Solitude (Cunningham Security Book 4)

by A. K. Evans

  Her brows pulled together, but she nodded.

  “You killed someone,” I reminded her, not that I believed she forgot. “I know he was a bad man, but you’re not a killer.”

  My mom moved from her spot on the couch and walked over to me. I stood in front of her. She lifted a hand to my cheek and held it there while she reasoned, “I had a choice to make. Kill him or watch him kill my child. I’m okay with the decision I’ve made because you’re still standing here, living and breathing.”

  I looked to Memphis. “She doesn’t have anything to worry about, right?”

  “I can’t say anything officially, but my guess is that this is a very clear-cut case of self-defense. She did what she had to do to protect herself, you, and my sister. Again, I don’t get to make that call, but I’m guessing that’s the one that’s going to be made.”

  “It’s Christmas in two days,” I put in.

  I didn’t want my mom in a jail cell over the holiday or at all, for that matter, and wanted to make sure that didn’t happen.

  “She’s not a flight risk, De Luca. Her kids are here, her life is here. She’s not going to take off and leave that behind when her actions were completely justified. We’ll do what we’ve got to do to see to it that she’s with her family for the holiday. The sooner we can get you all down to the station and get through questioning, the sooner we’ll know where things stand.”

  I gave him a nod and turned back to my mom.

  “Stop worrying about me, Lorenzo. I’m the parent here and I did what I had to do. If given the chance, I’d do it again because there was no choice.”

  “Love you, Mom.”

  She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. “I love you too.”

  When she pulled away, she repeated, “I’m going to call Rocco now. You see to your shoulder and Jolie. We’ll do whatever we need to do here, meet you at the station, and then I’d like you both over to Michael’s house tonight when we break the news to your brother.”

  “Okay.”

  At that, my mom turned and moved to Michael. I looked back at Jolie. “I know you need ice for your face, baby. Did you get hurt anywhere else?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. We should really go get your shoulder looked at now.”

  “I’m asking about you,” I maintained. “Were you hurt?”

  She shrugged. “My head hit the wall, but I didn’t black out. My neck hurts a little from when he was choking me. Everything else is just fatigue, honestly. I think the adrenaline has worn off.”

  “I’m getting you ice for your cheek and then we’re going to the hospital to get your head checked.”

  “Okay. Can I go see Ollie first?”

  Dom stood and looked to Memphis. “Can you take her out to the sunroom? I want to talk with Lorenzo.”

  Memphis took his sister and walked out of the room while Dom followed me to the kitchen. After I pulled the ice out of the freezer, I turned to find his eyes trained on me.

  “Took a bullet to protect her,” he stated.

  “It was just a graze, Dom,” I pointed out, not wanting him to make a big deal about it.

  “Doesn’t matter. You would have taken that hit even if you knew it was going to go right through your heart,” he maintained.

  I couldn’t deny it, so I didn’t.

  Dom wasn’t finished, “I told you before I couldn’t have hand-picked anyone else better for her than you. I knew it was the truth then; hopefully you see it now.”

  I held up the ice. “See this?”

  His brows furrowed. “Yeah.”

  She got my elbow in her cheek because I was beating the shit out of him and she was worried I’d kill him.

  “I’m not happy this happened at all. I’m not even remotely excited about the fact that she was involved and hurt. But you did not intentionally hurt her. You’re seeing to it that she gets ice and gets seen by a doctor. Her head, her neck, her muscles, and her cheek will all heal from this. But the one thing you’ve got to realize is that she never needs to worry whether the man she loves would do anything to protect her. She’ll go to sleep every night from here on out knowing that she’s safe with you.”

  I didn’t respond.

  “You protected her and you’d do it again.”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  At that, Dom put a hand to my good shoulder, squeezed, and ordered, “Go get that ice on her face and get your shoulder checked. We’ll work on things here and see what we can figure out. You’ve not had contact with him for years, so it’s concerning why he suddenly showed up. Let’s hope our hit-and-run driver has something else to say now.”

