Love and Sacrifice: The Pierce Family Trilogy #2

by Chelsea Ballinger

  He pulls me down and I lay my head on his damp chest. I listen to his heartbeat and can only hope that one day he will be fully comfortable with me.

  “Good, because I hate suits, and I definitely hate ties,” he says, which is not the answer I was hoping for, but like my dad said, give it time.

  Chapter 18

  “Snap”

  Tommy

  Feeling my bed move, I turn around and see Ella, naked and stretching.

  "I'm about to go take a shower. Feel free to join me," she smiles while walking backwards out of my room. I flip off the covers and check my phone: 1:36 p.m. We slept most of the day away after our night/morning activities. I hear the shower and stand up, about to head into the bathroom when I hear a knock on the door.

  Ella told her parents she was staying at Dina's, but you never know. Her father and three men could be outside, or maybe he found out and he's coming to kill me. I throw on my sweats and hear more knocking. Moving my gun from the coffee table to the top of the refrigerator, I glance out the window and my heart sinks.

  Deeply inhaling and exhaling, I brace myself and open the door. Vico, Chris and Terry smile at me.

  "What are you guys doing here?"

  "We’re doing recon with another inside guy at the Pierce house,” Chris says as they walk in.

  "Listen, you guys need to go right back out because I got company in the shower," I calmly tell them, like it’s nothing.

  "Little Tommy boy got himself some last night?" Vico asks.

  I give them a cocky smile. "You can say that."

  "Let me go have a peek," Vico says, heading towards my bathroom.

  "Vico, you can't."

  "Why?" Terry asks with that same smug grin on his face like he knows something. Vico and Chris are giving me questionable looks too, so I just say what I have to.

  "Ella Pierce is in there."

  Vico and Chris were speechless. Terry nodded.

  "Oh shit!" Vico exclaims, jumping up and down. "Nice Tommy."

  "How was she?" Chris asks.

  "Nice and sweet, she does things you wouldn't believe," I tell them what they want to hear.

  "Damn, let me have a crack at her," Chris says.

  I feel my left temple jump at the vision of Chris, Vico, and especially Terry getting their hands on Ella.

  "No. You can't. It's not time yet with the case and all," I tell them, hoping that's a good enough reason for them because they don't really follow rules.

  "You’re right. That's what we came to tell you," Chris says.

  I don't know what Ella is doing in that shower, but I need her to stay in there.

  "Okay, hurry up," I tell them.

  "We're telling you because we know you’re tired of this bullshit place and we are pleased to inform you that you will soon be free, buddy."

  "What happened?”

  "That detective brother of yours; we shot up his house while his family was there." My heart sank further.

  "That's good. Scare him," I say him with a smile.

  "Oh, we went there to do more than scare him,” Terry says quietly.

  “Unfortunately, no one died."

  "Well, he got the hint. Now if you don't mind, get out. I'll see you guys later," I say firmly, smiling and patting Vico on the back, showing I’m glad to hear their news, even though I’m not.

  They leave and close the door just in time for the shower to stop.

  Ella

  I heard the door and guys’ voices, but I stayed in the bathroom and took a long hot shower, hoping he would join me, but he didn't. When I get back in the bedroom, he looks a little unhinged.

  "You okay? Who was at the door?"

  "Oh, I didn't know you could hear."

  "Yeah, I heard voices, but I was hoping you would join me." I wrap my arms around his neck.

  "Yeah, some friends. They're assholes."

  "Friends from the city?"

  "No, coworkers from the catering company."

  "I thought you hated everyone at that job?"

  "Well, like you, they are starting to grow on me."

  "Shut up." I shut him up with a kiss on the mouth and he pulls me in for a hug. I hear him inhale my fresh scent.

  "Let's get away," he whispers in my ear, holding on to me tightly.

  I look at him with a confused smile. "What?"

  "Let's get out of here. Go out of town, have an adventure."

  "Where is this coming from?"

  He goes into deep thought. "I don't know. I'm trippin."

  “You’re not in trouble, are you?” I ask point blank.

