Gangster

by Sapphire Knight

  At the far side of the room, Thaddaeus waits. The priest, along with Maximillian and Cage, stand beside him. They’re in light gray suits, not matching, but close enough. They’re handsome and I’m honored they’re standing beside him to support us.

  Kaleigh showed up in a dark blue dress that ended up being completely fitting. I had no idea they would decorate this room with my favorite colors, and while none of us match exactly, the colors are beautiful, complementing each other. For a last-minute decision to marry, I have to say this far outweighs any expectations I ever had. I really can’t wait to see what the full ceremony down the road ends up looking like when we have our families joining us to celebrate.

  Dillion and Kaleigh walk on each side of me, not sure if it’s in case I have a fleeing desire to bolt or just because they’re my friends. Dillion is in Thaddaeus’ crew, but he’s fast becoming a friend to me as well.

  “Grace.” My future husband utters, looking over me with awe in his warm gaze. It’s tender and I may be imagining it, but I swear it’s full of love too. My hands go to his, and he holds them as I step closer to him, linked between us securely. “The father is a friend of the familia’s.” He nods to the right and I glance to the older gentleman in black.

  “Father.” I smile. “Thank you for joining us today.”

  “My pleasure.” He returns my smile and surprisingly his is genuine. I wouldn’t expect it from someone who’s never met me, but from him it is, and I instantly like him. “Now, is everyone ready to start?”

  “We are.” Thaddaeus answers for us both and I squeeze his palms, enthralled.

  “Do you, Grace, take Thaddaeus to be your husband? For life, to have and hold, through sickness and health, until death do you part?” The vows are a little ironic as I think them over. That’s essentially what it’ll come down to, to separate us—death.

  “Yes, I do.” No hesitation. I’ve had time to think it over, and I’ve made peace with my decision. I’ll devote myself to him for the rest of my life.

  At my answer, Thaddaeus stands a bit taller, if that’s even possible. Hard to believe that man has any doubts at all, especially about little ol’ me not saying I do. I know I’m lucky to have him; I’m not going to let him slip away or embarrass him during such an important event in our lives.

  “Do you, Thaddaeus, take Grace to be your wife? For life, to have and hold, through sickness and health, until death do you part?” The priest repeats and I find myself holding my breath.

  Tawny orbs meet mine, staring at me like they can see completely through me. He nods, swallowing. “Yes, Father, I do.”

  Everything else fades away as he leans forward, his hands pulling my palms in closer to him as his lips touch mine. Softness, unlike anything I’ve felt before overcomes me. He kisses me like I’m a delicate flower, ready to wilt as if he’s afraid that too much pressure will push me away.

  He’s warm and inviting. His scent and his taste consume every thought as I take him in through the kiss. I give him back everything, pouring my heart into the mating of our mouths. I want him to know that I mean it, that he’s my forever. Time passes too quickly and he’s pulling away, sliding the sparkling diamond ring on my left ring finger.

  It doesn’t feel too heavy anymore. It feels perfect, like it was meant to be there.

  I can barely make out the fuzzy image of the priest in the background. He’s simply not here in this moment I’m experiencing with Thaddaeus. This time is for my husband and me—to take him in and really catalog each feature so I can remember this moment for the rest of my life. Nights when I’m left alone because of his business, I’ll look back, remembering this right now. How perfect it was and why I wait, no doubt worrying about his safety.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. I’d say you could kiss your bride, but you’ve already done that.” The older man chuckles quietly.

  “That’s okay, I don’t mind,” I reply in a daze and this time I’m met with a scorching kiss. It’s urgent and full of unspoken promises of bliss. No doubt this man will be having his fill of me on our wedding night and I look forward to every minute of it.

  His embrace loosens as I come back off the cloud his kiss had put me on. I didn’t realize he had his arms wrapped around me as I was completely consumed by his mouth.

