And with the knowledge I already held.
“Jillian, are you really that naïve?”
“What do you mean?”
“Lorenzo specifically told you to slit my throat while I slept. He knew you weren’t capable of doing that. He could’ve told you to poison me, shoot me, or even stab me in the heart. But slit my throat? Come on. He was setting you up to fail.”
“But why? I don’t understand. How was I supposed to know that? I’ve never killed anyone. I have no idea where to even start.” Her voice climbed a few octaves as the panic rose in her throat.
I turned to face her, contemplating the words I’d say next. “You really have no idea who you’re dealing with, do you? I’m very sorry to have to tell you this, Jillian. I really am.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. She knew what I had to tell her.
“Your mother is already gone. Lorenzo’s men killed her before my men could get to Louisiana. I’m truly very sorry.”
Tears poured from her eyes, but she didn’t respond. Both hands covered her mouth, and her eyes were fixed on mine. I didn’t think she was even breathing at that moment. Shock and agony were vying for first place in her heart.
“When?” she asked meekly.
“They believe it happened yesterday.”
“But I talked to her sitter tonight. She said Mom fell today and was asleep.”
“Lorenzo’s men have her. They knew you’d call. My men are looking for them now.”
Heart-wrenching sobs racked her body as she came to grips with what had happened. Her wails carried through my condo, echoing off the walls and ricocheting back to us. My arms ached to hold and comfort her. My mind fought against the urge, reminding my stupid heart she wasn’t trustworthy. If nothing else was real, her distress at that moment was definitely genuine.
After several long minutes, she rose from the bed and pulled my T-shirt over her naked body. Seeing her in my shirt stirred an unexpected possessive instinct I had to fight to tamp down. She stood facing me, but her eyes were fixed on the floor at my feet.
“What do you plan to do with me?”
Her tone was dull…flat…lifeless.
“I’m not going to do anything to you. I’m sure you know this, but I think you should return to Louisiana, pay your final respects, and don’t come back here.”
“Did you know she was dead before we left the hospital?”
“Yes. I did.”
“But you didn’t tell me until now?”
“I had to know what your choice would be. I had to know if I could trust you.”
“I wonder, Damon…if the tables had been turned, and you had to choose between Lina and me…which one of us would you have chosen?”
With that verbal slap across my face, she walked out of my bedroom and left me standing in a mass of confusion. What would I have done if I’d been in her position?
A couple of minutes passed before I heard the door shut and the ding of the elevator. I walked into the living room and found my T-shirt laid neatly across the back of the couch. Her clothes, shoes, and purse were gone.
Jillian was gone.
My men would be there to watch over her in Louisiana until this war with the Sanfratello family was finished. They’d make sure nothing happened to her in the meantime.
I vowed to personally make Lorenzo pay. He’d played games with me and used the one I thought I loved against me. He preyed on a woman with a good heart and an uncommon innocence, then ruined her life. She’d forever blame herself for her mother’s death because she didn’t tell me about the threat early enough.
When we’d had the extra security measures installed in her apartment, circumstances were much different. But they’d remained in place all this time, and Joe had been monitoring them, as he’d been instructed. Lorenzo anticipated the video surveillance and had a signal jammer in his pocket. But he didn’t figure on the extra voice recording we put in place as a backup. It picked up his every word, and Joe relayed the information to my father, who then relayed it to me.
Only, we all received the information too late to stop them.
I didn’t believe she’d do what he told her. I thought she’d come to me and tell me about his ultimatum so I could take care of it for her. It would’ve been so easy for me to handle the situation. But then, I’d never told her about my skillset before that night.
She had several Blaine Financial employees listed as contacts in her phone. I changed Lorenzo’s number in her phone to Benny’s number after my father told me what had occurred. Then I had Benny text her a picture of her mother I’d found in her photos along with the threat. She fell right into the trap and showed her true colors.
The rhetorical question she asked me before she walked out of my life disturbed me. What would I have done if I were in her shoes and forced to choose who would die? Could I allow my mom to die to save Jillian? Could I let Jillian die to save my mom? If I didn’t possess the knowledge, resources, and skills I had, would I have reacted any differently than she did?
I paced the length of my apartment repeatedly, going over every detail of what she said, what my father said, and what Lorenzo said.
I didn’t expect to miss her the second she was out of sight.
I didn’t expect to feel as if a piece of me were missing.
I didn’t expect to be the pussy-whipped moron who wanted her to come back.
One way or another, I’d get Jillian Hart off my mind.
I’d forget about her and move on with my life.
I would’ve believed that too, if not for the warning in my head and my heart that said otherwise.
14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jillian
Standing beside my mother’s casket was surreal. Though I knew the nightmare I lived was real, everything about her funeral felt like a dream. Extended family and friends showed to say their farewells and tell me what a wonderful woman she was. Then they retreated to their lives and went on living as if my world hadn’t just stopped turning. Nothing in my life would ever be the same again.
