by Tiffany Jade
It may have seemed petty in a normal environment. A big upset about clothing. But in a world of money, and luxury, no matter what you were told growing up about not judging a book by its cover, it was utter bullshit.
I lean in to whisper in her ear as our fathers enter to take their seats, "Trust me Dear, this is not the dumbest mistake I'll be making this weekend. I haven't even said, 'I Do,' yet." If she could have pulled out the gun I knew she had strapped around her thigh right now, she would have. A swift 9mm round right to the heart. But she was dead set on making a spectacle of our wedding.
Bad news for her, I was dead set on not even having to put the damn tux on.
"Well if you had any doubts about his feelings for you, I think that one just about clears it up," Jenna whispers into my ear as we settle into our seats, ignoring the glances coming our way. The whispers wondering who the 'girl in red' is.
"I was pretty clear before this, but uh yeah, here we are!" I nervously smooth down the invisible wrinkles on the cream tablecloth as I try to focus my eyes anywhere but up at the center table where if I meet Grayson's eyes I may melt into another puddle of really really bad fucking timing lust.
The whispers begin to give way as people make their speculations about me being his mistress, which clearly is a norm around here, and regular chatter begins to fill the room.
Our table fills up with people who are probably just here to gather intel on the mystery lady, but they are all polite as ever. A beautiful blonde who had decided to take the seat right next to me cracks a joke that makes everyone roar with approval as the first course of our meal begins to find its way to our table. As the antipasto is placed in front of me I try to eat, but as I had guessed earlier, my want for food has totally faded away.
Jenna on the other hand, tucks in and moans in appreciation for the real Italian food. She motions at me to take a bite, and I do, to appease her, the burst of flavors on my tongue are absolutely wonderful, but my brain is still in a fog.
I look up at the boys and notice them all eating and joking around, Serafina angrily pushing her food around her plate. All looks normal until I notice Luca watching the front entrance to the room. He catches me staring and quickly resumes listening to whatever story Nate is currently telling but his eyes drop to his watch and then flash to the door again. Did he hear something?
Over the din of chatter in the room, I make out a strange sound coming from outside of the room. Not loud enough that you would have noticed it if you were in conversation, but Nate's eyes soon join Luca's at the door.
Then another loud bang.
My eyes bounce between the boys and the door, their bodies begin to tense up, even as they try to maintain the facade of calm.
The gunshot rings loud and clear.
The room gets dead silent.
Grayson, Daxon, Nate, Luca, Serafina, Lorenzo, and Gio's eyes all land on the door.
As it bursts open, Gio stands, his hand moving for what I'm sure is a gun.
"Nu uh uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," the gun enters the room first, the chrome glinting as it catches the light. The voice making my breath catch in my throat.
Dean's smirk sends shivers down my spine.
Jenna's hand reaches for mine under the table. We both hold on.
"How did you get in? You weren't supposed to come back until tomorrow!" Gio stumbles as he tries to walk around the table. His voice clearly flustered. All the boys raise their eyebrows in unison.
Dean was supposed to come back for the wedding? After everything he'd done? No. Gio had flat out just admitted he was in on the plot to kill his sons.
And there wasn't an ounce of hurt in either of the boys' eyes. But my heart broke.
Dean's grin widens as he walks further into the room. He avoids looking at me, even though I'm right in front of him. I turn to face Grayson as he comes up behind me. As he reaches me I hold back the shiver that tries to run through me.
My eyes meet Grayson's and I'm sure he sees the fear in them. He stares hard, as if trying to tell me something. But I can feel Dean's body heat behind me. I can picture the gun in his hand. I can feel the chuckle coming from him before I hear it.
Gio's gun trains onto him as he refocuses himself. All of the men stand now.
"I said you weren't supposed to come until tomorrow! You dumb son of a bitch, you were supposed to kill them—" Gio's voice screeches in anger but cuts off as he realizes what he's about to say. He glances back at the boys who don't give him a second glance.
"We had a change of plans," the deep Russian accent comes from behind me. The collective gasp, comes from the whole room.
I turn my head to look around Dean, right as Viktor walks in—holding hands with Mariella Demonte.
Chapter 39
Grayson's eyes remain cold as his mother enters the room.
