by Penelope Sky
Committed
Betrothed #4
Penelope Sky
Hartwick Publishing
Committed
Copyright © 2020 by Penelope Sky
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For Dr. Joel Saal
The Man Who Saved My Life
1
Hades
Two Months Later
* * *
We stood in the middle of the street, streetlights slightly illuminating us in the center of the city. Most of the buildings around us were dark because tenants kept their curtains shut and kept to themselves. Florence was a beautiful city, but everyone knew it was plagued by monsters like me. As long as they minded their own business, they knew they were safe.
Maddox stood beside me, in a long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans. He never wore a watch or any other kind of jewelry. He was slender and ripped, possessing a strong physique that wasn’t burdened by a mass of muscle. The time I’d spent with him had yielded even less information about his character. He didn’t have a concrete personality. Some days he was talkative, and other days he didn’t say a single word. We’d combined our men together, like a sick blended family. As we waited for our accomplice to arrive, he turned his gaze on me. With his crystal-blue eyes, he stared at me with a burning gaze that was as cold as frostbite. There was no emotion in his eyes, just light intrigue.
I refused to show intimidation or fear. This man had taken away everything that mattered to me. I won’t allow him to take control of my emotions too. I turned my head in his direction and met his look with stoicism.
He took a step closer to me. “We’ve made a lot of progress, huh? I knew the two of us would clean up this country.”
The only rule he’d given me was not to assassinate him. That meant I could be as standoffish as I wanted. I didn’t have to like him; I didn’t have to respect him.
He never seemed to care about how much I hated him. He was either immune to it or oblivious. “Shouldn’t be much longer now…unless he has a death wish.” He turned back to the road and waited for the car to arrive.
A minute later, a black SUV parked in the middle of the street, and our distributor got out of the back seat and walked toward us. He had five men with him, but the protection was obsolete considering all the men we had positioned around the area.
Maddox glanced at me again. “About time, right? I thought I was gonna miss high tea.”
I hated this motherfucker.
Richard walked toward us, with skin deeply tanned by the unforgiving sun. His thick, curly black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he had extra weight around his waist. He walked up to us with a stony expression on his face. “I’m only here tonight as a courtesy. But I won’t change my mind.” He was a distributor who had the only way into the Middle Eastern countries. He had all the soldiers and the government on payroll, so it didn’t matter how war-torn the country was, he could make it happen.
“And why won’t you change your mind?” Maddox asked. There was always a slightly cheerful tone to his voice, a contradiction to the seriousness on his face. It was impossible to figure out his feelings at any point in time.
Richard paused as he stared at Maddox, clearly swallowing his frustration. “There are new regulations. There are airstrikes happening as we speak. It’s dangerous, reckless. Now is not the best time.”
Maddox started to pace slowly, one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing his jawline. “The entire population is under siege. They are stuck in a country they can’t escape, and all the asylum countries are rejecting refugees. It sounds like they are prisoners to their own terrible demise.” He stopped and turned back to Richard. “It sounds like high-quality meth is exactly what they need.”
I could detect the threat in Maddox’s tone even though he didn’t do anything visibly threatening. My eyes glanced back and forth between Maddox and Richard. Maddox did business differently than I did. It was more extreme, but also more effective.
Richard spoke again. “If I’m caught, I’ll be decapitated.”
Maddox shrugged. “Hasn’t that always been a possibility?”
“Yes.” Richard glanced at me before he kept talking. “But the laws have changed. They are searching everything that comes into the country. Tensions are high. I can’t just pay off everyone.”
“You can if you pay them enough.” Maddox returned to my side. “Let’s make this happen, Richard. I’ve got two thousand kilos just for you. Be a rich man and make me a rich man.”
Richard shook his head. “The answer is no…at least for now. I came in person tonight in the hope we can continue this business relationship at a later time.”
Out of nowhere, Maddox began to laugh. It was genuine, like he’d just remembered something hilarious. It was almost a shrieking sound, the noise of an animal dying. Then he stopped abruptly. “It’s now or never.” He suddenly turned ice-cold, making the air around us vibrate with hostility. “You’re going to do this, or I’ll decapitate you right here in the street.” He snapped his fingers and motioned to one of his men, who brought him a large samurai sword. He’d prepared for this before even meeting Richard, which made it even creepier. Maddox stood with the blade slung over his shoulder, looking almost like a lumberjack. It was comical but terrifying.
Richard held his composure well, but it was obvious he was unnerved by the threat.
Maddox turned to me. “Would you like to do the honors?”
No, I wasn’t going to chop off this guy’s head. “I have a different approach.”
Maddox made an elaborate bow. “The floor is yours.”
I moved closer to Richard and spoke to him as a comrade. “What Maddox said was right. The people are more hopeless than they were before, which means they’re willing to pay top dollar to forget their troubles. You could charge even more money for this product, and while there’s more risk, there’s also more reward. You could make double or triple what you made in the past. This is a perfect business opportunity for all three of us.”
