***
When we arrived, Armani was stopped by security.
“I’ll need to see your ID and proof of privileges at this club, sir.”
Armani pulled out his ID. “Check your list under Castillo. I assure you, my name is on the list.”
The security officer narrowed his eyes and handed back the ID. “I’m not sure there’s a place to dock, but I suppose you could try the back rows.”
“Noted.” Armani snatched his ID back, and continued through the gate when it was opened. He found a spot and quickly placed the ropes on the dock and helped the girls out before he nudged his head. “Let’s go, Montgomery!”
I climbed out without as much as a hesitation and waited for further instructions. Armani walked ahead of us, leading us through the docks.
I saw the lines of men in suits standing on the docks on each of our sides. Armani went straight to the hotel high rise and led us up the elevator. My nerves heightened as sweat dripped down my face. The thought of Santino trying to get away with her, terrified me.
Taking the elevator up, we walked toward the restaurant; and just before Armani was going through the arched entryway, Santino came out holding Lorelai’s hand. The second he laid eyes on Armani, he made a mad dash for the staircase, forcing Lorelai with him.
Armani ran after them, and I was right behind Armani without waiting on Luciana’s cue. As we ran down the stairs, I heard my heart thumping in my ears as Lorelai yelled in distress at Santino to stop, and each time he would respond and tell her they had to go.
“Santino! Stop! I don’t want this! Please, let me go,” she pleaded once more.
I imagined Santino pulling her down the steps, his speed picking up. Glancing over the side as I rounded one of the railings, I glanced down the center and she was struggling to push him away.
Santino blatantly ignored her pleas. “Stop fighting it, or I will throw you over this damn banister!”
Anger built up in me, I could see that he had not only manipulated her, but perhaps he had bribed her with some kind of award and now his true colors were shining through. We must’ve gone down ten flights of stairs before a gunshot echoed through the stairwell.
I ducked down as I heard a ping from the bullet and saw that Armani was able to dodge it as well. Marie came up from behind me, staying ducked down and hidden. I glanced at her, and I was met with a fierce cold glare in her eyes. I wasn’t the only one ready to kill Santino. Her jaw clenched, and like the rest of us she was furious with Santino’s actions. She was ready for a fight and I knew that together, we would save Lorelai. There was no other option.
Armani got on his walkie. “We need back up. I need all hands on deck. Move in from the north and south end. De Luca is armed, attempting to shoot and making a break for it. He has Lorelai.”
Armani looked at me and Marie, but never lost sight of his petrified daughter. He stood up and continued down and I heard a stampede of footsteps moving up the stairs from below. The syndicate army had made their way in and Santino would soon have nowhere to run.
By the time Marie, Luciana, Armani and I reached Santino, the army of security officers stopped him in his tracks. We came to a face to face confrontation with Santino, his hands gripping Lorelai with evident force. An obstruction taking the breath from my lungs, Santino wrapped an arm around Lorelai’s neck, placing her in a headlock. Reaching behind him, he pulled a gun out pointing the barrel to her head.
Armani’s face went beet red with fury. They stood parallel, walking in circles on the platform
“Back off, or I will shoot her.” He paused, in heavy breaths. “Call the army off and step aside,” Santino spoke through gritted teeth.
“You know,” Armani started. “the longer you try to make it seem like you’re in charge, the worse this will become when we leave here, Santino,” he scoffed.
Santino narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m so sick and tired of living under your goddamn thumb, Armani. I’ve done everything for you. Everything you’ve asked of me, every task, drug deal, I’ve meddled in innocent people’s lives, and blood has been shed in buckets. The only thing I asked for in return is her. So I’m taking what you promised me in the end. Once and for fucking all.”
I swallowed the hard lump in my throat, I shook from the inside out watching Lorelai’s face drop in horror. Armani made deals at Lorelai’s expense? Was this why he forbid her to see me?
