Deserving Love
Page 1
Deserving Love
K.L. Myers
Contents
NOTE TO READER:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Other Books By K.L. Myers
All rights are reserved.
Cover Design © 2018 Designs by Dana
Formatting by Small Town Girl Formatting
All rights reserved. Without limiting the right under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means such as electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author of this book.
This book is a work of fiction. Any characters, names, places, brands, media, and incidents are used solely in a fictitious nature based on the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to or mention of a person, places, organization or other incidents is coincidental.
NOTE TO READER:
Deserving Love is Book 4 of the Love at Last Series. The story originally begins with A Chance At L.O.V.E. (Bid On Love Series Anthology). It is highly recommended that you read the books in succession to grasp the full story of Lincoln, Angelo, and Lillian.
Pick up the first three books in the Love At Last Boxed Set -https://amzn.to/2XaSa9B
Chapter 1
BETHANY
This can’t be happening. My mind tries to grasp the enormity of what just happened. Though I want to go to Angelo, my son needs me more. With my hands bound behind my back, I struggle to work my way to my feet. Tears run down Peanut’s frightened face as I make my way to him. I drop to my knees in front of him. Still unable to wrap my arms around him, I do the only thing I can think of. I stare straight into his little eyes and plead with him to focus on me.
His little chest hiccups as he tries to breathe through his tiny nose. The duct tape, is almost covering his nostrils and sealing his lips closed, causes him to struggle. What kind of monster does this to a child?
Two men dressed in black enter the room. One immediately drops down beside Angelo, feeling for a pulse. “He’s still alive,” he calls out to his partner, who is kneeling behind me trying to undo the knotted rope from around my wrists.
“Stop moving, Bethany,” his deep voice demands.
Who is this man who knows my name? I wonder. I’m not sure if I should be afraid or welcome the fact that he knows who I am. When my wrists are untied, I tug the tape from my mouth. “Who are you?”
The dark-dressed stranger pulls the tape from Peanut’s face and quickly gets to work untying my son without speaking a word in response to my question.
“Mommy!” Peanut yells out as his hands are freed. He jumps into my arms, wrapping his around my neck. “Mommy, Angelwhoa dead?”
“No, baby, no,” I quickly tell him. “Angelo is not dead. He is hurt, baby, really bad, so we need to help these men help him.”
“Who are you?” I ask once again.
The shorter of the two men speak. “I’m Gabriel”—he points to his friend kneeling beside Angelo—“and that is Lorenzo. We work for his father. We are here to help.”
“Help.” My angry voice startles Peanut. “Helping would have been if you got here before Angelo was shot. Hell, before my son and I were bound and gagged.” My hand instinctively covers the back of Peanut’s head, holding him close to me as he continues to cry. “Shush, baby, I promise everything will be okay. We’re safe now.”
I look over at Lorenzo, who is speaking very animatedly to someone on the phone. “Yes, he’s shot in the chest.” Silence fills the room. “No, survivable, sir, but he’ll need medical attention soon.” Again, silence fills the room. I attempt to listen to the one-sided conversation without showing any emotion to the words I’m hearing. “Done. We’ll have him home as soon as possible, sir.”
Lorenzo looks at Gabriel no words are spoken aloud, but I’m sure a whole conversation is held between the two as their eyes lock with each other. Moments later, Gabriel walks across the room and kneels to assist Lorenzo in picking Angelo up off the floor and placing him on Peanut’s bed.
Once they have Angelo on the bed, Gabriel turns to me to continue our disagreement over the timing of his entry. “Yes, help,” he snarls back. “If we didn’t get here when we did, you’d still be tied up, helpless to do anything but watch our friend die on your floor. Now, take your son and go wait by the front door. Several men will be arriving shortly. Let them in immediately.”
“Wait!” Both men look at me. “We need to call 911. He needs help.”