  “You’re officially mine, Grace Morelli.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  The ring sparkles beautifully in the lights, as does my bracelet when I peer down at them. The realization that I’m now a married woman isn’t lost on me. There were times I believed it would never happen. I can’t help but wonder if we’ll have children? Will he love me? Perhaps I should’ve asked him those questions before exchanging our vows, but I won’t go back on them now. We were married in front of a Catholic priest, and friends, that mean a great deal to us. In my eyes, this is one hundred percent real.

  “You’ve made me a very happy man, amore,” Thaddaeus whispers against my brow, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead before pulling away and thanking the Father.

  I smile and watch as he shakes his friends’ hands as they congratulate him. They each move on from him after a moment to embrace me in a strong hug and whisper their support. Kaleigh’s last to offer her congratulations, but her hug’s genuine and that’s all that matters. I’m so grateful she came today and I let her know it.

  “I’m happy for you, even if you caught me off guard. I want you to be content, and if you love him, who am I to stand in your way?” She squeezes my bicep affectionately and scopes out Dillion.

  “You know, I’m pretty sure he’s single.”

  Her eyes pop back to me. “Huh?”

  “Dillion. I’m sure if you made a move, he’d comply.”

  “Oh no.” She giggles nervously and I roll my eyes. She’ll never go for it which is a shame because I bet Dillion would show her the time of her life.

  One of the housekeepers approaches. “Pardon, the food is ready whenever you all are.”

  “Thank you, Jenna,” Thaddaeus acknowledges and turns to us. “Ready to eat?”

  I can’t believe he pulled this off and that he’s telling me there’s more. I assumed he’d only had enough time to have them decorate in here for the ceremony, but there’s food too? I’d smelled something walking down to the sun-room but I figured it was for dinner.

  Taking my hand, he leads me to the formal dining room with everyone else following along. I’ve seen this room when I’ve explored, but we’ve never actually used it. I’m blown away inside to discover it’s been decorated similar to the setup in the sun-room. The exquisitely carved cherry table is set with a white runner down the middle. Hydrangea blooms in my favorite colors accent it with fine china placed in each setting.

  On a buffet stand off to the side, there’s a freshly-baked Italian crème cake. It’s frosted in white swirls for our wedding day and lightly sprinkled along the sides with almonds. It looks delicious. The elegant porcelain dessert plates and petite fuchsia-colored blooms surrounding it all make it appear even more special. I’ll never forget this day for the rest of my life, and I’ll always be grateful to Thaddaeus and his staff for doing what they could to make this day stand out against all the others.

  It’s like a fairy tale—one I never imagined would come from a man who’s been painted by the city as such a ruthless criminal. As each moment passes, my decision to marry him becomes more and more confident. Clearly, he cares for me to do all of this. I know he wouldn’t have thought twice about any of it. This was for me, and each little thing he does makes me surrender a bit more of myself to him.

  I was right in the beginning about needing space away or else he’d consume me in no time. I’ve been in his home—our home now—for a week, and the man is easily becoming my entire world. Everything from the first bouquet of flowers he’s sent has been giving. How did I get so lucky to meet a man with such a big heart?

  Lunch, the ceremony, the cake—all of it was perfect. Even if I was working
on business during most of it, I couldn’t be more pleased. The cheeses, meats, breads, meatballs and sauce we had catered in turned out to be a success with everyone. The priest made Grace feel at ease and I couldn’t have asked for more. Her friend even sucked up her fear to be there for her best friend. I was impressed and able to take care of some business, so win-win all around. Thankfully, I don’t think Grace ever caught on to what was going on during any of it.

  Last night when my guys returned empty-handed, I knew I’d have to take matters into my own hands. They say if you want something done right, you must do it yourself. The marriage to Grace was step one. Next, I make an example out of the gutter rat that attempted to kill my wife. Then we’ll see if anyone has a nut sack big enough to come at me again.

  I received a text from Officer Lancer, one of the cops on my payroll. He spotted Jimmy Fantiome heading into one of Franco’s old warehouses. I’m assuming he overtook his crew and is running things now. I usually attempt to stay out of the local gangs’ activities as long as they stay far away from me and my business ventures. They’ve crossed a line, and now everything’s fair game.

