by Ali Parker
I let my gun fall to the grass and looked her in the eye. “Yes, Izzy. D needed to die too. I’m sorry.”
She shook her head, and the tears started to fall. Nate yelled at her to move her ass; screamed at her that they needed to get the fuck out of here. Izzy got herself under control and lifted her chin. It was all over for me, and in some small part, I was grateful. I was fucking tired of lying in the name of love.
Joe would never accept me as his own. No matter what I did.
She let out a soft sob. “No. I’m sorry. Sorry I didn’t trust him when he told me you were the one responsible for all of this.”
I opened my mouth to tell her one last thing. To remind her that no matter what, that one last thing would never change. But her finger twitched, and the shot rang out. But it only lasted a split second before it was replaced with nothingness.
I love you, little sister.
20
Drake
We were only an hour outside of Maine, and Sicily had barely spoken a word to me over the last two hours. I’d decided it was probably best to let her think things through on her own before I pushed her to talk to me about it. I’d sprung a lot on her in the last week or so and our life was about to be entirely altered. I was asking a lot. I knew that. But I didn’t have any other options.
I glanced over at my woman as she sighed and leaned against the passenger door. She rested her elbow against the window panel and cupped her chin in her hand as she stared out at the passing street lights. Reaching over the console, I put a hand on her knee and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
Sicily looked over at me and smiled. I knew it was a forced smile.
“You all right, baby?” I asked.
She nodded and gazed out the windshield as little droplets of rain began to dance across it. “I think so. It’s just a lot to process.”
“I know. And I’m sorry.”
“You’ve said that a hundred times. It’s okay. You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”
“I do. This is all because of me and who I was. I thought I could put it all behind me and start over. I should have known better than that. I should have known that my old life would eventually come knocking, and I could have prepared you for that. Or not gotten you involved in the first place.”
“Drake, seriously? It doesn’t all fall on you. I knew what I was signing up for.”
“How could you have known?” I asked as the rain picked up. I flicked on my wipers as guilt crept through my chest.
“Johnny warned me.”
Johnny was Sicily’s older brother, and it was no secret that he had cautioned her to be wary of me when he first caught wind that she was dating a Castaletta. Part of me wished she had heeded his warning so she would be spared the dirty life we were about to embark on together. Not like the fucker had the right to talk about anyone being rowdy or troublesome. He ran a damn motorcycle club in New York City. The bastard had been on the news time and time again.
Sicily covered my hand on her knee with her own and ran her fingers over my knuckles. “Johnny warned me and gave me enough information to know what I was signing up for. And you were honest with me. I made my choice. I just… I’m really bad with change. You know that about me.”
“I know, baby. So am I. And for the record, I really like our quiet simple life together in Maine. I’m going to miss it.” I ran my hand up her leg and squeezed her thigh. Maybe a night of being buried in her wet heat would help both of us. I knew it would help me. I moved my hand back as my dick woke up.
She smiled softly and nodded. “Me, too. And I’ll miss my friends. I think that’s the hardest part. Not having them with me won’t be easy.”
“We can fly them out to come see us whenever you want. We can put them up in a nice apartment, and they can stay for—”
She looked over at me and shook her head once. “No. I don’t want them anywhere near the syndicate. If I can control only one thing, it will be that.”
The guilt in my chest expanded. I understood her desire to protect her friends from the people we would be associating with—from the people like me and my brother and my sister. “I get that.”
“It’s not personal, Drake,” she said gently. “It’s just… it will give me peace of mind. Okay?”
“Okay.”
We drove in silence for a little while longer as we passed billboards on the side of the interstate.
“You know what will make it all a little more worth it?” Sicily asked after ten minutes or so.
“Hm?”
“A pool.”
I chuckled as we took our exit off the interstate. “Oh yeah? What other demands might my lady have?”
Sicily pursed her lips, and I ached to kiss their fullness. At times like this, when I knew she was hurting inside, all I wanted to do was gather her in my arms and taste her and love her. She pressed a finger to her chin and cocked her head toward me. “A big walk-in closet. His and Her sinks. Ooh, and a rain shower!”
I laughed as the guilt started to ebb away. “I think those can all be easily arranged, baby. Tell me more. Whatever you want. I will make sure you have it.”
Sicily seemed to like this game because as we made our way farther into town, she rattled off ideas of the types of things she had always dreamed about having in her home. “Have you seen photos of those outdoor kitchens in design magazines? I would love one of those. And a lot of windows. And a Jacuzzi in the master bathroom. And a chandelier above our bed. And—”
“Baby girl, maybe you should just make a list?”
Sicily giggled and nodded. “I could do that.”
“You just give it to me when you’re done.”
“And a pair of Jimmy Choo’s. I’ve always wanted my own Jimmy Choo’s.”
“What the fuck are those?”
“Shoes!” Sicily said incredulously. “Of course they’re shoes.”
“Oh, of course. I should have known, naturally.”
By the time we pulled into the driveway at our home, Sicily was smiling and holding my hand. We would be okay. We would make it through.
