“No, I’ll do the talking, and afterwards, we’ll reconvene because we need a plan for what we’re going to do with them and how we’re going to head off more trouble and kill fucking Damian.”
Devil stood up. “I’m coming with you.”
“Fuck no, you’re not.”
He stood his ground. “You’re going to scare the fuck out of her.”
“Like you didn’t?”
Angelo grabbed our cousin’s arm. “Just let Luce handle it.”
He jerked out of Angelo’s hold. “Do you think I just grabbed her on the street and dragged her to the car?”
I glanced at Angelo. He shrugged, but I could tell that was exactly what he thought Devil had done.
Devil huffed. “I wouldn’t act like that to a lady. I mean, unless I knew she liked it.”
“So how did you kidnap her? Clearly you want to tell me.”
“I told her if she and her kids came with us, we’d make sure Damian never hit her again.”
That was unexpected. “Keep talking.”
“She did a really good job with her makeup, but she has a black eye that’s barely healing and a bruise on her cheek, and when one of the kids grabbed her wrist, she flinched.”
“What did she say?” Angelo asked.
“She asked how she knew she could trust me. I told her I’d never hit a woman in my life, I never intended to, and neither did anyone else in my family. I told her you taught me respect,” he said looking at my father.
“I want in on this,” my father said, his expression hard.
“No, Pop,” Angelo said. “We’re not risking your heart.”
“I want to break this man in half,” he snarled.
I knelt in front of him and took his hands in mine. “So do I, and I promise I’ll get the job done, but I want you safe.”
“All right, son.” He lifted his chin, telling me to get to my feet. “I’m counting on you.”
I gestured for Devil to follow me. “Come on. Let’s go talk to her.”
“See? I’m not as fucking impulsive as you think.”
I wasn’t convinced of that. “We need a plan to get her out of here so we can keep her and the kids safe.”
“I know. I’m thinking on that.”
When we entered the sitting room where Lola had taken our guests, Elena rose immediately, placing herself between us and her kids who were playing on the floor with some toys Lola kept around for when my cousin’s children visited.
“Devil and I have no intention of hurting you or your children. But we do need information. If you cooperate with us, we will make sure you stay safe.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Don’t push him,” Devil said. “Just tell him what he needs to know.”
She sighed. “I can’t talk here.”
“Lola is on her way,” I said. “She’ll stay with the children.”
“I don’t like the idea of leaving them with a stranger.”
“She’s good with kids,” I assured her. “She helped raise all of us, and we’ll just go to the next room.”
Lola entered then, and the children both looked up at her and smiled. She had a plate of cookies and two cups of milk for them. “I promise I will take good care of them Mrs. Ricci.”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” Elena asked.
“No,” I said, “but you have my word your children are safe.”
“I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
I hated the pain in her voice. If I didn’t already want her fucking husband dead, I’d kill him for the way he’d treated her. “I’m no saint. That’s for damn sure. And I don’t pretend to be, but I don’t hit women or children, and I’d sure as hell never hit someone I was bound to protect.”
She exhaled, and for just a moment I saw how tired and scared she was. Maybe Sabrina would go with Elena wherever we sent her. She needed someone to talk to who wouldn’t seem as intimidating as me or Devil.
A moment later, she looked up and held my gaze, all signs of fear gone. She was strong. She would find a way to move on and take care of her children once I eliminated the major threat in her life.
“Ultimately, it’s you my husband is after.”
That didn’t surprise me. He might not be the strategist my father was, but he was smart enough to know the importance of taking out the head of the family.
“From what I’ve overheard, which hasn’t been much since he tries to isolate me from his business, he’d planned to draw this war out and make you suffer first, but now he just wants it to end. He’s calling in every favor he can, trying to amass as much support as possible. He’s making you out to be untrustworthy, a cheater, and too weak to control your own people.”
Devil exhaled and pushed a hand through his hair. “And I just fed those rumors with what I did today.”
“No one but the family knows I didn’t order you to bring Mrs. Ricci to me. I can put out the word that I did. I’m not weak, no matter what he says. My word is solid, and right now I’m saying I’m going to kill that fucking son of a bitch.”
“Will Mario retaliate?” Devil asked.
Mario was Damian’s son from a previous marriage. He seemed to be as asinine as his father but far dumber.
Elena frowned. “His loyalty is questionable. He and my husband each have their own agenda. If he’s made plans, I don’t know about them. I’m rarely around him. I think Damian worries I might choose to ally myself with Mario instead of him. He’s made it clear he’d be happy to take me off his father’s hands.”
Apparently, Mario needed to go on the kill list too. “Do you have any idea what he’s planning next?”
“No.” She glanced toward the next room where her children were. “If I did, I’d tell you for the chance to get them away from this life, but I don’t. I only know that he’s serious, and he’s moved up his timetable.”
“Then we’ll move up ours too. Anything else?”
She shook her head.
“Thank you. I’m going to send my aunt Sabrina in. If you need anything to be comfortable here for now, she’ll help you. We’re working on a plan to get you and the children out of here.”
