Wrath: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Deadly Sin Series Book 1)

by Penelope Marshall

  The unwarranted touch was followed by a familiar voice. "Where are you going?"

  I glanced over my shoulder to see Liam's light blue eyes smiling at me. I tugged my shoulder away from his hand. "What business is it of yours? Shouldn't you be out there with Whynter?"

  He stepped toward me. "You are the one who wanted to chase after Christian. Surely you can't be mad at me for showing up with someone else?"

  "Do what you want, Liam. I have no claim to you," I said, turning back toward my bedroom angry that he was right and told me so.

  "Lexi. Stop," he demanded, his voice resonating through the hall.

  I paused, instantly, made submissive by his domineering tone. He moved closer, pressing his body against mine, resting his cheek against my neck. His lips grazed the flesh at the base of my neck. I leaned back and closed my eyes, focusing on the butterfly kisses making their way up my jawline to the shell of my ear.

  "Tell me you don't want me anymore—that everything we've shared didn’t mean something to you. Tell me you don't crave me like I crave you," he exhaled the words into my ear where they danced, toying with my sense of right and wrong.

  I turned my head toward the wall and away from his seductive expressions. Whynter's image flashed through my mind, and along with it a sea of anger for him and Christian.

  "Why am I always second place to every other woman?" I muttered under my breath as I took a step forward, away from his gravity, before turning to him. "We aren't so deep that we can't still just walk away from all this."

  He took a step forward, backing me up against the wall, lifting my wrists above my head, holding them hostage while he stared intently into my eyes. "I'm already inside."

  A slow gasp escaped the separation of my lips as my chest heaved next to his. I looked away, trying to avoid his hard stare. Gently, he took hold of my hands, twining our fingers, making me trust deeper than I wanted too. We'd never wandered this far into each other, the physical becoming secondary. Leaning into me, we were startled out of our moment by a vibrating in his pocket. He stopped his advance then smiled, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

  He stepped back and answered. "Hello."

  Just then, the kitchen doors burst open, followed by Rico screaming my name as he rushed into the hallway. Quickly, I moved away from Liam, pretending I had been coming from the bedroom. The last thing I needed was to get caught with Liam, especially by Rico, Christian's closest confidant.

  "Lexi," Rico yelled, clutching onto my shoulders.

  I looked at his hands as he had never touched me in such a desperate way. "What is it, Rico?"

  "Christian…" his words trailed.

  "Christian what?" I asked, searching his eyes for an answer.

  Liam chimed in from behind. "Christian was in an accident."

  I spun around. "Accident?"

  My heart fell into my stomach. No matter where our relationship stood, he was still my husband, and I was still his wife.

  Rico answered for Liam. "He's at the hospital. A truck came out of nowhere and T-boned his car, then took off."

  I turned back to Rico, jaw slacked, and unable to formulate a coherent sentence.

  Liam rested his hand on my shoulder, gripping it tightly. "Lexi, are you okay?"

  "Yes—I—" I stuttered.

  "I'm heading to the hospital if you wanna ride," Rico offered, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

  "Yeah. Christian," I said under my breath, pressing my palm to my forehead to feel the heat that had begun to emanate.

  "Come on then," Rico urged, motioning me to follow.

  His movements were erratic and unlike his usually reserved demeanor.

  I took a step forward. "Is he okay?"

  "We can find out when we get there. C'mon!" he yelled, already standing at the door.

  "I'll tell the guests to leave, and be right behind you guys," Liam said.

  I mouthed the words thank you to Liam and followed Rico out the door. Sliding into the passenger seat, I buckled my seatbelt, holding tightly onto the buckle to make sure it was securely fastened. We had made it down the street before I realized I was still holding onto it.

  SPARKS

  The car ride to the hospital was a silent one, especially after passing Christian's SUV on the way. By the time we got to the wreck, the tow truck had already begun to load up the mangled ball of metal that used to be Christian's beautiful, top of the line, Land Rover.

