My gaze darted between the house and my car where I saw something move. Were there more men out there? Shit. How many? My heart thrashed in my ears as I kicked, hoping to hurt the man holding me in place.
He tightened his grip around me. “Fuck, Emilia. Calm down.”
12
What Do We Do Now?
Dom
She rammed her boots into my shin again. “I’m going to let you go. Promise me you won’t run.”
Her body went limp against mine. I removed my hand from her mouth but didn’t let her go. She stood still, her breath ragged. When her legs stiffened next to mine, she shoved away from me, spun and slapped me across the face. Yeah, I deserved that for sneaking up on her, but why the fuck did she leave the hotel?
“What the hell are you doing here?” She stomped her foot, her eyes brimming with tears. “You scared the bejeezus out of me.”
“You left. I didn’t know what to think. Why did you leave?”
When I’d returned to the suite with her files and didn’t find her there, I thought the worst. The clothes she’d worn to breakfast were strewn all over the room, her suitcase and computer gone. It looked like a snatch job. The kind that would make anyone believe the victim had simply left in a hurry.
“You first. How did you find me?” She tightened her trembling fingers on her hips.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Shit, this was definitely the wrong reaction. This was why I didn’t do relationships. I wasn’t the boyfriend type. Trouble followed wherever I went. And trust? I still had to figure that one out. “Vic tracked your computer.”
She glanced upward. This looked bad for me, but when it came to Emilia’s safety, her privacy was the last thing on my mind. With a deep sigh, she met my gaze. “Okay. We’ll talk about my computer later. You came here because you thought I’d been what? Kidnapped?”
“Exactly.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve left a note.”
I glanced down at my muddy dress shoes. “That would’ve been fucking helpful.”
“I thought I had more time before you got back. I needed to talk to Mom. It wasn’t a trap. Jess did call off the divorce.”
“What? Why?”
“Mom saw an opportunity to get me out of this mess with Levi and she took it. So now I’m back to square one. Levi doesn’t know we’re still alive.”
I braced my hands on my knees and blew out air. Now Emilia could go back to her old life, where danger didn’t lurk at every turn. My chest hurt at the thought of not seeing her again, but it had to be done. This mission of hers was pure madness, and it was bound to get her killed. This next part I was good at. I could help Emilia and her family disappear again to New York or some beach. Anywhere as long as it was far away from Levi.
“Okay. This is good news. I can help you find a new place to live.” I paced the length of the creek. The soothing trickling of the water rushing through rocks cleared my mind. Every step ahead of me was clear. “We can leave tonight.”
Emilia chuckled, running both hands through her hair. “The hell I’m leaving. I’m back to square one, yes, but I’ll come up with a new plan. You’re going to help me, or are you backing out on your word?”
“Emilia—”
“If you are, tell me now.” Her gaze dared me to say it. To break my promise to her and prove I was a coward, which I wasn’t, but when it came to her, so much more was at stake.
“Of course, I will help you. I never break a promise.”
“Good.” She smiled, and that feeling of wanting to be everything she thought I was spewed across my chest again. What was more important? Impress Emilia Prado or keep her alive.
“I will help you with your Levi problem, except we’re doing this my way now. That’s non-negotiable.” I pressed my lips together and stared back at her. An intimidating look that sent most people running for the hills, but not Emilia. She considered my offer, her gaze darting between me and the house, trying to find a more logical solution. At least I had that going for me. I was her best shot.
“Levi wasn’t behind the shooting at the bar,” I blurted out. No reason to sugarcoat it.
Her eyes fluttered, and she looked away. For an entire day, she thought her worst nightmare had become a reality. Now she’d been given a second chance. It scared the heck out of her. I wrapped my fingers around her elbow and pulled her toward me. She whimpered and buried her face in my chest.
“You were right.” I held her tight, kissing the top of her head. “Levi has had a taste of power and loves it. There is no way in hell he’s going to let that go. If he ever finds out you and your mom are still alive, he won’t hesitate.”
