“You have every right to feel that way, and I’m not denying that I made a mistake—”
“A mistake?” she said incredulously. “You shot your own brother, a man that wasn’t guilty, but you believed our uncle over your own brother.”
“Enough!” Ciara snapped. “That was a different life. I know you don’t know me or trust me. I know that we were enemies in a past life, but Antonio isn’t the same man, and being with him the past two months has shown me I’m not the same person either. Whatever happened in the past, it’s not who we are now.”
“And that makes it okay?”
“He’s trying to save your life,” Ciara snapped.
“Yeah? By bringing you here?”
“If they found me, they can find you,” I said. “Everyone assumed that I died in the mansion that day. That’s the way Reed Security made it look. But somehow they found me, and if it got out that I was alive, they could come for you next. Are you prepared to fight them off while you’re pregnant and have a little girl?”
Carly didn’t say anything for a moment, but Josh spoke up. “Carly, we can’t go through this again. It’s different now. We’re not on our own. He’s right. If they sent men to kill him, they’ll do the same when they find out about us.”
“They may never find out,” she argued.
“You’re right. They may not, but are you really willing to take that chance with your family?” I asked.
“No,” Carly said quietly.
“Wait,” Joe, the other man, spoke up. “Are we talking about another mafia war? Because honestly, I can’t handle getting thrown in jail again. Things are just starting to die down.”
“What are you talking about?”
“After everything went down with the Family, Levi still hung around wanting to be friends. Or, that’s what I thought. Long story short, Levi thought I would get all the money from the Family, and I guess he really needed it. When I cut things off with him, he came out here and took a woman hostage to get to me. She was the Sheriff’s wife, and she died. Things have been really tense ever since.”
“Tense is an understatement,” Joe snorted. “He’s been harassing all of us…except for Josh, which is weird since he blames Josh for his wife Natalie’s death.” He sighed heavily. “It looks like it’s back to jail and dozens of parking tickets for the rest of us.”
“Look, if I can take care of this, it should put an end to this war.”
“What war?” Carly snapped. “Our family is gone. We’re not a threat anymore.”
“You know that’s not true. At least not in their eyes. As long as we live, there’s a chance that we’ll come back and try to take over the territory.”
“And what about her?” Carly jerked her head at Ciara. “How can you be sure she’s not going to run back to her family as soon as she has the information she needs?”
“Because if she wanted me dead, she could have killed me at any point over the past two months. She could have let her family kill me in that cabin, but she fought alongside me. She doesn’t want that life any more than I do.”
“Do you really mean that?” Carly asked. “Because the brother I knew didn’t care about anyone or anything other than if it helped the Family. How can I be sure that you’ve changed?”
I sighed, not sure what I could say to convince her. “Carly, I came here with a woman that I plan to spend my life with. I brought another woman, who is nothing but a liability, with me—”
“Hey!” Jo snapped.
“She sold me two dogs, a Doberman named Princess, who happens to be a male, and a King Charles Spaniel that I named Max. Do you want to know which dog is mine? It’s the King Charles Spaniel. I take her to the spa once a week and treat her like a queen. Does that sound anything like me?”
A slight grin split her lips. “You take her to the spa? Do you get your nails done too?”
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered. “No, I don’t get my nails done.”
She held up her hands. “Alright, but you understand I had to ask.” She nodded to Jo. “So, this is the woman that has nothing to do with this.”
“She’s innocent. She’d come out to help us when the dogs…got stuck together.”
“What do you mean, stuck together?” Josh asked.
“They were…” I cleared my throat, but luckily, Ciara stepped in.
“They were fucking and apparently, dogs stick together after mating. It was freaky as hell.”
“Anyway,” I moved on. “We called her up because we didn’t know what was going on. They must have seen me talking to her and bugged her phone. They followed her to us.”
“So, why did you bring her with?” Carly asked.
“Because she’s innocent, and if they knew about our relationship, you know what they would have done.”
Carly sighed heavily, looking to her husband. He stared her down, and something passed between them.
“I’m sorry, Antonio. I want to help you, but—”
“Stop right there, Carly,” Joe cut in. “Remember what happened with Sofia, and remember what you told my family. Now you’re doing the same fucking thing to your own brother. He’s not here to kill you, at least, I really hope not because that would be pretty shitty. He saved an innocent woman, and he even brought dogs with him. The man is obviously not the mafia kingpin he used to be.”
There was so much wrong with that last sentence, but I let it slide because he was sticking up for me. I watched Carly’s reaction, hoping what he said had some impact on her. Finally, she sighed. “What do you need from me?”
I almost let out an audible sigh of relief. I didn’t know what I would do if she said no. “I need you to keep Ciara safe—“
“Excuse me?” Ciara cut in. “I don’t need anyone to keep me safe. And what are you planning on doing that leaves me out in the cold?”
“I agree,” Carly said. “Not that I want to point out that I’m less capable than her, but I am pregnant, which makes her more deadly right now, assuming she even has an ounce of training.”
