Bella: The Ending: A Sagatori Family Saga

by Kimberly Soto

  Copyright © 2018 Kimberly Soto

  Bella: The Ending A Sagatori Family Saga by Kimberly Soto

  All Rights Reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without permission of the publisher or author constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from this book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at

  Kimberlysoto2018@gmail.com

  This book is work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental

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  Editing, Interior, and Cover Design by Masque of the Red Pen

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  THANK YOU

  CHAPTER ONE

  —Bella—

  “Jax?” My father? I shook my head. “My father’s dead.” I spoke more to myself than anyone. “How could you be working for my father?” I snapped.

  Who did she think she was messing with? I was angry, feral, and out for blood. How dare she say anything about my deceased father?

  “Bella—” Jax’s arm swept around my waist as he attempted to pull me away. I jerked forward, my eyes falling from hers as I realized I’d stepped into Rebecca’s face. I hovered, gripping the arms of the chair she clung to. And all while pointing the gun I’d stolen from Wyatt. “She’s not worth it.”

  I allowed Jax to move me only because I needed to remain calm if I was going to put all these pieces together. Why would she say she was working for my father? What was her angle?

  “Well, well. I see your little kitty’s off her leash.” She lifted her brows and smirked. “But I don’t suppose you let her out of her cage often.” She turned her attention toward me. “Am I right, Bella?”

  I drew in a deep breath, collecting my thoughts and some semblance of my sanity, but I still fully intended to kill this bitch. I turned my attention toward Sam, who’d been standing next to Dominic watching, and with a nod, he stepped closer one foot at a time.

  Jax searched from Sam, Rebecca, and lastly me. His face was hard. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Jax asked Sam. While Sam was a dick on every possible level and, trust me, I knew what I was talking about, I knew that she had been with him. I also knew I had leverage that no one, including Jax, had known about. I called in a favor with sharpness even my father wouldn’t have objected to.

  You see, I knew Sam’s biggest secret. A secret I would take with me to the grave.

  I drew in a deep breath and straightened my stance, risking a glance to nearly everyone in the room. Quickly, I realized I had let her affect me. Jax wouldn’t have done that, my father wouldn’t have done that, so why was I—someone who’d been so determined to be respected, someone who swore I could run this family—getting so caught up in the center of her drama and letting it affect me. I didn’t need that. I was raised by a man, had one female best friend, and a few other girlfriends, but never that close. Men raised me, and I’d seen how a leader was supposed to respond to this sort of thing. She thought she was in control. I needed to show her that I was in control—no one BUT me.

  My hand sagged with the heaviness of the metal that I gripped into the palm of my hand. I allowed my attention to fall on the spots that were scratched and wore down. A breath left my lungs as I saw the indentations on the old gun. My eyes rested upon it, certain a finger had rested there many times prior. The scuff marks never caused the metal to stand down because it felt weak. The gun was still powerful and held its own, despite its appearance. In all honesty, I was the same as the gun I held in my palm.

  I wanted to kill her right there, but questioned what a leader would do in that scenario. Why did I want to kill her so badly? Jealousy? Perhaps, but I wouldn’t let that get in my way. She was holding something over Jax’s head, and I needed to know what that was.

  Jax remained at my side as he watched with regret swimming in his dark, worried eyes. The cock of his brow was only a mask he used to hide the worry. The watchful eye, however, told a different story; a story I was all too familiar with.

  A few moments passed since Rebecca had last spoken. She watched me then moved her attention toward Jax and Sam, but she didn’t seem affected by Sam’s presence in the slightest which I thought was odd. When Jax told the story of Rebecca and Sam it felt as if she loved Sam or maybe I’d made that up in my mind. After all, why on earth would someone cheat on Jax, if emotion hadn’t been a factor. I couldn’t fathom the idea.

  “I know who and what you are, Rebecca. The small space closed in on me as I reluctantly moved an inch closer to her. I swept my left hand over the coolness of the gun’s shaft. “I know all the things you did to get where you are today.”

  Her brow rose with the curve of her lips. “Do you?” Her question was sardonic. She toyed with me, wanting her words to fill me with tumultuous doubt.

  “I know that you’re beneath Jax and”—I raised a finger to my chin taking my time as I shook my head—“a liar.”

  “Is that what he told you?”

  I shook my head. “No, but I’m a smart girl, and it doesn’t take me long to get the hang of things.” I arched my brow.

  “How long before he trades you in?”

  I laughed nervously. “What?”

  She relaxed into the chair. “You’re naïve, aren’t you?” A heavy smile painted her face. “He has you completely brainwashed of his perfection. Ha! I was you once, ignorant to reality. Thinking that he loved me and I was the only one.” Her eyes moved to her left finding Jax. She shook her head. “And five minutes after I was murdered there was Isabella.” Her attention came back to me. What was she talking about? She was trying to goad me, I knew that. I inhaled deeply while not changing my position.

