Hidden Deceit: A Mafia Romance (Corrupt Minds Book 2)

by Camille Alexander

  He sat down on the chair opposite us. He stared at me. I wished that I could read his mind—or did I? He sat very still, like a dog waiting for its owner to click two fingers. Here, boy! Come, let me kick your ugly ass!

  I thought of the baby growing inside of me, my baby. Joe’s baby. What a terrible way of starting our family. But, like with our wedding day, Joe and I would make lemonade from the ton of lemons thrown at us. Perhaps a little limoncello for good measure.

  Enrico got up and headed over to me. I had a bad feeling. He stroked my hair with his hand, then trailed a finger down my neck.

  “Get away from her,” Joe growled at him. But that seemed to egg him on.

  He buttoned-down my shirt to where my bra showed. Joe was thrashing around on his chair, trying to break free from his binds. Enrico touched my breasts but he never took his eyes off Joe. I closed my eyes and pretended to be somewhere else. I was walking through the park with Joe. We talked and laughed as we held hands and watched the birds nest in the trees.

  Enrico’s hands were moving down my abdomen caressing my skin. “I’m going to kill you! Get away from my wife, you fuck!”

  “Or what? You gonna kill me with your death stare? You gonna call your daddy to come and rap me on the knuckles?”

  A tear rolled down my cheek, but I kept my eyes closed tightly. I wouldn’t allow Enrico to see the pain and disgust in my eyes. I refused to give him the satisfaction. He loosened the ropes around my feet and pulled me up to face him. He turned me around to face Joe who was staring daggers into the scumbag pawing me.

  Enrico slid his hand under my skirt, and that’s when it happened. All hell broke loose. Machine gun fire, men screaming in pain, yelling, swearing, running. Joe took the opportunity to throw himself backward onto the floor. The chair splintered as it shattered into pieces. Joe jumped up and lunged at Enrico, who had drawn a knife and was holding it against my throat.

  I didn’t move a muscle as Enrico screamed at Joe. “Stay back or I’ll slice her! I swear I’ll . . .”

  He never had the chance to finish his sentence. I drove back my football-sized head and connected with his nose. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it. He lost his balance, and I dropped to my knees to get away from him. Joe leaped over me and threw himself onto Enrico. I kicked the knife away with my foot while Joe kicked the shit out of our captor.

  The door flew open and Fabio burst in. He looked over at me, and then, to where Joe and Enrico were fighting. Franco ran in after Fabio, grabbed my arms, and led me out of the room at speed. I tried to fight to stay with Joe, but Franco wouldn’t hear of it. Mario was outside the warehouse waiting inside the getaway car, yelling at Franco to hurry up and get me inside.

  Franco yanked the back door of the car open and pushed me inside. I couldn’t hear much with all the shooting and yelling going on, so I lay on the seat and held my breath. A loud bang sounded right next to the open door, and a bullet ricocheted past my ear. I heard Mario screaming. That’s when I looked up and saw Franco on his knees, holding his abdomen. Blood was spurting from a large hole in his chest. I stared, unable to speak while Mario came around the back of the car and dragged Franco into the passenger seat.

  As we raced off, tires screeching, rubber smoking on the tarmac, I saw Fabio and Joe running from the warehouse. Mario was yelling something at me. I tried to focus on what he was saying.

  “Get the jacket from the back, and push it into Franco’s wound. We have to stop the bleeding. Ella! Help me.”

  I snapped out of my funk and sprang into action. Mario raced through the streets, hooting and dodging vehicles. We pulled up in front of the ER doors and yelled for help until the hospital staff ran out with a stretcher. They wheeled Franco inside and out of sight. I was shaking like a leaf.

  “I’ll take you to Joe,’ Mario said. “There’s nothing we can do for Franco now. He’s in good hands. I’ll come back here after I drop you off safely.”

  We drove in stunned silence. The gatehouse at the mansion was crawling with armed guards. The gate opened as soon as the guards saw Mario and I. Joe and Fabio were waiting outside the house for us. Joe ran and opened the car door, taking me into his arms. We stood there for a long time.

