“Our family gave the blessing for him to leave, and they don’t go back on their word.” He sounded angry for me asking that question. Evidently, he wasn’t used to someone questioning his integrity.
“Why all of them?” My eyes were beginning to sting with the need to release the pain slamming my senses.
“His entire family knows too much about everyone in our organization. Giorgio has financial dealings with every person, the money they have, what they did to earn it, how they have invested it, where they have invested it; if he goes ballistic he could take us all down.
“And then there is the issue of his lovely wife, Celeste. She’s created new lives for so many of our people, documents and records, complete histories. She helps create identities for those that do complicated hits so things can’t be traced back to the family. If she loses her husband and son, she could wreak havoc.”
He pulled Gwen’s contract away from the others and tapped his finger on it for emphasis. “Gwen is truly the worst of them all. She is our inside connection to law enforcement. We have nearly free reign in Louisiana because of her knowledge about what is happening and where. She keeps heads turned the proper direction when we have a mess to clean up or records and evidence that needs to be, well, let’s just say adjusted. She almost blew that trying to cover for Micah’s escapade with you.
“The FBI is still curious and she’s had to become more legalistic since then so she doesn’t end up in the federal pen. She has a whole rank of officers that are loyal to her. She’s played them like fools, but should she decide to change her ways, we’d be all but shut down in that state.”
“Why are you showing me this?” My voice beginning to crack under the emotional strain.
“I’m going to give you the chance to change it. You see these contracts haven’t been assigned to anyone, yet,” he stated, without leaving any doubt he could issue them within minutes if needed. “If I can get Micah to return, on his own to the family, I can present the argument that he can keep his family together. I don’t think you’ve grasped even a fraction of the kind of man you’ve married. Losing him was quite a blow to the organization. And, I must say, shook the confidence people had in the Gavarreen name.”
“Why do I have to leave him? Can’t I just convince him to return to the—the mob?”
He laughed and leaned back easily in his chair, as he seemed to size me up, “Do you really think you can convince him that you, of all people, want him back in a life of crime? A life where he is expected to go out and kill and then come back to a happy little home while you wait to ask him how his day went? Please, don’t even try to insult my intelligence with that ignorant question. And besides, there are plenty of people in our organization that would be too leery to have you that close to what we do.”
“He’ll never believe that I’ve changed my mind,” I stated honestly.
“Oh, I don’t know about that, I mean you must be a pretty good actress to have stopped him from killing you. And, I know Micah well enough to understand he doesn’t feel like he deserves you in the first place.”
He was right about that. Micah plainly stated he didn’t feel he deserved this shot at happiness. The pain inside was crushing me. I didn’t want to let go. I stubbornly wanted forever with the man I loved, but what was the cost going to be? “And if I refuse to leave him?”
“You can do that; selfishness means you can keep him to yourself and the mob won’t touch him. But I wonder when his entire family is dead in a few days, and he discovers you had the chance to stop all this, how will he feel about you at that point? Has he told you about his life before you met him?”
“I—I didn’t want to know too much about—”
“The first person he ever killed was a woman,” he hissed, cutting me off. “A woman he’d slept with.”
Fear cut into me like a knife and I didn’t want to hear more, “I don’t want to—”
“Whether or not you want to hear this, you are going to understand something about him; when he snaps, and he will snap when this happens, you won’t be able to control him no more than the first woman who tried to control him. Have you felt him on the edge of losing control, Annalisa?” He leaned toward me and the eyes narrowed, “He has a particular problem with women.”
I wanted to call him a liar. I wanted to tell him how incredibly good Micah truly was inside. Yes, I’d felt his control erode, but that was in moments of passion. He’d always been able to reign in his actions. I believed my husband when he told me he could never hurt me, no matter what D’Angelo said about him.
“I personally know women who’ve slept with him and they are all afraid of him.”
“Shut up, you son-of-a-bitch! Micah isn’t—” I tried to stand when I uttered my angry words, but the back of his hand slapped hard against my mouth, knocking me down into the chair.
He snatched the papers from the table and shoved them in my face, “Tell me right now! Do I make these effective or are you going to be reasonable?! Your husband is an animal, a lethal animal, and I need him back.”
It was suddenly very clear; he needed Micah. The lives of the Gavarreen family members were incidental.
My face was stinging, but I refused to cower in pain, “What if I tell Micah what you’re planning?” I grabbed my cell phone and flipped it open.
He looked at me and laughed, “Go ahead. I’ve got enough snipers in this building that he won’t get far. His name doesn’t have to be on these papers for him to lose his life, Annalisa. How about if I call him? Huh? Would that make you happy? I’ll bet he’d be here in minutes and I would kill you both. But this I promise you, you’ll watch him die first.”
My heart shuttered to a stop and then took off as if I’d just run a marathon. I couldn’t allow his family to suffer this fate, even if it meant letting go of the one thing I wanted more than life itself. D’Angelo was right, unarmed, Micah would charge up here to try to save me and I would be responsible for his death. My own life after that would mean nothing to me.
