her was worth it, but for some strange reason, I was granted a longer stay on Earth, so I planned to spend it with her and our baby. For that, I needed answers.
"Sapphire," I whispered again, and she exhaled in frustration. The first sign of emotion I'd ever seen from her.
"Look, I have no clue whose name you're whispering. Your voice is almost mute. Why, I don't know. It makes no sense why the bullet in your chest would affect your voice so much. I think because of the waves, you hit your head on the rock. Plus, your arm and leg seem to be broken. I understand you are longing for someone you love, but it's not happening, buddy. Let me heal you as much as I can in this cabin, and then you can be on your way."
Despite the pain in my head, I raised my brows, making the bandage on my forehead slide down a little, so she had to adjust it again.
"Don't worry. I'd almost finished my science prerequisites for a premed major and was about to start university to study medicine. Can you imagine? Before those monsters did this!" She pointed at her face and applied something like honey to my neck. How much could she have learned in high school though? "Hate them," she whispered, as a single tear slid down the bridge of her nose and she glanced away. "Sleep," she said in a much calmer tone and got up to sit on the chair.
No matter what, I'd be forever in her debt for nursing me back to health.
And a man like me never forgot tears in innocent eyes.
Whoever hurt her would get my wrath too.
Another promise I intended to keep.
Sapphire
"Mommy." Kristina's melodic voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned my head toward the chair where she sat eating her breakfast.
"Yes, munchkin?" She crammed a big spoonful of cereal in her mouth and chewed on it loudly, still trying to talk through it, no matter how many times I'd repeated that it wasn't pretty or polite.
"Can we go to the mall after Aunt Annie's party?" During the summer, Annie always hosted barbecue parties on Saturdays and invited the whole neighborhood. Because the food was good, rarely did anyone decline an invitation.
Annie was the closest person I had to a friend. Back when we'd just moved into the city, she greeted us with home-baked muffins in our old neighborhood and sort of barged into our lives. Annie and her husband, Greg, owned the local bakery that had been in Greg's family for generations, and their stuff was tasty as hell. For that reason, I decided to join the local gym; otherwise, my curves would have been too much for me to handle. Annie had no clue about my past, and the only thing she did know was that I was in love once, and it didn't work out, so Kristina and I created a new beginning here.
Once I'd bought this house, my friends sold theirs. They used some money they had to buy a house a few blocks down the road from mine, even though it wasn't exactly in their price range. According to them, they loved the neighborhood as much as I did, and it was a good place to raise kids. They didn't have any at the time, but they tried for a few years. I felt uncomfortable, so I never really brought up the subject, but then it suddenly hit me, and the cup I was holding almost fell into the sink.
Annie and Greg. Always in my business. Always helping. No kids. No attachments. Always close.
Freaking hell! Why didn't I see the connection sooner? They were fucking FBI. Why else would they care so much about Kristina and me? No one moved anywhere just because their friends did. And for all their talk about wanting kids, I never really saw any evidence that backed it up.
Okay, Sapphire. Take a deep breath and think rationally. Don't get paranoid for any reason other than your inner turmoil after seeing Damian again.
Calming myself didn't help, so I mustered a smile for Kristina's sake. "Sorry, munchkin. I don't think we have time for that. Mommy needs to finish a few chapters before going out, and we usually stay late. Can it wait until tomorrow?" I tried to focus on what on earth my daughter wanted to buy at the mall, which was better than wondering if my close friends were some government agents who'd spied on me all this time.
Kristina exhaled heavily and pouted her lips as Lucky barked loudly for another bite of the bacon she kept feeding him under the table, obviously thinking I hadn't noticed. When would kids learn that when their parents really loved them, it was impossible to fool them? "I wanted to buy some presents."
I furrowed my brows. "For who?"
She rolled
her eyes and gave me the look. My little drama queen. "For the neighbor who gave us Lucky. Shouldn't we thank him for the gift, Mama?" And just like that, the subject of Damian came up again.
Neighbor.
How strange it was to hear my daughter talk like that about her father? I ignored the pang of guilt in my heart. I was doing the right thing by cutting us off from him until he figured out his revenge. What if he was dead again as a result? Kristina would be crushed, and I never wanted her to experience such pain. In addition, if he told me it was safe to introduce him as her father, I would do it right away. I was hesitant about our relationship, but not about his place in our daughter's life. My heart would have to accept whatever choice he made. After all these years, I'd mastered weeping into a pillow, so no one heard or knew. Misery didn't love company in my case.
I patted her head gently, grabbed a napkin to remove the leftover milk on her upper lip, and smiled softly at her. "Of course, sweetie, it's a great idea actually. Let's buy him something tomorrow, all right? We can go to the mall, eat some ice cream, grocery shop, and find a gift for him. How does that sound?" If there was one thing my girl loved more than candy and puppies, it was shopping.
Kristina squealed in delight and stood up on her chair to circle her arms around me. "I love you, Mommy." I sighed and held her just a bit tighter than usual, soaking up all the warmth and softness I could get. In moments like those, our life in hiding and everything I went through was worth it, because it gave me her. I never understood how selfless love could be until I had a baby. Someone on your mind constantly, and from the moment your child was born, you were never alone in your heart or mind. Moms didn't have time off.
"Now go wash your face and brush your teeth. Wear the clothes I put on the bed, and you can watch cartoons for—" I glanced at the big, white clock on the wall. "—an hour. Then you'll read a book, okay? Mommy has to work, and then we can go have some delicious barbecue," I said, tickling her lightly on the ribs. She giggled and with a nod, sprang to go to her bedroom. Lucky would have followed her if I hadn't grabbed him. "Not so fast, little man. Time to go potty." I pushed my finger into his muzzle as we faced each other. "No shitting in my house." He whimpered at my pointer finger, but I wouldn't budge. I let him go to the small alley behind the house, and I stopped in the doorframe to block his reentry. Sneaky little thing. "Lucky, you aren't entering this house until you do your business." He barked but then ran toward the grass, made a few circles around the bush, and finally raised a hind leg and started peeing. Seriously, I never felt stupider in my life. The last thing I ever expected in life was to stand there watching closely to see if a puppy peed on the grass, considering dogs had always been out of the question. Finally, he ran back to the house. I wiped his paws and let him follow the noises Kristina was making.