I trudged toward the crowd near the entrance to the warehouse. Mickey’s guys stood around him with stunted, pale faces. When I reached their circle, they stepped aside to let me through. I kneeled next to him and blinked tears away. Even if he deserved it, seeing him like this hurt. Mickey lay on the asphalt, eyes closed, mouth slack, with a single shot to his chest.
The blood, dark and thick, covered a large area around us. A copper taste mixed with fuel coated the back of my throat. I swallowed to make the tang go away, and my stomach heaved. Breathing through my mouth, I focused on Mickey. Other than the hole in his chest, he looked peaceful. I pinched my nose and let the pain spread through my veins. Mickey was gone.
I wiped my eyes on my shoulder where Emilia’s hand rested. She’d come all the way to Jersey for me. For a while, Mickey had convinced me this was the life I was meant to live. He truly believed I’d be happy here because this mobster life was all he knew. That might have been true for him, but I had a choice. Where Mickey only had his crew, I had Emilia. I had a reason to choose something different for myself. Mickey had to choose the only family he knew—his crew.
When I glanced up, all of Mickey’s guys stood at attention in front of me in a semicircle. They regarded me, waiting for me to say something and to fix this fucking mess.
Big Tommy spoke first. “What do we do with the body, boss?” He pointed to the other side of the parking lot at Levi’s contorted form lying in a pothole half-filled with rainwater—alone.
Boss? Was that who I was now? The new boss? They had it all wrong. I never wanted this. Didn’t they have someone else to take over?
“Go home.” I caught Emilia’s hand and strode back inside the warehouse.
Behind me, Vic spoke fast on his phone, the way he always did when giving instructions. His guys would have to come in tonight and clean up because this mess was bigger than all of us.
When we reached my office, Mia jerked to her feet and bolted toward me. She crashed into me and hugged me tightly. “Dammit. What were you thinking going after that lunatic?”
“I was thinking he had Emilia and I needed to save her.” I peeled her arms from around my neck. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I was so worried. I thought you…” She rubbed her hands on her arms and turned away from me.
“We’re fine. Levi’s beef was with Mickey.”
“What?” She spun to face me. “Is Uncle Mickey okay?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
Her eyes glazed with unshed tears. “I told him he was pushing it with this arms deal. You mess with the bull.” Mia covered her mouth and swallowed. When she regained her composure, she asked, “Now what? You sticking around?”
Emilia let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah. Now what?”
Up until now, I hadn’t allowed myself to think it, to make plans outside of Jersey. There was nothing stopping me from getting on Cole’s plane back to Phoenix. As far as the cartel knew, Emilia’s family was killed ten years ago, and the only person who knew she was alive was dead. She was free to go home.
“Everything’s changed.” I put my arm around Emilia.
“You can say that again.” Vic pushed the office door opened and strolled in. “I mean now that Mickey is out, you can run this place as you see fit. The crew is on board.”
“Let me be clear.” I met Emilia’s gaze then turned my attention back to Vic. “I’m not staying. If it were up to me, I’d be on Cole’s plane tonight.”
“It is up to you, Dom. Your family is here. You and Emilia can stay. She’ll be safe. We’re home now.” Vic glanced at Mia with a look in his eyes that said Tell him. Make him stay.
All this time, I’d assumed Vic had come with me because he was done with all this mobster stuff. In reality, it’d been exactly as he’d always said. He didn’t agree with how Mickey ran the crew, with all his power plays and need to be the biggest, the big bad wolf.
“Those guys out there need you.”
“He’s right, Dom.” Mia leaned on the edge of the desk, her gaze on Emilia. “You could make a home here. The two of you.”
“No.” Emilia let go of my hand. “Up until Mickey hunted Dom down and forced him to come back here, Dom had made a home for himself. You can’t dump this on him now. This isn’t what he wants.”
“No, it isn’t what I want, but I can’t leave them hanging, Emilia.” An entire crew of people depended on me now. Their livelihoods were at stake. They needed me.
