by Rye Hart
“And my father’s close relationship with Stefano could’ve meant my father said something to him along the line at some point in time.”
“Yep.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
“It is, Julia. It’s really happening.”
“Did you kill them?”
I turned my face up and looked straight into those beautiful blue eyes.
“Did you kill those men on the docks?”
“Only one,” he said.
“Why?” I asked. “Why did you kill him?”
“Because he was holding my family hostage.”
“I’m not following.”
“I went to the dock to tell them we didn’t need the guns. I was ready to pay them plenty of money for the inconvenience and even told them that they could easily find another buyer in no time. But it didn’t work. They told me I was going to take the guns, pay them their money, and then keep them on payroll and keep them connected. They would send us another shipment whether we wanted it or not. They said they had no intentions of destroying the connection they had with my father since he paid them a lot of money. They were holding my family hostage, Julia.”
I saw the pain in his eyes, the remorse and the guilt he felt. His nose crinkled like he smelled something bad, and he shook his head like he was still in disbelief. Like he couldn't believe he’d done it himself.
He truly felt sorry for killing that man.
I threw my arms around him and held him close to me. Romeo’s face fell into the crook of my neck, and he sighed heavily into my skin. I rubbed my hands up and down his back, comforting him while he shouldered the entire world.
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Romeo said. “But I do know this.”
He rose up as my hands slid to his chest.
“Your uncle’s moving behind the scenes, and you and Matteo are pawns.”
“I would never do anything to hurt you,” I said.
“Besides keeping my son from me for six years?” he asked, pain in his eyes.
I bowed my head. “I was doing what any good mother would, Romeo. I won’t apologize for that.” His hand came up and cupped my cheek. His touch was so warm. His thumb stroked over my skin, sending electricity surging through my veins.
“I can’t stay. I have to go get Matteo,” I said breathlessly.
But his lips fell on mine, and I was helpless to resist him.
My hands gripped his shirt, and we fell back onto his bed. He rolled on top of me, his strong arms holding him over my body. I felt his cock immediately grow against my leg. Pulsing and pounding, ready to sink within me. Heat pooled between my legs as my pussy grew wet. His tongue slid along the roof of my mouth. I shivered against him as his hand slid up my body.
We released one another from our clothing before he sat back into a chair. He dragged me with him, his large hands gripping my hips. I sank down onto his cock, groaning as he filled me to the brim. My walls stretched around him. His hands raced up my back, caressing me and massaging me as my pussy fluttered around his cock.
I felt my juices already dripping onto his balls.
His hands guided my rhythm and I moaned with each sensation. Our were foreheads connected, our chests were heaving, and I breathed in his air. My hands ran down the divots of his muscles, taking in the peaks of his chest and the valleys of his abs. I clung to his arms, digging my nails in as his hands grabbed my ass.
“Move me,” I said breathlessly. “Any way you want.”
I pressed my lips against his, and he pulled me against him, burying himself to the hilt in my wet warmth. His hands were pulling me toward him, and I ground down into his hips, seeking friction for my aching clit as goosebumps rushed up my back. I felt his legs twitching underneath me, working feverishly to bring me to such heights of pleasure. My toes barely touched the ground as my thighs molded against him, his cock growing thick between my legs.
“Julia. I can’t hold back.”
“Then don’t,” I said as my eyes connected with him. “Don’t hold back.”
He lifted me out of the chair and laid me onto the mattress of his bed. He pounded into me furiously, his hips snapping against mine. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into the crook of his neck, nibbling and sucking and moaning out his name. My heels dug into his back as his trimmed curls raked against my clit. Fire was spreading through my lungs as electricity fried my brain.
“Yes, Romeo. Like that. Take me. Take all of me. Please.”
“Mine. You’re mine, Julia. You hear me? You and Matteo—my family. Always.”
Tears rose to my eyes as my nails raked down his back. My head fell to the comforter beneath me as my juices dripped. My toes curled. My legs shook. My eyes rolled to the back of my head. I dropped my heels to the bed and propped them up, then met him thrust for thrust. My pussy swallowed him whole as I looked into his eyes, taking in the fire behind them and the animal that raged in front of me.
I crashed my lips into his, and I was done for once again.
I convulsed around him, shaking as my pussy throbbed around his cock, pulling him deeper into my body as his hips began to stutter. He didn’t let up. Not for a second. He continued to pound into me, grunting and groaning into my lips. I whimpered at the sounds. At the feeling of his body colliding with mine. I wanted him. Needed him.
He burst within me, his cock pulsing against my walls. Thread after thread of cum spilled into me, and I shook against him as I clung to his chiseled form. His arms snaked around my back and held me close to him as his legs grew weak. He leaned into me, our bodies dropping to the bed as he held me close.
I nuzzled into his ear, and he kissed my shoulder. Peppering me with his warm, wet lips. I panted against his cheek. Kissing him repeatedly as I ran my fingers through his hair.
I still loved him.
