Ghostface Killer ~ M. Never

by Never, M.

  Exhaustion immediately inflicts me. I cross the expansive room, kick off my Chucks, spin around, and free fall back onto the luxuriously made bed.

  I WAKE UP to the soft breeze and a light touch circling my belly button.

  I don’t want to open my eyes. I’m too comfortable. Too content. My mouth curves, but my lids remain closed.

  “Morning, baby,” Baz hums.

  “Which baby are you talking to?”

  “Both my babies.” He feathers kisses across my lips, and I moan involuntarily. I feel his smile, and I can no longer keep my eyes closed. I flutter my eyelashes until his face comes into focus. I’m immediately struck by a pair of large, green eyes sparkling in the morning sun. They’re so luminescent I can see the facets reflecting in his emerald irises.

  They’re more beautiful than a Hawaiian sunset.

  “When did you come to bed?” I ask, running a fingertip along his stubbly jaw.

  “Late last night. Gianni and I had a very long talk. You were passed out cold. Snoring and everything”.

  “Shut up. I was not.” I lightly punch his chin.

  “You totally were.” Baz laughs, splaying his hand over my bulge.

  “How does your shoulder feel?”

  “Hurts like a sonofabitch. Both of them.”

  “Cupcake,” I accuse.

  “Totally,” he agrees, staring down at my stomach.

  “What are you looking at?”

  “My baby, in your belly. I want to feel him move.”

  “It’s only tiny flutters. I don’t know if you can feel it yet.” I place my hand over his. Baz sticks out his bottom lip, disappointed.

  “I promise”—I entwine our fingers—“when I’m all fat and he’s moving like a maniac, I’ll make sure you feel every toss and turn. And every kick.”

  “Mmm, I like that idea. You, fat.”

  “Oh, yeah? Think you’re still going to feel that way when I’m triple the size in a few months? Fantasy is much different than actuality. I’m not sure you’re going to want me to climb on top of you and ride you with a big, huge belly.” I mimic the future size of my stomach with my arms.

  “Yes, I will.” Baz’s green spotlights flash. “I can’t fucking wait until you’re triple the size. Overly pregnant and fat with my child.”

  Happily, I grab Baz’s unruly hair and pull his face to mine. Smothering him with a kiss, I relish in the slow revolutions of our tongues.

  We both purr, a lion and his lioness.

  In the midst of our tranquilizing embrace, the doors to the bedroom burst open. Baz and I both jump as two men wearing dark suits and stone expressions rip me out of the bed.

  There isn’t time for questions as they drag me out of the room and down the hallway. I fight as much as I can, but they’re huge, and my toes are literally skimming across the black hardwood floor. I do manage a kick to one of their shins just before they toss me onto the ground in another room and lock the door behind them. The shot didn’t even affect him.

  “Mr. Velona would like a final word with you.” One of the fuckers zip ties my wrists behind my back and hauls me up by my hair so I can see over the opulent white office desk for a fraction of a second.

  That’s when I catch a glance of Gianni Velona himself. Fuck. Sitting there smugly as his goons toss me around.

  “We’ve been looking for you.” The guy holding my hair presses my neck against the edge of the desk. I resist, but it’s a vain attempt. I’ve been overthrown, and I’m overpowered.

  Everything is moving so quickly, but I’m highly aware of the other bodyguard and the direction he’s going in. Diagonal from the desk is a white dresser, and on that dresser is a black, glossy samurai sword. The guard swipes the sword and unsheathes it like a boss. Fuck, this is it. They know who I am, and it’s retribution time.

  Fuck, baby, I’m so sorry. I pray to my unborn child. I’m sorry mommy’s past caught up to her before you ever had a chance. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I squeeze my eyes closed, prepared to meet my fate, when Baz bursts through the locked door.

  “Get your fucking hands off her!” I know I call Baz a lion, but in this instance, he truly embodies one. Raw, powerful, and royally pissed off. Hair crowning around his face like a mane.

  “Baz, stay out of it.” I hear the office chair scrape across the floor as Gianni stands. I clutch my fists. “We’ve been looking for this one.” His voice is deep, low and resolute.

