by K. C. Crowne
“No one has managed it before,” I warned him.
“No one has wanted it as badly as we do, I bet.”
I wasn’t sure about that, but from the look on Graham’s face, I could tell he wanted this pretty damned badly. Was it because of me? Or was it some sense of pride for him? I’d told him he couldn’t always be the hero, and part of me wondered if that was why he was doing this. Ex-military, honorably discharged before he was done fighting, perhaps he still had that sense of obligation in him. Which I admired, but I also feared it might end up getting him killed. He didn’t know the inner workings of the Mob the way I did. I had tried to avoid it for most of my life, but it was a part of my life, nonetheless.
I turned to look at him, closing the laptop as I did so. I couldn’t bear to look at my frozen accounts any longer, knowing that my father was still trying to control me. I should have known he would do this, but it hurt knowing that my own dad was willing to throw me to the wolves.
“Graham, are you sure your brothers will be on board with this?”
“As soon as Eli and Mason get back, we’ll talk to them.” He patted his side. “And I have my weapon of choice right here. If anyone tries to come through that front door or any of the windows without a code, the alarms will sound and ain’t no one gettin' past me to get to you.”
My heart swelled at how protective he was of me - so much so, he’d be willing to put his life on the line. A complete stranger - or almost a stranger. My own father wouldn’t even give up his business dealings for me, but Graham was willing to sacrifice his life to keep me safe.
And that was without knowing about the baby.
My baby was in the forefront of my mind, and I thought about telling him about it again. He deserved to know. Originally, when I thought he was just a stripper and I was just a one-night stand, things were different. But now that I saw his family, knew that he wasn’t the type to sleep around, I felt differently. He was responsible and very family oriented. He would want to know.
“Graham, there’s something I should tell you.”
A knock on the door paused my words.
“Yes?” Graham said.
Samuel poked his head in. “Sorry to bother you, but I think you should take a look at something.”
“What is it?” Graham was up and out of his chair in a flash.
“The flood waters are rising. We need to plan for a potential flooding, and if the bridge down the road goes out, an alternate way out of here in case of an emergency.”
“I can’t go look at the bridge right now. As soon as Eli and Doc get back, we’ll figure something out. There’s always the road through the woods.”
“If that one doesn’t flood.”
“It’s in a hundred-year flood plain.”
“From the looks at it, we’re at about year ninety-nine and a half.”
“Dammit,” Graham muttered. “I’m sure we’ll figure out something, but I’ve got bigger problems at the moment.”
“Bigger than potentially being flooded out?”
“Oh yeah, much bigger.”
Samuel crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave Graham a dubious stare. Raising his eyebrows, he said, “Out with it, because I’m not sure what else could be more concerning than a flash flood at the moment.”
“How about the Mafia?”
Samuel’s eyes widened. “The Mafia? What in the hell are you talking about?”
Graham sighed and looked at me. Samuel did as well, and I watched as he connected the pieces. “I was going to talk to everyone together once the others got back. But since you’re here, Emmy’s in some trouble and she needs our help.”
I expected Samuel to protest, to say that it wasn’t his problem, that they had bigger problems at the moment. But he took a seat on Graham’s bed facing us and said, “I’m listening.”
I stared in awe as Graham explained the situation to Samuel. Sam nodded along, not saying anything until Graham was finished. Once he was, Samuel stood up.
“Where are you going?” Graham asked.
“Checking the alarm system.”
“But we never turn it off.”
“Better to be safe than sorry.”
Graham nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Stay here, and once the others arrive, we can meet in the kitchen.”
Samuel left the room, and I sat in shock. Graham’s brother hadn’t even batted an eye. He was all-in the moment Graham told him what was going on.
“I don’t think he understands what we’re up against,” I mumbled, worried.
“Nah, Sam knows. I told you we’ve dealt with things like this before.”
I stared at him for a moment. “And what about your other brothers?”
There was a loud noise downstairs that caused me to jump, followed by a bellowing voice. “We’re home.”
Graham cracked a smile. “I guess we’re about to find out now.”
Graham
“Eli, Mason,” Graham said as we stepped into the living room. “Can I have a moment, please?”
“Is everything alright?” Mason asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Where’s Sam?” Eli asked. “We need to talk about the flooding. It’s getting bad.”
“I’m right here,” Sam said as he walked in from the kitchen. “Everything is up and running with the alarm system.”
“Alarm system?” Eli asked, brows furrowing.
“Yeah, we might have a new job on our hands.”
Emmy looked at me, and I felt bad referring to it as a job. It was more than that for me. Her big, brown eyes were wide; she was worried. She didn’t know my brothers the way I did.
“A job?” Eli said. “I thought we were taking a break and relaxing for a while.”
“Yeah, well, something came up,” I said with a shrug. “You don’t have to be in, but you at least need to know what’s going on. Let's go into the dining room.”
Emmy didn’t say anything, but I noticed that she picked up her phone and checked it. Her face paled before she tucked it away again.
