“I have to go find Jonah he,” Shark pointed to a man standing just inside the door face blank gun in hand, “Is going to take you to your apartment. He is going to wait there with you. After I find Jonah I will come back and explain as much as I can.”
Translated I don’t have time to arrest you now but I will be back to do it after I arrest Jonah and your brother if Vinnie doesn't get there first.
Oh God Vinnie was going to get Jonah and kill Nicky. What if Nicky had already hurt Jonah? I was going to lose everything again. No, no, no I had to get to the firehouse.
Turning to the guy Shark gave him a pointed look as he helped me stand, “The cut on her neck needs stiches. Stich them if she’ll let you.”
As Shark talked I quickly made a plan in my head thanks to my hand going around Sharks waist and landing on the stun gun.
When we made it to the other person, I stumbled reaching out to break my fall I grabbed a hand full of the other guy’s shirt. “Sorry.” I whispered.
“Don’t be,” Shark said tightening his hold on me, “You were just tied to a chair and smacked around by Vinnie I’d be worried if you weren’t shaky. I’m going to let go but Tom is going to help you out ok?”
“Ok.”
Shark let go slowly; as soon as his hand left me I leached on to Tom my hand settling over the stun gun in his belt. Shark talked code to Tom gave his a chin lift then ran from the house.
Tom and I left the house much slower, as Tom was helping me into the car I missed the step my hand grabbing on to his belt and pulling the gun from the belt.
As Tom tried to pull me up I turned on the stun gun and pushed the prongs spiking with electricity into his back. Tom let go twitching but didn’t go down so I touched him again. This time he did go down. Bending down I grabbed the keys from his hands and whispered that I was sorry.
With the keys in my hand I wasted no time getting into the car and started racing towards my future praying I wasn’t too late.
****
I was sick and I was hurting but everything stopped at Nick’s words. “Brother?”
“Yeah brother.” Nick spat at me.
“Alex?” I said trying to understand how Olivia had another brother that was working for fucking Mika.
“Twin and thanks to that little shit, the reason I’m here. You're done with Olivia this is not her life and I will not let it be her life. I want your word that you will leave her alone.”
“She hasn’t talked about you, not once. So I’m thinking you don't get a say.”
A growl sounded at the back of Nicks throat as his face came closer, “Olivia is my baby sister so yeah you little fuck I got a say and I say you're going to leave her.”
“Fuck you.”
“Are you going to leave her or not?”
“Where have you been the last four years? Do you know your parents are awful to her? Do you know she has panic attacks over Alex’s death?”
“Shut up and answer.”
“Olivia is mine not yours.” I hissed.
“Fine you won't leave her then you will die.” Nick said simple.
Shit I thought trying to pull myself up as best I could to some how fight but it was a failed attempt, I was too weak from being sick. I would never be able to take Nick on if he wanted to kill me he was going to and I could do nothing about it.
Hands quickly gripped on to my arms pulling them behind my back and me into a sitting position as Nick pushed his gun into my forehead. “There’s a reason I left and never looked back. Whether you believe me or not everything I’ve done since Alex was for Olivia.”
Chapter 25
Thank God I kept a hold of the stun gun because a man was standing by the front door and another two were standing in the long hall leading to what used to be Alex and Nicky’s living room. I hadn’t been to the firehouse since a day after Alex’s death when I found that Nicky had also left. Memories assaulted my brain causing the mother of all panic attacks to come on.
By the time I made it to the door I was struggling to breathe and shaking so bad I couldn't grip the door handle to get the door open. Then I heard Nicky scream and what he said had me flinging myself through the door. All eyes and guns came my way expect for Nicky who was crouched in front of Jonah pushing a gun into Jonah’s forehead, his finger on the trigger.
“No!” I screamed trying to run across the room but was grabbed by men still holding guns to me as Jonah and Nicky screamed.
The room turned electric the tension hitting breaking point as everyone yelled and guns were pointed in all directions.