  I shook my head, trying to hold back the lump in the back of my throat. The tears had already begun to well in my eyes and threatened to burst forth. Pulling up to the hospital, Rico let me out so he could find a spot.

  Slowly, I walked through the double glass door entryway, looking for a kind face to show me the way. A busy nurse was sitting at the nurses' station across the waiting room, and another pushed an older woman in a blue bathrobe toward the exit. The nurse, seated at the station, put down the phone so I quickly made my way over to ask about Christian's whereabouts.

  The nurse had a kind face, and when I approached she smiled, setting down all her work to focus on me. Her white plastic nametag had the name Caz etched in black across it.

  "Caz, ma'am, do you know where my husband would be?" I eked out the words.

  "His name, hun?"

  "Christian. Christian Cerisi," I stuttered.

  "Oh, yes. Mr. Cerisi is in ICU," she said, standing up from her seat to point out the direction I should take. "He is right down the hall. Let the guard know you are there to see him, and the doctor will come and speak with you."

  I nodded and turned toward the hall just in time to catch Rico running through the sliding glass doors.

  "What'd they say," he asked, resting his hand on my back as we walked hurriedly down the hall.

  "She didn't. We have to talk to the doctor when we get to his room."

  "Fuck, I just know this is Il Fantasma."

  "Who?"

  "Don't worry about it, Lexi. It's not your concern."

  "It is my concern, Rico. Christian is my concern," I said, clutching onto his forearm, tugging him back. I looked into his eyes and every wrinkle life had doled out to him. "Tell me before we walk in there. What's Christian gotten himself into?"

  "It's not my place to tell the boss's business. You know that," he said, gently sliding my hand off his forearm, and into his hand.

  I knew he was too loyal to Christian to tell me anything. "One of these days your loyalty is gonna get the both of you killed."

  Silently, he shifted his gaze down the hall, his lips parting for a brief moment, but nothing came out.

  "Loyalty," I scoffed, shaking my head as I carried on down the hall without him.

  From a distance, I could make out Christian lying on a hospital bed wearing a faded blue gown, with every sort of tube racing out of his arms. My lips tightened, catching my breath as I stepped through the door and made it to his bedside, picking up his hand resting on his stomach.

  In a flash, my tears burst forth as I fell to my knees, weeping into my open palms. A rough hand pressed on my shoulder. I looked up, and through my tears I could see Rico standing over me, the pain he harbored in his face was almost as excruciating as seeing Christian lying motionless on the bed.

  "Get up, Lexi. An old man can only take so much in one day," he said as a tear cascaded down his leathery cheek.

  Sniffling, I nodded then got up, grabbing onto his hand and the bed rail for support. The doctor walked in just as I was wiping away the smeared mascara from under my eye. He was dressed in black scrubs with a stethoscope hanging around his neck.

  "Mrs. Cerisi, I assume?" he asked, holding out his hand for me to shake.

  I took his hand, gripping it tightly. "Tell me he's gonna be okay, doctor," I said with a cracked voice.

  He smiled. "He's going to be just fine. We sedated him for his comfort. He will have a lot of bumps and bruises for the next few days, but after we observe him for the next twenty-four hours, he is free to go home. Provided, of course,
nothing turns up."

  Rico jumped in, grabbing the doctor's hand. "Thank you, Doc."

  "Please, call me Joe."

  "Thank you, Joe," Rico said, letting go of the doctor's hand to turn back to Christian.

  The doctor checked Christian's vitals while I stood off to the side watching him like a hawk. Every jostle of his IV tubes, or spike in his heart rate sent me over the edge. The idea of losing him made my heart break which surprised me. I had always thought losing him would free me from the bondage of a loveless marriage, but standing at the precipice of that reality, I wanted nothing more than to rewind time to keep him from leaving the house—to keep him safe with me.

  I watched him breathe, his chest rising then falling, while I contemplated the affair I'd been having. Nipping at my thumb—afraid— like a schoolgirl waiting to receive detention, I began to wonder who was this Il Fantasma Rico was speaking of. Could he have actually orchestrated the accident? If so, would Christian be in danger staying in the hospital alone?