“Are you serious?” Emilia’s mouth went slack as tears pooled in her eyes. “First it was your dad, now it’s Vic, Mia, the crew. Admit it, Dom. You want this life.”
“You know I don’t.”
“Mickey did a number on you, didn’t he?” Emilia stepped toward the door. Her icy stare cut me deep. When I reached for her hand, she slapped it away. “No. I’m leaving. Cole’s plane is scheduled to leave tonight, and I plan to be on it. Make up your mind.” Before her words had sunk in, she slipped out the door and slammed it shut.
Mia blocked me when I made to chase after Emilia. “Give her some space. We all need some time to think. What happened today with Uncle Mickey is tough to process. We have a lot of work to do.”
She was right. For one, we had to figure out how to cover up Levi’s death. If the cartel got wind he was abducted by our crew, they’d come after us on principle alone. We had to make sure they understood this was an even loss. One of theirs, for our boss.
Did Emilia not see that? I needed a little time. Though I had to admit, the idea of making a life with her here appealed to me now that Mickey was gone. Before he turned on me, trying to make me one of the crew, I’d been happy here.
I walked around my desk and plopped myself on the chair. I rubbed my temples to make the room stop spinning. We had work to do. Both Mia and Vic regarded me from the other side of the tabletop and smiled. They recognized the look on my face.
“Cleanup, cartel, and the new boss. That’s what needs to be done. And in that order.”
Business first then pleasure. I had to take care of this mess Mickey left behind before I could offer Emilia a life worthy of her.
“I already got started on cleanup. My guys bagged the…um, the bodies and are on their way to the crematory. We know a guy there that can help.”
“Emilia’s family would want to keep Levi’s ashes. For Izzy. It’s the least we can do.” I put Emilia’s tear-stained cheeks out of my mind. How would she tell Izzy? One problem at a time. “What about the cartel? How do we spin this tale so they don’t come after our crew?”
Vic rubbed the nape of his neck. “Well, Levi let Mickey in on a new business venture, bypassed his own people.”
I nodded. “A traitor. We could play that angle. We could say he came after the big boss and we had to respond in kind.”
“Would that fly?” Mia asked. “Technically, Uncle Mickey is the one that screwed them over by going straight to the source and cutting them out of the deal.”
“You knew about this?” I glared at Mia. Just how much did she know about Mickey’s business?
“I’ve been shadowing Uncle Mickey for years now.” She met my gaze. “I’ve been keeping tabs on everything. One time, he even trusted me to run a job for him.”
“I thought you wanted to be a flight attendant.” I sat back in my chair, seeing Mia under a new light.
“Uncle Mickey was old school. If I’d told him I wanted to run the family business, he would’ve told me I needed to go find myself a good man and have a few kids. A flight attendant job was something he could wrap his head around. It gave me an excuse to go places with him.” She gave me a one-shoulder shrug.
“What else do you know?”
“I know the cartel doesn’t know Levi wasn’t in on Mickey’s plan to cut them out of the deal. If they see him as a traitor, then they won’t care that the deal he brokered on his own blew up in his face.”
“Sounds like that could work. Do we still have people in Phoenix?” I should’ve known Mickey
wouldn’t waste a trip to Arizona. That was Mickey, always looking for the next gig, the upper hand, the way to make another million, even if it meant screwing people over in the process. Tonight, that got him killed.
“I’ll handle that myself.” Vic typed something on his phone. “I made connections while I was there. I promise. This won’t come back to Jersey or Emilia.”
“Thank you. So that’s how you got Levi to agree to this suicide mission? You made him see how that was his only option.”
“Yeah, he did it for his family. I promised this whole thing wouldn’t touch them and that his daughter would have a place to visit him.”
I placed the palms of my hands on my eyes and pressed hard to stop the tears. Tonight could’ve gone so differently if Vic hadn’t interfered. If Levi hadn’t been forced into doing, if not the right thing, at least the decent thing for his family. Because of him, Emilia and her family were free of the cartel.