Lorelai’s tears streamed down her cheeks, staring up at me with a plea of sorrow. How could she think I was mad or even an ounce upset with her? All I wanted was for this to go away, for good.
Armani inched closer to the man holding his daughter at gunpoint, circling around like a hawk hunting its prey. “You lost that privilege, Santino, starting when you successfully sent my son to his death.” He paused, and I imagined that he was giving Lorelai a look of apology. “You know what I’m capable of. Perhaps you should turn to Lorelai and tell her the goddamn truth about how her brother died.”
Santino’s jaw set into place, furrowing his eyebrows. The daggers remained and panic rose in his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Armani.”
Armani shook his head, pacing the platform, his hand at the back of his jeans. “So you weren’t the one that encouraged him to hack the Morettis’ system and clear them out under his name, and our IP address?”
“Armani wanted them out as much as I did,” Santino spat.
Studying Armani’s hand gestures, he placed his thumb with his forefinger together, and the first five men lined up behind Santino. They grasped his wrist twisting the gun from his grasp successfully, placing the security back on the gun.
Santino’s arms were brought behind him as the men in suits placed his wrists in handcuffs.
Standing to the side, I could see a wicked smirk curve over Armani’s lips. “Let’s try that again. This time, let's try the truth.”
Security turned Santino to face Lorelai, and he looked down to the floor like the coward that he was. He sighed and bit his lower lip. “Your father was out of town and left me in charge. We found out about the Morettis moving into Castillo territory; and because I had to call the shots, I suggested we make it hard for them to stick around. Junior was all for it. He wanted to help, but I was the one who suggested he hack their system and completed the blackout. It wasn’t long after the hack that he went missing, a few days, maybe a week.” He paused. “I never stopped looking for him. I searched in every spot I thought they could’ve taken him. I never tried to move in on the yacht club itself, but I fear that’s where they were keeping him.”
Lorelai shook from head to toe as tears fell down her cheeks. She reached her hand back and slapped him across the face. “You were supposed to be looking out for him! He told me you would be there if or when this job got tough, and you turned around without thinking twice and led him to his death?” She bit her lower lip, sadness filled her eyes as she looked at the floor. “When were you going to tell me? After you dragged me away from the only place I called home? You made too many broken promises, Santino; and I hope you pay the most severe price of living with it!” She yelled, the sound of her stern tone echoing through the stairwell. She turned to Armani. “Killing him would be the easy way out.” She muttered and moved past him.
She set her eyes on me, instant tears cascading over her eyes and fell down her cheeks. My own emotions heightened as I set sight on her standing within touching distance. She closed the space between us, throwing her arms around my neck and burying her face into my chest. “I’m so sorry, Christopher,” she mumbled through sobs.
It took me time to embrace the moment. Taking in the touch of her body against mine, her whispered repeated apologies echoed through my head as I shut my eyes and wrapped her in my arms, pulling her in further against me and burying my head into her neck needing to breathe her scent, breathe the moment. Words escaped my mind. I opened my mouth and nothing came out for a moment. “D-don’t apologize, baby. It’s all going to
be okay now, no matter what.” I whispered against her ear.
Keeping Lorelai close, I looked on at Luciana and Marie watching us and pulled her tiny frame in closer. She was all mine and I’d be damned if anyone dared to take her from me again.
“Get him out of my sight, gentlemen. I’ll be over to deal with him shortly,” Armani barked. “And take the back entrance out. We want little to no attention on this.” Armani snapped before turning toward us.
Pulling away only slightly, I kept one arm securely wrapped around Lorelai and turned around.
“Luciana…” He gestured for her to step forward.
Luci stepped around us while Marie stepped in on the other side of Lorelai and wrapped an arm around her.
“Take them back to the vault to ensure safety measures for now, and wait for me to come back.” He pulled his wallet out. “And send your mother out for ice cream or coffee. Whatever you guys want.” He handed her a few large bills.
