by Zavi James
Dante, who had been standing in the doorway silently, watching the exchange, moved into the kitchen and stood next to me while Cerb began to bark at the tension. Dumb dog had always had his favorites. Mia stroked his head and he stood by her side, baring his teeth at me, growling in a display of his love and loyalty toward her.
“Mia,” Dante began, but she shook her head at him. A non-verbal signal for whatever agreement ran between them.
“Luc,” she said, turning her attention to me. “Listen to me.”
“God, you have everyone wrapped around your little finger again, don’t you?” It irked me the way such a subtle gesture from her had silenced Dante. How long had she been back for them to rekindle their bond? What tale had she spun him that he listened to her so readily, that he’d be willing to defy me?
Tentatively, she moved toward me, unsure of how I’d react, and I took a step back. I couldn’t let her back into my head. I wasn’t willing to let her back into my life. This woman broke me and ruined my reputation in one swift and selfish move. Although there was a part of me, miniscule compared to the rage, that desperately wanted to fall to my knees, beg for answers and ask her to start again, I could no longer allow myself to be that weak and vulnerable man.
“I made a mistake,” Mia said quietly. Meek and mild, but I knew this was only one side of her. I’d seen the fire that she possessed. This was all just an act to fuck with my head. To get her way again.
“Yeah and so did I.” The look of confusion crossed her face again and so I clarified it for her. “The biggest mistake I ever made was to let you into my life.” Her face dropped but I wasn’t done yet. “I should never have let you in. I should never have trusted you. I sure as hell should never have loved you, and I’m glad you left when you did so you couldn’t fuck up my life any more than you already have.”
Dante’s voice broke through my speech. “Luc.”
“I suggest you leave, Mia. I’ll give you one chance. Leave now and I’ll let you live your pathetic, mediocre life.”
“Luc!” I turn around to see Dante stood there, looking shocked.
This was too much. I couldn’t keep a lid on any of my feelings and they were all scrambling to come out on top. I needed to leave and be away from everything. “Take her back to wherever you found her,” I told Dante. I should have known that he’d disobey my orders in regard to her. He had grown a relationship to Mia that was similar to our own, but it pained me that he had chosen her. “I don’t want to see her face around here again. Understand?”
“Bro,” he said, trying to appeal to our brotherhood.
“No!” I pushed him out of the way, but he grabbed a hold of my shoulders to stop me from leaving.
“Just hear her out.”
Without processing what I was doing, I balled my fist, drew back and punched him straight in the jaw.
Chapter Twelve
Dante
Pain shot through my jaw and my eyes burned as I staggered backward from the blow. I didn’t think twice before launching myself at him when I recovered from the shock. We hadn’t been in a proper fist fight since we were teenagers, and I vaguely remembered Charlie pulling us apart. But there was no one here that could stop us now. This fight had been brewing for ages, and Luc’s swing had broken the weakening resolve we both held.
The adrenaline flooded my body as the both of us scrapped. We moved out of the kitchen and into the hallway, fists flying. I could taste the tang of blood and felt every blow that Luc dealt. There was a spark of joy seeing him bleed at my hands. I’d been itching to hit him for so long. His attitude toward life had become distasteful and I longed to be the one to knock some sense into him, the way Charlie would have had he still walked this Earth. It was purely out of respect for the fact Luc was my boss that I had held back from the first hit.
Beneath the sounds of fists and elbows connecting with flesh and blood thundering in my ears, I could hear Mia trying to get us both to stop. She had more sense than to try and pry us apart. There was more for her to risk by getting in between us, but the fact there was no effective referee seemed to spur us both on.