  “I expect I’m going to be unavailable for the next few days,” I began. “You’ll keep me in the loop?”

  “Without a doubt.”

  I gave him a nod and walked out of the kitchen toward the sunroom. When I walked in, I found my girl sitting on the floor with her puppy while her brothers watched from behind her. They saw me enter, walked toward me, and gave me chin lifts before exiting the room. Jolie looked up and saw me moving toward her. I sat down next to her, gave Ollie a few scratches on the head, and kissed Jolie’s temple. She turned toward me, kissed me once on the lips, and leaned into me.

  I put the ice to her cheek and held it there. We stayed like that a long time in silence, neither of us needing to say anything. When the ice turned to water, we finally got up off the floor.

  Then, Jolie and I left my mom’s house to get ourselves bandaged up.

  The silence still hung between us while we did.

  I swallowed hard as I watched Lorenzo getting bandaged up by the doctor, still unable to fully process the reality of the situation.

  After confirming Michael and Lena would take care of Ollie for us until we got back, Lorenzo and I made our way to the hospital. Memphis came with us since we technically still needed to go to the police station afterward. They knew we weren’t going to take off but needed to play by the rules.

  We arrived quite a while ago, and before he’d even consider having a doctor check out his shoulder, Lorenzo insisted that they make sure I was alright. After running a few tests, they gave me a clean bill of health. Or, at least, for my head they did. My neck had some bruising from where Lorenzo’s father had choked me, and I had a pretty sizeable knot on my cheek where Lorenzo had accidentally elbowed me. Other than that, my muscles mostly just felt fatigued. Thankfully, I didn’t have any pain in my knee or ankle.

  Once I was completely cleared by the doctor, Lorenzo finally gave in to getting himself checked out. The entire time his shoulder was being taken care of, I watched him. I could see his mind working. He barely made eye contact with me, but when he did, he looked at me as though it was painful for him.

  Between those looks and the silence that had been present from the moment Lorenzo came out and sat with me and Ollie in the sunroom, I was feeling uneasy.

  Even though I’d been attacked by Lorenzo’s father and felt fear like never before, I still believed that what I felt paled in comparison to what Lorenzo was currently dealing with.

  When we had been at Lena’s house, he was taking charge of the situation and confirming everyone else was handling it alright. Now, I had a feeling it was all sinking in. Lorenzo’s father was not a nice man, but he was still his father. And now that man was dead. I couldn’t imagine that was easy to come to terms with.

  “I’ll be right back with your discharge instructions,” the nurse who’d been assisting the doctor said.

  Lorenzo gave her a nod.

  While we waited for her to return, I thought we’d have a chance to talk.

  “Lorenzo,” I called softly.

  He turned his gaze toward me, but before I had the chance to say anything the curtain flew open and Kendall charged in. “Oh my God, I just heard what happened! Are you guys alright?”

  Neither of us answered her as her eyes darted back and forth between us. Eventually, they settled on me and she repeated, “Are you alrigh
t?”

  I gave her a slight nod and replied, “Yeah, we’re okay. Dom called you?”

  “Yes,” she answered. “He told me what happened and thought I should come down to check on the two of you.” Her eyes shifted to Lorenzo and she moved toward him. Stopping next to him, she put her arms around him and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you, Kendall,” he responded. “But if you’re apologizing to me over the death of my father, it’s not necessary. He tried to kill your sister, twice. From where I stand, he finally got what he deserved.”

  Kendall gave him a look of understanding before she diverted her attention to me. “Are you sure you feel alright?”

  “Yes, they checked me out already. I’m all set. We’re just waiting for Lorenzo’s discharge instructions and then we’ve got to get out of here. Lorenzo and his mom are breaking the news to Rocco tonight.”

  She gasped. “I can’t imagine that’s going to be easy. If there’s anything either of you needs, you know you can call me. I’ll do what I can for you…the both of you.”