I had no idea what I had done to deserve to have such a good woman by my side.
I brought our bags in and brought them straight to the bedroom. Sicily stripped out of her leggings and pulled her shirt over her head. “I’m going to hop in the shower to freshen up. I texted Kari and Lisa when we got into town to ask them if they wanted to do dinner tonight. Kari invited us to her and Jake’s place for her famous spaghetti and meatballs.”
My stomach growled, selling me out.
Sicily giggled and unclipped her bra. Her big, perky, wonderful tits spilled out, and she tossed the black lace bra across the bed. “Someone’s hungry.”
“Not for spaghetti,” I teased, arching an eyebrow and admiring her naked body as she stepped out of her panties.
Sicily blushed and turned away from me, showing me her thick ass as she went to the bathroom door.
“Take your time in there,” I said. “I’m going to call Violet, and then I’ll be joining you under the hot water.”
“Okay,” she called as she slipped into the bathroom. “Don’t make me wait too long.”
“Oh, I won’t,” I said more to myself than her as she started the shower. I grabbed my phone and called Violet at the gym.
She answered cheerfully, recognizing my voice on the call display. “Hey, boss. How have you been?”
“Good, good,” I said. “How about you?”
“Great. Things at the gym are going well. The new trainer you hired fits in perfectly. She’s really sweet, and we’ve received a lot of great feedback from her clients. She’s also pulling in a lot of new traffic, which is awesome.”
“Glad to hear it,” I said. “Listen, I need to ask you a favor.”
“You still need more time?” she asked knowingly.
I chuckled. “Yeah, mind reader, I do. Probably a few more weeks. Then I’ll know how things are going to go. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m happy to help. You guys just do what you have to do, and don’t worry about things here. It’s all under control.”
I thanked Violet for all her hard work and got off the phone. If I was moving away, I was going to have to sign the gym over to someone, and Violet was proving herself to be a worthy successor.
I stripped out of my clothes as Sicily hummed in the shower. Then I padded across the hardwood floor, ready to slip into the bathroom. I glanced down and rolled my eyes. My dick was thick and hard, leaking pre-come as if he was ready to explode.
I stroked myself and shook my head. “Not yet, buddy. We’re gonna take our time and enjoy this.”
I opened the door to find Sicily already in the shower. She looked like a goddess standing behind the glass, moving her hands along her perfect body under the water as the steam rose all around her. She was a goddess; a temptress. I tugged the door open and stepped in behind her. She spun to face me and rested her hands on my chest, using me to brace herself as she stretched up to the tips of her toes and kissed me.
I pushed my hands into her thick wet hair and backed her up as her tongue slipped between my teeth. Soon, she was pinned against the glass, and my cock was pressing into her belly. She smiled into our kiss and began stroking me.
I bent at the knees and cupped her under her ass, then lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my shoulders. I leaned into her, and her shoulder blades pressed against the glass as I shifted my hips upward, guiding my cock to the sweetness between her legs.
I lowered her onto my dick, and she took all of me on the first thrust. The softest moan escaped her lips as I filled her up and she dug her fingernails into my shoulders.
“Soon, we’ll be doing this in that rain shower you’ve always wanted,” I whispered in her ear.
“I love when you talk dirty to me.” She smiled.
Her moans were loud and delicious as I thrust into her, hard. She gasped and clutched at me as I kept going, working myself in and out of her as the water pelted against my back.
“I love you, baby,” I said.
“I love you, too.” She smiled before grazing her lips across mine. “Forever.”
“Forever.”
Her cries became more and more breathless as I carried her from pleasure to euphoria. She came all over my cock, and the fresh slickness between her legs had me coming undone. I was powerless to her, and I filled her up with my come, every thrust pushing my seed deeper inside her. When I was done, I kissed her neck and nibbled her ear.
She breathed heavily with her eyes closed and pressed her cheek to mine.
“Again,” she whispered.
I put her down, and she stared up at me imploringly. I took her by the waist and turned her around. Placing my hand between her shoulder blades, I pushed her against the glass. I wiped some of the steam away so I could see out the glass and look at the reflection of her breasts crushed against the shower in the mirror above the sink.
“You’re so fucking sexy, baby,” I muttered as I spread her legs apart with my knee. “So fucking sexy.”
Sicily and I fucked for a solid two hours before we got ourselves ready to join our friends for dinner. We stopped at the store to grab a bottle of wine and then set out to the harbor, where Kari and Jake had their new place.
When we arrived, we knocked on the front door, and Kari pulled it open. The pretty brunette smiled from ear to ear and let out an excited squeal as she pulled Sicily in for a hug. When they parted, she cupped Sicily’s cheeks in her hands. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“Me too,” Sicily said, glancing back at me.
I felt bad. It was going to be hard for her to sit down with all of them and tell them we were moving away. She wouldn’t be able to fully explain why—not if she wanted to keep them separate from the syndicate life like she said she did. I would help when needed, but I knew this was something she needed to do on her own.