  “No.” He looks me in the eye when he says it. “I’m not. I just… worry too much about nothing.” He releases the embrace and goes through his folded clothes in the corner of his room.

  "I would like that, though, Tommy." I get his attention back. "Go away on a trip with you. We should do that one day... in the future."

  Tommy

  I don't know why I drive pass Joey's place, but a part of me is curious. I pull up in front of his place and see boarded windows and shattered glass on the ground.

  Joey comes out of the house, carrying a chair with bullet holes in it. He sees me instantly and my stupid ass gets out of the car. Why should I care or have any guilt about this? Still, no matter how much I try to convince myself I don’t care, I’m glad his family is okay.

  He walks fast towards me and without a word pushes me against my car. "You see! Huh?!” He points to his house. "You see what your friends did to my house!" He gets closer to my face. "Or were you with them?"

  I push him away from me and stand my ground, knowing that I really don't have a right to. "I didn't have shit to do with this!"

  "Yeah, you didn't have shit to do with the prosecutor mysteriously misplacing evidence too, huh?"

  I look away, not knowing what to say.

  "My wife and son were here! I tried to give you a chance because you, you piece of shit, are my brother… but I'm done! You tell your boss that I am coming for him with everything I got and I will use you if I have to. I already gave my department your name as a link to the Valentine family. It's over, Tommy. I suggest you fucking get out of town because there is a war brewing and you need to figure out whose side you’re on and who is worth saving. So, snap out of your shit!” He pushes me against my car again. It takes everything in me not to kick the shit out of him. “Get the hell away from my house!”

  ****

  Coming to Mickey’s warehouse doesn’t help. Mickey and everybody, including a few strippers and his lawyer, Vico, Chris, and Terry are popping bottles and smoking cigars like someone's having a baby or something.

  "There he is!" Mickey points to me, holding his cigar between his lips and claps. "This kid, right here; I love this kid."

  Putting the cigar in the ashtray and holding my face, he kisses my forehead and laughs. "This kid is my heir to all of this. And after we take over New York, we will be kings." He sits back in his seat behind his desk and snorts a line of coke, then takes a shot of vodka. "After we take down Roman Pierce we’ll get back to business and go after Corella next."

  Oscar Corella and his brothers are the top dogs now in New York since Roman Pierce left. They took over the Irish territory and are at war with us. They just don't know it yet.

  "What happened?" I ask.

  "The state prosecutor has no evidence," his lawyer says. "The case is going to be dropped the day after tomorrow."

  "That's great, Mickey," I smile at him, but I'm lying. I don't want Mickey to go to jail, but Ella is in danger now. Mickey passes me a shot of vodka. We clink our glasses and drink up. He has a smile on his face that I've never seen before.

  "What about Tommy's brother?" Vico asks.

  Mickey throws his shot glass at Vico. "Hey! That narc is no brother of Tommy." Mickey places his hand on my shoulder like a proud father. "Ain't that right?"

  "Yeah, that's right," I say, smiling, but some part of me feels overwhelmed.

  "We’ll
take care of him. Tonight, we celebrate."

  "So, Mickey," Terry continues, sitting in his seat with his legs crossed and his fingers circling his glass. "You should be real proud of your boy, here. I hear he has Ella Pierce in the palm of his hand. Meeting her family and shit, hell, I even hear the way she looks at him causes your heart to melt."

  "How would you know that?" I ask him.

  "Mickey has his little secret moles following the Pierce family too. You didn't know?"

  Mickey has guys on the inside who watch from a distance, guys so secretive that we don’t even know about them. But I have heard that Terry knows a few.

  "Well, that's good. You can pull the trigger when the time comes," Mickey says to me, causing me to feel rage for me the first time in my life.

  "Yeah, but I can't wait to taste her brother's girlfriend."

  "Who? Henry Stonem's daughter?" the lawyer asks.

  “Yeah, she’s ripe, but from what Tommy boy says, Ella Pierce sounds like she could be better than her friend.”