“More messages?” I whispered to her. She nodded. “Can I see them?”
Emmy hesitated, but only for a moment before handing her phone to me. They were from her dad.
Emilia, I know you’re in Liberty. It’s the first place they’ll look. You won’t be safe there. You won’t be safe anywhere.
I clenched her phone so tight, I felt like I could crush it with my rage. I handed it back to her as we took our seats around the table.
“Alright, what’s going on? I know that look, Graham,” Doc said.
“Emmy’s in some trouble,” I said. “And we’re going to help her.”
Emmy spoke, her voice soft. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’d hate to drag you into my problems—”
Before she could finish, Eli leaned forward and said, “What kind of trouble? What are we looking at here?”
Emmy glanced at me. “I think it’s better if you explain,” she said. “I’m still shaken up.”
I nodded and got right down to explaining everything. “Emmy’s dad is involved with the Lombardo Crime Family, and apparently brokered her off to marry Antonio Lombardo.”
“What the hell?” Eli said, leaning back in his chair and staring at me. “Who the fuck does that?”
“Right? He’s a real piece of shit as far as I can tell,” I said. “And Emmy obviously doesn’t want to marry him, so that’s why she’s in Liberty. Except they’re looking for her and likely going to be looking here first.”
Eli’s concerned gaze turned to Emmy, and I knew he would help us. All my brothers would.
“What’s the plan?” Mason asked.
“Well, our first priority is protecting Emmy. Eventually, we need to work on getting the right information to put these bastards away for good, so she doesn’t have to remain a prisoner.”
Mason nodded. “I can’t imagine anywhere safer than here.”
“Me either,” Sam agreed.
“Yeah, and?” Eli asked, a grin on his face.
“And don’t you need a moment to think about it before jumping in?”
“I don’t know how much Graham has told you about what we’ve done, but this wouldn’t be our first rodeo with very dangerous, powerful people. That’s what we do.”
“But I can’t pay. My dad has locked down all my accounts and—”
“Whoa there, darlin’. Who said anything about paying?” I asked.
She looked at me, her eyes briefly fluttering between the other men at the table before landing back on me. “You’re going to do this for free?” She began shaking her head. “I couldn’t possibly ask you to put your lives at risk and not get paid for it. I—”
I stopped her. “This is what we do, Emmy. You need help, and we’re going to help you.”
“But you don’t even know me. Not really.”
I hardly knew her, but what I did know was that I felt protective over her already. There was something about her that caused my hackles to raise when I thought of her in danger. It wasn’t just her beauty, either, but she was kind and smart too – not the type of person who deserved to be caught up in bullshit like she was.
“Doesn’t matter,” Eli said before I could. “You need help, and the world is a shitty place sometimes. We do pro bono work for those that need us the most.”
“I’m not exactly needy. My family has money, it’s just—”
“Tied up with the enemy,” I finished for her. “Which means, you don’t have access to it. It’s fine, Emmy. Like I said, this is what we do.”
“We’ll set up a guard duty as well, in addition to the security system. Someone will be awake and watching for trouble at all times,” Samuel said. “We’ll close the gate to the property, check the cameras out there as well. Ain’t no one coming in or out of here without us knowing about it.”
“Will you stay and let us help you?” I asked her.
“I don’t know if she’s gonna have much of a choice soon,” Sam announced. “The roads in town are starting to flood. The main bridge is out. I think the cabin is on high enough ground to be safe for now, but we need to keep an eye on the situation.”
“Definitely,” Mason agreed. “Things are getting bad in town, I’m afraid. And surrounding areas as well. I don’t think it’s safe to be driving much – even without the Mob looking for you.”
“If anything, it might slow them down for now,” Eli commented thoughtfully. “Not too many ways into Liberty. Mostly only roads the locals know.”
I looked at her. “I promise, we’ll keep you safe until we can bring these guys down.”
She still looked unsure, and I didn’t know what else I could do to convince her that we could really help. I knew her experience with the Mob and the lack of justice had turned her cynical, but we’d taken down crime rings before – just a few months prior, to be exact.
She turned those large, brown eyes toward me, and I saw something in her expression that made me think it wasn’t as simple as her believing that we’d keep her safe. There was something else going on, something she wasn’t telling us. I would have to get that out of her later when my brothers weren’t around. If she was hesitant to open up to me, there was no way she would open up to them too. I’d talk to her in private.
My brothers turned their attention to the flood, but I couldn’t really follow them. Emmy was beside me, quiet and deep in thought. She stared off into the distance, outside the window across from us. The rain continued to come down, and it felt like it would never stop.
I wondered what she was thinking about. After everything she’d been through, she held her head up and remained strong. I never once saw her break down when most others would rightfully be in tears.
Her dark hair fell across her cheek, and it took everything in me not to reach out and push the stray curls aside. It didn’t seem to bother her any, but it hid part of her beautiful face from view.
I had meant it when I said she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Had I crafted the perfect woman, Emmy would be it. I had never been so smitten before in my life.