We ducked into the modern, trendy apartment and were greeted by our other friends. Jake, my best friend in Maine and Kari’s boyfriend, clapped me on the back and handed me a beer. Marc joined us as his girl, Lisa, hurried to hug Sicily. The women gathered in the kitchen and chatted gleefully amongst themselves while they sipped their glasses of wine, while the boys moved to the living room to sit on the sofa.
As I dropped down into my seat, I looked over my shoulder at my girl. My girl who was going to give up everything she loved just to be with me.
I would never be able to pay her back, but I was going to do my very best to make sure she had the life she deserved. It was the very least I could do.
21
Demetri
Joe seemed unlike himself when I walked into his office later that day. Izzy had been gone for two full days, and none of us had heard from her. I was well past concerned, and Joe was all but coming undone. He was pacing back and forth behind his desk so furiously that I thought the hardwood beneath his shoes might literally start wearing away.
“Why the fuck hasn’t she called?” Joe asked, seething. “And what the hell is going on with her? Get a hold of her for shit’s sake, D. She’s your damn woman.”
“I’ve left her three voicemails. She’ll call when she can.”
“That’s not good enough!” Joe roared as he turned to face me and slammed his fists down on his desk. Everything on its surface hopped about half an inch into the air before falling back into place. Joe lifted his bandaged hand—the one he had injured all on his own by breaking his glass the other day—and ran it down his face. He hung his head, and his shoulders slumped. “I can’t lose my daughter, too. Not after everything.”
“I understand,” I said as calmly as I could. The storm was raging just as fiercely inside me, but I had to keep my fucking head. If both the Don and the Underboss lost their shit at the same time in a moment of crisis, we would be vulnerable. “But Joe, this is Izzy we’re talking about. She can handle herself. We have to trust that.”
The Don dropped into his chair with a huff and shook his head. “I need some time,” he said dismissively. Taking the hint, I turned away and went to the door. As I made to step through, I heard Joe mutter, “I have a bad fucking feeling about this.”
I closed the door behind me and moved down the hall. “So do I.”
Taking a quick glance up and down the hall, I stopped in front of Marco’s office. I checked the handle to find it unlocked. I stepped inside and closed the door softly behind me. I locked the handle and turned on the television to muffle any noise I might make as I went through all his shit.
There had to be something here that would give me more of a clue as to Marco’s intentions. A guy like that didn’t just up and murder his own mother and brother without some grand plan in place. Somehow, I just had to find out what that plan was and bring it to light. That bad feeling Joe was talking about had been crawling around in my veins since dropping Izzy off at the airport, and I knew the only way to vanquish it would be to get more answers and finally put all this shit behind us.
Izzy was counting on me. Hell, if I were being honest, the whole syndicate was.
I rummaged through the desk drawers and the bookshelves on the south wall. As I searched, a familiar, furious voice bellowed from the television. I looked up with my hands buried in Marco’s top drawer and narrowed my eyes on the screen.
Fucking Jonathan Armstrong, Izzy’s cop boy toy, was being escorted out of his apartment and loaded into the back of a cop car. He was practically foaming at the mouth and putting up a decent fight as he screamed furiously into the camera being shoved in his face. “Ask about the girl! Audrey—no, Julie Parker! Look into fucking Julie Parker!”
I straightened up.
Fuck. Someone had gotten to our rat. Someone had figured out who she was before we did, and now Jonathan the fucking asshole was broadcasting her name to all of Chicago. Dumb bastard. He was proving how much trouble he was going to be to us. Potentially too much trouble to let him si
t in a prison cell where reporters and cops had easy access to him to ask questions we couldn’t afford for him to answer.
Another mess we were going to have to clean up sooner rather than later.
“Fuck,” I growled as I pulled out my phone to check if Izzy or Drake had tried to get a hold of me. Nothing. Something had to give. If not, my brain would explode. I needed to catch a break; just a sliver of good news. At this point, I would take anything I could fucking get.
I continued searching Marco’s office for a good thirty minutes before I concluded that there was simply nothing there to find. I gave up and fell into his chair. I rested my elbow on the armrest and rubbed my forehead anxiously.
Everything was such a fucking mess.
My girl was all the way in fucking California on a soul-crushing mission to kill her older brother. Freddy and Vivian were dead. And for the cherry on the shit sundae, Drake was back and would soon be settling in for the long term. Having Drake back at my side would be nice, but I wasn’t sure if the cost would be worth it. Eventually, I knew the other shoe had to drop, as it always did where Joe was concerned. Nothing was ever as it seemed, and Joe was the one who always managed to come out on top.
“The price comes off someone else’s tab, doesn’t it, Joe?” I muttered. In this case, it was Izzy’s. If she couldn’t put Marco down, I’d hunt his ass down and do it myself.
Desperate to think of something—anything—other than the shit pile I was sinking deeper and deeper into, I found Marcus Blaine’s number in my phone and called it. He answered almost immediately with a gruff hello and then went silent as he waited for me to speak. “Marcus, how are things in New York?”
“They’re going as well as they can, given the circumstances. Fredrick is a fucking mess, and it would seem he held out on you.”