“You allow your aunt to be involved in your business?” Elena asked. “Damian would never let a woman be anything but decorative.”
“My father tried to run things the same way, but when you meet Sabrina, you’ll understand how impossible that is.”
25
Peter
Since Lola was busy with Elena and her kids, Sabrina made a pot of tea and filled a plate with some of the cookies Lola had made earlier that day. I realized I was still wearing my hat and coat, so I took them off before sitting down at the kitchen bar to eat.
“Talk to me. After what happened the night of DiGiulio’s opening, I can only imagine all the things running through your head.”
I blew out a long breath, not sure what to say. I liked Sabrina, and I knew she was someone who spoke plainly. She clearly had no fear of Lucien or anyone else in the family. But I wasn’t sure I was ready to share what I was feeling with anyone.
“I know you may not believe me, but I won’t repeat what you say. And please believe that whatever made you want to be with Lucien is real.”
How could I believe that?
“His mother died when he was eighteen,” Sabrina said. “Did he tell you that?”
“I knew he lost her, but I didn’t know when.”
“Lucien came out about a year before she died, and she was genuinely happy for him. She made it very clear to his father that the entire family would support him. It was the one thing she ever took a firm stand on against his father. His father listened, but he also began to push Lucien to be more and more involved in the family business. It was clear he was grooming him to take over. While he accepted Lucien sleeping with whoever he wanted, he wouldn’t tolerate any signs of weakness. And he counted any show of emotion, any show of tenderness whatsoever, to be unacceptable.”
I
tried to imagine how hard that had been on him. No wonder Sabrina had told me he was more vulnerable than he seemed.
“Franco loves his sons—and Devil who’s basically his son too—but he never showed them the kind of affection their mother did. And for Lucien to lose her when he was already struggling with his sexual identity and his need to be a harsher man than he naturally was… It changed him. He pushed away all his softer feelings, but I’ve seen glimpses of the man he used to be far more often since he met you. Don’t give up on him.”
“I care for him. A lot, but watching him kill a man, and now this… It’s not easy to accept.”
Sabrina covered my hand with hers. “I know. That’s part of our world, and I get that it’s a lot to handle, but I promise those men would have killed him if he’d given them the chance. The ones that came for us would have killed Devil and me without a second thought.”
“How do you stand all the violence? Do you just ignore it? Don’t you ever want to just walk away?”
She shook her head. “All the people I love are part of this world. You can’t ignore the violence completely or you become dead inside, but this is my family. I’ll never leave them.”
“I would never have chosen to get involved with someone like Lucien, but what I feel for him… I just can’t help it. I thought I was ready to accept that before I realized he’d involve little kids in all this. I thought I was maybe even ready to admit that I…”
“Love him?”
I nodded.
“I think Lucien was at that point with you too, but it’s not an easy thing for him to admit. Buying those ponies for you may be the closest he can come to saying the words.”
Did she really mean…? “Wait. You think he’s in love with me?”
Sabrina smiled. “Sweetheart, I’m sure of it. Otherwise, he would have already sent you away so we wouldn’t have an outsider mixed up in all this, but he can’t stand to be away from you.”
Was she right? Was there a chance I could have the fairytale? Lucien was no prince, but he’d give me everything I wanted. If only I could stop remembering those little children and how scared they’d looked as they clung to their mother.
“What will he do to that woman and her children?”
“He won’t hurt them.”
“Will he scare them or threaten to hurt them?”
Sabrina sighed. “Not the children.”
“Who are they?”
“The wife and kids of Damian Ricci, the man behind the war on our family.”
“I need to know what will happen to her.”
“Lucien will try to get information from her. I can’t promise he won’t scare her, but I do promise he won’t hurt her, and he will keep her safe. And Lucien didn’t want her to be taken. That was all Devil’s idea.”
I remembered how angry Lucien had seemed with him. I had so many conflicting feelings. How was I supposed to know what to do? “I need some time alone to think.”
“That’s fine. I can show you to Lucien’s room. Just don’t leave the property.”
“Would you let me if I wanted to?”
She shrugged. “I believe we should all be able to make our own choices, but I don’t think you truly want to run. What you need to ask yourself is whether you’re brave enough to be an anchor for Lucien when this all gets to be too much for him because that’s what he needs.”
I wasn’t sure if I could do that or not. “I appreciate you talking to me and”—I looked down at the tea and cookies I hadn’t touched—“trying to feed me.”
“Would you like some food to take to your room? You do need to eat.”
There was a knot in my stomach and the last thing I wanted right then was food. “No thank you. I’m not hungry.”
She rose, and I followed her down the hall. Before she left me, she said, “I’ve never seen my nephew look at a man the way he looks at you. He really does need someone like you to take care of him.”
“He doesn’t seem to want that when I offer.”
She snorted. “He’s a very intelligent man in many ways, but when it comes to what he needs for himself, he’s an idiot.” She pulled me into a hug, then walked away. I lay on Lucien’s bed, staring at the ceiling, and let myself fantasize about what my life could be like if Lucien truly loved me.
26
Lucien
When I entered the kitchen, only Sabrina sat at the bar, sipping a cup of tea. “Where’s Peter?”