I wasn't sure I ever stopped.
“I want out,” Romeo said.
His face rose up as his cock stayed buried within my body.
“I want out of all this,” he said. “I want to do good business. Charitable business. I want to help the half of New York that my family owns, not hurt them, Julia.”
“I know,” I said as I brushed a droplet of sweat from his brow. “I believe you.”
“You do? You really believe me when I tell you that?”
“I do,” I said. “I can see it when I look into your eyes how much you mean it. And I want to help.”
His brow furrowed as his cock slid out of me, and I already missed his closeness.
“You want to help?”
“I do,” I said. “More than anything. I want us to be a family, Romeo. I want you to know your son.”
His hand brushed away a stray piece of hair before he cupped my cheek.
“I want to know him, too,” he said.
“Then let’s do this,” I said. “Let’s clean up your family’s act.”
“It might not be that simple.”
But I cut off his sentiment with my lips.
“I meant when I said I’m in your corner, Romeo. Whatever it takes, I’m here. And when it’s all said and done, and your family’s legacy is bright, Matteo and I will be standing there right next to you,” I said.
The smile that crossed his face felt like something from the past. Full of innocence and light and hope. It all seemed so far away, yet it was still there. Then, Romeo’s phone ringing ruined the moment.
He peeled himself away from me, and I cleaned myself up and got dressed. I took stock of his naked body one last time, watching as the slope of his ass fell to a pair of beautifully-strong thighs. His back muscles were gliding underneath his taut skin with every movement he made, and I sighed as I slipped my feet into my shoes.
He turned toward me and walked over, his hand wrapping around my head. He brought my forehead to his for a kiss, and I smiled up at him before he reached for his door.
“I’ll talk with you soon,” he mout
hed as I stepped out.
Then I shut the door behind me and left him to his plans.
CHAPTER 23
ROMEO
“Thought you’d never show up,” I said. “Thanks for meeting me, Langley.”
“You did my family a solid when my wife was in labor. I’m glad to be able to repay the favor,” he said as he sat down.
“How’s your wife doing anyway? Did she recuperate nicely?”
“Thanks to the doctor you flew in, she did. And thanks for the therapist recommendation. It got her through her postpartum depression.”
“Watched my mom go through it with Antony. It’s no joke,” I said.
“We’re looking at adoption for the second one,” he said with a grin.
“Holy shit, congratulations,” I said. “Boy or girl?”
“We’re thinking another boy.”
“That has to make you proud.”
“We’re still in the beginning stages, but we think it’ll be a good thing. Here’s the info I promised.”
He slid a folder toward me, and I opened it. Langley was an old buddy of mine from my high school days. We ran the same halls and tormented the same teachers for years. No one wanted us in the same class together. The Dirty Duo, they called us. Langley went on to become a cop, married his high school sweetheart, and he owed me a favor.
He wasn’t working my case, so I had him do some digging for me.
“It looks like this entire case hinges on that damn ring,” I said.
“It does. But I can’t help but think a lot of biases because of your last name are going into this thing. If you can get it in front of the right judge, they’ll see that. Plus, they’re running into dead ends with the testing they’re doing. Flip to the last page.”
I turned the folder over and opened it, my eyes scanning all the red words.
“Negative. What tests are these?” I asked.
“DNA testing. To see if they could find your DNA in any of it. And right now, the only DNA on that ring is your father’s. Not yours. That’s kicking them in the ass right now, so most of what they have is circumstantial at best.”
“Are they going to be running any more tests?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I won’t know until they file it. But that’s the first snag they’ve hit since finding that ring,” Langley said. “And it’s a big one. A judge will definitely take that into consideration. But we both know the kind of damage this will do to your reputation and the target it will paint on you, even if a judge finds you innocent.”
“Yeah. I know,” I said with a sigh.
“If you want me to, I can make that ring disappear.”
My eyes slowly panned up to my friend, and I saw how serious he was.
“You have a family that needs you,” I said.
“You saved my family, Romeo. Had it not been for that doctor and his expertise, my wife would’ve died. No one would’ve caught the same defect in my son. You’re the reason for that. So if I can help get you out of hot water here, I’m going to do it.”
“I don’t want you compromising your integrity or risking your career. The offer is generous, but it’s not necessary. I’m not going to do things like my father did. But I do have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Does your evidence locker have a surveillance camera on it?” I asked.
“It does.”
“Is there any way you could find an excuse to review the footage?”
“I can actually. I have a case that’s coming up for trial and I can put in the request to make sure the chain of command with my evidence wasn’t broken. I can sneak a peek that way, ” he said. “What, or who, am I supposed to be looking for?”
“An Officer Johnson,” I said.
I watched Langley’s face grow stern as he sat back into his seat.
“You think he’s been messing with your case evidence?”
“I think I’m being set up,” I said. “Officer Johnson is on the payroll of who I think is pulling the strings. That break-in at my house a few days ago? You familiar with it?”