  Immediately, I sent Cage to the pits to round up some more of our crew and to find a handful of fighters to bring with us in case I needed a few people beaten to death. This isn’t an after-school special; I’m a criminal in the streets of Chicago. Things don’t always end in a handshake; hence, my kind uncle Robbie getting shot down in his freaking bakery.

  “Time to celebrate,” I say, turning to Dillion and Maximillian.

  It’s just us. Grace and Kaleigh wanted to catch up so they went to relax in the theatre room and the priest left about an hour ago. Housekeeping has been cleaning everything up, minus the flowers per Grace’s request, so everything’s getting back to normal.

  “You decided on a honeymoon or party after all?”

  Shaking my head at Dillion, I take a drink of my scotch and continue. “Nope. I have a location on Jimmy Fantiome.”

  Max grins wickedly. “Shall we pay him a visit then?”

  “I think it’s time we show them what a real drive-by is, don’t you?” They both eagerly agree. “Load up the weapons; we’re meeting Cage right outside the warehouse. I’ve already called him and put everything into play. And bring both SUVs. I want to roll three deep on this.”

  “This is serious then,” Dillion states and I grunt. No need to answer. I’m done fucking around with wannabe thugs.

  We load up and Dillion drives the Denali with me in the back, and Max follows in the Tahoe. Both are all blacked out with bulletproof upgrades, as are all my vehicles. Cage will be in my other Tahoe. I have three at all times, just for reasons such as this, or if I have unexpected business that needs transport. You can fit a lot in an SUV—weapons, drugs, guns … bodies.

  After a quick drive, we pull into an empty parking lot. Cage is already waiting with four shredded fighters and six men from our drug crew. They’ll know how to shoot, while, if needed, the fighters will know how to fight and provide security. I doubt it’ll get to that point, but I stay alive in this business by always being prepared.

  “Cage, thanks for being swift.” He nods as I scan over the guys beside him. He did a good job.

  I take in the leather boots, jeans, and cut. Biker. He looks pretty damn mean and buff though, so no argument out of me. I notice his name patch reads ‘Cain’ on one side. Another I recognize as Blake ‘The Adonis.’ He’s pro; Cage must’ve been serious when he said this guy was looking for extra work. Not sure what kind of hole he dug himself into with taking a chance like this against his fighting career in the pros. If he gets popped or injured, his career in MMA will be spent and he’ll be fighting in the pit full-time for me. Not that I’d mind, just surprised.

  My gaze stops on the last two. They’re a few from the pit, our regular fighters. They stare at the ground, not eager to meet my gaze. The other six, from our drug crew know exactly who I am, but we have so many of them, I have no idea who they are. That’s Max’s department, I just sign their paychecks, so to speak.

  “I want the weapons in the back seat. Fighters in the very backs of the SUVs. I want you four out of the firing range.” I direct and they head to wait by the hatches of each vehicle. “Cage, Max, Dillion—you three drive. Anyone familiar with heavy artillery equipment, you sit in the back seat. Small arms fire, you take the front seat.”

  Everyone springs into action, unloading weapons from the backs of the SUVs and taking their directed places. I ride with Dillion again, sitting in the seat directly behind him. One of the drug crew guys takes the front next to D while another sits to the right of me. The biker and one of the other fighters hop in the very back, and then we’re moving. We can’t waste time; who knows when Jimmy will take off again.

  The two guys on the right each start checking their weapons, loading them and preparing for what’s about to go down. Franco’s old warehouse isn’t too far from here, but it feels like it takes forever to get there. I send a quick text to the officer again, confirming Jimmy Fantiome’s still there in the building. Once he gives me the thumbs up, I tell him he can leave and promise to send him a payment later this week for his help.

  The old, brown building comes into sights. “Lower the windows,” I order Dillion. The guy beside me can’t. His weapon’s in the way for him to reach. It’s bad enough that he has to be squished up against me, sitting in the middle to have enough space.