“I’ll let you live long enough,” he continued, “to know the rest of his family is dead—then I’ll kill you, personally.” He reseated himself and straightened his jacket, “It’s a shame really. I’ve known Giorgio and Celeste before they were even married. I was at the Christening of each of his children and I’ve helped train them to be what they are. I would hate to see so much waste. Tell me right now; can you leave him and make it convincing or am I wasting my breath on you?”
“I can do it,” I said, my voice quivering, but completely confident, “but I want one thing in exchange for preventing what would have to be a huge loss for your sick, demented family.” I rose from the chair and put my purse under my arm.
He leaned forward in is chair, his elbows on the arm rests, his lips were pressed against his index fingers as he clasped his hands, “Do you really think you are in any position to ask something of me?”
“Yes, actually I do—if you want this to work.”
“Name it.”
“David doesn’t die,” I uttered.
“That might be difficult, I—”
“Not for you. I know in this ‘family’ a lot of weight is put on a man’s word, I want your word that David won’t be harmed. I think you can find a way to convince the others that he should live.”
He took in a deep breath, still studying me. He’d been intently studying me ever since my eyes opened, “Agreed.” And then he smiled, “I hope you are a convincing actress, for Micah’s sake. But, if you try to get back with him or if you ever tell him what’s been discussed here today, his family won’t last 24 hours, is that understood?”
“I’ll do what I promised and you’ll make sure no one in the Gavarreen family is harmed. Do I have your word?”
“Yes,” he stated, seemingly relieved we reached an accord. He put out his hand to me. I knew he wanted to seal this deal, but the idea of touching him repulsed me. When my hand slipped into his, it was as if I had just shaken the hand of
Satan. My world was over and now I had to destroy my perfect new life that was only days old.
Chapter Seven
I headed for the elevator, realizing now he had someone watching our room all morning and as soon as I stepped on the elevator alone, someone assumed the controls. If I was really lucky, they’d cut the cable and I’d fall seventeen floors.
I called for a taxi and then exited on the second floor, using the stairs to descend out the back of the hotel. Thankfully, not too many people parked in the back. A hand gripped my arm—don’t let it be Micah was my millisecond prayer.
“What are you doing out here?” Came Ryan’s voice. He was carrying a duffle, and that was when I noticed the back of a classic black car sticking out several vehicles to my left.
My mouth had gone dry; I couldn’t speak. I hadn’t planned on forming lies so quickly.
“Leese, are you okay? What’s wrong?” The look of concern was etched hard across his face.
A cab turned the corner and started down the long alley toward us.
“I’ve—I’ve got to go,” I wanted to say more, but I was ready to break down and I couldn’t; I had to get away.
“Go where? What are you doing?” His eyes were telling me he knew something was terribly wrong.
“I’ve got to go to the bank,” I finally managed to say. “I’m really glad you could make it for the wedding.” I was trying to put some normalcy back in my voice. “I thought you went home yesterday.”
“No, I didn’t plan to leave until today.”
I could see he wasn’t buying my acting as the cab came to a stop and I tried to open the backdoor.
He held the door shut, “I’ll take you where you need to go.” It didn’t sound like an offer, but more like a statement.
“NO—I—I’d rather take a cab. Micah is still pretty jealous when it comes to me being around you and I wouldn’t want to—”
“He’ll live,” he said, blocking my way.
“Lady,” the cabbie interrupted, “do you need a ride or what?”
“Yes, I need to go to the First National Bank downtown.”
“No, she doesn’t. I’ll take her,” Ryan asserted.
“Make up your minds. I’m on the clock here!”
Ryan grabbed his wallet and flipped the cabbie a hundred dollar bill, “You can leave, now.”
“No,” I was trying to rebut, but the cabbie hit the gas and was gone. “That jerk! I can’t believe he left me.” I turned my anger toward Ryan. “You have no right to—”
“I’m giving you a ride so get over it. Where’s First National?”
I couldn’t afford to argue any longer as I hoped and prayed a hotel camera wasn’t recording in this area. I was trying my best to force back the tears as I told him where we were heading.
The bank wasn’t far and even though he was pummeling me with questions, I simply told him I couldn’t discuss it right now because I was too upset. I wanted him to wait in the bank lobby when I went back to speak with the president, but he refused and stayed at my side as I unemotionally requested a quarter million dollars in hundred dollar bills.
“I don’t think we can handle that transaction this morning.”
The banker was stalling and I knew it. I could see suspicion written clearly across his face as he looked from me to Ryan. There was no way he would suspect Ryan because the look on his face was clearly just as shocked as the banker’s.
“Don’t lie to me, Mr.…” I glanced to his desk plate, “Mr. Archer. I have multi-millions with your bank, and if you can’t handle a simple request when I need it, I’ll move my money to another—”
“No, no, that’s okay, Miss Winslett. We don’t usually do this size of a transaction with such immediacy—we have the funds available, it’s just a matter of putting it together.”
I hated the sound of my former name—I wanted to tell him it was Gavarreen, but that dream was over. He was still lying to me, “Mr. Archer, I don’t think it will be difficult to have a teller count out twenty five packs of hundred-dollar bills. I’ll expect you to put them in a bank bag for me as well. You have fifteen minutes or I’ll close my account.”