  "Get him protection, Rico," I blurted out.

  Rico looked up from Christian's side. "Of course, Lexi. Of course."

  Christian's hand twitched. The movement so slight, I almost second guessed what I had just seen.

  "Did you see that, Rico?"

  "Yeah, yeah. Boss, are you awake?" he asked, bending down to speak into his ear.

  A soft gurgle escaped from Christian's mouth. Instinctively, I stepped out of the room and seized the first body in scrubs I saw, yanking them back into the room with me.

  "He's awake. Please, come and help my husband," I said, pointing frantically toward Christian.

  The man pushed a large red button next to Christian's bed, then pulled up each eyelid, leaning in closely to inspect them with a mini flashlight he kept in his pocket. A barrage of medical personnel rushed in from behind, one pushing a crash cart, each taking on a different responsibility. One nurse checked on his vitals, while another inspected his IVs—all working in unison without much conversation between.

  The doctor hurried in, pulling the stethoscope from his neck before placing the ear pieces in his ears. He put the round metal end against Christian's chest, the room falling silent while he listened.

  Straightening his posture, he pulled the stethoscope from his ears and turned to me. The moment was palpable, his face not giving away any emotion.

  "What is it?" I blurted out.

  A smile fell over his face like a curtain dropping at the opera. "He'll be just fine," the doctor said.

  My arms fell to my side as I blew a sigh of relief into the cold room. "Thank you, Doctor."

  "Yes, thank you, Doctor," Rico agreed.

  The sea of nurses filed out of the room, taking with them all signs that they had ever been there.

  The doctor laid his hand on my shoulder as he passed by, and whispered, "He's going to be fine, really."

  I nodded, never taking my eyes off Christian. He left the room, closing the door behind him.

  Rico moved around the bed and over to me. "I'll give you a moment alone. I'll go get us some coffee in the cafeteria."

  I shifted my gaze from the heart monitor for a brief moment to give him a peck on the cheek. As soon as he walked out, I took a few steps toward the bed, pulling up the chair so I could sit next to Christian.

  I held his hand, looking over every line and swirl on his palm. I leaned forward and rested my head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. My eyes closed as I began to slowly hum the melody of our wedding song. I was only a quarter of the way in when his hand rose from where it lay, finding its way to my cheek.

  I rested my hand on his, pressing it hard against my flushed skin.

  "Hey, there," he whispered through cracks in his voice.

  I smiled, turning my head to kiss his palm.

  "What happened?" he asked.

  "You were in a car accident," I murmured, shifting my gaze to lock eyes with him.

  He cleared his throat and looked around the room. "How bad?"

  "You're gonna be okay, the doctor said."

  He smiled. "I'm glad to wake up to your face."

  "I'm just happy that you're waking up," I said, rubbing my thumb over the back of his hand. "Rico is here, he'll be back with coffee in a few minutes."

  "Good, we have time to ourselves," he said.

  "For what?"

  He paused to look out the window for a moment. I shifted my gaze to see what he was staring at, but there was nothing but clear skies outside.

  "I'm tired of fighting with you, Lexi," he said in a low whisper.

  Fighting?

  "Are you kidding, right now? This is what you wanna talk about? You almost died."

  "This accident has really shown me how precious life is—how precious you are. It's shown me what an ass I've been all these years—taking you for granted— cheating on you like there would always be a tomorrow to redeem myself."

  "Let's not talk about this right now," I said, shaking my head.

  His eyes were solemn. "If not now, then when?"

  "Can't we just be thankful you aren't dead?" I asked, trying my best to change the subject without getting upset.

  "Lexi, goddammit. Listen to me."

  "Fine!" I said sternly. "What are you trying to say, Christian?"

  "I'm trying to tell you that I love you. I love you with all my heart, but I know I'm not worthy of you."

  Worthy?

  Little did he know I was no longer innocent—and maybe—just maybe—we did deserve each other.

  "Christian, I—"

  "No, let me finish," he said, caressing my cheek.

  I closed my mouth to let him continue.