“The entire precinct is,” Langley said.
“Well I finally found out what they took, and you’re not going to believe it,” I said.
I watched as Langley nodded his head. “Let me guess? It’s silver and shiny and has your family crest on it?”
“Ding, ding, ding,” I replied.
“Fuck me. Johnson’s dirty and everyone knows it, but no one can catch him in the actt. You think Stefano Bianchi’s setting you up.”
“So you’re aware of his connections,” I said.
“Hell yeah. He’s a low-level enforcer for the man. Rumor has it Stefano pays him generously, too. But all the evidence Internal Affairs has against him is circumstantial, at best. They’ve been trying to nail that bastard to the wall for years. No luck, though.”
“My theory is that Johnson’s the one that slipped the ring into the evidence box. Because I know damn good and well it wasn’t at the crime scene. I didn’t even know where my father kept his family ring until I tore his office apart.”
“That could be the silver bullet to both bust this case out of the water and arrest Johnson,” he said.
“Will you take a look at that footage and see if you can find anything?” I asked.
“For a chance to nail that asshole to the wall? Hell yeah, I would. Let me see what I can do, and I’ll get back to you. It’ll take some fancy maneuvering this week, but I think I can get it done.”
“Let me know how things go, okay? And kiss that wife and boy of yours for me.”
“I’ll tell them Uncle Romeo is stopping by soon?”
“You do that,” I said.
I held the file in my hand as Langley got up and walked away. I quickly stuffed it into my briefcase, then stood and buttoned my coat. I looked around to see if anyone was watching us before I made my way to my car, then took the backroads in case there was a tail set to follow me. That was my way in. Johnson on that damn security footage. It was the only way I had of proving that ring was nowhere near the crime scene. Because even with the tests they were running on the ring, I wasn’t sure I would survive court. This city still operated under the assumption that the Martines were killers. Criminals. Drug lords and gun traffickers. And there was no way I was going to be able to change that image for good if I appeared in court for the murder of three men.
I hoped Langley would pull through. I didn’t have any other options if he couldn't.
CHAPTER 24
JULIA
I smoothed my hands down the most professional outfit I owned as I stood outside the office of my father’s accountant. He and his family had dealt with my family’s business since we came over from Italy, and I needed information. I looked down at my close-toed heels and black linen pants before buttoning my tailored suit coat. I took in a deep breath, drawing from within me the courage I needed to have this conversation.
Then I walked into his office without knocking.
“Julia! What a surprise. Come in. Take a seat.”
I smiled and nodded before I reached out to shake his hand.
“James. It’s so good to see you.”
“To what do I owe the pleasure? Sit. Sit.”
“I was hoping you could help me with something,” I said.
“Is everything okay with the estate up north?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. Everything’s fine. I’ve come here to talk about my father’s business.”
“Did Stefano send you?”
“No,” I said plainly.
“Then there isn’t much I can talk about. You know this.”
“I want to know what sort of business Stefano is engaged in currently,” I said.
“And you know I can’t give you that information without his explicit permission.”
“James, we both know that the only reason Stefano took my father’s seat was because I was too overcome with grief to take the seat myself.”
“Women don�
��t take the kind of seat your father had,” he said.
“And he was grooming me to change that.”
My gaze hardened on the man, and I hoped he wouldn’t see through my ruse.
“I’m the only child and firstborn of the Bianchi patriarch you served willingly for over twenty years, Mr. Russo. I am the rightful head of this family. Just because I don’t adorn the kind of genitalia you do doesn’t make me any less qualified to know about my own family’s dealings. Now you can give me the information I want so I can take my rightful seat where I’m supposed to, or you can go down with Stefano when the world no longer turns in his direction,” I said.
“And if I don’t?” James asked.
I leaned forward in the seat against my crossed legs.
“Then I’m sure Enrico would love to come in here convince you to cooperate with me.”
I watched James swallow hard, and I knew I had him. I sat back into the chair and opened my arms, resting them on the sides of the chair. It was a move I’d seen my father use plenty of times. He kept his legs crossed to seem unthreatening, then opened up his chest as a taunt. It was his “try me” stance. Try to disobey me and see what happens.
My eyes held James’ stare for quite some time before he started typing on his computer.
“How long do you want me to go back?” James asked.
“Since my father’s death. I have a feeling Stefano’s mucking up my father’s legacy, and it’s about time that stopped,” I said.
“At least we’re on the same page there,” he murmured to himself.
I shadowed my confusion with a hard stare as he continued typing on his computer.
“Okay. Want me to list it out or walk you through it?”
“Paint me a picture, Mr. Russo,” I said with a grin.
“When your father passed, Stefano quickly stepped up and took the position. He gave me the same excuse. You were too deep in your grief, and he didn’t want you assuming such a rough title with a small child in play.”
I bit down on my tongue. Did my father actually expect me to take his place? I thought I was playing a false card.
“What did Stefano do?” I asked.
