by Jen Davis
After that call ended, she placed one more to seal her fate.
***
Jasper
It was hard to concentrate when every time he thought about the last twenty-four hours, he was hard and happy.
“What’s your problem?” Arlo was always gruff. At least, that’s what it seemed like lately. The guy complained if someone talked too much and was bothered if they were too quiet.
“Nothing. Just trying to figure out what’s going on with the Russians. The last thing we need right now is a war.”
“Tell me about it.” They were in the lead car, followed closely by Roman, Maddy, and their bodyguards. They’d gone to Chicago for an early meeting at Roman’s father’s home, where they’d met with Madison and Layla’s father Bruno Rinaldi.
The Bratva had been made several strikes against Caponelli and Rinaldi businesses in Chicago recently. They’d gotten along fine, meaning no border fights in ages, but now they were showing muscle for no reason. The meeting had gone long, and they all ended up staying at the complex in the windy city for several hours. Jasper called Jackie a couple times, but she never answered. He was on the verge of driving back, but she finally texted later in the day saying everything was fine and she’d wanted to catch up on things around home.
It put him at ease when he contacted the tech guys and they verified she was at home. He was concerned. They never did find the brute that had brutally attacked a young woman, and knowing it was an unhinged Russian thug made it even more dangerous. Jasper had the tech guys implant tracking devices in all the jewelry he’d given Jackie, so it would be a good bet she’d be wearing at least one at some time or the other.
All the guys had trackers on their phones and on the phones of their women. If something went wrong, they wanted to be able to gather everyone at a moment’s notice. Jasper exhaled and tapped a finger on his knee. It was late afternoon before they were on the road home, and he was anxious to get back to town.
Arlo’s cell went off. He answered it then put it on speaker.
“Jasper?” It was Roman. Now what?
“Here.”
“I need all of you tonight. Dom will be there also.” He went on to say the time, in code, and the place they would meet. “I’ll give you further info when we get there.”
“Yes, sir.” The last thing he wanted to do was spend a night away from Jackie, so they’d better have a good reason. “What’s this about?”
“Someone double crossed the family, and we need to take care of it.” Roman spoke loudly and clearly.
Arlo glanced his way, and his eyes widened.
“We’ll be there, boss,” Jasper answered and ended the call.
“Do you think it’s the Russians?” Arlo seemed obsessed with finding someone to beat the shit out of, and they were his new favorite target.
“Nothing would surprise me after what happened the other day.”
“Do you think this means war?” Before, he would have jumped at the chance to even the score and fight, but that was before Jackie. He hated being apart from her. Hated taking unnecessary risks that might prevent him from being home at night. Just being in Chicago for a few hours had him itching to get the hell out of there and back to her.
“I don’t have a fucking clue,” Arlo grumbled. “But whatever needs to be done, I’ll do it.”
It was late evening when they drove up to the end of the tunnel that was the back way into the winery. Dominic was at the door, a somber expression on his face.
“What’s up?” Jasper got out of the car and approached his friend. Arlo was close behind.
“You’re not going to like it.” Dom ran his fingers through his long hair before tying it up in a knot. “Shit’s about to go down here tonight, and your girlfriend’s involved.”
Chapter 21
Jackie
Her stomach twisted, and she fought back the nausea caused by just being in the same room with the guy. All the trauma came rushing back. The phone call in the middle of the night that her parents had been murdered. Going to the morgue to identify the bodies. No one should ever have to do that. Ever. Andrew Hower was waiting for her when she showed up at the police station. He was there to help her through the whole process, whether she needed it or not. At that point in time, Jackie had no idea what she wanted, except to have her mom and dad back.
It was a mob hit, he had told her, and the police had agreed. Hower stressed that she never mention anything about what her father had been about to publish. To protect herself, he’d said. The story would stay buried, even though she had told him over and over again that she knew nothing about what it contained.
Hower met her after dark, and they parked their cars behind the main building of the winery. She’d used her key, and they entered her work place. Cold air greeted them as they entered the room Jackie wanted him to see. It matched the chill that flowed through her veins. There was no way this would end well. In fact, one of them would die today. It was a given. Maybe they both would before it was all said and done.
“And you’ve looked in all of these?” Hower rubbed his palms together. A virtual kid in a candy store. He opened one and pulled out a handful of diamond necklaces. Andrew replaced them and peeked in another. “Drugs, guns, jewelry. What else did you find?”
“Bags of cash, bootleg booze. Turn around and look at this.” She signaled with her hand. “There’s the Picasso that was reported stolen from Rodney Studd’s home. That alone would put them in jail for years.”
“This is amazing, Jackie.” He studied the painting up close. “There are millions of dollars’ worth of stuff here, and all stolen.” Hower turned her way. “Have you told anyone else about this?”
She placed her hand over her heart. “What? Of course not. You said to only tell you.” Everything that had accrued in the last year rushed back, and her head throbbed. Suddenly, everything with Jasper came to the surface, and her knees wobbled. Was it all worth it? Yes, but it still hurt like hell. “I could never pass up the chance to bring the person responsible for my parents’ death to justice. It’s all I’ve thought about ever since it happened.” Andrew opened a few more boxes, and she risked a glance at her watch. It wouldn’t be long, and all this would be over with.