Richard considered what was said as he stood in silence. His arms crossed over his chest, and he glanced at Maddox. “Alright. I’ll have to use more money to pay off the officials in the army.”
“That’s fine.” The best way to encourage a man’s ambition was through riches. “We’ll transport the batch to the border for you. You’re on your own from there. But we expect a drop at the usual time. Fail to deliver, and we’ll drop our own airstrike.”
Richard nodded in agreement before he looked at Maddox one last time. Then he turned around and walked away, heading back to his car and driving off with his men.
Maddox and I were left alone in the brightness of the streetlight. I had accomplished what we wanted through negotiation and a sprinkle of threat. It was an easy approach, whereas Maddox went from zero to sixty in a millisecond. It wasn’t always clear if he was an evil mastermind or he was an unpredictable emotional train wreck.
Maddox continued to hold the blade like it was his favorite toy. “So, you’re good cop. I’m bad cop.”
“No. There are just more effective techniques than torture. The only thing stronger than fear is ambition.”
He placed the tip of the blade on the concrete and rested both of his hands on the handle. “That’s why we make such a good team. We get shit done. If your way doesn’t work, then mine will.” He stared down the long road into the night, an awed gaze in his eyes. “Look at everything we’ve done in just a few months. Imagine everything else we’ll do in the years to come.”
Years? Fuck me.
“I’ll arrange for the transport of the product. If he doesn’t make good on his word, it’ll be your job to take care of it. I know you can do the dirty work. You’ve done it before.”
Who could talk about the death of their brother so casually?
“So, how are things with the missus?”
I turned to him as I felt the blood boil in my veins. My wife left me two months ago. She left behind her name and her ring. I was just as devastated now as I had been then. Nausea constantly gripped my body, and I’d never felt so weak in my life. But I let her go because I had to. “You know she left me.” I’d stopped wearing my ring because it was too painful, but I never took off the watch she gave me.
“Oh yeah, that’s right.” He snapped his fingers like he’d just realized it. “I think you’re better off. She wasn’t that great of a lay.”
The cityscape in front of me suddenly had a red tint. I had a gun in my pocket, but that wasn’t how I wanted to kill him. I wanted to take that blade and saw at his neck until his head came loose. My hands tightened into fists, and my rage could barely be contained. I suspected he was testing me, wondering if I’d snap under the pressure. The only reason I didn’t lunge at him was because of the consequences.
The consequences Sofia and Andrew would have to suffer.
Maddox continued to watch me, clearly amused by the battle raging behind my eyes. Then a gentle smile came through like he was remembering an old joke someone once told him. “We should cut Damien loose. He’s dead weight.”
The sudden change in subject was jarring. Damien and I had our differences, but he definitely wasn’t dead weight. When he wasn’t fucking everything up, he was doing all the work. He was smart, reliable, and hardworking. “He’s a vital part of this business.”
“Three is a crowd. You and I are the vital parts of this business now.”
Damien wouldn’t blame me if he got pushed out, but I didn’t want to be the only one stuck with Maddox. Even if we weren’t friends anymore, Damien was still an ally against this psychopath. “He knows the ropes. He’s integral to our success.”
Maddox smiled slightly. “Loyalty.” That was all he said.
I assumed the matter was settled.
“That’s why I like you. Once your loyalty is earned, it’s never broken. Personally, I don’t think Damien deserves it, but I understand it. Maybe one day we’ll have that kind of loyalty to each other.”
Over my dead body.
“He can stay on. But he’s not getting an equal cut.”
I didn’t give a damn about money anymore. I’d lost the only thing that actually mattered…my family. Money would never make me happy. “That’s fine. I’ll split my cut with him.”
He placed the blade over his shoulder once again. “Generous.”
No, I just didn’t give a damn.
Before he walked away, he gave me an awkward clap on the shoulder. It was like he didn’t know how to embrace a friend or an ally. He was always a bit out of place, as if human interaction were impossible for him to understand. “I know things are shitty right now, but when we take over the world, you’re going to forget that things ever were less than perfect.”
2
Sofia
I was almost seven months along, and I was definitely showing. It didn’t matter how loose my dress was or if I wore all black, my baby bump was impossible to miss. I wasn’t ashamed of it, not in the least, but I was definitely getting uncomfortable.
I stepped inside the Tuscan Rose located in central Rome and greeted the staff at the front desk. After chitchat and a rundown of the latest at the hotel, I walked to my office, passing the flowers and paintings on the way. I lowered myself into my chair and looked at all the paperwork waiting for me.
This hotel was very different from the previous one. There were no shady characters having clandestine meetings in the bar and conference rooms. There were nothing but good people, honest people. It was much less stressful, and I never worried about seeing someone I didn’t want to see.