“He wanted to be alone, so I showed him to your room.”
“I told you to stay with him.”
She glared at me. “He needed time to think. He’s been through a hell of a lot in the last few days.”
She was right, but I still didn’t like the idea of him being out of sight of someone I trusted implicitly. “I need to talk to him.”
“Go easy on him, Lucien. He cares about you a lot, more than he wants to I think, and you need someone like him.”
It made me feel weak, but she was right. I did need him. “You should’ve seen the look on his face when he saw the ponies. He was so fucking happy. Then Devil called and everything went to shit. I should send Peter somewhere safe.”
“I was going to suggest you spend a few hours in bed with him.”
“Dammit, Sabrina. You know I don’t have time for this right now. Elena says Damian is speeding up his timeline. I need to keep Peter safe. You need to keep yourself safe. I’ve got to focus on our plan of attack because we aren’t going to win this.”
“Of course we are. Go talk to Peter, then go get Ricci and make him pay.”
I opened the door to the room I slept in when I was at the Weston house, but I didn’t see Peter. He wasn’t on the chaise or on the bed or curled up on the floor the way I’d found him the first night after I’d made him move in with me. “Peter? Peter, come out right now.”
No response.
I checked the bathroom, but he wasn’t in there either or in the closet.
The French doors that opened onto the patio were unlocked, but there was no sign of him outside. I called his name but received no answer.
I hurried back to the kitchen. “He’s gone.”
Sabrina jumped, sloshing tea from her cup.
“What?”
“He’s not in my room or on the patio.”
“He just seemed tired and confused. He wasn’t angry with you. I don’t think he would’ve run.”
“I need everyone on alert. Now. We’ve got to find him.”
“Go get your brother. I’ll talk to our head of security.”
I ran to my office. Thankfully, Angelo and my father were still there. “Peter’s gone. He told Sabrina he was going to his room, but he’s not there, and he’s not answering his phone.”
“Have you searched the house?” Angelo asked
“Sabrina is working on that now.”
“You do realize you could be wrong about the boy,” my father said. “He could’ve left to let Ricci know his wife and kids are here.”
“No.” I refused to even let myself think that way. “Peter isn’t an informant.”
My father’s expression remained hard. “Don’t let yourself be blinded by your feelings.”
“I’m not.”
“Son—”
“Enough. I’m going to search for him.” I turned to my brother. “I need your help. The patio doors were unlocked, so I’m going to start outside.” Maybe he just went for a walk. It was cold, but the sun was out. Maybe he needed fresh air.
“I’ll get with Devil and coordinate things. If Peter left on his own, where would he go?”
“I’ll call his uncle. That’s probably where he’d go if he ran, though he couldn’t have made it far without a car.” Did he even have a driver’s license? “Make sure none of the cars are missing. Hopefully, he’s still on the grounds somewhere. But if not—”
“We’ll find him,” Angelo assured me.
“I’m going to take the trail that leads to the lake. Sabrina said he wanted to b
e alone to think.” I didn’t wait for any more assurance from Angelo or criticism from my father.
As I headed into the woods, I kept watch for a glimpse of Peter’s gray coat and red beanie, assuming he’d worn them. I should have checked my room or the coat tree to see if they’d been left there.
I was jumpy, startled by birds and squirrels. I had to get myself together.
Movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. When I turned to investigate, it wasn’t Peter.
It was Stefan, and he had a gun pointed at me. No wonder we hadn’t found our snitch. Why the fuck had I trusted him? I reached for my own weapon, but I was too late. Something hit me, knocking me back.
I stumbled and fell to the ground, reaching for my shoulder where I’d felt a sting. I yanked out the dart that had lodged there. As I stared at it, my vision began to blur. I tried to fight the tiredness that swept over me.
“Fuck you.” My words were slurred, and the man just laughed.
Elena had warned me Damian was moving up his plans. Why hadn’t I been more careful. Did they have Peter too?
“You’re working with fucking Damian?”
He grinned. “You finally figured it out.”
“Why do this?”
“Ash.”
Was I already out and dreaming? What did his brother have to do with this? Had he come back? Was he part of their family business now?
“I know what you did to my brother, turning him gay, putting your filthy hands on him just because you could, then sending him away.”
He’d known? He’d never said anything back then. The world wavered. I tried to speak, but my tongue seemed too thick for my mouth. The last thing I saw was the world flipping upside down as Stefan tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed no more than Peter did.
27
Peter
After sitting in Lucien’s room for a while, I’d needed some fresh air. The room was so like the one at his house in town that I couldn’t stop the flood of memories of nights spent in his bed or sitting on his balcony. Thankfully, I’d brought my coat and hat with me. I put them on and stepped through the French doors onto a patio. Standing in the fresh air wasn’t enough, so I began to walk. I wandered through a garden that was just starting to turn green again. I noticed a walking trail leading into the woods. I knew it would be best to let someone know where I was, but I didn’t plan to be long, and I didn’t want anyone coming after me. I walked along the trail until it ended by a small lake.
Lucien Page 16