A smile cracked through my lips as I witnessed the softer side of Armani come out to play. I almost couldn’t believe my ears. He was insisting his daughter order in a treat which told me one thing. He knew Lorelai very well and he was at least somewhat satisfied with the outcome of this mess.
Tragic Events End with Dessert Buffets
Lorelai
Upon arrival back to my family’s yacht club, I walked with Christopher and Marie’s arms wrapped securely around my lower back. I was still on edge and shaking. Christopher gave me his jacket, which warmed me from the cold temperatures; but my nerves were still a wreck. Luci walked behind us as we made our way down the boardwalk. We stopped at the arch of the Black Diamond Club as one of the larger yachts exited the docks from within the premises.
Men dressed in black suits stood guard on the middle and upper levels of the vessel. More shivers traveled down my spine and into my legs. I had no doubt in my mind that Santino was present on the yacht, locked up under the highest security. What happened to him now was not a worry of mine, I knew my father would make sure he was taken care of in worse ways than any prison would treat him.
Glancing to my right, I saw Luciana standing on the other side of Chris. “Come on, there’s nothing more to be seen here.” She led us under the arches and down the docks to the back of the club.
We stopped at a ground level door to the middle turquoise building and she led us in. She opened a door that appeared to be a utility closet door. Once inside, Luciana inserted a key and pressed the button next to a set of elevator doors. These buildings had more trap and secret doors than I ever knew about. I supposed that knowledge was exclusive to syndicate members only; and here we were, three non-syndicate members getting a taste of what it was like. In my personal opinion, I had enough to last me a lifetime.
Stepping off the elevator, we were inside the vault. Marie looked around as she stepped off and snickered. “That was a top secret entrance, I can only imagine the quick escape routes.”
Luciana looked back at her and smirked. “This is one of many, Marie.”
“Yeah? Interesting.” She paused. “So when’s the ice cream getting here? I think we could all use some indulgence after that.”
“Lots and lots of cream. Gallons!” I sniffled softly, feeling Christopher’s hand squeeze the side of my waist. Turning toward him, I placed a hand on his chest staring into his eyes. The moment felt so surreal and magical. “Hey there.”
He smiled and wrapped me in both of his arms, planting a gentle kiss against my forehead. “Hey yourself,” he whispered.
“We should talk,” I replied. “But first things first. Ice cream and coffee.”
He chuckled, planting another gentle kiss. “I agree.”
Laying my head against his chest, I remained quiet. My nerves remained jittery, but knowing Santino was gone and being taken care of helped. The thought of Christopher working on the same side as Luciana and my father was a sight to break my focus on the tragic events.
I watched on as Luciana disappeared from the vault, squeezing my arms around Chris. I couldn’t manage much more than standing here holding each other. I knew I messed up by running from, not only my problems but, the relationship issues after the miscarriage. The fact that he was still here was a miracle and I would make sure he knew just how grateful I was.
***
When the ice cream and goodies buffet was delivered, I leapt from Christopher’s hold.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going so fast?” he growled playfully.
I turned toward him, kissing his forehead. “The quicker it gets set up, the quicker we can indulge.”
He chuckled and walked over to lift the large trays of ice cream off the cart and set them into the industrial buffet cart. I grabbed the toppings and brought them over, setting them up and taking the cellophane wrap off. I stole a maraschino cherry and walked behind Christopher, slipping an arm around his waist. “Lean your head back,” I whispered into his ear.
He chuckled. “Oh god, what are you up to?” he grumbled, doing as he was told.
I dangled the cherry over his lips. “Take a bite.”
He practically choked after taking the cherry off the stem. He stood up and turned toward me as he chewed the sweet fruit and smiled at me. “Get your sweet tooth buffet fix assembled, so we can go talk.”
I nodded. “Good idea. Do you want anything?”
“Grab enough for me to take a few bites.”
I nodded and watched as he took care of our coffee, grabbing the largest cup set on the table while I filled two plates with our ice cream and assorted desserts.
