“…Vitali’s cohorts have also been charged…according to reports, not only are those individuals involved in sex trafficking, but drug trading as well…federal agents thwarted a huge drug deal…cocaine valued at over $7,000,000 was found at a port in southern Georgia…”
As the reporter droned on, he stared blindingly across the room.
A fresh hope filled him.
It was over…finally over…
***
Hours later, his stride was confident as he arrived at the hospital.
Again, a huge bouquet of flowers almost blocked his visual view.
But, she deserved the best.
After venturing inside, he went straight to the bed.
“I’ve got some good news, baby,” he whispered, clutching her hand. “We’ve finally beat that bastard. It’s over---finally over.” Leaning forward, he kissed the back of her hand and held it against his lips. “The only thing that’d be better is you waking up.”
He studied her face closely.
Now, for some reason, she just seemed at peace.
“I miss you so damned much, it hurts.” His gray orbs became misty-eyed. “I have this ache…a pain inside of me that’s difficult to explain. Baby, only you can take it away.” A pent-up breath left him. “I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry for saying that I never wanted to see you again. I didn’t mean any of what I said.” His words became a low painful whisper. “Now’s our chance, damsel. We can grasp the golden ring and really be happy. I’m asking you to do it again, baby. Fight for us----”
The heart monitor started beating faster.
Stunned, he straightened in the chair.
A soft moan came from her.
“Bella?” he whispered, and his heart raced faster. A blinding hope nearly paralyzed him on the spot. But, as she groaned again, he jumped up before running to the door and flinging it open. “Nurse! Nurse! Come quick!”
With lightning speed, he returned to the hospital bed.
“Baby, it’s me…it’s me,” he whispered tearfully, clinging to her hand.
As her eyelashes fluttered, he held his breath.
When her brown eyes opened, the heartfelt sobs came.
“B—braden?” she whispered, confused, and her gaze was somewhat unfocused.
“Shhhh….I’m right here, baby.” Leaning over, he kissed her forehead before smoothing her hair back. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
The medical team burst in.
Crying openly and unashamedly, he watched his true love come back to life.
***
Weeks later…
“You have twenty minutes and no more than that,” the hefty bailer said in a rusty tone, a week later. Then, he stepped a few paces away. “Don’t try any funny business.”
He nodded briskly. “I understand.”
Clearing his throat noisily, he settled in the chair and peered ahead.
The door to the prison opened.
Soon, a guard escorted a handcuffed Vitali to the visiting booth.
There’d never been a more satisfying sight.
Selfishly, he embraced the personal victory.
Settling in the chair, Vitali glared at him through the glass partition.
Then, at the same time, they both picked up the communication phone.
“Why the fuck are you here?” Vitali asked coldly, cuffing the phone hard. “To gloat?”
“Partly.” The tension made his face tight. “But, more than anything, I wanted to prove to that you couldn’t hurt me anymore. All the pain and suffering that you put me and Mama through all those years, and then you hurting, Bella, it’s not going to happen anymore. Seeing you here proves that.”
“All along, it was you, wasn’t?” Vitali probed with a look of anger and disbelief. “The stolen shipments, the bust-in where my girls were kept, the deal that went sour with the Riccis in New York…you’re the one responsible, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” he said bitterly. “And I hold that honor proudly.”
“Fuck you, you little prick.” Gritting his teeth hard, Vitali leaned closer to the glass. “Because of you, I’ve lost my entire empire---”
“That very empire goes to the state, and with all hope, your victims will receive a satisfactory retribution for all the harm you’ve caused against them. And Jameson’s Incorporations,” he replied, allowing his cool smile to spread. “Your stock has been dissolved, and the company is all mine---”
“Damn you!” The naked rage played on his face. “If I were on the outside, I’d fuck you up.”
“Well, seeing as I’m here, and you’re there,” he remarked in an icy tone. “I think that you’re pretty much the fucked one.”
In a huff, Vitali banged back against the chair, and then a malicious smile spread across his face. “I still own you. Look at you sitting there, nearly suffocating on your rage. You’ll never get away from me, boy.”
“Seems to me that you’re assessing the situation wrong.” He leaned forward. “You’re locked up here with no hope of getting out.”
“True, I may be here. But, it’s temporary. I know people. I’ll find a way to get out.” As Vitali leaned forward, his quiet outrage was evident. “And when I do, you’re a dead man.”
“How do you propose to kill me? You gonna snuff me out like you did Velasquez?”
“Who told you about that?” Vitali hissed and his breath bathed the pane.
He shrugged. “Like you, I have connections.”
“Like you, Velasquez was a nuisance,” Vitali sneered, and his gray eyes were crazed. “At the time, nothing gave me more satisfaction than killing him.” A malicious gleam shone in his eyes. “Perfectly, after I slit his throat, I wrapped that muthafucka in a bail of pure cocaine and stacked it with the rest. Then, I shipped it out.”
“So, you did kill him?”
“Yes, I did, are you satisfied---”
As the rear door bust opened and admitted the federal agents, Vitali whirled around before turning back to him with a look of pure shock. “What the fuck? All of this was the feds way of getting a murder confession?”
“Welcome to hell,” he whispered quietly and peeled his shirt’s neckline back, and revealed the wiretap. Eye to eye, they stared through the glass, and a calculating smile curled his lips. “Everyday, I’ll relish the fact that I sent you there.”
“Fuck you, Titan!” Vitali screamed and banged his cuffed hands against the countertop. Then, he meshed his face against the glass, making himself appear even more monstrous. “Fuck you!”
The federal agents apprehended him easily. “Carlo Vitali, you’re under arrest for the murder of Caesar Velasquez…”
As he stood and journeyed towards the exit, a triumphant feeling filled him.
Like he’d prophesized…
It was definitely the rise of the Titan.
Epilogue
“Ladies and gentleman, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jameson.”
Smiling happily, they shared a kiss before breaking apart.
Grabbing hold of the dress’s train, she marched along with him down the aisle. As she stopped beside the framed photo of Gage by the church pew, she kissed it before journeying on.
Now, body to body, they swayed to the music.
“Happy?” he grinned, staring down at her.
“Yes.” Her tearful smile came. “What about you?”
“Hell, yeah.” His roguish grin stayed. “I don’t get dressed up like this for just anybody.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making Gage a part of this.” Her misty eyes glistened. “It means so much to me.”
“He deserves to be a part of this.” He kissed the top of her head. “Guess what? He still lives on.”
“You’re right.” She clung to him tighter. “And so do we.”
Rise of the Titan Page 62