When I had moved here, when I’d met Luc outside the church, he was the sullen kid that everyone avoided. Even at ten years old, he had an energy about him that was dangerous and foreboding. That, and the fact that everyone and their mother knew Charlie Foster had a hand in some shady business or other, kept Luc in an isolated bubble of his own. None of that had stopped me from sticking a foot into his life. Two lonely kids who, reluctantly on Luc’s part, became friends. Nothing I heard or saw changed our bond. With my own deadbeat Dad out of the picture, Charlie was my father as much as he was Luc’s. When the rest of my family, apart from Mama, turned their backs on me, I couldn’t have given less of a fuck because I was a Foster in everything but blood.
After Maria’s diagnosis and Charlie’s death, I witnessed the way Luc withdrew from everything and everyone. The fear that I’d lost my brother to grief and stress sat heavy in my chest, and I did everything in my power to pull him out of it. Mia was a blessing in more ways than one. She drew Luc out of the darkness and gave us all hope. I had my brother back and the family that had slimmed in number began to grow again.
Her departure had caused an ever-growing chasm between us and I had struggled to find a way to close the gap. I refused to believe that this would be the end of our family. I wasn’t about to lose this fight.
“Stop it! Both of you!” Mia yelled.
As I took another swing at him, Luc grabbed my arm and shoved me up against the wall. It was difficult to get the upper hand when you knew how someone fought but Luc had managed it.
“I broke it once and I’ll break it again,” he hissed as a searing pain ran through my arm. I gritted my teeth at the thought of being in a cast again. That incident had confirmed to me just what role Mia would play in our lives. Luc wasn’t going to let her go with ease and I held out hope that was still true. “You’re really starting to piss me off, Dante.”
“I could say the same about you, boss.” I spat out the last word sarcastically. Luc had behaved less like a leader and more like a child as of late. Professional enough in the office but uninhibited when he was away from it all. There was movement as he reached for something and my heart sank. Luc was rarely ever unarmed when he went out and that fucker was about to play dirty when I had nothing on hand. I struggled against his grip to try and free myself. I might not have been afraid of death, but I sure as hell wasn’t walking with the Reaper without putting up a fight.
“Don’t you dare!”
The shot that followed was unexpected and loud. Luc dropped me from his grip and Cerberus began to bark loudly. The scent of gunpower filled the air around us. Luc woke from the stupor before I did, but only by a beat. I pushed myself away from the wall quickly and moved to Mia, who stood there with a gun in her hand, knuckles white from the severity of the grip. Luc rounded on her, a feral look in his eyes, and I wedged myself between the pair of them. I had promised on my vow that I wouldn’t let him hurt her and I intended to keep that promise even if it meant I paid with my life.
“Do you want to play at being a gangster, Mia?” Luc asked her, wild in the eyes and looking scarily close to unhinged. He seemed to have no problem with the fact that I stood as a barrier in front of her. He had pressed himself against me and I could feel the swell of Mia’s hidden bump against my back. “You want to walk back into my life and play my game?! You won’t win. You don’t even know the fucking rules!”
“Fuck off, Luc!” I told him, drawing myself up to full height and moving my head so that Mia was no longer in his line of sight. We locked eyes for a brief moment, and I could sense what was coming before the words had a chance to leave his mouth. We had spent so many years together that it was second nature to anticipate Luc’s moves. One of the reasons he was successful, and in the right frame of mind Luc would agree, was because there was a level of trust and understanding between us that went beyond wor
k. We were family in the truest sense of the word. I had no interest in trying to overthrow Luc. He had always been more cut out to lead than I was, but what was good for him was good for me and so my job was not without its benefits.
“You need to pick a side, Dante,” Luc said calmy, refusing to break eye contact. “It’s either me or her. If you don’t show up to work tomorrow, if I find you’re still harboring her, then I know exactly where you stand.” He then looked past me, over my shoulder at Mia. “You won’t get another free shot, Mia. Try it again and I’ll make sure it’s the last move you make.”
Luc turned on his heel and stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut so hard that the frame shook. I stared at the empty space after him before my eyes fell to the bullet hole in my sofa and then, slowly, I turned around to face Mia. I held my hand out to her and she deposited the gun into it. “Well, that didn’t exactly turn out the way I thought it would,” I said. “Have you lost your mind? Taking a shot at Luc.”