  “I will not stay out of it!” He stalks forward. “Stevie is pregnant with my child and is going to be my wife! I don’t care what she did! I’m the head of this fucking family, and I say LET HER GO.”

  That statement gets everyone in the rooms attention. Especially mine. I stare at Baz with a gaping expression. Head of the family?

  “Jesus Christ, I just witnessed a fucking miracle. You have ignored that title ever since it was bestowed upon you, and now you choose to invoke it? Because of a woman? Because of a killer? Do you know what she’s done?” Gianni’s voice elevates tersely. “Do you know how many good men she’s killed? Romeo being number one,” Gianni stresses. Romeo, Romeo. I wrack my brain trying to remember who that is. I killed so many. “Slit his throat like a fucking savage in the back room of a nightclub.” Ah, now I remember. “Took my daughter’s husband from her. Your cousin. Left his son without a father for no goddamn reason at all. She has to go. Be dealt with.”

  The bodyguard raises the sword above his head, and I hold my breath, but Baz steps between us, blockading me with his broad body.

  “Hurt her, and I will skin you alive. Then hang your body in Times Square for everyone to see. You’ll be my first and only example of what happens when you cross the head of this family.”

  The room fossilizes, and Gianni scoffs. “Un-fucking-believable. It really is a goddamn miracle.”

  “Get the fuck out,” Baz snarls at the two men. They comply immediately, vacating the room.

  As soon as they’re gone, Baz sets my hands free, but I don’t get up. I don’t even look up. I just hide behind my hair and clutch my stomach. That was close. Too fucking close. How did he find out? The anxiety hits me like a high-speed impact.

  “Stevie?” Baz’s voice is velvety soft. I fight the urge to uncurl from my little, safe ball on the floor. “Stevie.” Baz drops to his knees in front of me and clutches my face. “Are you okay?”

  I peek up at him through my thick, blonde hair. “I’m fine. We’re fine.” My heart is still pulsing like a jackhammer, but I’m fine. “Head of the family, Baz?”

  The look on his face is guilty, regretful, and prideful all at once.

  “So, this is the infamous Ghostface Killer.” I see Gianni’s black, shiny shoes before any other part of him. I look up from the floor at his smirking face. “The rumors are true. You are as elusive as smoke. You strolled right into my house. Under everyone’s nose. No one the wiser. Not even Baz.”

  “Gianni,” Baz warns.

  “How did you find out?” I ask delicately.

  “I have my sources.” Gianni’s mature face is stone. Intimidating and frightening. “We need to have a long talk,” Gianni peers at Baz. “All three of us.”

  Frederick serves coffee on the back deck of the mansion. It’s a warm, sunny May morning. The sky is an azure blue, and the waves are crashing melodically against the shoreline. But despite the tranquil feel of the day, the table is anything but temperate. Gianni, Baz, and I sit silently. Gianni gauging the situation. He’s boring a hole through my forehead with his eyes. I want to pretend I’m not intimidated, but I am.

  “There were rumors,” Gianni begins, sipping his coffee. “That my brother had a project.”

  Project. That’s a good way to put it. I was a crazy science experiment to Benny.

  “Please, just ask. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know,” I cut to the chase. I don’t want to be batted around like a cat toy.

  Gianni’s blue eyes narrow. “Why the fuck were you going around killing all my men?”
/>
  “Because Regina told me to. Because she told me you had Benny killed because you wanted to take over.”

  Gianni’s face actually drops. “My sister lied to you.”

  “Apparently.” I don’t like it any more than he does. I feel pretty fucking stupid. “Baz told me what really happened.”

  “How close were you to my brother?” The question makes me fidget in my chair. I hate discussing Benny in front of Baz.

  “Very close,” I disclose, the warm breeze flipping my hair. “He raised me from the age of fourteen.”

  “I see.” Gianni scrutinizes me. I try not to squirm in my seat. Baz places a reassuring hand on my thigh.

  “What did my brother tell you about me?”

  “That Pasquale hated you, and you resented him for it. You were the black sheep of the family. And I had to stay away from you.”