I was an asshole for even considering that she might want to stay here with me. She deserved so much more.
“What about the crew?” Vic asked. “They need you. This is all they know.”
I regarded Mia. She’d wormed her way into Mickey’s circle of trust because she wanted to take over the crew. That took a lot of smarts and a lot of guts. “Would they follow Mia?
Mia’s head snapped up. “They will if you back me up.”
“Is that really what you want? This life?”
“Yes.” A blush rose to her cheeks. Her eyes shone, wide with excitement.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t be better off with a nice husband and a handful of kids?” I teased.
“Don’t be an asshole. Kids. That’s not for me. Not ever.” She outlined a shape on the desk with her index finger. “I can do the job.”
“Done. We’ll talk to the guys. Just promise me you’ll stay within the gray area.”
“I don’t know what kind of businesswoman you think I am. I would never do anything illegal.” She clasped her hands to her chest, hiding her smile behind pursed lips.
I chuckled and met Vic’s gaze. “Would you stay?”
“Yeah. It’s good to be home. And someone has to keep Big Joey’s kid out of trouble.” He flashed Mia a toothy grin before he turned a more serious stare toward me. “You sure you won’t stay?”
I would always be grateful to Mickey for saving me. He’d been there for me when I needed him the most when my dad died, and I had no home to go to. He gave me a family and a place where I could belong. I would always owe him for that. Now it was time to move on and find my own way.
“You got a new boss. You don’t need me. Emilia’s right. This place hasn’t been home for me for a long time.”
“You can’t blame me for trying.”
Shaking my head, I pushed away from the desk and stood. “I can’t think of anything else that needs handling tonight. I think we’re done here.”
“Where are you going?” Mia asked.
“First, I’m going to take a shower.” I scratched the bristles on my cheek. “And then, I’m gonna get Emilia back.”
31
Technically, We’re Chasing The Sunrise
Emilia
The bellhop tapped my room keycard on the card reader and ushered me inside. “Sorry. Turn-down service has already gone through, but I got you these.” He dropped my overnight bag on the luggage rack in the closet and scurried to the bed to place two pieces of chocolate on the pillows. “Your friend is down the hall. Again, I’m sorry we couldn’t find you adjacent rooms.”
“No worries. Thanks.” I was done with men trying to protect me. I sauntered into the bathroom. As much as I hated that the plane takeoff had been removed from the clearance list for whatever maintenance they had to do, I was glad for the chance to peel these dirty clothes off me and get cleaned up.
“You’ll be happy you went with the upgrade. There’s a complimentary bottle of wine, an extra-large couch.” He pointed at the beige sectional in the living area shaped in a semicircle, facing a fifty-two-inch flat screen. This late and without a reservation, a junior suite was all the hotel had left. “And of course, a king-size bed.” The smile on his face told me he was done with his spiel. I grabbed a few bills from my purse and offered them to him. He took the money and let himself out.
I didn’t care about the extra-large couch. All I wanted was a bath and that bottle of red wine with my name on it. Moving around the room on automatic, I drew a hot bath, brushed my teeth, and poured myself some wine. I discarded my clothes and stepped into the hot, sudsy water. The clock struck midnight as I let myself submerge to wash the last few hours off my body. Jesus, I was glad this day was over.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I washed away the last evidence of everything that happened since I left the cabin this morning. Levi was gone. I sat up in the tub and took a swig from my wine glass. I’d come to Jersey hoping to change Dom’s mind and instead, I got Levi killed. Almost got myself killed.
Izzy, I’m so sorry.
I pressed my forehead on the lip of the tub and cried. I cried for Izzy, for Dom, and for all the things we could’ve had together. Why did Dom choose to stay? This life wasn’t for him. Mickey was gone, and that meant Dom was free. Or did he stay out of guilt? Did he feel responsible for Levi shooting Mickey? After all, Levi ended up at the warehouse because of Dom’s relationship with me. No, I combed my fingers through my wet hair. Mickey did that. His obsession with Dom brought him to this point. Mickey did this to himself. How did Dom not see that?