  The two black windows on the right begin to lower and the guy beside me slides the Browning M2 .50 cal machine gun out the window enough to give him room not to get in the way of the loading. Glancing behind me, I can see the other vehicles do the same. The SUVs slow down to a comfortable speed around twenty miles per hour, coming up on the building.

  Once we’re at the halfway point of the building and the other two vehicles are close enough to fire as well, I give the order. “Light them up.”

  Thank God, we stuck earplugs in; it’s so noisy. The guy beside me has his back propped against mine to help withstand the momentum of the machine guns. There’s no rat-tat from puny, cheap ass weapons; this sounds like fucking thunder in the truck as each round goes off. Casings fly off to the side and we each hold our breath, hoping like a motherfucker the hot shells don’t burn any of us.

  Holes filter through the structure, slicing through its walls like a warm knife to butter. Definitely worth the nine grand I shelled out per .50 cal to keep in each of my SUVs. I like to be prepared.

  As the debris from the building flies in every direction, a loud, booming laugh leaves me. Revenge is best served with brass casings involved. Glad I could teach these wannabes a little lesson in what happens when you cross a Morelli.

  If Jimmy or any of his boys survive this, one thing’s for certain, they’ll know to not fuck with what’s mine.

  Mozzafiato- (adj) breathtaking, majestic.Literally to chop off one’s breath.

  “What are we doing?”

  Adjusting my suit shirt a bit, I take her in. “We’re going to dinner.”

  She looks stunning in her red wrap dress. Don’t get me wrong, I love when she’s in yoga pants; but this, I can slide my hands under when we’re at the dinner table. It’s like enticing a bull and I’m ready to charge.

  “But what about last time? Is it safe?”

  “Yes, amore. You’re my familia now—my wife. Everyone needs to see that ring on your finger and know the rumors are accurate. They’d be signing they’re death certificates if they went against you.”

  There’s also the part where I sent one hell of a message last week. I’m still thinking about those machine guns. I should order more; they take retribution to an entirely new level. Maybe I should have my crew hit the range with me so we can have some fun with the .50 cals. We could make a guy’s day out of it; they’ve earned it by putting up with my mood swings lately.

  “I won’t let anyone harm you.”

  “I trust you.”

  Grace’s faith in me makes me feel as
if I’m twenty feet tall and made of steel. I’ll break someone in half before they get to her. Pulling her to me, my arms tightly wrap around her frame. I can never touch her enough or be close enough to this woman it seems.

  We get to the restaurant and everyone openly gawks. Usually people shy away from looking at him so brazenly, but not tonight. They practically gape as his fingers wind with mine; my left hand on full display with my new diamond sparkling magnificently. He’s proud too; I can see it written all over his profile. I think he’s silently beating on his chest as we cross the room.

  Thaddaeus nearly glows as he shows me off, walking past table after table. The place is full of people as the hostess leads the way to our own private area set toward the back of the room. He seems elated to have me at his side, and that, in return, makes me overly happy inside.

  Dillion follows us along, making himself comfortable by propping up in a nearby corner, scanning the entire place for potential threats. There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone here knows exactly who Thaddaeus is, and it’s a bit nerve-racking.

  The hostess flashes a friendly smile my way and places the menu down, letting us know that our server will be right with us to get our drink order.

  “What are you thinking right now?” Thaddaeus leans in, his manly scent overpowering the lingering traces of tomatoes, oregano, and cheeses left floating through the air. He’s so handsome like this, dressed in his suit, all nicely put together and gazing at me like I’m the most important person in the room.

  “That everyone’s watching us and I’d bet money they know who you are.”

  “They weren’t staring at me, Bella.” He watches me intently, his gaze lingering on my lips a bit longer than the rest of my features. I wore some darker lipstick tonight; it’s a deep red and daring. I love it, and it seems that my new husband is fond of it as well.

  “No? I could’ve sworn they were looking.”