"Mariella?!" Gio sputters as his gun shakes in his hands. "You turn on your own husband?" He gestures the gun wildly towards the boys, "On your sons?!"
A chuckle escapes Mrs. Demonte as she gracefully strides into the room, Viktor close to her side. "That is something else coming from you Giovanni."
He begins stammering as he tries to formulate a new plan, or understand how his perfect plan is falling apart before his eyes. Lorenzo's eyes bounce back and forth between Demonte and Devlov, slowly backing away from the table. His progress is stopped by Luca's large arm, barring his escape.
"Stop!" The shriek turns everyone's heads to Serafina. "Why are you all ruining my wedding like this?" Her whine is accompanied by some Oscar worthy tears filling her eyes, but the collective eye roll of the room, proves everyone knows she is not innocent.
"Give it up Serafina," Dean's voice comes from behind me, reminding me just how close he is, with that gun in his hand. "We all know you've slept with half of the dudes in this room, probably just this weekend." Serafina's eyes shoot flames as a few heads stare down at tables. "This wedding is as fake as the rest of you."
"I can't fucking believe—"
"SHUT UP SERAFINA!" Grayson, Daxon, Nate, Luca, Dean, Giovanni, Lorenzo, and Viktor all speak in unison. Properly scolded and embarrassed, Serafina huffs and crosses her arms.
"Now, onto business." I nearly jump out of my chair as Dean's left hand lands on my shoulder. Grayson's cold stare turns suddenly deadly, he jumps over the table, closely followed by Daxon. Guns appear in both of their hands so quickly I don't even see where they come from. Jenna squeezes my hands so tightly I have to pull them away.
"Oh no, don't do that," Dean clicks his tongue as Gray raises his gun.
"Get your hand off of her, or I will remove it for you." Grayson growls the words out, his eyes focused behind me. His hand steadily holding his weapon as he steps closer.
"Aw look at that," Dean squeezes my shoulder, gently, almost reassuring. I shake my head to clear it, he has a gun pointed at my boys and is on the wrong side of this—there is no reassuring. "So Serafina wasn't the only cheater in this cluster fuck of a power grab you guys tried to pull off huh?"
"Can't blame me." Grayson shrugs, stopping a few feet from the table. I glance around taking in the room. The tables full of guests are all looking around, not in fear, but in acceptance. Like this was normal. A few more guns have appeared in hands. Even the pretty blonde at the table was packing. So much for the weapon free event.
Liam has appeared at Daxon's side, standing behind Grayson. Nate and Luca, now flanking Lorenzo, Gio, and Serafina at the front of the room.
Wait, Dean knew Grayson and I were together. What the fuck is going on here?
I see Jenna's head tip to the side out of the corner of my eye. She caught it too.
"Enough." Viktor's harsh tone captures everyone's attention. "I am not here to play games, your time is up Demonte."
"Fuck you." Gio finds his voice again and side steps the arms holding him back. He comes around the table. "You have come into my home armed, you have kidnapped my wife, and now you threaten me. I will give you one chance to leave here alive an
d save this battle for another day."
"Ah, you give me a chance to leave? No, no no." Now Viktor clicks his tongue. "I had been told of your lack of loyalty Gio, but it is another thing to see it in person. Your plan with Lorenzo and Serafina has failed, look around you. Everyone here is aware of you turning on your sons. You cheating on Mariella."
As Viktor speaks I watch as Grayson walks toward me, but then he walks around my table to his mother. Daxon, Liam, Nate, and Luca join him.
"What are you boys doing?! Daxon?! Grayson?!" Gio's face turns bright red as he yells. "You were just threatening to blow Dean away, get back over here!"
Grayson smirks.
"Had ya going there didn't we?" Dean chuckles as he speaks. He squeezes my shoulder one more time before turning and heading over to where the rest of the boys are standing. Him and Gray clap each other on the shoulder and face Gio together.
My head spins as the situation changes by the minute. Grayson shoots me a small wink. Dean gives me an apologetic smile.
"Looks like you are outnumbered Demonte." Viktor brushes some imaginary lint off of his sleeve and then looks around the room. "So I will offer you the same chance you offered me. Leave. You, and your homewrecker," he points to Serafina, "and her cowardly father." Gio backs up to join the two.
