by L A Cotton
“Gentleman, let’s talk.” He helped himself to a glass of Blue Label whisky and swaggered over to us as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “I have to say, Niccolò, if I would've known you were coming, I would have rolled out the red carpet.”
“Stronzo,” Enzo grumbled, lurching forward, but Nicco shot him a warning look.
“We have heard some concerning things, Zander. Things that we want to give you a chance to explain.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He swept a hand through his hair.
“Let’s not play this game.” Nicco loosened his collar. “We know all about Lombardi.”
“Business is business,” Zander shrugged, “and his men came looking to spend good money.”
“I noticed Shaun wasn’t working tonight,” Enzo said. “He’s a good man.”
“He was,” Zander didn’t miss a beat. “One of the best. Such a shame what happened.”
“Something happened?”
“He was in an accident. Tragic really.”
“He died?”
Zander nodded. “It’s been hard for us all.”
“Condolences,” my father said. “It always hurts to lose someone.”
“It does.”
Jesus, this fucking asshole was good.
“But I’m sure you didn’t come here to discuss my employees.”
“I’m going to lay it out straight for you,” Nicco said, sliding his hand into his jacket. He pulled out his gun and laid it on the table pointed at Zander, keeping his finger on the trigger. “What are your plans with Lombardi?”
“Easy, Niccolò. You don’t want to do something you’ll later regret.” DiMarco smirked, lifting his hands up. “We talked, nothing more. Lombardi is looking to branch out into the strip club business. He asked for my advice.”
“That so?” Lucino snorted.
“It’s the truth. I know our agreement is irreversible. Just like I told Lombardi, Providence is Marchetti territory.”
“Seriously? You buy a single word this sleazeball is telling you?” I sneered.
“Matteo,” my father warned.
I ground my teeth together, fighting the urge to leap across the table, grab Zander by the throat, and demand answers about Caitlin and Arabella.
“Where are they, Zander?” my father said.
“They?” His brows pinched. “What are you talking about?”
“Cut the bullshit, figlio di puttana! We know you took them.” My father glared at him with enough venom that it rippled around us like a living, breathing thing. “You’re playing a very dangerous game, DiMarco. I suggest if you don’t want to end up with your brains splattered all over the wall, you pick up your cell phone, call your men, and get them here immediately.”
“Listen, Niccolò, Michele, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I—”
“Basta!” Nicco slammed his hand down, sending the glasses clattering together. “We wanted to give you the chance to fix this, to—”
His cell phone began blaring, his eyes narrowing on whoever’s name was flashing across the screen. “Get him up.” He motioned to our security guys, and they approached the booth, manhandling Zander onto his feet.
“Now, now, Niccolò. I don’t know what you’re—”
“Can it,” my father spat as he stood and brushed down his jacket.
“You can’t do this,” DiMarco kept protesting, thrashing against his man-made restraints. “We have an arrangement. One I’ve never reneged on.”
Nicco picked up his gun and stalked toward him, his eyes cold and deadly.
“N-Niccolò, I swear, man! I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Quicker than a flash, Nicco had his pistol pressed against Zander’s forehead, the safety clicked off. “Let’s get one thing straight, amico, I don’t like liars. And you, Zander DiMarco, are the very worst of them.”
“Fuck…” Sweat began beading along his forehead, fear glittering in his eyes. “Fuck, Nicco, I swear, I don’t know what—”
The blare of Nicco’s cell phone cut through the room again. He dug it out of his pocket and frowned at the name on the screen. “I need to take this,” he said. “Watch him.”
Enzo stepped into our cousin’s place. “Don’t move a fucking muscle, stronzo.”
“And here I thought we were friends.” Zander smirked.
The bastard smirked.
Fucking asshole had a death wish.
“Friends?” Enzo cocked a brow. “I don’t associate myself with women beaters.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, I think you know exactly what it means.”
“E, back up, son.” My father stepped up to his side, whispering something to him.
“It’s nothing they don’t want.” DiMarco laughed darkly. “Nothing they don’t beg for.”
One second I was standing off to the side, watching Zander sneer at Enzo. The next I was in front of him, my fist flying into his face.
“Matteo!” someone yelled, but I was lost to the anger raging inside me. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t think about anything other than hurting Zander.
“You sick motherfucker,” I roared, slamming my fist into his nose. Blood sprayed everywhere, pain radiating through my wrist, splitting open my barely healed knuckles. “Where are they?” I grabbed him by his collar, almost wrenching him out of the guards hold. “You tell me right now where they are or I’ll fucking end you, you piece of shit.”
Confusion flickered in Zander’s eyes, blood pouring from his nose and trickling down his chin. “Who are you… Caitlin?” Recognition dawned on his face.
“Don’t you say her name. Don’t you dare fucking say her—”
“Easy, cous.” Strong arms grabbed me from behind, dragging me backwards as DiMarco stared at me.
“You good?” Nicco got in my face. “If Enzo lets you go, are you going to stand down?”
Lips thinned, I nodded. He released me slowly, and I inhaled a ragged breath.