He placed the lid back on one of the totes and rested his elbows on it. “You know, I’ve always liked you, Jackie. You have spunk, and your father would’ve been proud of your investigative skills. You’d make a great reporter, just like your dad.”
“Thank you.” Her heart raced, and it was hard to remain calm.
“Too bad you’ll never get to be one.” His voice echoed in the hollow room.
“What do you mean? This will be a big scoop, just like the one my dad was working on.”
“Yes. It would be.” Hower pulled a gun out from under his jacket. “That’s why it pains me so to have to kill you.”
“What?” Her mouth dropped open, and she took a step back. “What’re you doing?”
“Finishing the job your father started.” He motioned with the gun for her to take a seat. It was a good thing, as her legs were about to give out.
“I don’t understand. Why are you doing this? Why would you shoot me? You were his friend.” She sobbed.
“Was being the operative word.” The man’s whole demeanor had changed in an instant. “He made the mistake of going after someone who I was on the payroll to protect. The Russian mob pays me well, and when your father found out about their link to powerful political members, well, we had to put him down.” He was a fiend and even worse than she expected.
“Put him down?” She rose. “He was my father, not a wounded animal, and what about my mother? She was innocent. They were my parents.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and anger filled her blood.
“It was them,” he pointed a thumb to his chest, “or me.” His hard-soled shoes reverberated off the cement walls as he circled the room before coming to stand in front of her. “And now, poor little Jackie, it’s your turn.”
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***
Jasper
True fear was foreign to him. Not knowing what was going on, except that Jackie was involved, had beads of sweat rolling down the back of his neck as they stood waiting in the damp tunnel.
All he knew was to keep his mouth shut and that Roman was in charge, but could he do nothing when the woman he loved was in danger?
It happened in a second. The man pointed a gun at Jackie. Roman and Arlo rushed the room, and Dominic had him in a choke hold. Him. Not the guy with the gun!
What the fuck?
The only thing that kept him from a full-blown meltdown was when Dominic whispered in his ear. “Don’t say a word. It’s a setup. She’s in on it. She’s not in danger.”
Jackie was part of this, whatever it was. “Keep quiet, or she might end up getting hurt.” Jasper could see what was going on as Roman and Arlo quickly disarmed a man he’d never seen before. “If I let you go, do you promise not to engage?”
Slowly, Jasper nodded, and Dom released him. “Just listen. I don’t know the whole story, but that guy killed her parents.”
“What?” Jasper tightened his fists. The urge to tear this man limb from limb was stronger than anything.
He watched as Arlo easily tied the man’s hands behind his back and threw him onto a chair. Madison wrapped her arms around Jackie and led her to a bench to sit.
Wait a minute, Maddy is here?
Roman never involved her in family business. Both women appeared pale and shaken.
He took a step forward, and Dominic grabbed his arm. “You promised. Step back. Let Roman play this out.”
Jasper cursed under his breath. “Yeah, yeah.” He shook out of his grasp but stayed where he was. This was killing him, but his friend was right. Going in blind to a situation he knew nothing about was never a smart move.
“Mr. Caponelli.” The man in the chair finally spoke. “We meet for the first time.”
“As if we would have reason to.” Roman folded his arms across his chest, a handgun held tightly in his grip. “You’re a liar, a murderer, and a front for the Bratva.”
“Whatever you say, but I’ve never killed anyone.” The man avoided eye contact and glanced down at the floor.
“Hower, you no good bastard. You knew the story Sid wrote was going to bring unwanted attention to the Russians. You reported it to them, and they put a hit on her mom and dad. You were responsible for the death of Jackie’s parents, even if you didn’t pull the trigger.” Roman’s voice roared in the windowless room. “So shut the fuck up while I tell you what’s going to happen.”
This time, the doomed man turned his attention to Roman, and so did everyone else.
“You will die today.” Roman walked around the room as he spoke.
Jasper watched Jackie as everyone waited to hear what would happen next.
“Your reputation will die today.” Roman stopped in front of the man in the chair. “Arlo and Dominic are going to take you back to a no-tell motel outside of town and hang you from the ceiling. We’ve already cleared out your room in town, and the tech guys have copied and erased everything on your laptop. They will soon do the same thing with your phone.” Arlo plucked Hower’s phone from his pocket. “Then, as you swing from the rope and take your last breath, they will download kiddy porn and other sick shit that the police will uncover. Your bank account will be emptied and be transferred to an offshore account where Jackie can do what she wishes with it.” Hower’s face turned white, and he slumped in the chair. It was over, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
“I don’t want his blood money,” Jackie hissed.
“Donate it, if you want, but it’s yours. End of story.” Roman was in full command of the situation. “Any last words?”
The soon-to-be-dead man remained still, and the room reverberated with the slap of Roman’s hand across Hower’s face. “I repeat, anything you wish to say?” Everyone turned to Jackie.