I felt like I could move on with my life.
Of course, I missed my husband…ex-husband.
But I got everything else I wanted. My mother and I bought a nice place in the city, and I had the baby’s room ready to go. I was close to a good school and walking distance from work. There was never any talk of drug dealers or crime.
It was normal.
Antonio, the hotel manager, came into my office. He was a young man to have been promoted to such a high level, but the more I got to know him, the more I understood why he deserved the position. He was meticulous about everything, just the way I was. He cared about the minor misalignment of the flowers in the lobby, if a painting on the wall was slightly crooked, if a tie wasn’t perfectly straight. All the little details were just as important as the big ones.
He walked up to my desk and set a folder in front of me. “Schools are starting to get out for Easter vacation. Our hotel is at full occupancy.”
“That’s great.” I hadn’t seen full occupancy in Florence, not once. But Rome was a bigger tourist destination.
“We have a couple big clients staying with us, and another wedding has just been booked. I collected payment. You should see it reflected in your records by the afternoon.” He wore a collared shirt tucked into his slacks with a tie, looking professional but not stuffy. He had classically olive skin and dark hair, and his nicest feature was his smile. He was always smiling.
“Thanks so much. I’ll take care of it when I see it.”
He glanced down to my stomach. “How are things with him?”
My hand immediately brushed over my stomach. “He’s doing well. He’s a bit feisty with his kicking, but he’s good.”
He nodded. “Maybe he’ll be a football player.”
I chuckled. As long as he wasn’t a drug dealer, I would be happy.
“I’ll see you later.” He left the office.
Once he was gone, the sorrow settled into my bones. I was happy in Rome, and more importantly, I was safe in Rome. I had a life I’d always wanted, to run my own hotel and have a family. But losing Hades was like losing a piece of myself. I loved that man and always would. I doubted I could ever love anyone else in the same way.
We hadn’t spoken much since I left. He didn’t try to get me to stay, and he didn’t try to halt the divorce filing. He let me go with resignation, and that told me he knew this was the best thing for me, that it was the only way I would be safe.
Even if it was the right thing to do, it didn’t make it easier for the two of us. But we knew we needed to give each other space because if we talked all the time, it would make the separation more difficult.
I knew Hades would always be in Andrew’s life…but he wouldn’t necessarily be in mine.
Maddox had ruined my life. Even if decades passed and I remarried, I would still hate him with every fiber of my being.
He took my husband away…and I would never be whole.
At five o’clock, I left my office and walked out of the hotel. While I was constantly aware of my surroundings, I wasn’t paranoid the way I used to be. No one was out to get me. No one wanted me. There was nothing to worry about—and that was a good feeling.
“Hey, pretty lady.” A man came to my side and kept up with my stride as I headed down the sidewalk.
I wasn’t alarmed by the sudden company because I recognized the sound of his voice. It was similar to Hades’s. I stopped and turned to Ash, my brother-in-law—my former brother-in-law. “What are you doing here?”
He used to be so dark and formidable, but now he was much more cheerful. The old hostility he used to show to Hades had disappeared. He usually had jokes up his sleeve. “I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by.”
I hadn’t spoken to him since the divorce started. I hadn’t really spoken to anyone since we’d signed the papers. My world came crashing down, and I removed myself from society. I was so depressed, I didn’t think I could
go on. If I weren’t having Andrew, I probably would’ve caved and gone back by now, but I had to do the right thing for my son. He couldn’t live in a world where he was always in danger. I was happy to see Ash, but I really didn’t know what to say. He looked similar to his brother, and that hurt my heart a little bit.
His eyes slowly softened with sorrow. “How are you?”
My hand glided over my stomach. “Andrew is healthy, and I’ve kept busy.”
“So, my brother told you his real name.”
I nodded. He shared everything with me.
“That’s a good name. Ash would’ve been better…but it’s good enough.”
He successfully got me to smile a little bit.
“Can I walk you home?”
“I only live a few blocks away.”
“Good. Because I hate to walk.”
Together, the two of us walked down the street and headed to the three-story home I’d bought for my mother and me to live in. My mom had a few friends in the city, so she stayed busy socializing. She even came to the hotel and worked with the decorators to keep the ambiance fresh.
There was a lot of silence because I didn’t know what to say. I liked Ash, but being around him only reminded me of what I’d lost. I had to move on with my life, move on from Hades, but that was impossible if I had to spend time with his brother. But since I was having Ash’s nephew, I would always be connected to both of the Lombardi brothers.
I took control of the conversation. “How are you?”
He shrugged. “You know, all sex and money.”
“So, things are good?”
“Very good. What about you?”
“You already asked that.”
He gave me a serious look. “And you never really answered the question.”
I shrugged. “What do you want me to say? It’s been hard…”