  “What?” Baz is the one to respond. “That’s ridiculous. Gianni and my grandfather were close. He loved him. He loved us both.”

  “It’s just what I was told, Baz,” I defend myself.

  “Benny was a master manipulator,” Gianni interjects. “He knew how to poison people. My sister especially. My father never forgave him for turning her against him. Benny pumped you with lies, little girl. He was the black sheep, and it didn’t go over too well when our father passed him over for Baz to take over the corporation.” Gianni speaks in code, corporation meaning the family.

  “That’s why he tried to kill you, isn’t it?” Realization suddenly dawns on me.

  “Yes,” Baz confirms.

  “So, it was Benny who made the power play?”

  “Yup. And now Regina is trying to finish what he started. Brainwashed till the very end.” Gianni sighs. “Benny always wanted to be king, and there is strength in numbers.”

  “That’s funny. Because he used to say the exact same thing about you. You wanted to be king.”

  Gianni huffs. “I never wanted to be king. It just sort of happened that way.”

  He looks at Baz then back to me. “I think Benny had been planning this for a while. But he didn’t bank on Baz fighting back. He always did underestimate my nephew. He got what he deserved.” There’s not a hint of remorse in the last sentence.

  I’m completely at odds. Everything I was told is being challenged. My entire foundation in question. The man I thought I knew is, in reality, a complete stranger. I feel a little sick. And a lot stupid. A naïve child once again alone on the street. Once again wandering aimlessly in search of a purpose.

  But I have a purpose now, don’t I? I clutch my stomach and sneak a glance at Baz. They’re my purpose.

  It’s like I’m looking at life under a different light. A black light, and all the invisible pieces are illuminated in the dark.

  “I wouldn’t have killed anyone if I’d known the truth.” It’s the only response I can muster. Baz squeezes my thigh reassuringly under the table. I lean closer to him, drawing on his strength. I need all the support I can get right now, and the person I want it most from is Baz. He kisses the top of my head possessively, Gianni watching the entire display.

  “What’s done is done,” Baz proclaims. “We wipe the slate clean and move forward.”

  “You think it’s just that easy?” Gianni contests.

  “Make it that easy,” Baz orders. “We’re getting married. Soon. Before the baby comes.”

  Say what? My insides go bananas from his declaration, but I remain completely composed on the outside.

  “Cover it up, start a rumor, do whatever the fuck you have to do to smooth it over. No one touches Stevie. Not even you.”

  A chill actually runs down my spine. Baz the Boss is bad ass. It’s completely inappropriate right now, but I’m totally turned on.

  Gianni runs a hand through his greying streaks. He resembles Benny. Dark hair, light eyes, same shaped face. He’s older though, the crow’s feet and smile lines more prominent, but he’s still good looking. The Velona men have an identifiable European look. Not Baz, though. He’s so different. Chestnut hair and creamier skin. His features are masculine in a different way. Sharp but rugged, like an edgy male model.

  They’re classically handsome. He’s ruggedly beautiful.

  Gianni remains silent for what feels like an eternity. His intrusive gaze jumping between me and Baz.

  “I’ll smooth it over. But Stevie belongs to us now.”

  “Like hell. She isn’t working for you. She’s pregnant. And going to be a mother.”

  “She has a special skillset, and we are down ten men because of her. She’ll pay her debt.”

  “Over my fucking dead body.” Baz shoots out of his chair, but I grab his arm.

  “Baz, it’s fine. I’ll pay my debt.” I nod, conceding. It’s the way of our world.

  “Hell fucking no.”

  “Baz, yes,” I argue. “It’s the right thing to do. You know how things work.”

  “You don’t have to be a killer, Stevie.”

  “She does if you want her to live,” Gianni stipulates, and Baz shoots rocket launchers at him across the table.

  “No jobs while she’s pregnant,” Baz demands.

  “Fine.” Gianni places his hands up. “But after the baby comes, she’s mine.” His blue eyes slash right through me.

  Baz leans across the table menacingly. “Let’s get one thing straight. Stevie is mine. She may work for you, but I approve the jobs. Got it? This is non-negotiable.”