“I wasn’t aiming for him.”
“Oh, brilliant. I’m glad to know that my sofa offended you that much. What were you thinking, Mia?”
“He was going for his gun. I wasn’t going to watch him hurt you, D. I didn’t think. I wasn’t going to shoot him.” With each word she became more hysterical. I placed the gun back into the drawer she had grabbed it from and pulled Mia into my arms, hugging her tight against my body, and she squeezed me in return. I was grateful she’d thought quick enough, but it had derailed my plans for a calm and collected reunion between the pair.
“He wasn’t going to kill me. Probably,” I assured her the best I could. I was still trying to figure out if there was truth in that sentence.
Mia lifted her head and looked at me. “Don’t joke.”
“Sorry.” I gave her another squeeze before stepping back. “Mia…” I floundered for the words, but she gave me a knowing look, sadness filled her eyes.
“I understand,” Mia told me, sounding braver than she looked. “He’s your brother. He needs you.”
“He does,” I agreed. “Mia, when you left, it caused some problems. You walked away, jilted him, knowing about the family business. It brought Luc’s judgement into question. He’s had to make a point to people that he belongs where he is.”
Mia dropped her head into her hands and let out a breath. “I never thought that me leaving would cause such a problem,” she muttered.
“You know I love you. You’re my sister,” I said as she looked at me again. “But if I choose you over Luc then he’s an open target. It weakens his position, and despite the fact that he’s a complete asshole at the moment, I can’t let that happen to him.”
“You don’t have to explain, D. I’d never want you to pick me over Luc.”
I bit back on the comment that Luc didn’t deserve Mia. Even after the vitriol he’d just spilled at her, she was understanding of the fact that our life was a treacherous political minefield.
“I’ll get out of your hair as soon as I can.”
“What?”
“I guess, it would be best to go back to my original plan, D. There’s no way I can stay here.”
“I did not put my ass on the line for you to walk away after one bad meeting.” That was an understatement. Bad didn’t cover it. Disastrous was more on point. “This isn’t a Hallmark movie, Mia. You were never going to run into his arms and have a happy ending.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and said, “What am I meant to do? I can’t stay with you and I’m a target if anyone else finds out I’ve reappeared.”
For a few moments, the silence settled between us as I tried to figure out the best course of action. I couldn’t have her walk away, but she would be a sitting duck if I left her alone. And then it hit me. The best way to keep Mia safe was to place her in the thick of it all. “I’m going to need you to trust me.”
Chapter Thirteen
Mia
It would have been easier for me to call Carmen and see if I could salvage my previous plans, but Dante was intent on not letting me walk away again. He paced the room, speaking hurriedly down the phone. Once he was done, I grabbed my bag, ready to be shuttled to my next safehouse. Gabriel wouldn’t have been my first thought, but he remained the only viable option. If I stayed with Tori, Luc would take issue thanks to her relationship with Dante, and so her twin brother would be my savior for the time being.
Hugging Dante goodbye, I couldn’t help but feel like it would be a while before I was able to see him again and be so openly friendly. Luc had forced his hand and that meant D and I would return to being strangers until we figured out a way to get through to Luc.
Luc’s words still echoed through my head, louder than any of the other thoughts that occupied the space. He had every right to call me the biggest mistake he’d made. So much chaos had ensued from the moment I’d stepped foot into his life, and I had ruined his standing in the family without even realizing. The sting of the words had settled into a dull ache that pulsed in my chest and was amplified any time I felt our child move. I hadn’t even had the chance to tell him about the pregnancy. There was no doubt in my mind what his reaction would be now.
A gentle hand on my back startled me from my thoughts. Gabe was looking at me curiously and I gave him a weak smile. “Come through to the kitchen,” he said eventually. “I’ll make you some coffee.”