Nicky grabbed me around the waist pulling me into the room and into his body. It took what felt like hours but really was seconds for everyone to stop yelling and drop their guns.
My eyes where locked on Nicky’s but a painful grunting nose had me focusing on Jonah, blood was covering half his face, his body was shaking and he was very pale. My knees gave out as a sob broke from my throat.
“Who did this to you?” Nicky shouted shaking me gently.
“Let me go.” I cried tiring to pull away.
“Goddammit Olivia who hurt you?”
“What did you do to Jonah?”
Nicky looked at me for a beat then his eyes when to Jonah. “You're done with Jonah.”
My crying stopped as anger hit me straight on, “What?”
“Jonah is bad news your relationship is done. You will not see him. After I take care of you we will pick a new state for you to live.”
Something cold and nasty swept over my skin and before I could stop myself I slapped him across the face.
The room turned electric again and I heard Jonah telling me to stop but I was done and far too gone to hear anything. “You left me. You left me with them, you left me knowing that I killed Alex, you left me!” I screamed.
“You didn’t kill Alex Olivia.” Nicky said softly but I didn’t hear a word.
“You left me and you didn’t look back once. So you do not get to tell me what to do or whom I do it with. You haven’t been my brother for four years you don’t get to start now because you don’t like who I’m dating and you don’t get to start because you’re working for the fucking Russian mob.”
“You did not kill Alex Olivia.” Nicky repeated like I hadn’t said anything.
Snapping because he wasn’t listening to me I let it all hang out. “They were my drugs.”
Shaking me violently Nicky’s face turned to stone, “Why did you have drugs Olivia?”
“What?”
“Why did you have drugs on you at that party?” It didn’t matter why I had them I still had them, Alex took them and got hooked the reason why was pointless. “You had them because I pulled Alex into my reckless behavior. You brought drugs thinking if Alex thought his bad habit was rubbing off on you he would stop. He was doing drugs a long time before you pulled that stunt.” My breath was coming fast and the shaking had come back, “If anyone is to blame it is me Olivia, they were my friends, my parties and in the end they were my drugs I bought them for him thinking I could manage how much stuff he got his hands on. But what I didn’t even know was Alex was working for Mika.”
Like some invisible gate had been open memories, thoughts and feelings I’d buried somewhere deep inside came rushing back. I didn’t kill Alex, I didn’t kill Alex oh God. The crying started again and my body gave out taking Nicky to the floor with me.
Holding my face in his chest Nicky spoke against my hair, “He loved you baby girl, the last time I saw him you were the only thing on his mind. Despite what he was doing you were still his whole world and you're still my whole world.”
“No, you left me.” I said shaking my head.
“I left to save you baby girl. Alex fucked up, he screwed the Russian mob, if I didn’t leave they would have come for you. I had to make a deal, it was a risk and it was a bad one but it was the only one that would keep you safe.” Nicky whispered into my ear for only me to hear.
“You still left, I was lost
with no one until I found Jonah. Don’t take Jonah away from me, please. Don’t make me pick between you two.” Nicky pulled in an uneven breath. “I hurt Nicky, everyday the pain of losing you both is bad, I have panic attacks just thinking about you and Alex but Jonah fixed me I can't lose him.”
“Olivia he is in the business I’m trying to keep you out of.”
“No,” I yelled looking back at Jonah to see he was trying to focus on me but he was having trouble. Nicky’s arms were holding me loosely so I pulled away before he could stop me.
As soon as my fingers touched Jonah’s he gripped on with a death hold pulling me into his body as I wrapped my arms around him cradling him to me. Nicky’s face had turned back to stone and he was now standing but he didn’t make a move towards us. “Jonah’s been trying to get out but Vinnie won’t let him. Vinnie is using me to keep him in.”
“Vinnie did that to you?” Nicky barked, his hand holding his gun shaking violently.
“Yes.”