"No! This is my home, this was not how it was supposed to go—" Gio stumbles as he meets the eyes of his sons.
"Right!" Grayson chuckles, "You know Dad," he manages to make the name sounds like an insult. "You would have gotten away with it all, probably, if you hadn't sent us to that party." Gio's eyebrows raise in question. "Oh you know the one, where we were looking for Devlov's heir, your orders. If you had just kept us out of L.A., I never would have questioned your arranged wedding. I never would have fought you on it. Fuck we all know that I would have agreed and never been the wiser that I was supposed to die right after I said 'I do.' But you sent us away to keep Serafina safe. And while you did that, she stabbed you in the back. Didn't you Sera?" Grayson looks over to where Serafina is heading for a door. "Oh don't leave now honey, our rehearsal dinner is just getting good." She freezes.
"What is he talking about Sera?" Gio questions Serafina, genuine confusion in his voice.
"Sorry to break it to ya Dad." Daxon speaks now, "We thought that she was blackmailing you this whole time but that wasn't it huh? You really thought she loved you. What did you think was going to happen? Leave Mom for SeraThot? Kill your sons? Create a new heir? Then leave everything to Sera and the spawn you two make? Sorry to break it to ya, but Sera and Lorenzo were playing you."
The room goes silent as Serafina turns around. Calm. Collected.
"Liv." Grayson whispers my name. "Come here," there is urgency in his voice. I scoot my chair back slowly and stand. Serafina's eyes land on me and my stomach turns at the look in her eyes.
"You." She spits out the word, stepping away from the door and towards me. "You ruined everything. You got to Grayson, and Daxon. Enthralled the two most heartless mother fuckers I have ever met into being your little bitches." She steps closer. "Then you got to Dean, my next chance at getting everything I wanted." I see Grayson moving towards me out of the corner of my eye, but I refuse to take my stare off of her. "Then Nate, even Luca for fucks sake!" She throws her hands up in the air and chuckles, coldly. "How? How do you do it?"
"She's a nice person," Daxon speaks up, inching towards Serafina now, trying to turn her attention from me. "You should try it sometime Sera."
"Oh fuck you Daxon!" she screams now, shrill and angry. "Fuck all of you! But especially you Liviana, you ruined everything! I think it’s time for YOU to go."
"Liv, GET DOWN!" Grayson yells and jumps for me, but his voice is muffled as everyone in the room stands. She has a gun, and it's pointing at me.
Then it's all a blur, the CRACK of the shot, Grayson's figure appearing in front of me, his body crumpling as the bullet slams into his chest...
More gunshots as I crawl across the floor.
More gunshots, his eyes are closed.
More gunshots, screams.
"Grayson!" I grab onto him as I reach him, "Gray, no!" I cradle his head into my lap, ignoring the chaos around me. "Baby wake up," I shake him gently. "Grayson Demonte you promised me a vacation and a life away from this! You promised we'd make it!"
My vision blurs, the tears fall onto his cheeks. "Grayson, please! Gray, I love you."
Chapter 40
"FBI! EVERYONE FREEZE!" The words barely register as I hold him. The gun shots stop. I notice that.
"Murder—"
"Racketeering—"
"Conspiracy—"
"You're under arrest—"
It feels like ages as I sit there. And I notice that no one else has come over. I finally look up, registering the fact that half of my new friends are probably now under arrest...or shot.
But I see them all, standing around, speaking to Mason, Drew and a few other men and women in FBI vests. They were undercover?
I spot Serafina, shackles on her legs and cuffed behind her back, a black eye slowly forming. Jenna, standing over her, a smug grin on her face.
I finally catch Daxon's eyes, he raises his eyebrows as he sees me and excuses himself from the agent he is talking to and rushes over.
"Oh my God I'm so sorry, I thought Dean was with you!" He kneels down next to me. Not looking even slightly sad.
"What the fuck Daxon?" I yell at him, getting a surprised look in return.
"I'm sorry?"
"You're sorry?! Your brother is laying here dead and all you can say is you're sorry?!" I punch his shoulder as the rest of the crew arrives.