  “Where’s Franco?” Fabio looked at Mario and then at me.

  “He’s at the hospital. I’m on my way back there now.”

  “Hospital? What the hell happened?” Joe asked.

  “He was shot in the chest while we were making our getaway.” Mario had tears in his eyes.

  “No. No! This can’t be happening.” Fabio and Mario got into the car. “We’ll call you from the hospital, Joe,” Fabio yelled back at us as the car sped around the corner.

  I held onto Joe’s hand as he watched his friends leave.

  “I never meant for any of this to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt. I’m going to kill that bitch.”

  JOE

  All I could think about when I saw Fabio was getting Ella the hell out of there. Enrico was coming at me like a man possessed. He’d managed to get to the knife again, which didn’t surprise me at all; men like him were probably given a knife for the first birthday. I crouched down low, making myself a difficult target, and when he came at me, I sidestepped him. My elbow hit the back of his neck, bringing him down hard.

  He made a guttural sound as he went down. He lay there, swearing at me, his voice losing its volume. I rolled him over onto his back to land the final punch on his ugly face. He lay still, holding his stomach, only the butt of the knife sticking out of his abdomen. The blade had gone in all the way to the hilt. He looked up at me with such hatred. The man who swore to kill me and rape my wife lay dying. It had been a day of death. I was thankful that it wasn’t Ella.

  “Come on, buddy. We have to get out of here!” Fabio pulled on my arm to snap me out of my stupor.

  “Yeah. Where’s Ella?”

  “She’s with Mario and Franco. They’re hightailing it out of here as we speak.”

  “Has anyone seen Abriana? That bitch has a few things to answer for.”

  “She’s not here but everyone is looking for her. We’ll find the rock she’s hiding under, Joe. Now let’s get you out of here.”

  Fabio handed me a gun. We were careful not to walk into a gunfight on the way out. My father’s men had taken care of most of Abriana’s scum, so our path was clear. I was covered in blood from my fight with Enrico—his and mine. To my great relief, Mario’s car was gone by the time Fabio and I made it out of the warehouse. It was a blood bath outside. Bodies everywhere. Some ours and some Abriana’s. I detested violence. There were never any winners.

  The drive back to my family home was long. I couldn’t focus on anything except having Ella in my arms. She’d been through a lot, and I needed to comfort her. Back at the mansion, my father and his men were waiting for us. They ushered me inside to check my wounds, most of them superficial, and then we waited for Mario.

  “Why is it taking so long for them to get here? What the hell is going on?” My voice was shaky as I paced the driveway. I had all kinds of terrible thoughts running through my mind. I couldn’t live without my Ella. Someone from the gatehouse radioed us to say that Mario's car had just passed through the gate.

  When the car came into view, I raced to see if Ella was okay. I’d never been so happy to see Mario. She leaped out of the car and ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck.

  “Oh, thank God! Oh, my darling, Ella. I’m so happy to see you. You’re safe now. I’m never letting you out of my sight again. Never!”

  I held onto her for the longest time. For the first time since I’d known Ella, she cried into my chest. Her sobs shook her body, the realization that she was safe, overwhelmed her. A tear rolled down my face as I held her. The anger that had been front and center in my mind, turned to unfathomable love and joy at having my love back with me, safe and sound.

  “Are you feeling okay?” I was concerned about our baby, but I thought it best not to mention it just ye
t. Ella had been through enough without panicking about the fetus growing inside of her.

  “I’m fine, my love. My face feels like a punching bag and my eyes like sandpaper, but other than that I’m fine. Joe, do you think our baby is okay?”

  “The baby is a Coli, gorgeous. He’ll come out swinging.”

  “He? Do you know something I don’t?” She smiled up at me through the bumps and bruises and swollen lip.

  “It’s a hunch. Let’s get you inside. Your mother is a wreck. I’m sure she wants to hold you.”

  ELEANORA

  I was eager to get back to the hospital to check on Franco, but Joe would have nothing of it. He all but forbade me to leave the house, and after my ordeal, I didn’t argue much. With me settled in and safe with my mother and the Colis, Joe, Fabio, and Mario left us to be with Franco.