A slow burn swirled in my stomach. Dom didn’t deserve this. I pressed my lips to the wine glass, but it was already empty. I climbed out of the bathtub, grabbed the bathrobe from behind the door, and padded back to the room to find the bottle.
The next sip warmed me to the core. I placed the drink on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed. The last of my energy drained from me, as the realization that I was all alone settled in my stomach like a ton of bricks.
In the morning, I’d return to Sedona and make a new plan with Mom and Jess. I still had a job in Phoenix. I could focus on that. We could buy a new house and start over. My chest tightened. I hated making plans without Dom, but I had to. In time, I would get over him. I’d forget his angel face and all the things he made me feel. In time, I could meet someone. Tears stung my eyes again, and I curled up on the bed. How would I ever get over someone like Dom? No one could ever replace him.
A knock on the door woke me with a jolt. How long had I been asleep? Adrenaline pumped hard through me from waking up so suddenly. A fist pounded on the door again, and I forced myself to take deep breaths to calm down. I tiptoed over and peeked into the peephole.
Oh, crap.
My heartbeat picked up the pace again when I saw Dom on the other side.
I glanced down at my bathrobe and spun in place looking for my clothes. Digging through my bag, I threw a change of clothes on the bed. Then I remembered I didn’t have any makeup on. I scurried to the mirror. Jeez, did I always have such pink cheeks when Dom was around?
“Emilia, I know you’re in there. Open up. We need to talk.” Dammit. Makeup or clothes? I picked up my tinted moisturizer. Another knock. “Emilia, I have a key. Don’t make me use it.”
I threw the tube in my bag. “Are you kidding me? How did you get a key?”
“How do you think?”
No doubt he charmed the pants off the girl working the front the desk. I walked back to the door and squinted into the small opening. Dom stood there glaring at the door. He knocked again, and I jumped back. Fine. I flipped the latch and swung the door open.
“That’s creepy.”
“I know the girl working the counter. I told her we were on our honeymoon and that I had locked myself out.”
Honeymoon? A hot current rushed through me when he smiled.
He was clean-shaven and for some reason, had decided to wear one of his suits. The royal-blue one, the one that made him look like a GQ cover model. If he was here to
explain to me why he had to stay, this gorgeous thing he had going on was not helping.
I would be able to handle this talk way better if I were wearing real clothes and some makeup. I swept my fingers through my hair to get it away from my face, hoping he wouldn’t notice that my cheeks had turned from pink to hot red.
His mouth went slack as he regarded me. “You’re good for my ego.” He pushed the door shut.
“What?” I crossed my arms over my taut nipples. “Leave the door open.”
“Why? Do you want your neighbors to eavesdrop?”
“You didn’t seem to care when you were about to tear down the door. You said you wanted it open. Leave it open.” I returned to the glass of wine I’d left on the nightstand. Liquid courage seemed like a good idea. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Us.”
“You made it clear there wasn’t an us. Things changed. Apparently, they just didn’t change enough for you. Is that right?”
“I’m sorry, Emilia. My head was all a big mishmash of gunshots and puzzle pieces. I needed a minute to process it all.”
I swallowed my tears. “You keep leaving me. I came all the way out here to see you and from the moment I walked into the warehouse, all you’ve tried to do is send me away. Just leave. I can’t do this right now. I’m tired.” And all I want to do is cry and sleep.
“I worked it out with Mia and Vic. I want us.”
Mia’s name was the wrong thing to say to me right now. All the anger I’d felt since he left me in Arizona came crashing down on me, and I lashed out. “I don’t want this. I made a mistake coming here. I was an idiot for thinking you’d submitted to Mickey because you loved me. You did it for him. For you. Get out.” I pointed at the opened door. “Now.” I spun to face away from him.
I wanted to be alone tonight but watching him leave me again hurt too much. He exhaled and stepped away from me. My body jerked when the door slammed shut. The silence filled every corner and left me breathless. I covered my mouth as the numbness spread through me.
Ignite You Page 24