by Leah Holt
Splashing him with water, I giggled. “Are you serious? Did you really think I would slap you?”
Raising his brows, he lifted his shoulders to his ears. “I don't really know what I expected.” Throwing his arms out, he tugged me into his waist, and lifted my legs around his hips. “But I liked it.” Kissing my cheek, he pressed his hands into my shoulder blades as he spoke. “Come on, we should probably head back.”
I didn't want to go to back. I wanted to stay there, wrapped in his arms, feeling his heart beat against mine.
Reluctantly I agreed, unfurling my body from his and swimming beside him to the small ledge at the bottom of the cliff.
The entire hike back to the house we held hands, and I knew right then, I loved him. I didn't tell him that, because I wasn't sure if he felt the same. But I knew what I was feeling.
He was the boy who had saved me. He was the reason I was alive. If he hadn't found me, who knows what would have happened.
And because of that, I loved him.
Even if he didn't love me back, it wouldn't change how I felt. But that kiss meant something. I felt it all the way in my chest, in my muscles, in my bones.
True love was a thing, it wasn't just something made up in fairytales. Sometimes fate placed you in the right place at the right time. And for me, that's exactly what I believed happened.
Maybe I was naive, maybe I was just a stupid girl drunk on the first boy she had ever kissed. But that was far from what I felt.
I felt like love had pushed us together. I felt like love had been the guiding force that placed me in those woods to begin with.
Hitting the end of the trees, Birch untangled our fingers and smiled. “Let's keep this between us for now. I don't want my parents to freak out or anything.”
“Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'd hate for them to kick me out or something.”
“Exactly.” Leading the way through the yard, he glanced in the window. “Shit, I forgot about dinner.” Biting his lip he gave me a crooked look. “Let me do all the talking, I know how to handle my father.”
“Why? Is he really going to be that pissed?”
Shrugging his shoulder, his lips drew taut. “I guess that depends on who's here for dinner, and how it's going.” Gripping the handle, he pulled the door open as quietly as he could.
What the hell does that mean?
“You're late.” Nick gave us both an angry glare, flaring his nostrils. “And we have guests.”
There were two men at the table with his father. Both of the men were dressed to the nines in black suits, with a blue handkerchief puffing out from the breast pocket. Their hair was slicked back tight against their scalps, an angry scowl rested on both their faces.
“I'm sorry, we lost track of time.”
“You're sorry? You lost track of time? That's the best you could come up with?”
“Dad—”
“Don't.” Jerking an open palm into the air, he tilted his head. “Go upstairs, both of you. I don't want to see either of you the rest of the night.”
One of the men smirked, cupping his mouth with his hand. Whispering to Nick and the other man, he said, “Kids. . . I'd trade mine for yours any day. Ricki is doing five in the pen, something to be proud of right? Little shit has no idea how to keep a low profile, him and his big mouth.” All of them busted out with laughter, raising their glasses and clinking them together in some parental toast.
I had no idea what that man was talking about or why they all found it so funny. Following Birch to the stairs, I glanced over my shoulder one last time, pausing to look at the unknown men. There was a feeling in the air that made me uneasy, like it was a secret meeting and not a dinner for old friends.
Trying not to linger for too long, I watched them for a moment. The need to make sense of who they were and why they were here dressed like it was a fancy board meeting rattled my brain.
What are they talking about?
Quietly, the two of us made our way upstairs. Standing at my door, Birch rubbed a heavy hand over the back of his neck. “That wasn't too bad, things must be going well.”
“Who are those men?”
“Don't worry about them, they're just associates of my dad.”
Associates? Associates of what?
Maybe they're private detectives.
The thought made my heart skip with excitement. Nick had said the police had hit a dead end with my case, but he insisted that he would still work hard on it, and wouldn't give up. A fresh set of eyes could be just the thing we needed to find my family.
“Are they detectives? Do you think they're here to help find my family?”
Sighing, Birch's head drooped down, chin touching his chest. “I take it my dad hasn't told you yet.” Running a finger across the bottom of my chin, his eyes softened. “My dad told me the other day that he can't find your family, no one can. Not the police, not any of the detectives or organizations for missing children. I'm sorry, Cyprus, I know that's not what you want to hear. But he's going to let you live with us, he says you're a part of our family now anyway, you belong here.”
My heart tore open, spilling every piece of hope I had onto the floor. I watched my past seep into the carpet, disappearing as if it had never existed.
“Why didn't he tell me that? He said he wasn't giving up, why is he giving up?” Taking in heavy breaths, I held back the tears that tried to consume me.
“He doesn't want to give up, but there's nothing else he can do. He was suppose to tell you, I guess he was just waiting for the right time.” Reaching out, Birch held my hand. His eyes dimmed, burying the spark I had seen at the pond. He looked sorry for me, he looked like he wished he didn't have to tell me the bad news.
But there was never going to be a right time to tell me that. I wasn't going to have a future where my past became my present, not anymore. All my hopes and dreams, all my wishes on the countless falling stars I plucked from the sky would never be gifted.