Lorenzo, who has been quiet until now, speaks. “You need to mind your own business and do as you are told.” His voice carries a sinister tone that tells me he means business as he glares directly at me.
I fight against my instincts to stay, knowing that I’m not in a position to argue any further with these two men. Peanut still wrapped around me, I make my way to my living room. I slump down on the sofa, waiting for God knows who or what to show up. I don’t have to wait long as the sound of four doors slamming booms in the distance. Within seconds, a loud pounding resonates from the front door. Peanut jumps at the sound. Poor baby is still so scared, my attempts to sooth him have done little to calm his fear.
I tug open the door to find six men, each one larger and scarier than the next. Without hesitation, they push past me and invade my home. I start to follow, but the last man in line stops at the hallway, blocking my way.
“Sorry, I can’t let you by.”
He can’t let me by? Who does he think he is?
“Excuse me, but this is my home, so I’ll damn well go anywhere I want to.”
Quickly, his hand reaches out, landing on my bicep and squeezing tightly.
“You’ll only be in the way. Sit, or I will seat you.” His eyes glance over to Peanut, who is resting on my hip. “For the boy’s sake, do as I say.”
Damn, he’s right. I don’t need Peanut afraid any more than he already is. I look up at the wall of a man in front of me, giving him the stink eye, then turn and make my way back to the living room to sit and brood.
“Mommy, who’s them, men?”
I tug Peanut tighter to me. “They’re here to help Angelo, baby.”
“Help Angelwhoa.” His little head nods up and down agreeing with his statement. “I no want him to die. He my friend, Mommy.”
“I know, baby, I know.”
Chapter 2
BETHANY
It isn’t long before Gabriel, Lorenzo, and two of the newly arrived men make their way into my living room. Peanut’s head lifts off my shoulder the minute he sees Angelo.
“Mommy, Angelwhoa.” He points at the half limp body being held up by two men.
Angelo, semi-coherent, raises his head a bit higher, smiles at Peanut, and then lowers his head once more as he moves with the two men assisting him. Both Peanut and I watch as they make their way out the front door. Where is he going? Do I want to go with him? These are questions I ask myself internally.
Gabriel stops in front of us while the remainder of the men follow Lorenzo and the others out the door. Car doors open and close, followed by a screech of tires.
“Where are they taking him?”
“They will take him and patch him up temporarily; then he’ll be going home, where he belongs.”
“Patch him up? He needs a doctor, a hospital. Something more than a patch-up.”
“Bethany, I know you are scared, but tru
st me. He will be attended to by one of our own. This is how it is done, so don’t question his safety.”
“What kind of skills could ‘one of your own’ have? He needs a doctor.”
Gabriel clenches his jaw, his lips purse, and his eyes narrow in frustration to my questions. His anger is apparent, written all over his face. I expect him to tell me to be quiet and mind my own business; after all, I’ve been told that once already.
“Bethany, I’m going to tell you once, and then from here on out, you need to trust me and not question everything. Just do as I say, and you and the boy will be safe. Do you understand?”
I nod my head in agreement, but everything inside me wants to yell and scream that I won’t be quiet, and I won’t blindly do as I’m told.
“Angelo will get better attention with us than he would at a hospital. The man who will treat him is a former combat medic. He lives here in Virginia and is Lillian’s cousin. Trust me, it is in his best interest NOT to let anything bad happen to him, or he’ll have to answer to Angelo’s father.”
“Gabriel…”
Gabriel takes a deep breath, raises his head to look at the ceiling, and then releases a heavy sigh. “What, Bethany.”
My voice trembles when I speak. “I am scared, but not for Peanut or me. I’m scared for Angelo. He was shot, and there was so much blood everywhere.”
“He’s going to be just fine. In pain and immobile for a bit but fine. From just the quick look Lorenzo had, it appears the bullet blew through Angelo’s bicep and entered and exited through his lat. He’s lucky it didn’t hit either of his arteries in his arm or embed itself in his lung. The big guy upstairs was definitely watching out for him today.”