“Trust me, I could snap your neck if I wanted.”
“Don’t threaten my wife.”
Ciara glared at Josh. “I said if I wanted. I have no plans to kill anyone. I happen to want to stick around with Antonio, but I’m not sitting this out. They’re my family, and I’m going along.”
“I need you to stay and take care of Jo and the dogs.”
“Wait, so you want me to take care of Jo and the dogs, but your sister to watch out for me?”
“I agree,” Carly shook her head. “That makes no sense.”
I clenched my jaw in frustration. “I can’t go face your family and do what I have to do if I’m worried about you.”
“Yes, you can. And frankly, I’d like the opportunity to tell them where to shove it.”
“Why is it that men always think they need to protect us?” Carly asked.
“Right? Like I would ever need a man to take care of me,” Ciara scoffed.
“I need protection,” Jo said, raising her hand. “And I’m not afraid to admit that. I would most certainly die, and I’m not quite at the point in my life where you throw up your hands and say Whatever happens, happens.”
“I wouldn’t say that I’ve ever been like that,” Josh muttered. “As I recall, for most of our relationship, you were teaching me how to protect myself.”
“Except when you got stupid and stepped in front of that bullet for me. I would have gladly taken it.”
“And then I would have been miserable. You could have died,” Josh snapped.
“Oh, and that thought never crossed my mind while you laid passed out in the passenger seat, or when I had to kidnap a nurse to take a bullet out of you. Yeah, that was just a grand old time for me.”
“Better me than you. We wouldn’t have Alessa if you had died.”
Carly glared at him. “Oh, that’s just the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! We didn’t even conceive Alessa until after you got yourself shot, so it w
ouldn’t have mattered if either of us had died!”
Ciara leaned over to me and whispered, “Do you think this is what we sound like?”
40
Ciara
“I still don’t like you coming along,” Antonio muttered from his side of the SUV.
“Well, too bad. I wasn’t about to let you go see my family without me. So suck it up.” We sat in silence for a few minutes, but I just couldn’t stay quiet. It wasn’t in my nature. “So, what exactly is the plan?”
“We’re headed to my storage unit. I have some things in there that will hopefully keep your family off our backs.”
“What kind of stuff are we talking about?”
He glanced over at me. “Blackmail. When I was the enforcer in the Family, part of my job was to collect information. Most of it I shared with my father, but things that didn’t seem as important at the time, I held back for the right occasion.”
“Why? Didn’t you trust your father?”
“He had been sick for a long time. It was easier to handle it myself.”
“And you didn’t trust Alessandro?”
He shrugged slightly. “I always felt like a bit of a loner in my family. Alessandro was the son being groomed to take over. Ricardo was the baby in the family. He could get away with anything,” he said with a grin. “He was definitely a troublemaker.”
“And you?”
“I was the middle son. My only purpose was to follow my father’s orders and do it the best I could, but it never felt like enough. I think deep down, I always knew I would need leverage of some kind. So, I started creating files on people and hiding that information for another time.”
“What are you planning on blackmailing my family with?”
“Not blackmail, at least, I hope it doesn’t come to that. I have information on an FBI agent. He was in my pocket for years. I’m sure he thinks he’s off the hook now. If I give that to your father, that should be enough to show him that we both want out, and we just want to be left alone.”
I shook my head. “I know my father. That’s not going to be enough.”
“Did I also mention the sizable donation I would be making to him?”
I sighed, staring out the window. I hoped it was enough, but my father was ruthless. If he wanted us dead, he wouldn’t stop just because Antonio gave him money and blackmail information.
“We’re going to end up dead.”
“Have a little faith in me. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
I looked over at him, saw the need for me to trust him burning in his eyes. I took his hand in mine and squeezed. “I do trust you.”
We pulled up to what looked like an abandoned storage property twenty minutes later. Antonio rolled down his window and entered a pin code on the keypad, then waited for the gates to open. He pulled through the open gate and drove to the back of the property where he stopped in front of a very large unit. When he unlocked the door and raised the door, I stood there in shock. It was filled with filing cabinets, more guns than I could ever imagine, and a large safe at the back.
I walked inside shaking my head. “Holy crap. How did you manage to gather all this?”
“I’d been stashing things in here for years. I have enough money in that safe that I’ll never have to work again.”
“And the weapons? Why did you keep this after…”
“After my family was all killed and I was out of the mob? I guess I just figured I might need it someday. Better safe than sorry.”
“Well, I’m glad you kept it. But if you plan on going to my father with guns, we’re not going to get very far.”
“The only thing we need is in this cabinet.”
He pulled a small set of keys and unlocked the drawer, pulling it out and rifling through it. He pulled out several thick files, then shut the drawer and locked it.
“That’s all we need?”
“If this doesn’t give us our freedom, nothing will.”