He handed me the withdrawal form and quickly left the room.
“What the hell are you taking a quarter-million-dollars cash out of the bank for?” Ryan demanded as soon as we were alone. “What does he have you doing?”
He was accusing Micah of being behind this and it felt like the invisible knife was starting to work its way through my heart as he blamed the man I loved.
“This has nothing to do with Micah,” I croaked, fighting to keep my fragile composure. “Please, Ryan—not now. Wait until we’re out of here. I can’t handle anything else.”
He swallowed as he looked at me. He knew this was big trouble and I was ready to crack, “When we get in the car, you’re telling me everything.”
We left the bank and he drove to a waterfront park and pulled under a shady tree, turned off the engine, and looked at me.
“Ryan, I don’t want you involved in this.” I was actually afraid at this point he may have already been deeply entangled. Cameras would be checked at the hotel and the bank. Micah would know who had been with me and he would find Ryan to get the answers he had to have.
“I’m involved already,” he admitted, evidently suspecting what I already knew about cameras. “You’ve got to tell me what’s happening.”
“If I drag you into this, I’m gonna get you killed—I can’t handle being responsible for that. Please, Ryan, just leave it at this. Take me to a rental lot and drop me off. You can’t get hurt if this is all you know.” It was too late to stop the tears.
“You’re running away from him, aren’t you?” His head cocked sideways slightly as he realized this had nothing to do with Micah, but everything to do without Micah.
“Please, I’ve got to get out of here and he’s got to believe I wanted to go.”
He pulled me against his chest as I began to sob. He had become my best friend and he was willing to do anything to help me, even if it cost him everything. An hour of arguments, tears and reasons, and he finally understood, but I had sworn him to absolute secrecy.
“You say he’s jealous about my being with you—it’s the only thing that will convince him you wanted to leave.”
I was blank for a moment, then it hit me; he was suggesting we run together. It would look like I had been torn between the two of them and chose Ryan. I didn’t think Micah could believe it because I was sure he knew my love was true, but jealousy has a way of blinding a person.
“Ryan, he’ll kill you if he gets the chance. He’s the top hit man in the south and he will track us down and kill you—I don’t know if I can stop him.”
“You can’t go alone, I won’t let you.”
“You’ve got school, you’ve got the Air Force, you’ve got a whole life of dreams in front of you; don’t throw it all away on me,” I pleaded.
“I don’t think I could count being with you as throwing my life away.”
I realized he assumed he and I would become more than friends at this point; I couldn’t lead him to ever believe that. I wouldn’t let him risk his life thinking he and I would become lovers.
“It can’t be that way between us. You’re my best friend, but I’m never going to stop loving Micah. If I never see his face again, it won’t matter because I can’t betray what I committed to him when I said I’d be his wife. We’ll never sleep together.”
“Then just let me help you get away. I can deal with him when the time comes.”
“That’s a fool talking,” I whispered. “You don’t know him like I do.” I remembered when he killed Jack and Ricky; there was no pause in his fury. He simply drew and fired with deadly accuracy and without questions and without regret.
“He has to believe you wanted to leave him, Leese. If your plan is going to work, I’ve got to be in it.”
I didn’t want to agree, but he was right. I could only pray I didn’t j
ust assign him a death sentence—he didn’t deserve that for helping.
“Take me back to the hotel. I’ve got to write a couple notes and leave them at the front desk. Wait for me out front by the security camera. Wait outside your car, and forgive me when I have to make this look convincing. Don’t read more into what I do when I come out than to know this has to look believable.”
He didn’t ask questions; he just followed my directions and headed back to the hotel as I grabbed paper and pen from my purse and wrote the most difficult words of my life. As long as Micah wasn’t downstairs, as long as he nor Mom caught me, I’d get away and the rest would be left up to jealousy to decide about my sincerity.
Ryan parked where I instructed and got out of the car and came around and sat on the front bumper on my side as I ran indoors and gave my notes to the clerk. He was waiting patiently, but nervously as I came back to the car. I walked up to him and his arms automatically opened to hold me.
“Forgive me,” I whispered, but what I was about to do was unforgivable. I brought my lips to his and began to kiss him. I know he didn’t expect the kiss. He was assuming he would just embrace me for the camera, but Micah had to believe. Jealousy would be the only thing that would keep him from killing himself over what I was doing to the two of us. If he was angry enough, he would vault himself back into his old life with a vengeance.
Ryan’s kiss was different from Micah’s. His mouth was tender and soft and filled with hesitation about what to do. Surely I wasn’t his first kiss, but I didn’t know if he had ever gone for the kind of deep passion I wanted to display. His arms, tense at first, relaxed and then he pulled me tighter against himself; one hand slid into my hair as the other slipped low on my hips.
The kiss broke for a moment as he moaned. This time I allowed him to be the aggressor and come back for a second round of treason. My hands gripped his shoulders as the kiss became deeper and hotter—it had taken him a stunned second to find the passion I needed for this to be convincing, but when it hit him, he took my breath away with his sensitivity and ability.
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