I have no idea what the hell he just said. “What is a lat?”
“Jesus, Bethany. It’s a muscle.”
I shake my head indicating that I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“Just forget it. He’ll be fine.”
“What about us? What happens to my son and me? Are we safe to stay here alone?”
A beep sounds from Gabriel’s phone, and he looks down to read the message. Agitation and frustration consume his face. “Looks like I’ll be on babysitting duty until we can get you out of here and safely to a new location.”
I’m about to tell Gabriel that Peanut and I are not leaving our home when my own phone rings. I walk to the kitchen, where I left it, and see that Lincoln is calling. Immediately, my heart starts to race once again as various thoughts run through my mind. Is something wrong with Love or Lillian?
“Love, is everything alright?”
Lincoln's voice booms through my phone. “I should be asking you that. Lillian said I needed to call you. She had a horrible feeling in her gut that something is wrong. Is everything okay there, Bethany?”
That’s when I lose it. Tears begin to roll down my face as my heart begins to palpitate at an increasing rate. “No, nothing is okay here, Love. Angelo has been shot, and a whole group of men just came and took him away. And— “
“WHAT! What did you just say?” Lincoln yells into the phone. “Angelo has been shot? Who’s there with you? Who’s protecting you and Peanut? Damn it, Bethany, I can’t help you from here. I trusted you’d be safe.”
There’s a rustling in my ear and what sounds like Lincoln and Lillian whispering to each other. It’s hard for me to make out what they are saying, but then there is a brief silence before a voice from the other end speaks. It’s Lillian.
“Bethany, tell me what happened.”
My voice shakes as I run down the whole incident with Matteo and Vincent Esposito. I shudder just recounting the experience of how I was ripped from my bed and forced down the hall to Peanut’s room. The anger and anxiety I felt as Vincent pushed me to the ground and tugged my son from his bed. The hopelessness I felt as I was bound and helpless to comfort my crying son. But the worst of all was reliving Angelo being shot.
“It’s going to be alright, Bethany, just trust me.” Lillian’s voice is calm as she speaks. “Tell me who is with you and where Angelo is.”
“A man named Gabriel is here with Peanut and me. Someone named Lorenzo and a few other men took Angelo away just a minute ago to your cousin’s. What’s happening, Lillian? What should I do?”
“Calm down, you and Peanut are safe. Gabriel works for Angelo’s father.” Lillian pauses and then asks, “Can you hand him the phone, please?”
I walk toward Gabriel, who is sitting in a chair next to Peanut. When Peanut sees me, he jumps off the sofa and runs to me. I lift him in my arms and stretch my free arm out, handing the phone to Gabriel. He takes the phone from me with a perplexed look on his face. Once the phone rests against his ear, he speaks. “Who is this?”
The stone-faced killer’s expression immediately softens. “Yes, Ms. Vicci. I understand.” There is silence as Gabriel listens. “They’ve taken him to Michael’s facility. Once he’s patched up and able to travel, they will take him back to the city.”
I do not like this one-sided conversation that I’m privy to. It tells me nothing about what the future will hold for my son and me.
“I understand, Ms. Vicci. I’ll have them at your home before you arrive.” Gabriel’s face relaxes slightly. “Va bene, Ms. Vicci.”
I take the phone from Gabriel’s grasp and raise it to my ear, once again listening to Lillian. “Bethany, I need you to pack a bag for Peanut and yourself. Don’t ask questions, please. Just trust me. Gabriel will take the two of you to my home in New York. Lincoln and I will meet you there. Do you understand?”
I nod my head and remember that Lillian can’t see me “Yes, Lillian, I understand. We’ll do as you say. May I please speak with Love now?”
The phone once again shuffles between my brother and Lillian. “Bethany, I’ll see you in New York. I promise you everything will be okay.”