  “That’s enough!” Jax lunged forward, the veins in his temples throbbing; his body was rigid, and heated sweat beaded on his forehead.

  “Awe, Jax.” She shook her head. “I know I’m not leaving this room and I accept that, but trust me when I say I’m taking you down with me.” Her eyes bled hatred for him.

  “You can certainly try, but nothing you say has any claim over Jax. I won’t allow you to hurt my husband.”

  She shifted her body to take me in as if she had suddenly been possessed. “We will most definitely see about that, Isabella.”

  “Is this really fucking necessary?” I asked as Jax pulled a gun from behind Tony’s jacket, pulling the slide back and checking to
see if it was loaded. As he began twisting a silencer on the barrel, I watched knowing he was going to kill her. Jax was cold and reactive as he pointed the gun at her. “There’s nothing we’ll see, Rebecca.” He pulled the hammer on the gun. “You should’ve stayed dead.” Sweat dripped from his chin.

  “I’m your sister, Bella! I’m your sister!” she cried. After the entire tough girl act had fallen away, she showed her vulnerability. But why did she say that she was my sister? I didn’t have a sister, and my parents were both gone.

  Her voice echoed over and over in my head as she begged for her life. “Stop! Jax, stop!” I demanded. Everything was becoming overwhelming, and I couldn’t think.

  “Bella, you want to know the truth?” Her breath hitched as a tear beaded at her eye before falling to her lips.

  “Talk.”

  She nodded rapidly. “Okay,”

  Jax grabbed my arm and leaned into my ear. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

  I dropped my eyes to the hand that pressed into my flesh, “You’re hurting my arm,” I shot back.

  He drew a deep breath and clenched his teeth before finally releasing me. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” he repeated.

  “I’m a big girl. She’s just told me she’s working for my father and she’s my sister. I need to hear her out.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Everything she’s gonna say will ruin you in one way or another.” He raised the gun to Rebecca again. I knew he was going to kill her, this was it for her.

  “I’ll talk! I’ll tell you anything you want to know, Bella!” she cried as the darkness of what was about to happen to her had sunk in.

  “No. No, you won’t.” Jax moved closer, resting the gun just above her perfectly shaped brow.

  “Please!” She panicked, her body shaking while her eyes skated between us.

  Jax was being an animal. Rebecca couldn’t be trusted, but how could he act as if she wasn’t a human being? He once called her his wife, and now he was going to kill her. I cringed at the thought of it being me in that chair.

  “STOP! Jax, I said stop!”

  “Bella, she can’t be trusted. She wants to hurt you—us. I can’t let that happen.” Sweat continued to bead along his brow while his hand shook, the gun pressed into her forehead. If I didn’t do something she would die.

  I pressed my hand to his shoulder and nudged him toward me. “Baby, look at me.” If I didn’t know Jax as well as I did I’d say he was terrified, but why? “No one is going to hurt us, baby. She’s no one. She’s weak and you’re strong—we’re strong.” I raised my hand to his cheek gently forcing him to look at me. “I know you’ll take care of us, but I need to hear her out, do you understand?”

  “Bella,” Rebecca cried, shaking in her chair.

  Why didn’t she cry to him, why me?

  “Please, Jax, let me hear her out and then we can move on.” I smoothed my fingers across his cheek.

  He turned, watching me for a moment, and then drew a deep breath. “I can’t, Bella, back away,” he growled before putting his attention on Rebecca once more.

  My heart pounded in my ears seeing the fear in her eyes with the knowledge of how she would die.

  Seconds passed with the pounding of my heart against my chest while she shook in her chair. “Jax, if you do this I’ll walk out of this room and never look back.”

  His breath hitched, and his eyes closed tight. “Don’t be stupid, Bella, you have no say in this matter.”

  Fuck! He would pull the trigger any second. “Fine! Do it and see how stupid I am. You’re not the bad guy, Jax, but killing an innocent woman is bad.”

  Jax finally turned toward me. “I am the bad guy, Bella. The very worst of them all.”

  “I will leave; do you understand?”

  His body stiffened just before he turned toward me again. “You’ll never leave, Bella! NEVER! I’ll never let you go.” His eyes were feral; an animalistic growl in the back of his throat forced his words to agonize my ears. Why was he doing this?

  “Boss, let go of Bella! With all due respect, sir.” Tony stepped to my right. Jax had been gripping my arms so tightly there was blood dripping to the floor. I’d wanted to scream but held it in.

  His eyes moved rapidly across my body seeing that his fingers pressed violently into my flesh as if he didn’t know he’d done it.

  “Who are you?” I choked.

  He reached for my face. “Bella?”

  I didn’t know who he was, or what he was truly capable of doing. “Don’t touch me!”