“So you understand?” She glanced up at me, her pretty eyes and cheeks wet with tears. “I can’t just walk away.”
“I understand.” I ran my thumb over her jaw and plump lips. I wanted to kiss her, make her feel safe, make this threat hanging over her go away, but kissing always led to so much more, far more dangerous than sex.
“He scares me.” She bit her lip, ran her hand up my chest, and cradled my face, pulling me to her. Damn, who could ever say no to this woman?
“I’m here. For whatever you need.” I bent down and pressed my mouth to hers, letting her guide me to what she wanted because if it were up to me, she would be on the ground right now, and I would be buried deep inside her.
Her tongue coaxed me to part my lips and taste her. I took that much from her. Truth be told, at this point, I would take whatever crumbs she’d be willing to give. I walked her back. Small rocks rolled down into the creek as I caged her against a pine tree. Cold water splattered against my legs, but I didn’t care.
Emilia’s kiss was all that mattered to me at that moment. I pressed my body against her, and she sighed, running her hands up my back. My nerve endings stirred when she tugged at my dress shirt and ran her nails up my bare back. I gave into the hot blood coursing through me and deepened the kiss.
“I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt,” I whispered between kisses. The usual drift I felt whenever Emilia was close pulled at me and muted everything around us. “Today, it was all I could do not to squeeze Levi’s neck with my bare hands. Squeeze until he took his last breath.”
“Wait, what?” She shoved me away, lips parted, her breasts straining against her T-shirt as she tried to catch her breath. “You saw him today? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t know what he wanted. And…”
“And you thought I was crazy enough to follow you and try to shoot him?”
Yeah, the thought crossed my mind. “No. I wanted to feel him out first.”
She peered at me, pursing her lips. I hated to see Emilia’s anger directed at me, but maybe this was for the better. The side of Emilia that wanted me was so much more difficult to deal with. She made my brain get all fucked up and out of touch between right and what could get us both killed.
“What did he want? Is that how you knew he didn’t send those men to scare me off?”
I nodded, opting for the truth. We were in this together now, whether I liked it or not. “Turns out he wanted to feel me out. He sort of offered me a job.”
“You didn’t…”
“Of course not. I’ve been done with all that for a while. No way in hell am I going back.” She let out a breath and glanced down at her hands. I tipped her chin up. “What are you thinking?”
“If he didn’t send those men to the house, then who did?”
I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my dress pants. “Good question.”
“You know who, don’t you?” She cocked her eyebrow. I swore it was like she could read my thoughts. More than that, I wanted to be honest with her. I was tired of secrets, tired of hiding my past, and trying to hang on to my present.
“At first, I thought you had some other scheme going on. That you made enemies somewhere else. After I went to the hotel suite and realized you were gone, I finally got my head out of my ass and l
ooked at the situation for what it was.”
She shifted her body and pressed her lips to my shoulder. “Who?”
“Mickey.”
She wrapped her arms around my chest. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Don’t you see? This is all on me.”
“Are you sure it was him?”
“Do I have proof, you mean? No. But this kind of mind game, that’s Mickey’s MO.”
“What do you think he wants after all this time?”
“I have a couple of guesses. It’s exactly as you said…no one ever leaves.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts. She couldn’t have this much control over me.
I stood staring at the precipice that was Mickey and everything that came along with it, and all I could think of was that if Emilia jumped with me, it wouldn’t be so bad. I couldn’t let her be a part of this. Mickey was much worse than Levi. Mickey hadn’t replaced anyone like Levi. His place at the head of the table was his birthright.
“Don’t look at me like that.” She faced me. “Don’t shut me out. Together we can come up with a plan. If Mickey is trying to get your attention, find out why.”
“You know how it goes. He’ll ask for one favor then pay it back and maybe do a little extra. Again and again, until somehow, I not only owe him but need him to stay alive. I won’t go back.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t alone in this, and neither was she. I brushed her cheek with the back of my hand.