  “Yeah, man, she’s hot. Her mom is too,” adds Vico.

  “Well, you boys will get to see what they’re really like soon,” Mickey chimes in.

  Everything is so blurry for me. Every one of these guys are strangers to me now, strangers trying to hurt what is mine. All I want is to kill them all.

  Terry continues smiling at me, baiting me in front of Mickey.

  “You know, Tommy boy,” Terry says, standing and walking up to me. “Picture this; call it a bonding experience between us. Me and you just switching it up on her, tie her up and have our way in front of her daddy.” My body isn’t moving, but the inside of me is boiling over. “What do you think of that, Mickey?”

  “I like the sound of that,” Mickey says and I’m not shocked.

  “I know that’s not your style, Tommy, but you don’t care if we have a crack at her, right?”

  I can’t even answer. I swallow the huge lump in my throat. “You can sit back and watch while we make her life as pleasurable and miserable as possible.” He leans in and whispers, “I’m going to gut her like your pops did your mother.”

  I don’t think anymore, I just let myself go, grabbing Terry by the collar and shoving him hard into the wall. I hear a crack.

  “Hey!” Chris yells, trying to pull me off of him. I swing at Terry’s face as he smiles at me, but Vico hooks his arm into mine and he and Chris yank me away from him. I push them off and back up, seeing the look of shock and confusion on their faces while Mickey looks at me with disappointment and fury.

  “Everybody out,” Mickey calmly orders. Nobody moves because they’re all still looking at me, ready to kill me themselves.

  “OUT!!!” Mickey screams at the top of his lungs. The girls run and the guys, one by one, bump into me as they walk out. His lawyer grabs his briefcase and the hooker that was sitting on his lap. Terry, that fucking prick, keeps smiling as he brushes off his shoulders and walks out.

  Walking to the window that looks over the city, Mickey puts his hands in his pockets, staring outside. “Do you have something you need to tell me?”

  I decide to go for it. “More like, I have something I need to ask you.” He shakes his head and faces me.

  “Mickey, I don’t ask anything from you. If I didn’t agree with it, I did whatever you demanded of me. You’re the closest thing I have to family… to a father.” I walk closer to him. “I need you… I need you not to hurt Roman Pierce’s family. I need you not to tell me to kill her.”

  “Her?” Mickey says. “Come on, say her name. Say her name!”

  “Ella. I need Ella to stay alive.”

  He looks away and curses to himself. “I warned you. I warned you not to get too close!”

  “Well, if you knew, why the hell would you send me there?!”

  “Because I never thought you would have betrayed me!” Mickey kicks a chair over.

  “I haven’t! I haven’t betrayed you, Mickey. You can have Roman Pierce. An eye for an eye, right? But his family, they don’t deserve it.”

  “Are you sure Roman Pierce deserves it? If you care about this girl, you care about everyone she loves and she loves her father!”

  “Just do this… for me. I will sacrifice her so she can live.”

  He lets out a harsh laugh, brushing his hair back as he inhales and exhales. “I want you back in the city the day after tomorrow. I’m going to have Roman Pierce’s head on a stake. His family might − might − be left unharmed. Now get the fuck out of here.”

  Chapter 19

  “One Last Moment”

  Ella

  I watch my cousin Lola kiss her husband on the lips in front of their families and friends in the Catholic Church. We stand and clap for the new married couple. The wedding was absolutely breathtaking. I’ve never admitted it to anyone, but I can’t wait to get married. I don’t want to get married just to be married, but I want to marry the person I love more than anything, in front of the people we care about. I think it’s one of the hardest and best things you can do, if it’s the right person.

  After the wedding we travel to reception.

  My father kisses and congratulates Lola, slipping a couple hundred dollars in her husband’s hand. I don’t care if you’re Sicilian, Italian, Jewish, Irish, or a simple white guy like my father, if your family is a part of the organized crime world, you get side money at a wedding, no matter what. I don’t know how it started, but that’s the way it is.