“I’m not meant to be drinking coffee,” I responded, gesturing to my small baby bump.
“Of course not.” His eyes flicked to my bump and there was something unsettling about his gaze. Gabe had always been a people watcher, observing movements and listening to conversation in such a way that at times you forgot he was even there. When he loosened up, the way I’d seen him when we first met, you became comfortable, but underneath it all something more sinister lurked, and he made no attempt to hide it within the walls of his home.
“Water,” I said, bringing his attention back to my face. “Water would be good.” My appetite had been curbed by the events of the day.
Gabe led me through to the kitchen without another word, our footsteps echoing in the empty hallways. When I used to spend time with the Moretti twins, it had been in Vittoria’s home. Gabe’s was bare in comparison. It exhibited no personality and made me cautious of my movements, like I was in a museum where everything had a place and I’d be in trouble for disturbing it.
I hovered by the island at the center of the kitchen while Gabe pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. “Thank you,” I said. Gabe handed me the glass from across the island and I took it from him, the cool exterior welcome in the heat of my palm. “For agreeing to this.”
“What kind of friend would I be if I saw you turned away from your home again?” He did not have the same warmth and fire that his twin had. Gabe was trouble in a different sense. You never knew if what he said was what he meant, and there had been occasions where he reminded me so much of Xavier, in the way he spoke and moved, that I couldn’t help but be wary of him. He hadn’t exactly seemed thrilled to see me show up again, but I was grateful that he had enough investment in our friendship that he took me in.
“Mia, I have a proposition for you,” he said.
My stomach churned at the words. I was already up to my neck in trouble that I hadn’t gone looking for but somehow seemed to be wading into more with every breath I took. “Okay,” I replied quietly, my throat running dry. “What is the proposition?”
He took measured paces around the marbled workspace, the sound of his footsteps mimicking the thump of my heart. “Luc made a mistake trying to keep you separated from all of this,” Gabe explained. “If you chose to be a part of all this then you shouldn’t have been kept on the outskirts. It didn’t benefit anyone.”
“He did what he thought was best.” Even after our explosive meeting, I found myself defending Luc.
“For who?” Gabe asked. “You? Look at where that got you. Your Dad is dead and you’re pregnant by a man who doesn’t w
ant to know.” I reeled at how brazenly he mentioned Dad. I thought back to the first time I had met Gabe and how I couldn’t figure out whether he was trying to stir trouble or not when he told me to stand up to Xavier. It felt as if I was back there again, not sure what he was after and uncertain of his intentions. “My proposition is this, Mia.” He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ll look after you, I’ll even look after your child, and all you have to do is agree to marry me.”
The sound of glass shattering surrounded us as it slipped from my grasp. “Shit! Sorry! Sorry!” I started to bend to pick up the pieces until Gabe caught my upper arm in his grasp and kept me upright.
“Leave it.” He didn’t seem concerned about the mess or the fact his shoes were completely soaked. “Did you hear me?”
“I’m sorry,” I spluttered, stepping away from him, out of his hold. “Marry you?” I had heard him perfectly fine. “Why would I do that? I don’t love you. You don’t love me.”
Gabe shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly. “I’m not interested in love. I’m interested in business. Although, I am fond of you, bella, so perhaps love would grow.” That was a five-star review as far as Gabe was concerned. There were couples littered throughout the family that were husband and wife on paper, but that was as far as it went. The touches lacked warmth and smiles never quite reached the eyes. Marriage was a statement, an alliance, so fondness was considered a win and love a dream.
“People are growing restless, Mia. They aren’t happy with the way Dad runs the business. Too much young blood looking for change. When the time comes, the family will look for someone to take his place. I’m not in the most favorable position yet. He didn’t want me to get any grand ideas, so he’s been careful what to trust me with.” Whether Xavier wanted him to have those ideas or not, it seemed like they had rooted and flourished in Gabe’s mind.