“So what do we do now?”
“Nothing is ever a coincidence. How did you come to be my cousin’s husband’s lawyer?”
“He asked for me.”
She raised both eyebrows. “When was the last time you showed real interest in a girl? I know you came by the bar a few times before you talked to me.”
I’d never had any trouble getting women, but somehow when it came to Emilia things felt different. I visited her bar at least three times before I plucked up the courage to talk to her. To my surprise, she’d shown interest.
I racked my brain to find the details of that night. All I could come up with was Emilia’s tits hovering over her leather corset and her sexy-as-hell smile when she agreed to meet me at midnight. I’d gone home soon after with an idiotic grin on my face, inundated with thoughts of all the things I wanted to do to her later. Not once did I think to check if I was being followed. Not that night or any of the other nights I was there.
Vic didn’t even know where I’d gone. I’d been in such a hurry to get ready for our date, I’d forgotten to warn Vic. He’d been pissed the next day and now I understood why. I’d left the door open. If Mickey had been waiting all this time to find a chink in my armor, he’d found it. Losing Emilia would kill me.
“Fuck. He’s using you to get to me.”
“Possibly.” She glanced back at the house. “I wonder how much Jess knows. If Levi has had any dealings with Mickey, she would know.”
I let her pull me toward the house. “You think he would actually tell her?”
“No, but Jess isn’t the defenseless victim she likes everyone to believe. She’s afraid of Levi, but she’s also smart.”
We trudged through the threshold. The cabin, if I could call this huge house that, smelled of pastries and syrup. As bad as Emilia had it all these years, she at least had this. She had a family—a home.
“I was getting ready to come looking for you.” Her mom gave a slanted glance at Emilia’s cousin, who sat on the other side of the table. “It’s good to see you again.” She smiled at me.
“Same here, Mrs. Prado.” I shook her extended hand.
“Please. Sofia is fine. I’m not that old. Can I get you a coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
“No.” Emilia gave me her this isn’t a social call look. She craned her neck to get a better look of the hallway beyond the kitchen and then turned to her cousin. “We need Jess to tell us how long Levi has been involved with the Italian mob.”
“What?” Jess dropped her fork. Her gaze darted between Emilia and her mom. “Auntie?”
“Actually, no. First, tell me how you found us. And don’t lie.”
“At first, I thought you were a ghost.” Jess placed her hand over her mouth. “I saw you at the cemetery where Uncle Emiliano is buried.”
“Why were you there?” Emilia stepped toward Jess, her gaze dark with determination. In her haste to get even with Levi, Emilia didn’t think to ask Jess the simple questions. Like how Jess managed to find Emilia and her mom after ten years of them being dead.
“I go there every Sunday after church. Sometimes Levi comes with us. The day I saw you I had to pretend I was ill to get him to leave before he saw you.”
“You went to see him after I asked you not to?” Sofia narrowed her eyes at Emilia. One mistake was all it took.
“I had to see him, Mom.” Emilia wiped her eyes several times before the tears stopped. “So what then? You followed me?”
Jess shook her head. “Levi took me straight home. After that day, things changed for me. Knowing I wasn’t alone, that I had family still, gave me hope.”
“How did you find me?”
“I hired someone. It took him just a few days to come up with an address.”
Emilia’s face went pale. Coming back to Phoenix had been a mistake. If Jess could find Emilia in a matter of days so could Levi.
Emilia ran her trembling hands through her curls. “Skip to the next thing. What do you know about Levi’s connection to the Italian mob?”
Sofia blinked slowly. “Tell her everything you know.”