  “Appreciate it,” Lorenzo thanked her before I had the chance to respond.

  A few minutes later, the nurse returned with Lorenzo’s discharge instructions. After she left the room, I told Kendall that I’d talk to her at our parents’ house on Christmas Day and we’d plan a girls’ night with Ava sometime soon. At that, Lorenzo and I said goodbye to my sister and took off.

  Hours later, the ride to Michael’s house was, just like the ride to the hospital and the police station, quiet. When we pulled up outside, I looked at the clock on the dash and realized we still had time before Rocco was set to arrive. I needed to take a few minutes to talk with Lorenzo before we went inside.

  He parked the truck, but before he could hop out, I reached across the center console and put my hand on his bicep. “Lorenzo?”

  His eyes went to my hand before traveling up to my face. “Right here,” he replied.

  I held his eyes quietly for several moments before I practically pleaded, my voice soft, “Talk to me.”

  Pain slashed through his features and his body tensed up. “I’m sorry, Jolie,” he paused to collect himself and control his breathing. “I’m so sorry he was able to get to you. I never expected him. It’s been more than eighteen years since I’ve seen him and I’m not sure why he came back.”

  “Why are you apologizing to me? You didn’t attack me,” I attempted to reason with him.

  He shook his head in frustration and explained, “My father attacked you. I knew the kind of man he was and I never thought it was him. It’s hard not to shoulder the responsibility of what happened to you a few weeks ago and what happened earlier today.”

  My head jerked back in surprise. “Wait, you don’t think he was behind the hit-and-run, do you?”

  “Yes.”

  Lorenzo’s single-word answer had not a trace of doubt in it. I trusted him with everything, but I wasn’t sure I could get on board with this.

  “Boss, I’m not sure about that,” I cautioned. “I mean, he came into that house today and specifically asked about your mom. Then, he tried going after her first. That doesn’t indicate to me that he wanted anything to do with me. He didn’t even know who I was.”

  Disappointment registered in his face, and while I hoped it was because he believed what I was saying and realized there was still someone out there who tried to have me killed, something told me that wasn’t it. I had a suspicion that he was wrestling with the fact that he was certain his father was behind this and, soon enough, he’d be able to confirm that fact.

  Since he hadn’t said anything, I went on, “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine,” he insisted.

  I shook my head and clarified, “No, I’m not referring to your shoulder. I want to know about you. Your heart and your mind. Are you okay?”

  “Baby…you’re sitting here next to me. And Mom is safe, too. That’s all that matters.”

  “I know,” I assured him. “But a man is dead, and that man was your father. I want to know how you’re handling that.”

  He turned his head and looked out the front windshield. I waited patiently while he took the time he needed to gather his thoughts on the whole situation. I adored my parents and knew that if one of them died, I’d be an emotional wreck. Lorenzo’s situation was different and wasn’t something I could relate to. Regardless of what I thought of his father, I loved Lorenzo and I wanted to make sure he knew he had a place to unload his feelings.

  “Vincent Mancini was a bad man, Jolie,” Lorenzo began as he continued to look out the windshield. “Maybe he wasn’t always that way, but at some point, he changed and never tried to redeem himself. He never sought help. All I feel right now is relief.”

  “Relief?” I wondered, surprised.

  He nodded slowly and repeated, “Relief.” When he turned his attention back to me, he explained, “I mourned the loss of my father a long time ago. For a long time, I was conflicted because I hadn’t always known him as an abuser. It was hard back then, especially as a kid, to have something good and see it turn into what it did. But there’s no love lost there. It’s done. It’s over. It’s finally, completely over. The bottom line is that he can’t do anything else now. He can’t hurt me, Rocco, my mom, or you. He can’t hurt anyone else again.”

  I offered a sympathetic smile as I gave him a gentle squeeze on the arm. “I’m sorry you lost something good, Lorenzo.”