  My brother and Claudia are staring at each other lovingly as usual, but this time is different. There’s a glow to them. I think their love grows every day. Their adoration for each other is extraordinary. Two people that had to fight for each other like they did, of course their love is amazing.

  My origin isn’t as epic as theirs, but I never wanted anything like that. I just wanted something good. And what I have with Tommy now is good, still complicated, but good. I do wish he was here, though.

  “Save me a dance, sweetheart?” my dad asks me as he gets up from our table. I think he notices my mood.

  “Of course,” I smile genuinely at him and drift back to Tommy.

  Tommy

  “I was invited,” I tell the bodyguard.

  “Your name isn’t on the list,” he says to me, looking at his clipboard. I’m not worried. I can easily sneak into this place, which I plan to do.

  “He’s with me.” Roman Pierce stands just past the bodyguard, wearing a tux and holding a drink.

  The bodyguard looks at him and moves out of my way. “Of course Mr. Pierce.” Roman looks at me and I think I see a slight smirk on his face.

  He doesn’t say anything but nods his head and walks towards the banquet hall. I follow.

  Ella

  “Can I have this dance?” my brother asks Claudia.

  “Of course,” she says, smiling. I watch them walk to the dance floor to join everyone, including the bride and groom.

  I guess I could ask Emile to dance, but I’m taller than him in these heels. Besides, he is too busy drinking at the open bar. I think he got in a fight with Jade. Even though he acts like he doesn’t care, it’s pretty obvious he does.

  My father gets back, so I can dance with him.

  “So, Dad, how about that dance?” I ask.

  “Sweetie, I think your mom promised me this one,” he says, reaching out for her.

  “I did?” she asks, jokingly.

  “Yes.” She takes his hand and stands up. “Besides, I think someone else would like to dance with you.” He nods in the direction behind me.

  I turn around in my seat and see Tommy standing across the room … in a suit and tie. I stand up and can’t stop the wide grin spreading across my face as he walks over to me. I meet him halfway, taking in his black, fitted suit and tie that is loosely around his neck. I love it.

  He looks nervous as he gazes at me in my long green strapless dress.

  “I thought you didn’t wear suits and ties,” I joke.

  He eases a lit
tle and smirks. “Well, I didn’t do a lot of things before I met you.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “I’ll let you know by the end of the night.”

  I glance down at the light blue gift box in his hand. “You brought a wedding gift?”

  His smile fades. “No.” He sets the box on the table and opens it. I don’t see what he is pulling out until he presents me with a corsage, ivory, with a hint of pink. My mouth drops and I’m speechless.

  He gently grabs my right wrist. “I think this thing goes on your right wrist,” he says, sliding it on.

  “I ─ I think you’re right,” I stutter. I blink excessively to bring back the tears trying to spill out. I don’t cry all the time and it usually takes something really horrible to make me cry, but never has anything so sweet and good caused me to cry.

  I have to ask. “Why did you come?”

  He stares at me for a moment, as if thinking about what to say. He shrugs his shoulders. “Because you wanted me to and I wanted… ” He pauses. “I want to make you happy.”

  “You know, Tommy,” I walk a little closer to him. “Everything you are… is enough for me.”

  He is shocked by my statement. I know how he doubts his nonchalant attitude and his simple ways might not be enough for me, but they are. I just love him. I love him for me.

  “Would you like to dance with me?” he asks.

  “I would love to,” I smile and grab his hand.

  We walk onto the dance floor and keeping my hand locked in his, I lay my head on his shoulder and let the music and the warm feeling of being in his arms take me away.

  Tommy

  “Thank you, for coming,” I Donovan says, standing next to me. I look back at Ella who is talking to her cousin, the bride. “It really means a lot to her.”

  “I know. That’s why I came,” I tell him.

  We face each other and he sighs. “Look, I don’t know you. And I’m not gonna lie, I’m protective of my family and my little sister means a lot to me. But as long as you make her happy, you’re alright with me.”

  He puts out his hand for me to shake and I’m hesitant to take it because I respect the guy, and truthfully, he is not the only one I respect in this family. I shake his hand and leave it that.