“I don’t know what I know.” Jess was terrified of Levi. How did she manage to live with this fear all these years? Because of her daughter? “He’s a good dad.” She wiped her nose, and sniffled. “Levi asked me to bring Izzy over. He wanted to see her, and she wanted to see him. So I did. Before we left, a man came to the house. I was surprised because Levi never takes meetings at home. That’s it. I don’t even know if that means anything. I only mentioned it to Aunt Sofia because I found it odd. Levi looked worried. I wanted to know what she thought of it. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I promise I don’t know him. I just want my kids to be safe.” She rubbed her belly. Sofia put her arm around Jess and shook her head at Emilia.
Emilia turned to me. Jess was a dead end. Did she really not know Mickey?
“What did he look like?” I asked.
Jess’s head snapped up at me, eyes wide as if she hadn’t noticed I was in the room. “Balding. Maybe. Um, wide shoulders, maybe as tall as Emilia.”
Jersey was riddled with balding, stocky, average height men but none of them had a reason to visit a drug lord in Arizona. Especially not one that was married to Emilia’s cousin—Emilia, the woman I’d been pining over for more than five years.
The reality of the situation washed over me like a bucket of ice water. I’d started all this mess the minute I returned to the bar to look for Emilia. Mickey had come for me because, in his mind, I was still part of his family, and because he thought that now I had something—or rather someone—he could take away if I didn’t do as he asked and play the good son again.
13
I’d Like To Give That A Try
Emilia
What happened to you, Jess?
Before Jess met Levi, she was full of dreams and all kinds of crazy plans, but after she fell for him, her entire life began to rotate around what he wanted. In spite of all that, she wasn’t weak. The fire in her eyes, her strength, were still there. I could see it whenever Izzy walked in the room. I couldn’t blame her for all the damage she’d caused…she didn’t do any of it for herself. She did it for her daughter.
“I’m sorry.” I sat in the chair adjacent to hers and squeezed her hand. “I haven’t forgotten my promise to you. Levi will soon be no more than a bad dream.”
She smiled. “It’s rare, but when he’s good, life is easy. I keep wishing it was that way all the time.�
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“It can’t be because when it’s there, it isn’t the real him. Do you understand that?” I brushed the hair away from her face and hugged her. Feelings had a way of clouding the mind. This was why I never let myself get involved with anyone.
“I know. I’m sorry I ruined your plans, but Aunt Sofia made a good case for it.”
“We’ll find another way.” I glanced at Dom. His quick nod made my words feel truer than I knew them to be.
After breakfast, Mom talked Jess into going out for a walk with Izzy and her. “There’s a flamenco show in the city center later today.” Mom smiled at Dom before she added. “Now that he’s here, I can see you’re not in such a hurry to get back. A bit of fresh air might do you both good.” She pressed her hand to my cheek and strolled out with Jess and Izzy.
The door shut behind them and left us in an awkward silence. I opened my laptop and checked my email. Maybe some work would help me refocus on what I had to do next. What do we do now? Dom had asked. I had many ideas, but I was sure he wouldn’t like any of them.
He sat across from me at the end of the table, his long legs in front of him, elbows braced on the armrest, gaze focused on the fruit bowl in the middle of the table. What was he not saying? When Jess had mentioned the mystery man who visited Levi, Dom had shut down as if he knew exactly whom Jess had seen. My money was on Mickey.
The minute hand on the clock seemed to be on fast forward. Any time spent with Dom always felt that way—rushed and short. We never had enough of it. When I checked the time again it was late in the afternoon and neither one of us had moved. Maybe we were both afraid that if we spoke, we’d have to talk about the elephant in the room. What did Mickey want from Dom?
“Flamenco dancing sounds like fun,” I said.
His gaze snapped up at me. Heat rose to my cheeks when he surveyed my face, like he wanted to memorize every minor detail. Why did this feel like a goodbye? As much as it would hurt to see him leave again, I had no right to stop him. Promise or no promise, he didn’t owe me anything. I couldn’t ask him to risk his livelihood for me. My heart squeezed at the idea that this would be the last time I saw him.
Ignite You: A Second Chance Mafia Romance (Cole Brothers Series Book 0) Page 10