  "I know I don’t deserve anymore chances, but I'm gonna do everything in my power to persuade you to love me again—like you did back then."

  "But I've never st—"

  The door creaked open. I turned expecting to see Rico holding a couple of coffees, but instead there was a brown-haired, doe-eyed, waif of a tramp peeking out from behind the door. She smiled at Christian before pushing the door the rest of the way open. Her tight black spandex dress left little room for the imagination, and I think I might have even seen the outline of her panties from where I was sitting.

  "Christian, baby. I hurried over as soon as I heard," she whined.

  "Christian, baby?" I asked, turning back to Christian with anger blazing from my eyes.

  "Get the hell out of here, Cheryl," Christian coughed, trying to yell at the woman who I now knew was the sender of the text message he received at the hotel.

  "Cheryl," I echoed as the adrenaline hammered through my body.

  She turned to me. "And who are you?" she asked, just as glib as a New York cabbie in the middle of rush hour.

  "Who am I?"

  "Yeah," she said, popping her hip to the side. "Who the hell are you, and why are you in my boyfriend's room?"

  "Your boyfriend, huh?" I asked, shooting out of my chair, kicking it with my heel straight into the wall.

  The loud thud it made against the drywall scared Cheryl, who clutched tightly onto her purse as she backed up.

  Christian finally chimed in. "Cheryl, get the fuck outta here. I told you I didn’t want you coming around anymore."

  "So this is the bitch, huh?" I asked Christian, pointing at Cheryl.

  He tried to get up from where he lay, but the pain he felt was apparent through the cringing that washed over his face as he fell back into bed kept him from reaching out for my arm as I stepped toward Cheryl.

  "Lexi, stop," Christian begged. "She's not worth it."

  "What the fuck do you mean I'm not worth it?" Cheryl asked him.

  "He meant just that, bitch!" I said, kicking off my high heels before reaching for her neck.

  Her arm shot up from her side, trying to block my approach, but she was too slow and I was too mad. My freshly manicured fingers wrapped around her scawny neck, squeezing the treacherous life from her eyes.

  "You dirty, hus
band-stealing, tramp!" I yelled, pushing her to the ground.

  Her body smacked onto the cold tile, followed by my knees as I straddled her. My left hand cocked behind me, her mouth forming the word no as I brought down my fist, making contact with her dainty cheek bone.

  Crack!

  Her head jerked to the side as I readied my fist to deliver another blow. The door flung open, and out of the corner of my eye a pair of light brown loafers began to hurry toward me. Two cups of coffee fell to the ground, splashing the dark, steamy, liquid across the otherwise pristine tile.

  "Lexi," Rico yelled, grabbing my wrist mid-air.

  "Let me go, Rico. Let me beat her ass. Stupid bitch," I shouted, trying to get my last kicks in as Rico wrapped his arm around my stomach and pulled me off of her limp body.

  Some orderlies made it into the room a few seconds later, helping up Cheryl while Rico continued to detain me. Everything was happening in slow motion. The sounds coming from every mouth were muffled, and my body pulsed with the adrenaline to fight my way out of Rico's grip to continue the pummeling she so richly deserved.

  My gaze shifted over to Christian, who was trying to reach out to me, his words blurred through the air, taking minutes to reach my ears.

  I was snapped out of my daze by the sound of the doctor's voice bellowing through the room. "What's going on here?" he asked, kneeling down next to Cheryl.

  They were treating her like the victim in the situation.

  "Calm down, Lexi," Rico whispered in my ear. "I'll let you go if you calm down."

  My senses came back to me, caging the animal that had taken over only a few minutes earlier. I stopped struggling against his grip, and slowly he made good on his promise to let me loose. I lodged a tendril of hair behind my ear, then adjusted my dress before slipping my heels back on. The doctor hit a button on the wall marked 'security', then glared at me, his piercing judgment written all over his face.

  Instantly, I was ashamed of what I had done—ashamed of the impulsive behavior I had just displayed. Christian was staring at me, mouthing the words I'm sorry, but how could I require his apology without owing him one in return.