“Is this true are you trying to get out?” Nicky asked looking at Jonah.
“Want a life with her Nick, can't have one with her if Vinnie gets me killed.” Jonah whispered his voice weak.
Nicky turned to look at one of his boys as the doors flew open and Denny, Mason, Kay, and two others came in guns pointing at Nicky and his boys.
Before I could yell at the boys to put their guns down a gunshot rang out and the second door in the living room busted open as Vinnie and his guards walked in.
All the men and their boys turned their guns on Vinnie, as my eyes caught Sharks stepping beside Denny, gun also pointing at Vinnie.
“You hurt my sister?” Nicky yelled stepping closer to Vinnie.
“She was corrupting my boys.” Vinnie spat eyes flickering to me.
“We're not your boys.” Denny clipped his voice hard and his face cold as ice, “Mason filled me in. How stupid do you have to be to work with a trader in the Russian mob. The Russian’s will find that trader and they will kill us all. So I’m done, Jonah’s done and our boys are done and I will make it known to the whole of Denver that we have nothing to do with you or your business.”
“You're not done, I’ll tell you when you’re done.” Vinnie yelled.
“Actually Vinnie the Russian’s have already decided you're done.” Darcy said stepping into the room behind Vinnie follow by what could only be described as a small Army.
Vinnie whipped around to look at her as I gasped because my best friend and roommate was standing in front of Vinnie as cool as can be talking about the Russians.
“What the fuck Darcy.” Nicky yelled.
Not even looking at Nicky, Darcy continued to talk. “We know who you were working for and they have been taken care of. The Russian's do not like to be fucked with, you should have known better Vinnie.” As fast as lightening Darcy lifted a gun, aimed at Vinnie and pulled the trigger.
As soon as I realized what Darcy was doing Jonah pulled my head into his chest, his hand covered my ears and Denny and Mason ran to us covering us with their bodies. I figured a shoot out was going to start as Vinnie yelled out but the room turned deadly quite the only noise was coming from me crying into Jonah’s chest.
“Lets go Nick, Mika’s waiting we finally get to go home.” Darcy said calmly sounding nothing like the girl I’d come to love. “Vinnie’s business is done, we'll take the turf we want but the rest can be picked off. You take over his business we expect a call as you will be working for us.” Darcy finished, her high heel shoes sounding on the floor. “It's been fun Olivia I’m actually going to miss you, Ty not so much.”
I heard her start walking again along with the sound of others moving with her and then I felt Mason and Denny’s bodies get tenser.
“I just want to say bye to her.” Nicky said to my boys.
Jonah’s arms gave me a squeeze as he whispered to what I was guessing was Nicky, “Keep her eyes on you don’t let her look around.” His arms let me go as my body was pulled into the arms of my brother.
Pulling my face up with his hand at my chin Nicky looked into my eyes, “I have to go baby girl. I need you to forget what happen here today. Jonah will take care of you I can see that now. Let go of all the bad surrounding Alex and hold on to the good time we had with him.”
“Don’t leave me again.” I cried.
Closing his eyes Nicky kissed my forehead, “I love you baby girl hold on to knowing there will be a one day for us.” Before I could say a word Jonah's arms were back around me and Nicky was once again gone.
Chapter 26
One month later…
I woke to the sounds of Jonah’s alarm going off and his side of the bed empty. Waking alone wasn’t unusual for the last couple of weeks. After Jonah got over the flu −which took over a week− Jonah and Denny immediately went to work to erase Vinnie’s business.
After Nicky and his boys left, Mason carried me out as I was stuck in a crying fit at losing my brother again and the fact that Vinnie was just shot in front of me. Denny had to help Jonah as he was sick with the flu, had been hit in the head with a gun, was almost shot by my brother and watched his uncle be shot, so to say Jonah was a mess was an understatement. Denny was holding his emotions close to himself which made me concerned at the time but I learned later that Mason had told him about Vinnie killing Jonah’s family so Denny was struggling with what to feel as Vinnie was his father but Vinnie had done something unforgivable to his brother.