  “I appreciate that, baby, but I’m really okay. I haven’t missed him since before we got out of that situation years ago. Maybe I should feel guilt, but I don’t. I have no regrets. While I missed the man he used to be and missed having that for all my life, I don’t miss the man he became. As I said before, many years ago, I mourned the loss of the good guy he was. The man he was tonight, the one he became when I was eight years old, is not someone I’m going to feel the loss of. That’s a man that I’m going to feel relieved is no longer here.”

  Understanding washed over me as I processed everything Lorenzo said. It made complete sense. While I never experienced something so horrific in my life, I had what Lorenzo had for the first eight years of his life. A good father. And I knew if my father had become a man like Lorenzo’s had, I probably would have mourned him long before he actually died.

  “Are you worried about how Rocco’s going to take the news?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No. He’ll be upset, for sure, but not about our father. He’s going to be angry hearing what he did to Mom and you. He’ll also be pissed about what he attempted, and thankfully failed, to do to you with that gun. Rocco will feel for my mom and the fact that she had to put a bullet in a man she once loved, but the truth is that Rocco doesn’t ever remember our father as a good man. He has no memories of him being anything but an angry, bitter, abusive man.”

  Silence fell between us again. I felt comforted by the fact that neither Lorenzo nor Rocco would be suffering over the coming days, weeks, and months. It was clear that Lena wasn’t going to be mourning either. She did what she had to do to protect her son. I didn’t think she’d be feeling regretful anytime soon…or at all.

  “Mancini?” I asked, curious about the last name Lorenzo mentioned when he first started speaking about his father.

  “That was his last name,” Lorenzo said. “After we left him and Mom got officially divorced, she went back to her maiden name. Rocco and I asked if we could change our names from Mancini to hers, which is De Luca. She understood our need to not have any affiliation to him beyond the blood that runs in our veins and didn’t hesitate to get our names changed for us.”

  I smiled at him, happy he and his brother found a way to turn their parents’ divorce into something positive for them. Obviously, no longer living in fear of their father and what he’d do to their mother could have been enough, but the name change was something they had a choice over, and I loved that for them.

  “Thank you,” I eventually expressed.

  His
brows pulled together as his head tilted. “For what?” he wondered.

  My eyes welled with tears as it all came back to me. The magnitude of the situation had settled in me when Lorenzo and I sat in the sunroom with Ollie earlier in the evening. I realized then just how differently the day could have turned out, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it then.

  Now, several hours had passed and Lorenzo had shared a lot with me. I was ready to talk about it with him.

  Apparently, I’d taken too long to answer because I felt Lorenzo’s hand cup my cheek. I blinked my eyes and cleared the tears from them. As they spilled down my cheeks, his thumb stroked along my cheek and he urged, “Baby, talk to me.”

  “You saved my life today,” I whispered, my bottom lip quivering.

  Lorenzo’s hand moved to curl around the back of my neck, where he squeezed me gently. “Jolie…” He trailed off.

  I took in a deep breath and reminded him, “You put yourself in front of a bullet for me.”

  “I love you.”

  “I know. But I love you, boss. If it hadn’t been your shoulder,” I worried, needing to pause because I wasn’t sure I could admit the rest of it.

  Thankfully, Lorenzo knew what I was trying to say. He gently tugged me toward him and kissed my forehead. I tipped my head back and looked up at him. His mouth lowered to mine. With his lips brushing up against mine, he reassured me, “I’m still here.”

  “If he’d aimed differently,” I started before Lorenzo cut me off.

  “He didn’t. I’m here with you thanking my lucky stars that you insisted on having Ollie’s leash today, grateful you forgot it in the truck, instead of sitting beside you while you’re in a hospital bed or worse. You’re safe; I’m safe. I gave him space in my head earlier today thinking of how he could have taken you away from me. He wasn’t successful and he doesn’t deserve to have that power over me. So, don’t think about what could have happened, Jolie. You’ll tear yourself apart and I can’t bear to see that. I don’t want him having any space in your head or your heart either.”

  “He doesn’t, big guy,” I promised. “You do.”