  “Don’t be—”

  “Stupid?” I shot, raising a brow. “You may be the boss of this so-called crime family, but I’m the boss of this family! You touch one hair on her head, and you’ll regret it. Am I making myself clear? I’m not afraid of you, Jax Moretti. Tony?”

  “Yes?”

  Without letting my eyes fall from Jax, I spoke, “Tony, we’re leaving. Get her together, she’s coming with me.”

  “Where are you going?” Jax spit.

  I watched him for a few seconds then answered, “Home, Jax.”

  “You’re taking her to Chicago?”

  I shook my head. “No, I won’t be going back to Chicago. I’m going to Papa’s.”

  “Bella, I think you should listen to your husband here.” Sam had never spoken to me with any amount of respect before today. I turned my head over my shoulder.

  “Sam, since when have I ever listened? I do what I think is right! I don’t follow orders—now or ever. If you don’t like it, Jax, I’m sure you know where you can stick it.”

  Dominic fidgeted and bumped into the table he stood next to. “Sorry,” he offered when the entire room turned his way.

  “You’re taking her home with you?” Jax said as he ignored the noise Dominic had made.

  “Yes, I can’t leave her here.”

  “You have no idea what she really is, Bella,” he pleaded, and I could practically see the blood in his eyes.

  My heart felt strange. “I know exactly what she is, Jax. Do you trust me?” I reached for his hand.

  His eyes moved rapidly across my face. “No.”

  “Then it’s you whom I don’t know.” I dropped his hand.

  I leaned down to Rebecca. “We’re going to leave the room and if you give me any trouble, I’ll kill you myself, understood?”

  She quickly nodded while remaining silent.

  “Dominic, help her up.” Rebecca had mascara running down her pink cheeks, and we couldn’t leave the hotel with her looking like that. “Wipe your face, and if she gives you trouble, Dominic, knock her out.”

  “Please don’t do this! Please don’t make me do this!” Jax yelled.

  “What? What are you going to do?” I asked with annoyance.

  “We’re ready,” Dominic and Rebecca said as they walked toward us again.

  “Who’s your fuckin’ boss?” Jax growled to Dominic.

  “You are.”

  “Okay, cause it’s lookin’ like you take orders from my wife these days.”

  Dominic stood tall as Jax hovered over his body. “No, boss, I take my orders from you.”

  “Bella, you’re not goin’ anywhere.”

  “I’m taking them with me.”

  Jax grabbed and held my arm once again. “You’ll do what the fuck you’re told.” He was unraveling… or maybe this was him—the real Jax. The man in front of me wasn’t my husband; this was a ruthless mob boss treating me just like they all treated their precious belongings.

  “Why don’t you want her talking, Jax? What are you so worried about?”

  “I’ll tell you why, Bella,” Rebecca whispered.

  Jax closed his eyes tight. “No. You. Won’t.”

  “You think she’s gonna say something to incriminate you, don’t you?” Jax shook his head. I reached for his hand prying his fingers loose from my arm and walked toward Rebecca. “Tell me everything.”

  She nodded.

  I turned bac
k to Jax seeing him become volatile sliding the crystal from the table against the wall and causing a loud crash. His features were something I’d truly never seen from anyone. He was beyond angry… He was scared. He pierced me with his darkened eyes, and his veins popped out of his face, neck, and arms. What could she possibly admit that would turn him into such a monster?

  “Bella?” he questioned. “Do you trust me?”

  I thought I did.

  I thought there was never anything he could do or say that would hurt me, but seeing this—him—the way he’d spoken to me, there was no way I could deal with that. This life sucked you in with money and power. The women lived a fabulous life, one that seemed perfect from the outside looking in. I knew that all too well having grown up in this life, but as the wife of Jax Moretti I was fortunate, I’d been loved. I’d seen more than most, and I stood tall as a woman, but I was my own woman. I didn’t want a man giving me orders and making demands of me. I wanted to make my own decisions and my own way in this world. I needed to remember that just because he loved me and I wanted to make him happy, this wasn’t demanded of me but my choice; a decision that I’d made all on my own. I loved him through many things. I’d sat next to him every second while he lay in a hospital room and yet he’d said he didn’t trust me. I’d given up my entire life for him, carried his child, and still, he didn’t trust me. What did that say about this marriage? There we were, him filled with deafening doubt that I could be trusted to do what needed to be done; my love, my loyalty meant nothing to him.

  I’d been treated like a stupid princess my entire life. Imagine the girl with everything: the perfect life, perfect prom dress, and perfect car. But that would’ve been empty without my father. My family was what meant the world to me, not the things I was given. I’d taken Jax as my husband twice, and now he questioned my loyalty and doubted me. All the money in the world wouldn’t make you happy, not without someone to share it with, and he was that for me. I did trust him. I trusted everything about him until the moment came—here, now—when he was hiding something from me. What didn’t he want me to know? How could I trust someone who had secrets?