“We need to talk,” Nicco said to me. “Alone.” He motioned for me to follow him to the opposite side of the club.
“I lost it, Nic, I know. But he’s—”
“What do you know about Caitlin, Matt? Really know about her?”
“W-what? How is this important right now?” I gaped at him.
“Just think for a second. What has she told you about her past? About where she comes from?”
“She was raised in Rochester, New York. But that’s about all I know. She doesn’t like to talk about it. Why?”
Nicco dragged a hand down his face, fixing me with a sympathetic gaze. “I had Tommy run her name.”
“What?”
Tommy was the Family’s investigator. There wasn’t much about anyone or anything that he couldn’t dig up.
“Don’t act so surprised. I wanted to know who we were taking in, who we were protecting. She’s been around Arianne, my sister… Bella. It was the right call, and you know it.”
He had a point, but I hadn’t considered he would have Tommy look into her past.
“What did you find out?” I asked.
Nicco’s eyes dropped to the floor, and when he glanced back at me, I knew.
I knew whatever he’d found changed everything.
“He found something, Matt. Until almost four years ago, Caitlin O’Donnell didn’t exist.”
“What do you mean, she didn’t exist?”
“The trail ends.”
“But that’s impossible. Unless…”
No.
It couldn’t be true.
Until Nicco said eight little words that confirmed my worst fears.
“Unless she isn’t who she says she is.”
Chapter 25
Caitlin
“Bella?” I whispered into the dark. “Arabella, can you hear me?”
“C-Caitlin?” She sounded woozy. “Where are we? W-what happened?”
I squinted against the darkness, try
ing to find my bearings. We were in a small room, maybe a large closet or laundry room. I was pressed into the far corner, the wall at my back. A sliver of light trickled under the door, casting dark shadows around the room.
“I’m over here,” I called out, my skull rattling with every word.
I winced in agony. The back of my head throbbed from where I’d banged it trying to fight off our captors. Of course, I’d lost. They were big and burly, and I was small and fragile. Still, I’d fought with everything I had, kicking and screaming. I’d even got one of them in the balls, but it made no difference. The other man had thrown me down with such force, I’d slammed my head against the floor and knocked myself out.
At least, I assumed that’s what happened, given that when I came to, we were no longer in the cabin and in this cold, dark room instead.
“C-Cait, I’m scared.”
My heart cracked.
Bella didn’t deserve this—she didn’t deserve any of it. It was all my fault she was here. I should never have accepted help from Enzo and Matteo. I should have refused to let them bring me back to Verona. But I’d let myself believe in the fairy tale. I’d let myself believe they could protect me.
A hand grazed mine and I strained to see Bella crawling toward me. “Thank God.” I grabbed her, pulling her into my arms. “Are you hurt?”
“My… my face. One of them hit me when I bit his hand.”
“You bit him?”
“Well, yeah. I wasn’t about to let them take us without a fight. H-he hurt you. You were lying there, and I didn’t know if you were dead or—”
“Shh.” I pulled her closer, whispering soothing things against her matted hair. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” The lie soured on my tongue.
Because I didn’t know that. I had no idea where we were.
“I-I don’t understand what’s happening.” Bella sobbed into my shoulder, clinging to me.
“Shh. Shh.” Silent tears rolled down my cheeks.
I needed to figure out where we were, and who had taken us.
If it was Zander, I could negotiate with him. Offer him what he wanted in exchange for Bella’s freedom. Surely, he had to know that Matteo and his family would find out Arabella was missing, and when he realized who she was, the smart thing would be to hand her over if they wanted to avoid the Marchetti’s wrath.
But if it wasn’t Zander…
No.
It wasn’t possible.
There was no way he had found me. I’d been careful. I’d covered my tracks and left my old life behind.
It was Zander.
It had to be Zander.
I inhaled a sharp breath, pain radiating through my skull again.
“They’ll know, right?” Bella’s voice trembled. “Matteo will know we’re missing, and they’ll be looking for us and… oh God, Cait. What if they don’t find us? What if…” She choked over a huge sob, her body wracking under the power of her tears.
“Try and calm down, okay?” I said softly, smoothing my hand down her back. “We need to try and stay strong.”
Heavy footsteps outside the door sent all my bravado crumbling though.
“Who is that?” Bella whispered.
“Shh, okay. Just try to be quiet.”
There was a rattle of a lock and a heavy clunk and then light poured into the room. I threw my arm up, trying to give my eyes time to adjust to the stark brightness.
“Water and something to eat,” a gruff voice said, his dark shadow filling the door. I didn’t recognize him, but I wasn’t surprised.
Zander had a lot of friends I didn’t know. Bad men who worked for him in the shadows, doing despicable things.
“Where are we?” I asked, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. But he started to close the door. “No, wait, please. I’m hurt. My head—”
“Not my problem,” he grunted, yanking the door closed.
“Bella, ease up a second.” I gently pushed her off me. “We need to drink.” I managed to shuffle over to the tray and retrieve the two small bottles of water.
“Here, take one.” I held it out for her.
“It’s so dark, I can barely see.” She fumbled, her fingers brushing mine.