My memories were gone. Whatever life I had lived wasn't returning. I didn't know my real name, I'd never know where I was born or how old I truly was. I couldn't remember the family that had forgotten me or what it was like to live under their roof.
Whoever I was before was gone.
My name was Cyprus now.
And my future was with this family.
Chapter One
Cyprus
Present Day
“Cyprus, do you have everything we need for tonight?” Nick folded his newspaper and rested it on the bar. “I need to make sure that we have everything, I can't risk that rat bastard trying to fuck me over. I don't trust him, never have. The only reason I agreed to this thing was because of his father. But if he tries something, anything at all—”
Cutting in, I did my best to ease his worry. “It's all set, Nick. I have everything we need for tonight. Don't worry about it too much, it'll be fine.” Stacking the clean shot glasses, I finished setting up the station for tomorrow.
When I turned eighteen—or what we estimated my age to be, Nick gave me a job. I helped run the family bar, but that wasn't my main job. Cooking the books, that was my trade. I fixed the sheets and made it look legal to the outside world.
And I hated to admit it, but I was fucking good at it.
Smiling, Nick tapped the bar top, knocking on it with his knuckles. “God you remind me of Valentina, a spitting image. That woman rubbed off on you, it shows.” His eyes twinkled, casting a warm glow. “And you're sure you're alright with sitting in? I can have Birch do it if you don't want to.”
“No it's fine, I've sat in before, I can handle it. Besides, Birch will be up here if things go south, we can ring him if we need to.”
Smiling, he leaned across the bar and fisted my chin with a gentle bump. “Good girl, that's why I put you in charge of that stuff and not my boy. He has a hard time remembering his head from his asshole sometimes.” Chuckling, he pressed his palms against the edge of the wood and rocked back. “It would be my l
uck he'd shoot the guy point blank for a sneeze. Him and that feather trigger of his.”
“You really think I have that much of a short fuse?” Birch walked in from behind his father and gripped his shoulder.
“I don't think it, I know it.” Angling his head over his shoulder to look at his son, he playfully snapped. “You act like I haven't had the pleasure of seeing it before.”
Shaking him a little, Birch grinned. “Maybe I have you wrapped around my finger, old man. I hate that shit, sitting at a table and playing stupid fucking mind games with a couple of assholes.” Winking at me, he tossed a big smirk in my direction. “You know I love you, Cyprus, but setting up a buffet for a group of dicks and playing with numbers and the fine details is not my thing.”
“Yeah, acting like a giant muscle head is far better than looking smart.” Biting my lip, I veered my stare. “What will you do when I take that job too?”
Nick let out a deep throaty laugh, pointing his finger in my direction. “She sounds like your mother used to, Birch. Watch out for this one, she'll slit your throat in your sleep.” Reaching for his shot glass, he held it to his lips. “Just like I showed her how.”
He wasn't lying when he said that. Nick had spent a lot of time making sure I knew how to protect myself. The family business wasn't exactly built off honesty and law abiding rules.
It took me some time to figure out what he was involved in. I was too young to understand when I first met him, and I hadn't put two and two together when I saw those men at that table that night back when I was a kid.
Once I got older, it became more than obvious. Nicholi Rottera, the kind man who took me in, the loving father to his wife and child, he had a dark side. Ruthless and cutthroat, his business dealings were not for the faint of heart.
When he started to teach me how to use a gun and the proper way to handle a knife, I knew there was a reason. It wasn't exactly common practice for a person to share that with a kid. But he was right, I needed to learn how.
Nick had his hands in shit that others would run from. He considered himself a man who should be feared, but that didn't mean there weren't people out there waiting to take his life. The mafia was built off power and control, and Nick liked to have both.
As time went on, the loyalty between his family and myself grew. Nick had deemed me trustworthy enough to know the truth, and he decided to let me in on the family business.
At first, when he finally confirmed my suspicions, I wasn't sure what to think. A part of me was angry, like it was wrong to even be under the same roof as that family. It was dangerous, the risks were far too high that something could happen to any one of us.
But then I thought about the side of Nick I had seen, the caring father and loving husband who was there to protect his family.
That was the man I knew. Not the gangster gunslinger, who would hold cold steel to your temple and pull the trigger before you had time to blink. He never showed me that person, not once had I ever felt threatened by him.
I decided to accept him for who he was, to accept the family that had shown me unconditional kindness and love.
I wouldn't lie and say it didn't scare me when I knew Birch was going out to collect a debt or ruff someone up to make a point. It didn't matter if he had other guys with him; the fear was there, the painful twinge of anxiety would eat me alive until he came home.
But he always came home.
People came and went, and I turned a blind eye to the reality of what was going on. I never asked about what happened to someone if I didn't see them again. That part was none of my business, and completely out of my control anyway.
There were rules, a code that we lived by. And I respected it. I had to, there wasn't a choice for me.
I never completely felt like this was who I was. I had never fully accepted that this way of life was one I was agreeing to. But I did it. I did it because these people weren't just strangers anymore.
They were family, they had given me the same opportunities and respect that they had given their own blood born son. I would never forget that, I would never take for granted what they had done, and I would stand by their side till the very end.
Because that's what you did for family.