  My mother followed me around the house as one would with a toddler. After what she’d been through with my father’s death and her only child’s kidnapping, I gave her a break. The first thing the mothers did was to feed me—because that’s what mothers did. I drew myself a warm bath and relaxed into it, tired and bruised. I was exhausted but the odds of any form of restful sleep were not in my favor. As I lay in the bath, I touched my belly. It didn’t feel real—me, a mother! I prayed that my baby was okay. “Quite a start for a new life, hey little angel.”

  I wondered how far along I was. When I’d skipped my period the first time, I put it down to the stress of moving. I had always been a bit of a “knit one, skip one” kinda girl when it came to my menses, so I didn’t think much of it. But then, when I’d skipped the second month, I grew suspicious. I didn’t tell anyone because I was afraid to disappoint if I wasn’t pregnant.

  My mother was ecstatic when she hugged me and congratulated me. Bella couldn’t hug me enough. It was clear to all that their first grandchild’s birth was an event they’d waited for all their lives. As soon as the dust settled, I would call my doctor for an appointment. An ultrasound would confirm my baby's health. I didn’t for one moment think that baby Coli would be anything other than healthy as a horse.

  Bria was going to flip when she heard my news. The bathwater was tepid by the time I dried off. I wrapped myself in a bathrobe and sat on the edge of the spare room bed. I took a sip of herbal tea my mother had brewed for me and dialed Bria’s number. When she answered and heard my voice, she burst into tears.

  “Ella! Oh my God, it’s you!” She tried to speak through her sobs. “You cannot understand how scared I was when Fabio told me what had happened to you. Are you okay, Ella? Are you hurt? Come on, talk to me!”

  “I would if you gave me half a chance.” I chuckled into the receiver. My lips and my cheek hurt. “I’m okay, Bria. A little bashed up but fine.”

  “What the hell is going on, on that side? Fabio refused to let me get onto the plane. I feel like I’m on Mars on this side. No news, no calls. I was losing my mind with worry.”

  “On a scale of one to ten on ‘fuck it,’ I’d rate my experience a solid twelve. One day when I’m bored to tears, I’ll tell you about it.”

  “I’m so relieved, Ella. I love you too much to lose you now that we’ve started our new lives with our amazing husbands.” She’d stopped crying but her nose was stuffy, and she spoke with a nasal twang.

  “Actually, I didn’t just call to tell you I’m safe. I have something else to tell you.”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve decided to move back to Sicily because then, I’d have to kill you myself!”

  “No, that’s not it. Joe and I are bringing someone home with us.”

  “Your mother? I thought she swore she’d never leave Palermo. Did you scare the shit out of her or what? Has she changed her mind?”

  “You’d think so, but no. It’s someone else.”

  “Okay, you got me. Who?”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  The silence was deafening. It took a few seconds to register with Bria, but when the penny dropped, she went ape.

  “Pregnant! What? I leave you alone for a few days and you get yourself knocked up. Are you kidding me? How do you know?”

  “I did a test before I was snatched. I didn’t have a chance to see the result, but my mother found the tube. Joe told me. First, I thought it was a concussion, then, I thought my mother’s lasagna had gone south because I puked my lungs out in the room they held me in.”

  “Congrats. Ella. This is fantastic news. Poor Joe must have been out of his mind with worry. Speaking of which, where are the boys now?”

  “They are at the hospital.”

  “The hospital? Why?”

  “Franco was shot when we were fleeing our captors.”

  “What! Fabio didn’t tell me that.”

  “It’s been so crazy this side. I’m sure he’ll call you soon.”

  “Ella, who kidnapped you? What did they want?”

  “Abriana, if you can believe it. The woman is batshit crazy. She was trying to get rid of Joe and me so that her little Gino would be Antonio’s successor.”

  “Those assholes! Did Joe kick the shit out of Gino? I wish I were a fly on the wall!”

  “Believe it or not, Gino had no idea his mother was behind it. He was as surprised as we were.”

  “Where’s she now?”