“There, you got it. Now drink. Small sips, okay?”
“Why is this happening? I-I don’t understand.”
“I… I’m sorry.” My heart broke in two at the pain and confusion in her voice.
“I’m here… because of you?” She gasped as if she hadn’t realized until now. “No, that’s not possible.”
“I’m so, so sorry. If I would've known… I didn’t mean for this to happen, Bella. You have to know that. I didn’t… I wasn’t…” My breaths came in ragged pants.
“Who are you, Caitlin?” she whispered, scooting away from me.
Tears streaked down my face as I tipped my head back against the wall and let out a pained whimper.
Someone you’re better off not knowing.
“Firefly, wake up.” A finger stroked down my cheek. “I’ve got a job for you.”
Fear paralyzed me as I clutched the blanket to my changing body. I was only fifteen, but I had the curves of a young woman. I hated them. Hated how my mom’s boyfriend and his friends looked at me.
“I don’t want to,” I cried, refusing to open my eyes.
“I need you to do this for me, firefly. You want to make me happy, don’t you? After all I’ve done for you and your mom.” He grabbed my arm, wrenching me up.
“Stop, you’re hurting me.”
He tsked, the bitter scent of cigars and liquor wafting over my face. I fought down the urge to gag. He didn’t like that, didn’t like me acting repulsed by him.
“Stop acting like a spoiled brat then. I have a job for you, and you’ll be a good fucking girl, and do it unless you want me to cut your momma off. And we both know how she gets without her fix.”
A shiver went through me. He was right, of course. If Mom didn’t get her fix, she was insufferable.
Pushing my wild curls out of my face, I looked up at the man who had raised me. Raised me… and ruined me.
Pain coiled through my chest as I choked out, “Fine. I’ll do it.”
What other choice did I have?
If I didn’t, it would only be me who suffered. And no matter how cruel my mom could be, no matter how much her barbed words hurt, she was still my mom.
My family.
He cupped my face, dragging his thumb down my cheek, the glint of his gold ring standing out against the darkness surrounding him.
“That’s my good girl. Now get dressed. It’s showtime.”
I bolted upright, sucking in fresh lungfuls of air. My head felt strange, like it might roll off my shoulders at any given moment.
“Caitlin?” a voice called from somewhere in the darkness.
“B-Bella?” Her name was like ash on my tongue. “I… I don’t feel so good.”
“You’ve been sleeping. I thought… I thought—”
“I’m here. I’m right here.”
“Caitlin?”
“Yeah?” I sank back against the wall again, my muscles screaming in protest. I felt stiff, groggy, and sore.
“Who’s firefly?
The icy fingers of fear wrapped around my throat. “What did you just say?”
“I said who’s firefly? You were crying out in your sleep. Murmuring it over and over.”
“I was?” A violent shudder rolled through me. It had been a long time since I had that dream.
“It’s nothing,” I said, refusing to let those thoughts penetrate my mind.
“It didn’t sound like nothing.”
“How long was I out?”
“I don’t know. One, maybe two hours.”
Shit.
“Did anyone come back?”
“No one. Although I heard voices beyond the door. It sounded like they were arguing.”
“Did you hear any names?”
“None, why?”
�
�It doesn’t matter.” Defeat coated my words.
I’d never felt more powerless than I did in this moment, and I’d experienced some dire circumstances in the past. But Arabella was innocent. She didn’t deserve to know this terror or fear. And I hated myself for ever dragging her into my life.
“I want you to know something,” I said, biting back the tears threatening to fall. “Whatever happens, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you make it out of this safely, okay?”
“W-what does that mean, Cait? What things? What are you going to do?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, tears dripping down my face. When they opened, a new sense of resolve washed over me.
Zander wanted me.
Bella was just collateral. I would make sure he had no reason to hurt her. I would do whatever it took to see to it that she walked out of here alive and unharmed.
But if I was going to negotiate, I needed to speak to him. I needed to look him in the eye and give him what he wanted.
“Whatever happens,” I said to Bella, as I staggered to my feet, “I need you to keep quiet, okay?”
“What are you going to do?”
“What needs to be done. Just keep quiet and promise me you won’t antagonize them.”
“Cait, I’m not—”
“Promise me, Arabella.”
“Okay, okay. I promise.”
Before I could second guess myself, I grabbed the tray off the floor and smacked it against the door. “Hey, hey,” I yelled, “I need to speak with the boss. I need to talk to him.”
“Caitlin, are you mad?” Bella cried. What are you—”
“Shh,” I hissed. “I need to attract their attention. I can fix this, Bella. I can make it all okay.” I banged the tray against the door again. “Hey, come on, let me out. I need to—”
“What the fuck?” someone grunted from the other side of the door. I stepped back as it flung open.
“Do you have a fucking death wish?” He cocked a thick brow at me.
“I’m ready to talk.”
“Oh, you’re ready to talk, are you?” A sly smile tugged at his mouth. “That’s not how things work around—”
“We both know the boss wants me to cooperate, so tell him. Tell him I’m ready to do whatever he wants. All I ask is that she’s released. She isn’t any part of this.”