You stood by their side, good or bad. Nothing would cut the thread that tied us together. Despite the pit in my gut at times and the tiny voice inside my head telling me it was wrong; I was here, and I wasn't going anywhere.
My appreciation for what Nick and Birch had done, how they had saved me from dying alone in the woods, that was all I needed.
They had my back and I had theirs.
Birch came around behind the bar, arms open wide. “Babe, you know I love you.” Wrapping me in a big hug, he pressed my head into his chest. “And without you, I'd be lost.”
“You bet your ass you would be.” Curling my arms around his back, I ran my fingers up and down his spine. “You couldn't function without me.”
Slamming the glass down, Nick sucked in air through thin lips. “She's right, Birch. Your mother used to tell me that all the time, and I never actually believed it until she was gone.” His eyes went cloudy, staring off behind us as he thought of his wife.
Valentina had passed last year, it was rough on all of us. It was hard on Birch to watch his mother suffer the way she had. He would help his father care for her, both of them did their best to make sure she was comfortable and happy in the end.
I watched him shed tears that I didn't think he had. I held him at his worst when her illness had finally won and there was nothing more that the doctors could do. Birch had lost something the day she died, a small piece of himself was suddenly gone.
But nothing could compare to the pain that Nicholi was going through. For all the horrible things he had done in his life, for how dark and harsh his hands could be to others. . . He loved and cherished that woman.
It was hard as hell to watch that man lose his best friend, the love of his life. Twenty-four years of marriage, and it ended before either one was ready for it. But you can't foresee the future, you never knew when God would slip his hand down from the clouds and call back one of his children.
I wasn't sure if Nick believed in heaven or hell, or if he thought that one day he would see his wife again. There was too much pain in his eyes and hurt in his voice for him to think beyond the moment, beyond the past, and beyond the future he had lost.
Frowning, I laid my hand over his. There were no words I could say that would ease his pain. This was something he was going to have to deal with on his own.
It was going to take time for that hurt to go away, for it not to be there day after day as a constant reminder of what was gone.
I hadn't lost the love of my life, but I had lost a family. I dealt with their absence as if they had died. Because to me, they were as good as dead.
They never came looking for me, they hadn't plastered my face on missing person fliers or televised it on the news. It didn't matter that Nick had searched for month after month, no one was out there on the other end ready to retrieve his gift.
Time had helped to heal the wounds, but it was still there. It would never go away completely, the pain only dulled into this paper cut that was more annoying now than anything else.
Slapping the bar, Nick sucked in a big breath of air. “Well, I'm going to go down. When they get here, just bring them in.” Forcing a smile, it faded immediately, turning his face back to stone.
Birch and I watched him drag his feet into the back and heard him start down the stairs. Thud after thud, he clopped down the steps until he hit the cement floor, and a door closed in the distance.
Turning to look at me, Birch kissed my forehead. “I hate seeing him that way.”
“I know, me too.” Resting my head on his chest, he rubbed his hands up and down my back. “I'd be devastated if I lost you.”
“Well, you don't have to worry about that, because I'm made of steel baby.” Slipping his hands down over my ass, he gave m
e a hard squeeze. “I'm indestructible, like this ass of yours.” Grunting, he shifted his waist so his cock rubbed against my belly.
Pushing back, I peered up at him. “Are you serious right now? You know I have a ton of shit to do before Antoine and Collin get here. The big man is already worried enough about this deal, I don't want to screw it up.”
“You won't screw it up, we both know that. We have plenty of time, Cyprus, I can do you right here. We're not open, no one is coming in, and my dad will be downstairs. Antoine and Collin won't be here for another hour.” Licking his lips, he stepped in closer, forcing my back against the bar. “You know you can't resist this cock, Baby, you never could.”
Holding a palm to his chest, I smirked. “Full of yourself much?”
Curling his fingers around my wrist, he guided it down over his abs and onto the firm muscle under his pants. “You feel that? You do that to me, you've always made me so fucking hard. Even when we were younger, I'd rub one out just thinking about you.”
“Is that suppose to turn me on?”
“Is it working?” Using my hand, he stroked his cock. “Because if it's not, I have other ways to make you wet.”
Flicking his brows high, he dug his free hand into the small of my back. Arching my spine, my lids hooded as my nipples went stiff, tingling in my bra. He had this power over me, he always did. A look, a touch, a smile, it didn't matter. Birch made me feel things I couldn't explain.
“Fuck, Birch, how do you do this? How the hell do you still make me feel this way after so many years?”
Lowering his lips to my cheek, he whispered. “I think people call that love.” Licking the shell of my ear, he nibbled the lobe.
All of the air in my lungs rolled out as my head fell towards my shoulder to make room for his mouth. Light kisses hit my throat, as he worked his way down, turning my muscles into limp spaghetti.
Grazing the sharp edges of his teeth around my neck, my skin exploded in goosebumps. “There it is, that's what I was looking for.” His words buzzed over my flesh, making my body hot. “Now I know your pussy is wet, and if I'm right—” Biting my collarbone, he blew cool air across my throat. “Your pussy is fucking dripping, wishing for me to take it.”