“How?” I raise my voice slightly. “How can you promise something you have no control over, Love? How?”
When Lincoln responds, his voice is anything other than comforting. “Damn it, Bethany. Have I ever let you down before? I know you’re scared, but I promise you, you’ll both be safe. Just do as Gabriel asks, and get on that plane tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lincoln ends the call before I have a chance to respond. I look over at Gabriel. “What do you need me to do?”
Chapter 3
ANGELO
I hadn’t expected Vincent or Matteo to get the drop on me. Hell, I never expected them, period. I was so focused on the threat being to Lillian and her mother that I let my guard down just enough to invite the danger into Bethany’s home. Fuck, just the memory of seeing her and Peanut bound and gagged tears at my soul. I failed them in every way possible. I flinch as the pain of my bullet wound resonates through me. Luckily it was a clean shot. The bullet entered and exited without doing any major damage. I should be grateful that the injury isn’t worse, but truthfully, I deserve so much worse than what I got.
It’s been hours since my father’s men took me from the two people who mean the world to me. I can’t begin to imagine what they are thinking or feeling right now, but what I do know is that they need to be safe. Lorenzo stands in the corner of the room watching me. I motion for him to come to me.
“Lorenzo, make sure Bethany and Peanut are safe. Have them taken to my father's’ home.”
“They are already en route to Ms. Vicci’s home, Angelo. Gabriel messaged to say Ms. Vicci instructed him to take them there.”
My heart flips in my chest. Yes, they will be safe at Lillian’s childhood home. The place is a fortress, but it does little to ease my guilt. They shouldn’t have to be there. This is my fault. My weakness for Lillian fueled Vincent’s revenge, and in the end left two innocent people scared. I’d understand it if they never forgave me. Fuck, I can’t forgive myself, but everything in me wants them near. I guess I’ll have to settle for them being in the same state as I will be soon.
“I need to get out of here and back t
o New York. Help me up, Lorenzo.”
“No can do, Ang. Michael says you got a couple of days before you should be up and moving.”
“Fuck that shit. I need out of here. Either you help me, or I’ll find someone who will.”
Pain shoots through my chest and arm as I move. “Get me on a plane and out of here.”
“I’m not sure what part you’re not understanding. The part that you are in no way ready to be moved, or the part that you think I’m going to help you get out of here. Your sorry ass needs to heal a bit before you go traipsing off to New York.”
“Lorenzo, do as I say and help me get the FUCK out of here.” I’m about to lose my shit on him when his phone rings.
“Mr. Rizzuto, sir.” Lorenzo listens attentively to what my father has to say. He doesn’t interrupt or ask questions, just replies with a simple yes or no to the questions he’s being asked. Anything less than following orders is one thing you never do, not to the head of the family. No, you follow orders without question whether you like them or not. “Yes, sir, I’ll let him know.”
Lorenzo tucks his phone away in his pocket and smiles at me. Not the friendly, you’re-so-adorable smile. It’s a shit-eating grin that tells me he has something to gloat about.
“Just say it, fucker, and stop smiling at me,” I bark at Lorenzo
“Hahaha, your father will be here within the hour. Why don’t you tell him you’re ready to leave and see how fast that shit happens?”
“Fuck you, Lorenzo. Get the fuck out of my sight.”
Lorenzo leaves, and the quiet eats at me. It leaves me time to think about everything. When I felt the bullet strike the side of my chest, I thought for sure I was a goner. How lucky was I that Vincent, the little pissant, thought he could kill me with a .22? Don’t get me wrong; it could have if he had hit me straight in the chest. I wasn’t going to let that happen though. I used my right hand to steady my left. With Bethany so close to him, I couldn’t leave anything to chance. I had to hit him dead on, or things could have gone south quickly. When I pulled the trigger, I hadn’t thought he would be able to squeeze one off as quickly as he did. In that split second, all I could think was ‘God help me,’ and thankfully, he did.