The state finally released her body after the investigation into her death. It was ruled as a homicide, but there were no leads on suspects. They wouldn’t find any leads either. It would forever be an open case. After so long, it would become a cold case, and no one would care anymore.
Damon’s men found Margie before it was too late. I was grateful for that, at least. Two deaths on my conscience would be too much. It was bad enough that I lost the man I loved because I’d contemplated killing him…only to find out my mother had already been murdered. Because I was between a rock and a hard place and I didn’t know how to get out, I didn’t speak up in time to change anything.
I was weak.
I’d never be weak again.
Mom’s funeral was over two months ago and was mysteriously paid for by an anonymous mourner. I tried to settle back into a normal routine around Abita Springs. I worked out an arrangement with Morgan and Bartholomew to work at home and only drive into the office when needed. Dealing with the stress of everything I’d been through over those months took a toll on my health and sanity. What was important to me yesterday no longer seemed so important.
I watched the news and combed the internet for weeks looking for information on the Sanfratello family, but nothing indicated Lorenzo was missing or dead.
Damon hadn’t tried to contact me in any way since the night I left his apartment. I also searched the internet for any glimpse of him for the first couple of weeks after I returned home. But if I’d seen him with another woman on his arm, I don’t know what I would’ve done. So I stopped looking and tried to forget him.
Tried being the operative word.
I found it all but impossible.
“Jillian Hart?” the nurse called from the door.
“Yes, I’m here.” I rose and walked through as she held it open.
“What brings you in to see the doctor today?”
I drew in a deep breath
and released it slowly, trying to calm my racing heart. I couldn’t believe I was about to say the words.
“My first prenatal visit.”
“Congratulations,” she smiled warmly. We went through the normal paces of checking vitals and answering medical history questions, then she set the paper gown and sheet out for me to change into before the exam.
After the exam, the doctor confirmed I was indeed pregnant and estimated I was around twelve weeks. The stress of losing my mother and Damon had affected my appetite, so I’d thought the nausea was also part of my near-breakdown. Finding out I was pregnant helped save me from falling into the deep chasm of depression. As much as my heart was broken over losing Damon and the way we parted, I couldn’t deny how happy I was to be carrying his baby. Not that he’d ever know. Not that I’d ever tell him. Not that he’d even care at that point.
The nurse filled a bag with a plethora of prenatal supplies and information packets. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning peeking into the bag. I couldn’t wait to get home and dive into everything. I scheduled my appointment for the following month and walked out of the office with the first genuine smile I’d had in too long.
I dug my keys out of my purse as I walked toward my car, and I stopped dead in my tracks when I finally looked up.
“You’re looking well.”
Damon was leaned against my car. His arms were folded over his chest. He was dressed casually, in formfitting faded jeans, a white Henley shirt that stretched tight across his chest, and a black blazer that still gave him a refined air. His blacked-out sunglasses shielded his eyes from me, but I still felt them piercing my soul. He had slight stubble across his jaw, like a perpetual five-o’clock shadow, that was sexy as hell. And he was there…in Abita Springs…in the parking lot of my gynecologist. One thing I learned the hard way about Damon, there were no coincidences.
“Damon. What are you doing here?”
“Is that any way to greet me after all this time?”
“You’re right. That was inappropriate. Let me rephrase it.”
He smiled and my heart dropped. But I was determined.
“Fuck off. And get the fuck off my car.”
“Ooh, I don’t know what to think about this new sassy mouth on you.”
“You don’t have to think anything about it. You kicked me out of your life. I’ve left you alone. I’ve left your name out of anything related to the investigation of my mother’s death. Now you can turn around and go back to New York and do the same for me.”
“Afraid I can’t do that, doll.”
“Why not? You had no trouble doing it three months ago. There’s no reason for you to be here now.”
“No reason, huh?”
“None at all.”
“Maybe I’ll stick around for a while, just in case.”
“Suit yourself. Just stay away from me.”
I pushed him aside—because he let me—so I could open my car door. His next words stopped my movement again.
“I thought we had a special bond, with you trying to kill me in my sleep and all. I’m disappointed you’re not happy to see me.”
“Damon, if I had actually tried to kill you, you’d know it. But I didn’t. I was scared and felt completely alone. You helped push me to that point by having Benny send that text at the exact moment I was trying to tell you everything. When I turned to you for help, you pushed me away with your tricks. I didn’t want to tell you while you were in the hospital because I was afraid you’d do something stupid and jeopardize yourself. I was trying to tell you, and you knew it. You knew what was happening the very second the text came in.
“You know, I questioned why that name had that specific tone assigned to it. I only used that tone for contacts involved with my mother. But I was so freaked out, I wasn’t thinking straight to dig deeper and figure it out that night. I figured out you changed Lorenzo’s number in my phone to Benny’s, but you fucked up and changed the ringtone too. You made an impossible situation even harder for me. I hope you’re proud of yourself for what you’ve done.”