“I’m sorry for what happened to your parents, but you can’t condone this.” Hower whimpered. Suddenly, Arlo pulled the man to his feet. “Jackie, please, you have to save me.” Dom came out for the shadows and helped drag him away. The screams from the man for help visibly shook Jackie, and Madison placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“I’m no better than him.” Tears streamed down her face. “I’m a murderer now too.”
“No.” Madison knelt by her side. “You probably saved many others from losing loved ones also. You weren’t the only one he did this to. The man is a swine. He had a front row seat to keep an eye out for the Bratva, and anyone who might be a threat was eliminated.”
Madison had stepped into the shoes of a mob wife and was clearly the perfect one to be by Roman’s side. “Do you understand?” Maddy stood now and repeated her statement again.
Jasper watched as Jackie finally lifted her head and said, “Yes.” She rose and wiped her tears. “What happens next?”
“Jasper.” He’d been so concerned with watching his woman, Jasper jumped when Roman called his name.
“Yeah, boss?” Walking out from where Dom and he had waited in the wings, Jackie made a move in his direction, but Roman stopped her.
“Wait.” His boss held a hand up.
“Jackie, I had no idea this was going on. I would’ve been here for you.” Jasper’s heart broke just thinking about what she’d gone through. “Why didn’t you tell me? Did he threaten you? Was that why he was here?”
“I brought him here. It was a trap, and I didn’t want you to know.” She sighed. “You were never supposed to be a part of this.” Jackie shook her head, and all he could think about was running his fingers through those reddish curls as he hugged her close.
“What are you talking about?” Jasper asked.
“It started last summer. I was at a coffee shop in Chicago, and this man just sat down next to me. He gave me his card and said he represented the Caponelli family. They knew who killed my parents but couldn’t prove it. The man told me if I wanted to see the guilty ones brought to justice, they needed my help.” She stopped and brushed a tear from her eye. “At first, I said no. I thought it was crazy, but he was very convincing, and I agreed. Before long, everything fell into place. The job at the paper, the nice apartment on the lake. I knew those things didn’t materialize by accident, but nothing else happened. I got complacent and decided I was going to give it until the end of the summer and move on.” Jackie puffed out her cheeks. “Then Madison stopped in with the ad, and I knew the deal was back on. I tried to pretend it was nothing more than needing a job, but in the back of my mind, I knew this was it. The man said that, at some point, the Caponelli family here would contact me, but I was supposed to say nothing to no one, not even them. Then Madison started pushing me toward you and,” her voice trailed off, “I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it anymore. Too many people were going to get hurt.”
“I still don’t understand what this has to do with the man they just dragged out of here.” Jasper shook his head. “How did he get here and why?”
“In time, I was to uncover some illegal activities going on in Genoa and report it to Hower. Tell him it was a big story and that I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps. Hower was his editor at the paper.”
“Maddy and I knew about it but weren’t sure how to go about getting the guy here. With your involvement with Jackie, we were able to keep her even closer to the family than if she were just an employee.” Roman words dropped like a pit in his stomach. “When you had the idea for the painting, I ran with it. There’s no international jewel thief coming, and the bricks of drugs are powered sugar. I would never leave that kind of merchandise here at my wife’s place of business. The painting is the only thing that’s hot, but I needed something stolen to make it convincing.”
Jasper calmed his nerves but was on the verge of breaking. “I don’t get this at all. You played me?” He pointed at Roman before turning his attention to Jackie. “And you played hard to get but th
en claimed to fall for me?” His jaw tensed.
“No, I didn’t, and no I wasn’t. I fought it as much as I could, but everyone basically set us together. I didn’t want to fall for you, but I did anyway.” Jasper wanted to believe her, but he still had no clue what the truth was.
“Yes, and that’s what brings me to the next problem we have to deal with,” Roman interrupted. “Maddy, come here.” She did as told and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“What do you need me to do?” Jasper itched to get the hell out of here and fast. He needed time to sort things through, and if it wasn’t too late, he’d love to get a few punches in on the bastard Hower before he was killed.
“You can help me decide which one of you I should kill.” Roman now had a gun in each hand. One pointed one at him and one toward Jackie.
“Whoa.” Jasper put his hands up. “I knew nothing about this.”
Jackie appeared just as shocked as he was. Well, good for her. The other surprising thing was that Maddy just stood there, glancing back and forth between the two of them.
“You see, that’s the problem. Even though I set this up, you should have known what was going on, Jasper. You got involved with a woman who was not part of the family. You shared secrets. You put her and us at risk.” It was true. He’d been careless over a woman. A woman whom he loved.
Well, thought he loved. Now, he wasn’t so sure.
“The last thing I would ever do is put the organization at risk, and I would die for you. You know that is true.”
“But given a choice, which would you pick?” Roman put one gun away but pointed the remaining one back and forth between Jackie and Jasper “Her or us?”
Jasper closed his eyes. This was a nightmare. As angry at and hurt as he was by Jackie, he still loved her. It was true. “Neither,” he finally admitted. “I would die for both. Shoot me, if you have to.” He held up his hands. “I’m over this shit.”
“No. No. No.” Jackie raced over to his side. “Jasper was never part of this. You can’t kill him.”