Luciana walked up beside me. “Lorelai…”
I turned to look at her. “Luci…” The last time we saw each other, harsh words were spoken and I wasn’t sure where I stood with being on speaking terms with her.
She sighed. “I know you want some time alone with Chris; but I just wanted to tell you, I’m happy you’re okay.”
I inhaled a shaky breath, avoiding eye contact. “I’m not. I’m not okay right now, but I will be.”
“I understand and I know you need time with Chris. I can show you down to the common area. It’s secure and private.”
“That would be great. Thank you, Luci.” I whispered, looking at Chris. I nudged my head and we followed Luci out of the vault. She took us to the common room and left quietly.
We sat and ate in silence with the the exception of the ‘mmms’ and ‘so goods’ leaving my lips after every other bite. Once we were finished, he placed the plates aside and pulled me back gently into his lap and wrapped me in his arms securely. I allowed him to and looked at him with gentle eyes. “I owe you an apology, Christopher.”
“For what?” he asked, brushing his thumbs against my waist.
“For running away like I did. I knew that you would’ve been there had I let you.”
He sighed softly. “None of that matters right now. What matters is that you’re safe, and that we focus on healing from these tragedies we both had to take head on.”
I laid my head against the front of his shoulder. “How do you suppose we do that?”
I felt his hand rub up and down the side of my back. “Well, I think it’ll take time, and seeking therapy would be an ideal starting point.”
I closed my eyes. “Probably so, but I think it would be beneficial for both of us, as a couple and separately. How to cope and live our lives after a miscarriage, and a family member being murdered.”
He moved some hair behind my ear and lifted my chin so we were eye level. “That and not blaming ourselves for these losses.”
I smiled weakly, tears filling my eyes. “It will definitely take time, but I believe in us.”
He shook his head. “I’ve always believed in us. You heal on your time and terms. I’ll be right beside you the entire way.”
My emotions were running high as the tears flowed down my cheeks. “I know and the way I reacted after the miscarriage, it was wrong. I hit rock bottom emotionally, I felt numb, and cold.
My world was falling apart, fading away as I knew it. I was a mess, blaming myself led to believing I didn’t deserve you in my life let alone as a boyfriend.”
His lower lip popped out as he looked me in the eyes and cupped my cheeks. “I think you deserve the world, and I will give it to you.”
More tears fell free from my eyes. “I love you, Christopher.”
He chuckled, tears forming in his own eyes. “I love you, Lorelai Castillo.” He brushed the tears away before he pulled me close. “I will love you for the rest of forever,” he whispered against my ear.
I smiled, nuzzling against him as his hands moved to my back, rubbing up and down. His touch gentle, yet firm and comforting.
Thinking back on how the night unraveled, so many emotions filled me. Turning around to see Christopher in tow behind my father coming to my rescue was pure bliss. My father promised I would always be protected by the syndicate, even though I wanted nothing to do them. He was still there, making sure justice was served. Luciana too. Enemies transitioned to allies in a time of need, it was beautiful in a way. My father let his protective order go and allowed Christopher to be there when I needed him most.
I laid back into Chris’s arms, exhausted after all the trauma I endured from Santino. Feeling his arms wrapped around me, I nuzzled my face into his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart beat practically put me to sleep. The room was quiet aside from breathing, he ran his fingers through my hair and pressed gentle pecks to my forehead.
A few minutes later, the door opened and shut, but I didn’t move a muscle.
“Lor? Dad has returned, and he’s requested you come back to the vault.”
I sat up slowly and looked at her. “Okay.” I looked back at Chris and offered my hand out to him.
He took my hand and we followed Luci back. Upon entrance, we took a seat. My father was busy on the phone talking quietly for a few minutes before he hung up and turned toward us sitting in the office chairs.
“Lorelai. You’re free to go. The area is cleared, and I had my personal security guard track your yacht down over at the Golden Gate. He’s brought it back. You’ll find it anchored on the front of the boardwalk.”
Sausalito Nights (Montgomery Beauty Book 1) Page 20