"Fuck Liv!" Daxon groans. Jenna giggles.
"What did he do to deserve that?" my heart skips a beat as I hear the familiar, and very scratchy voice.
"Oh my God!" I look down into Grayson's eyes, a little unfocused, but open.
Open.
He grins, and then flinches.
"You're alive!" Everyone around me starts laughing.
"None of you thought to tell the poor girl?" Mariella kneels down beside me and tucks some of my hair behind my ear before resting her hand on Grayson's cheek. "Nice of you to wake up, Son."
"I feel like I missed all of the good stuff," Grayson tries to sit up, but flinches again and lays his head back in my lap.
"Would somebody mind telling me WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"
"Queen," Grayson reaches for me, grabbing onto my hand. "Since these dumb fucks didn't feel the need to inform you," he shoots a glare at the circle formed around us, all the boys look down sheepishly. "Look at my chest."
"No," I shake my head adamantly, I had not even looked for the wound, it was bad enough holding what I thought was his dead body, to see him bleeding would have completely undone what little control I had been holding onto.
"Baby, look," he reaches for my cheek and angles my head down, I go to block my eyes with my hands but quickly realize, there is no blood.
"What? But—" I start patting his chest, and sure enough, it’s hard. Well harder than normal. "But I thought bullet proof vests were bulky and like super noticeable, like the ones those guys are wearing," I point at one of the random FBI agents wandering the room.
"Old school," Grayson smirks, "We got that new new," he chuckles but instantly pays for his joke as he tries to hide the grimace. "Ultra-thin Kevlar. Stings like a bitch though."
"I hate you all," I glare around the group as they all smile at me. "Especially you," my eyes land on Dean. "We are going to talk." He nods, no argument.
"Now why are none of you in cuffs?" A few throats clear as I ask the question.
"Let's get Gray up and to his room to lie down, then we can all talk." Daxon suggests, Grayson nods. He must be sore if he's willing to go lay down. Viktor arrives at Grayson's feet. Without a word he reaches down and helps him out of my lap with Daxon and me supporting his back. With a nod, a smile, and a light touch to his shoulder, he takes Mariella's hand and w
alks over to a table to take a seat.
There's a whole story in there too, I could see it in Grayson's eyes. A lot of feelings that he was having a hard time concealing.
"How about I get Grayson to his room, while you guys finish up here?" I drape his right arm over my shoulder and wrap my arm around his waist.
"Yes." Grayson answers instantly, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
"Oh like you are in any shape for anything other than a nap," Nate rolls his eyes.
"Hi, have you seen Liv? I'd have to have lost a limb before my d—" my hand flies to cover his mouth while everyone chuckles and wanders off.
"Ten minutes ago I thought you were dead and your mind has already went there?" I scold him, but he just nuzzles my neck and grins in return.
"Take me to my bed Nurse! I need care!" I can't stop the smile, my heart fills, he's still here. I didn't lose him.
"I'm going to need you to give me directions, I still can't find my way around this place." We head for the door and I wait to be stopped by one of the agents but the ones who meet our eyes just smile and continue what they are doing.
"Well, I'll get you a map to study. You're going to have to learn, I'm going to need a live in nurse. Forever, I get hurt a lot." Grayson shrugs as he points me down a hallway.
"Forever? That's a long time."
"I took a bullet for you! You owe me forever!" I roll my eyes.
"Oh here we go, I'm never going to hear the end of this one." Gray plants a kiss on my cheek.
"Damn straight."
"Get in here with me, pleeeease," Gray begs as the mirror begins to fog up in his bathroom. I set down the washcloth I had been using to wash my make-up off.
"Nope, finish up your shower. I left your towels out." I take out the low ponytail Jenna had given me earlier and throw my hair up in a messy bun instead.
"I thought nurses gave sponge baths?" he peeks his head out from the shower curtain with a pout.
"I texted Daxon," I ignore his pout and head for the door. "We decided it's too late and everyone is exhausted so we will all have a meeting tomorrow so you guys can fill me in. Get done with your shower so we can go to bed." Gray's pout turns into a wolfish grin. "Don't even, we are sleeping, since you're so wounded you need a nurse and all." I turn as Grayson's grin turns into a glare and leave the room.