Get it together, Graham. She doesn’t want anything serious. Even if she did, her life is a mess. The last thing she needs right now is a relationship. Especially with someone who’s never been too good at being in relationships. I tend to ruin every one I’m in, and I’m sure this would be no different.
But it didn’t stop me from staring at her and thinking she was perfect.
“So what do you say, Emmy?” Eli’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“What do I have to say about what?” she asked, turning to face Eli. She looked as confused as I was about the question.
“You’re going to stay, right? Let us help you?”
“Yes, I think I’ll stay,” she said, but then quickly added, “For now.”
“Until we make sure you’re safe,” I said.
She nodded. “We’ll see what happens, I suppose.”
“I think that’s the wise choice,” Eli said with a nod.
“Not like I could get very far right now anyway, right?” She never took her eyes off me, and I knew that part of her didn’t want to leave.
Which was good - since all of me wanted her to stay.
Ooo000ooo
Her phone buzzed as we were parting ways – each one of us had a job to do. We’d lock this place down like Fort Knox. My brothers left me on personal guard duty, and I was more than happy to take on that job. Emmy stopped in the hallway and pulled out her phone. I walked up beside her. Her hands were trembling, and the phone fell from them to the floor.
I bent down to pick it up, but she said, “No.”
I stopped, still low to the ground and looking up at her. Her eyes were wide and filled with unshed tears. Her entire body shook. I grabbed the phone without looking at it and stood up, stepping close to Emmy.
“What is it?” I asked her. “Can I look at your phone?”
She hesitated a moment, but then nodded. I glanced down at her messages.
We have your father. If you don’t want us to hurt him, come back to Vegas now and we’ll go easy on you. If not…
Then there was a photo of a gun held to a man’s head. I assumed the man was her father. He had the same dark eyes and hair as her, and there was fear in his gaze. I didn’t even know the man and it filled me with unease and sadness.
I slipped the phone into my front pocket and pulled Emmy close. “It’s going to be alright.” I wrapped my arms around her, and she fell into my shoulder. Her body shook as she sobbed.
“They have my father,” she cried. “Graham, what am I going to do? He’s not a good man, but he’s still my dad. He’s the only family I have left.”
I wasn’t sure what we would do, but one thing I did know: I wasn’t letting her go back and risk her life for that bastard. The man had sold her to the Mafia, likely to save his own ass. He’d dug his own grave as far as I was concerned. I would do what I could to save him for Emmy’s sake, but I wasn’t letting her risk her life for his.
A second later, her phone rang. I was about to cancel the call and pulled it from my pocket, but she said, “Wait. Let me talk to them.” I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea, but she added, “It’s my dad’s phone number.”
She took the phone from my hand and picked up. “Dad?” her voice was shaking.
I couldn’t make out what her father said, but Emmy took a deep breath before speaking again. “I’m sorry, dad. I can’t do that. I can’t hand myself over to Antonio.” She paused, listening. “You shouldn’t have made this deal, Dad, and I’m sorry if they hurt you. You know I wouldn’t want that. But I have to take care of myself now.”
My heart swelled with pride as I listened to her stand up for herself. All the fears of her turning herself in to save
her father subsided. She was crying, it clearly wasn’t an easy task for her, but she had the strength to say no.
“No, Dad, you don’t understand—” She looked at me before turning and walking down the hall. I was close on her heels. She whispered, and I could barely understand the words. “It’s not just about saving myself. There’s a lot you don’t know and I—”
She turned back around and saw me, frowning, and added, “I’m not coming back to Vegas.”
Her hand was shaking, and she leaned against the wall for support. Her eyes closed and she sniffled. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I wish things could have been different, but you sold me for a business deal. I love you, and I always wanted you to love me, but clearly you love money more.”
Her eyes opened slowly, tears falling, and met mine. “Goodbye, Daddy,” she said softly before pulling the phone away from her ear and hitting the end button.
She dropped her phone to the ground again, but I didn’t bother to pick it up. I cradled her against me, her head buried in the crook of my neck. I stroked her hair, her curls soft under my fingers. I could barely hear her cry.
“I’m proud of you, Emmy,” I said softly. “I know it was hard, but you did the right thing.”
Emilia
He was proud of me.
Those words touched something inside me because I couldn’t recall the last time anyone had been proud of me for anything. My mother, maybe? Since she’d died before my memories began, I had no idea if she had. But I would bet she had been proud of me and had loved me very much. I’d been so young back then, and I didn’t even realize how much I wanted to hear those words until Graham muttered them to me.
I closed my eyes and tried to think of my father telling me he was proud of me. High school graduation. I was the valedictorian of my class. I stood up in front of hundreds and gave a speech, even though public speaking scared me, and he knew it. I scanned the crowd for his face, and just as I was finishing my speech, he rushed into the building and slipped into his seat. Later, he would tell me it was a nice speech even though he’d missed all of it. He told me he’d been there the entire time. But he hadn’t been, and I knew it. I never told him.