  “We don’t know. But we will find her, that I promise you. If Antonio or Joe don’t get to her first, I will.”

  “I kicked Boobzilla’s ass; Abriana is all yours!”

  “Thanks, Bria. This is going to be sweet!”

  JOE

  Franco was in surgery. The assistant surgeon came out of the theatre to bring us up to speed.

  “How’s he doing, doctor? Any news yet?” Mario, who’d been pacing up and down, was all over him.

  “It’s not looking good. We’re trying to stabilize him, but he’s lost a lot of blood. The patient has a collapsed lung, and the bullet did major damage to his heart. I’ll let you know of his progress as soon as I can. Has anyone notified his family?”

  “His parents are away on a trip. We’ve contacted them. They’re flying back as soon as they can get a flight. Thank you, doctor.” I put my arm around Mario’s shoulders. “Come on, bud, let’s go have a coffee while we wait for the doctor.”

  “This is bullshit, man! If I get my hands on Abriana or any of her fucking assassins, I’m going to squeeze the life out of them with my bare hands. Franco is one of us. He deserves better, Joe.”

  “You’re right Mario, you’re right. We’ll get her, I swear it.”

  Fabio grabbed Mario’s shoulder. “We’ve got you, Mario. Whatever happens, we’re here for you.”

  After about half an hour, we went back up to the floor where Franco was being operated on. We sat silently in the waiting room. I was tired and my mind was all over the place. I heard footsteps coming toward us from across the hall. It was the surgeon we’d spoken to before. Mario jumped up immediately.

  “How is he, doc? Can I see him?”

  Nausea pushed up from my stomach to my throat as I watched the doctor’s expression, then he spoke.

  “I’m so sorry but your friend didn't make it through surgery. He passed away about ten minutes ago. My condolences.”

  Mario was cemented to the floor. He bowed his head and said nothing, walked to the chair against the wall, and sat down. He was still silent when he put his head in his hands. Fabio and I were stunned at the doctor’s news. It was as if I’d pulled the trigger myself. If it wasn’t for my family, Franco would still be alive. I sank into the seat next to Mario. Fabio stayed where he was.

  Mario lifted up his head. In a voice that I’d never heard from him before, he spoke slowly, enunciating every word. “I’m going to find that fucking bitch, and I’m going to kill her. If anybody tries to stop me, I’m going to kill them, too.”

  He stood up and started walking toward the exit. Fabio and I followed him. This would not end well.

  Chapter Fourteen

  JOE

  The pain a
nd rage were overwhelming. We’d been the band of misfits for as long as I could remember. Sure, Franco wasn’t the most gregarious misfit of the group, but he was our friend and we loved him. He and Mario were the closest. We never did understand it, as they were polar opposites, but they were best buds, nonetheless.

  Mario dropped us at the front door and then left. I tried to reason with him but it was no use.

  “I’m going to find Abriana and kill her.” That’s all he said. Fabio and I tried to convince him to wait so that we could all go together, with backup, but he refused.

  Everyone was at the house by the time we got back. The men who’d been at the warehouse, other family bosses, and informants, called in to root out Abriana and whoever was hiding her. My father called Fabio and me to his study.

  “Sit down, my son. How’s Franco doing?”

  “He’s dead, Papa.” My tired eyes stared into his, then out of the window at the clear blue sky.

  “I’m so sorry, son. He was a good boy. Do his parents know?”

  “Not yet. They are on their way back from Spain.”

  “I can’t believe all this happened. I knew that Abriana had a mean streak, but I had no idea she would go this far.”

  “Where is Gino, Papa?”

  “He’s at his grandparents’ home. He is trying to find his mother before she gets herself into more trouble.”

  “I’m afraid it’s too late for that, Papa. Mario is out for blood. He won’t stop until she’s dead.”

  “Let’s just hope we find her before he does, then.”

  “I don’t care who finds her, Papa. All I want is to see her pay.”

  “She will, Joe, she will.”

  ELEANORA

  I made my way downstairs when I heard Joe’s voice. He looked so tired. I took him by the arm and led him upstairs to the bedroom.