  The corner of Gianni’s mouth ticks as Baz stares him down. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Gianni is doing all this just to get a rise out of him.

  “I can agree to that.” Gianni doesn’t even try to contain the smile spreading across his face.

  “Where the fuck is she?” A woman stomps onto the deck in sky-high heels carrying a young boy, followed closely by a fretting Frederick. “I want to look her in the face!” As soon as her eyes land on me, she attacks. “You! You’re the one who took my husband from me! Made me a widow at twenty-eight and stole my son’s father!” I stand as she points and accuses me in front of everyone. “Murderer!” There’s venom behind the word.

  “Gianna!” Baz hisses.

  “You shut up! How can you be with her after what she did? After she killed Romeo? She slit his fucking throat, Baz!”

  Wow, word travels fast.

  “Gianna. RJ,” Gianni admonishes.

  “I’m sorry, baby.” She presses the little boy’s head against her chest, covering his ears. He looks just like Romeo. Dark hair and brown eyes.

  “I’m not a murderer, I’m a killer. There’s a difference.” All attention turns to me.

  “And if it’s any consolation, he was about to fuck me in the back of a dirty strip club with complete disregard for his wedding ring. Class act.”

  Everyone freezes in response to my direct statement. Fire blazes in Gianna’s icy blue eyes. “You’re a fucking bitch.”

  “Gianna!” Baz snaps.

  “I have never claimed to be anything else.” I refuse to get pushed around another second.

  “Jesus!” Gianni exclaims. “Separate these two before there’s a friggin’ mud fight.”

  Frederick escorts Gianna as she stomps off into the house, leaving me to deal with Gianni and Baz.

  “You got some balls. No wonder Benny liked you.” Gianni actually chuckles.

  Baz cringes at the claim.

  “He drilled it into my head to never let anyone push me around.”

  “Sounds like my brother,” Gianni grunts while Baz remains nerve-wrackingly quiet. I don’t need him to say a word to know what’s irking him. His silence speaks volumes. He hates any mention of Benny and me in the same sentence.

  “Master Gianni.” Frederick returns. “Dr. Levinstein is here,” he informs us respectfully. “He brought Dr. Miranda to see Miss Stevie.”

  “Thank you, Frederick.” Gianni waves. “Can you please let them know she’ll be right there? And please send Bull and Gun out right away.”
/>   “Very good, sir.” Frederick promptly disappears.

  I glance at Baz to see if I can decipher what this is all about. But he gives nothing away. A minute later, the two men who ripped me out of bed this morning appear before us.

  “I’m assigning them to the two of you,” Gianni orders. He doesn’t suggest, he orders. “Where you go, they go. Understood?”

  Bodyguards? What? I am the damn bodyguard. Of course, I don’t voice my opinion, I just nod acceptingly.

  “Are you sure they’re not going to try to kill Stevie in her sleep?” Baz crosses his arms and broods.

  “They can try,” I scoff.

  Gianni arches an eyebrow at my brass but addresses Baz. “You said no one touches her. So, no one will touch her. That’s what they’re for. They do as I say.”

  “Fine,” Baz gives in petulantly. “Go take care of business. I know you have way more important things to worry about than us.”

  “Well, thank you for dismissing me in my own home.” Gianni stands haughtily.

  Baz cracks a small smile. It’s clear their relationship is still on good terms despite all the drama.

  We both watch as Gianni strides into the house. He’s all power and intimidation.

  About a million questions pop off in my head like fireworks as soon as we’re alone.

  “The boss, Baz?” I reiterate the question that never got answered in the study. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you killed half my uncle’s crew?”

  Okay, match point, Baz.

  “Because I was trying to avoid what happened this morning. I was protecting myself, and our child.”

  “From me?”

  “From everyone. From all this.” I spread my arms out, signaling our surroundings. “I have lived in the in-between for ten years, and you just forced me out of the shadows.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “If someone is trying to kill us, it is.”

  “I can protect you. Both of you. All three of us.”

  “Baz, I’m not one to run away from a fight. If we want it to stop, we have to face Regina.”

  “I’m sure my uncle will come up with a plan.”