Mason, Denny and I told Jonah everything Vinnie had done leaving nothing out. As soon as we told him Vinnie had killed his family Jonah shut down and if he wasn’t so sick I’m sure he would have taken off. For two days Jonah didn’t say one word to any of us. Finally two days later in the middle of the night Jonah broke letting it all out. It was awful watching him break down and it made me break down also but once he was done I could tell that Jonah was better, he was still hurting but it was a hurt he could live with and move on with his life.
We were all waiting for Denny to have a break down too but Denny wasn’t breaking he was actually acting like life was better then ever. Jonah told me this was Denny’s way of coping he’d done the same thing since he was a kid and one day it would all just explode out of him.
We were still waiting for that to happen.
I had my break down with Jonah and since then I was feeling better than I had in four years, I finally believed that Alex dying was not my fault and although I didn’t have everything I put the pieces together and realized that Nicky didn’t leave because he wanted to he left because he had to, it was the only way to keep me safe. Safe from what I wasn’t sure and no one could really answer that not even Shark and it seemed Shark knew a lot.
Shark couldn’t tell us everything but he did tell us he was a DEA agent that had been undercover trying to take down the drug lords working in Denver, he didn’t want the little players like Jonah and Denny he wanted Vinnie and the other big players but as his cover was blown he was leaving Denver to go after Mika. Shark’s real name was Shane and the people I’d met when he took me to the ranch really were his family and that was his family’s ranch. Shark promised to come see us when he made it back to Denver. Before he left he made sure that everyone knew Vinnie's business was no more and Jonah and Denny were out and wouldn’t ever be going back. Shark also shared some information that had me having a second breakdown. Vince another DEA agent who apparently was gunning for Nicky, had followed Nicky and another man in a black car to Alex’s grave the night I was chased by two people through the graveyard. Finding out it was my brother chasing me through a graveyard in the middle of the night didn’t break me down it was the information that he had come to Alex’s grave stone every year on the anniversary on his death just like me. Why he was approaching me this time Shark didn’t know and it was driving me crazy not knowing either. We also with the help of Vince learned that it was Mika who had been calling me from Alex’s phone. Shark told me he had a feeling that Mika was using this as a way of
controlling my brother and I wasn’t to pick up a call from Alex’s cell ever again.
My brother had made some bad choices and taken even worse risks but it was looking like he had taken those risks to protect me. I loved and hated him for this and I couldn’t wait for our one day. I still wasn’t sure if I was going to beat him or hug him when he had our one day.
Darcy was kind of a mystery; we knew she was working for Mika but no one including Shark could figurer out what she was doing with me over the last four years. Jonah really didn’t like this because although no one said it everyone was thinking it, Mika wouldn’t have Darcy hanging around me for the last four years for no good reason, their was a reason. And the reason was a big problem because no on could answer why and that scared the shit out of me, the boys and Shark.
Denny’s mother and Jonah’s Aunt did all the work arranging Vinnie’s burial and it was held last week, none of us went. Jonah instead used that day to call his grandparents that Mason had found were living in Texas. They were flying out next weekend. They were beyond happy to finally get to meet their grandbaby. This pushed me into finally coming clean to my parents about everything to do with Alex and Nicky. My dad told me this changed nothing because the fact of the matter was both his sons had screwed up to a point he would never be able to forgive them but my mom surprised the shit out of me by apologizing and promising me she would make our family a family once again, she had put Nicky and Alex’s pictures back on the wall yet but we were working towards that.
Everything was falling into place Jonah was finally getting the life he’d always wanted. As for me I realized that I’d never lost my life I was just waiting for someone special like Jonah to help me heal my broken heart. And heal it he had, I still missed my brothers very much and thinking of them still did hurt but I wasn’t focusing on the bad anymore I was focusing on all the good.
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