I slid into my car and drove away, leaving him standing in the parking lot. But I couldn’t resist a quick glance in the rearview mirror. He watched me drive away, his hands on his hips and a determined set to his jaw. I hadn’t seen the last of Damon Marchetti…that was for certain.
Inside my house, I settled in to get some work done and try to get Damon off my mind. But the lure of bag of pregnancy materials was too strong, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I finally got up from the desk and dumped the contents out on my couch. Touching, reading, and looking at every gift, book, and pamphlet only made the excited flutters in my chest worse.
An unexpected knock on my door could only be one person. And he’d have to go away. I wasn’t about to let him in just when I was learning to live without him. Only to have him rip my heart out when he left? No thank you. A second knock was ignored again…then he let himself into my house.
“What the hell, Damon?” I demanded as I jumped up from the couch.
He pushed the door closed behind him and walked across the room to where I stood. His eyes purposely landed on all the maternity paraphernalia strewn out on my sofa then slowly perused my body on their way back up to meet my angry gaze.
“Looks like I have a reason to stick around now.”
More Damon and Jillian are coming soon in Warning, Part Two.
WARNING: PART TWO
Jillian didn’t heed my warning . . . but then, neither did I. She didn’t know her life was still in danger or that her every move was being watched.
Convincing her that she needed my protection required all my resources. Even then, she didn’t want me around.
Making her fall in love with me again would be nearly impossible.
But I’m Damon Marchetti, and I don’t know how or when to quit.
1
CHAPTER ONE
Damon
Nearly three months ago, I walked into my parents’ house on a Wednesday night, looking for comfort and solace after I was left reeling by Jillian’s betrayal—and my complete idiocy. Dinner was already on the table, as I knew it would be, so I took my regular seat and began filling my plate full of food. Comfort food.
But before I could take the first bite, Mama swatted back of my head then took my plate away, holding it hostage just out of my reach. “Where is Jillian? What did you do to her?”
That was a rhetorical question, of course. Mama already knew exactly where Jillian was and why she’d left me. There were no secrets in this family when it came to her kids’ love lives. I cut my eyes over to my father, the traitor who’d told on me. He smirked at me, taking Mama’s side, as usual.
“Really, Dad?”
He shrugged, unaffected by my verbal jab. “You were wrong in what you did to Jillian, son. Your mother is right to be upset with you. And you made her curse, Damon. A lot. You know I don’t like it when your mama curses.”
Mama walked around the table, my full plate of food still in her hand, and sat down across from me. “You look me in the eye, son, when I ask you this question.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“If you had to choose between killing me and killing Jillian, who would you choose?”
“Mama—”
“Don’t Mama me! I asked you a direct question.”
“I wouldn’t choose. I’d take it myself first.”
“That wasn’t one of your options. Jillian didn’t have that choice either. You should be ashamed of yourself. I am so disappointed in you, Damon. When I met her, I knew she was the one for you. I told you to be good to her, but you didn’t listen to me. Now, you’ve disrespected her, and you’ve dishonored me with your actions. You’ve broken both of our hearts. You don’t eat at this table until Jillian is back in my house again.”
She stood and walked toward the kitchen with my plate in her hand. When she reached the doorway, she stopped and looked at me. “If you want to eat, your plate will be in here.”
“There’s no table in there. Or chairs.”
“You can stand up and eat at the counter.”
I looked at Dad for a little help, but he just shrugged before taking a big bite of his food. Right in front of me. As I stood in the kitchen, eating my meal at the counter while the rest of my immediate family ate together at the dining table, a twenty-pound sledgehammer hit me upside my head. The piece of the puzzle I had completely missed in my relationship with Jillian.
Mom and Dad were always on the same side. Always.
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, figuratively speaking, and faced whatever problems were in front of them, together. They weren’t separate units, testing each other’s loyalty at every turn. There were plenty of times when Dad would shield Mama from his actions when he thought it was best, but never without her knowing exactly why whatever it was had to happen in the first place. Never without involving her in the important decisions he made or getting her advice when the possible outcomes of his choices were unclear.
They thoroughly believed two heads were better than one.
I should’ve used that approach with Jillian. But then, hindsight is always 20/20. Using the excuse that I didn’t know for sure if I could trust her only helped ease my guilt slightly. My gut knew better. My instincts told me otherwise. My treacherous heart tried to warn my stupid head, but neither listened to reason. In the end, I betrayed myself every bit as much as, if not more than, Jillian did when she readied her knife at my throat.
Jillian and I were a long way from being my parents or having the trusting relationship they had, but the foundation was there. At least, it was before I fucked up in the most royal way.
But my parents raised me to work hard and fight harder for whatever I wanted most. In this case, I’d fight for whom I wanted most. The only one I wanted by my side. And when I got her back, I’d never let her go again. I didn’t know how or when to quit.
Warning: The Complete Series Page 10