I played with the cross that hung around my neck as we pulled up to my father’s estate. To anyone else, it would seem that he was just another rich man that kept his estate fenced in from prying eyes. But I knew better. The gatehouse just outside the fence was only the first line of defense to protect him. Cameras were placed strategically around the property, all monitored constantly by one of his men inside. Armed guards walked the property, constantly changing direction to keep anything from becoming routine. And that was all before you reached the front door.
“What’s your plan for getting in without being shot on the spot?”
“I have something he wants.”
“Me?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, but I don’t think your father would give me even a minute to keep you.”
I stared out at the estate, knowing it was true. “Well, whatever it is, make sure you don’t wait too long to tell him. I don’t want to die before you even have a chance to hand it over and free us.”
He placed his hand on my leg, squeezing it gently. “Are you sure you want to go in there? It might be easier if I do this alone.”
I shook my head. “I need this. Besides, even if you told him I wanted to be with you, he would use that against you for the rest of your life. Any time he decided that he wanted something from you, he could use me as a bargaining chip. He needs to know for certain that this is my choice, and he can’t hold anything over either of us.”
“Alright, then let’s do this.”
He pushed his door open and stepped out with all the strength and determination of a man with nothing to lose. He was fearless in the face of his enemies, and I could see now why his father chose him as the enforcer in the Family. He wouldn’t bend to anyone.
I stepped out and stood beside him, determined to end everything I had with my father. He didn’t deserve my loyalty and I was done being used by him. As soon as we stepped up to the gates, Antonio pulled out a gun, holding it to the man’s head. I was shocked, not expecting him to go in guns blazing.
“Call your boss or you get a bullet in your head.”
The man stood there with wide eyes, though his appearance made him seem formidable. He was probably just a new recruit and had no idea what being in the Irish mafia meant. He’d probably heard the name O’Sullivan and thought he would rule the city. He just had no idea that the death rate was higher than the survival rate.
“Who…who should I say is here?”
Antonio leaned in close, his lips just an inch from the man’s ear. “Antonio Scavuzzo.”
The man jerked back, his eyes wide with fear as he looked him over. He quickly fumbled for his phone, dialing immediately. Sweat poured down the man’s face as he closed his eyes and waited for the call to connect.
“Sir…yes, I know, but you have a visitor.” His eyes flicked up to Antonio’s, but before he had a chance to say anything, Antonio jerked the phone out of his hands and cold cocked the guy across the head. He crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap.
“Kieran, I hear you’ve been looking for me. Open the gate and we’ll have a little chat.”
I couldn’t hear what my father said, but I knew he was angry.
“I have your daughter with me. Now, if you want to end this, I suggest you let us in and we’ll talk, but I warn you, if you try anything you’ll regret it…Let’s just say I have something very sensitive that I know you won’t want getting out.”
He pressed the end button on the phone before my father had a chance to answer. The gate buzzed and started to open, but despite the admission, I felt eyes all around us.
“No sudden movements,” Antonio warned me, his gun still at his side. We walked up to the house, like we were going to meet him for dinner, and not play this deadly game of chess. I had no idea what Antonio had up his sleeve, but whatever it was, he was confident enough to not only walk right up to the front gate, but to bring a gun.
My father stepped out of the house, two guards directly behind him. He held up his hand for them to stop, and
then he finished walking down the steps.
“So, you really are alive.”
It occurred to me that maybe I should feel just a little pissed off that he spoke to Antonio before addressing his own daughter, but this was the way my father behaved. It didn’t matter that I was alive, only that I had come with the enemy.
“It would seem so.”
My father smirked. “Hiding out and allowing your enemies to take over your territory. That’s not the Antonio Scavuzzo I knew.”
“Let’s just say I’ve found something better in life than violence and bloodshed.” My father’s eyes flicked to his gun. “Yes, I will still kill you if you attempt anything. And I know what you’re thinking right now. You’ve got ten men at the front of the property, three snipers on your roof, all waiting to take the kill shot. You have everyone on high alert, but you can’t stop wondering what I have on you that makes me confident enough to walk right up to your goddamn house with a gun.”
My father finally turned and looked at me. “And this is who you’ve chosen to side with?”
“Well,” I shrugged. “It was an easy choice when you sent men to kill me.”
“They were never meant to—”
“Bullshit,” I spat. “They were there to take me out. I was collateral damage, and after spending so much time with Antonio, you couldn’t be sure where my loyalties lay. But then, you probably planned that all along, didn’t you? You never had any intention of me coming home.”
His jaw tightened in anger before he laughed. “You always were just a little too smart. If you’d been a boy, you’d have been very useful.”
“Yes, but you taught me how to make the most of my assets. I’m surprised it took you so long to realize that it wouldn’t last forever.”
That wasn’t exactly true. I had no idea how long I would have kept working for my father if I hadn’t lost my memory. But he didn’t need to know that.
41
Antonio
Her father dismissed her as if she didn’t exist. I hated that she was here, afraid that her father would pull something and use her against me. Then this would all be for nothing.
Dead Man's Hand: A Small Town Romance (A Good Run Of Bad Luck Book 1) Page 27
