“Never, Hadley. You’re an addiction I can’t fight. You are in my every waking thought when we were apart and I need you in my life. That won’t ever change,” he reassures me.
Pulling me closer, he presses my body to his and just holds me. With his arms wrapped around my body, he does nothing more than comfort me.
“I don’t know how to be mushy, Sean, but it feels like I can’t breathe when we are apart and I don’t like that feeling,” I confess. “I’ll ride alongside you on this rollercoaster for as long as you’ll have me.”
Without releasing me, he kisses my forehead, pulling back slightly to look me in the eye as he tells me, “I’ll happily take that seat beside you, beautiful girl. I’ll never let anyone take you away from me again.”
“Love me,” I breathe.
And he does....
Gerrick
Waking with a start, I sense a presence, but it’s too dark to see anyone. Twisting my head from side to side, I fight to adjust my vision. A sickening feeling in my stomach tells me I’m not alone.
“Stop looking for me, boy,” the voice in the dark says.
Instant recognition of the voice relaxes me slightly, if that’s even possible. Glancing in the direction of the voice, my vision finally adjusts to the blackness, and I see my padre moving toward me.
Fuck. He’s the last person I want to see right now, and how the hell did he get past those agents.
“Relax, Gerrick, I’m not here to kill you. And, before you ask, I didn’t do anything to the guard at your door. I had the nurse give him a sedative, he’ll be asleep for a while. I’m here because I have an offer for you. A way to redeem yourself,” he addresses.
There is nothing he could offer me that I would accept and I’m not looking for his redemption. I want to take his place, to be rid of him once and for all.
“I would rather die than take anything you have to offer,” I hiss in return.
He’s quiet for a moment, but his response is one I expected.
“That can be arranged, figlia,” he snarls. “But I don’t want to resort to that. I need you, Gerrick, I need you to take Luca’s place by my side. The family needs you.”
Playing along, I agree to listen to his proposal. I already know what he wants. He will want me to execute the hit on Hadley. That’s the only way he will let me live. To prove my loyalty and earn redemption, I need to take my sorella’s life. The one person I trust and love and he fucking knows it too. It’s why he is here.
“Your sorella has become a liability, Gerrick. She can’t be allowed to live. Her and the agent she’s whoring herself out to,” he declares.
Fuck, I didn’t see that coming. I knew he would want me to eliminate my sorella, but not Sean.
“And if I say no,” I ask in return.
“Then you won’t leave this hospital alive. If you think those agents can keep you safe, you’re mistaken,” his harsh voice replies.
I need to get out of here before it comes to that. There’s no way I’m taking the life of Hadley, but for now, I agree to appease him. When he gives me that god awful grin of his before he turns to leave, I know he’s bought it. He actually believes I will carry out the hit on Hadley and Sean. For now, though, I have to use that to my advantage and make my getaway before he realizes I’m lying to him.
There’s only one place I feel safe.
I need to contact Hadley.
Sean
My god this water is hot, like fucking scorching. Now that Hadley had gone to answer her cell, I’ve turned the heat up. She’s been expecting a call from Gerrick so there was no way she was going to let it ring out. His timing couldn’t have been worse. It was right at that moment when I had my girl pinned to the shower wall, with her legs wrapped around my waist and my cock buried deep inside her. When the ringing started, she freaked and left me standing in this shower on my own. I was so close too, just a few minutes later and she would have been filled with my cum. Instead, she left me to finish on my own. I can’t blame her, though, Gerrick is the only family member Hadley cares about and she’s extremely protective of him. I don’t know how either of them will cope when she finally leaves Brooklyn.
When I woke during the night and found her awake, I was concerned. It worried me, especially since she still hasn’t spoken about the reason she was hospitalized. All I know is that it had something to do with her father’s captain, the guy Gerrick killed. I doubt I’m going to like it, but at least I know he’s dead and can’t hurt her anymore.
Not that I would allow anything to happen to her anyway.
I can’t deny how much I wanted her. I had since the hospital waiting room. Her ass grinding on my lap had me so fucking hard, but then she went and left me high and dry. It wasn’t hard to miss and I was fucking humiliated. I thought for sure my father was going to notice, but Hawke saved my ass. The last thing I wanted was a lecture from him, and my girl just found it amusing.
All I wanted to do when I found her awake was to comfort her. A part of me wanted to bury itself inside of her warmth, but I assumed she would need time before letting me touch her. I was willing to wait as long as it took, yet when she told me to fuck her, I nearly came right there and then. I had so many thoughts running through my head, but the lust took over and I kissed the life out of her, like I’ve never done before.
When Hadley put her mouth on my cock, I thought I was going to explode. I wasn’t expecting that. What gripped me by the balls was her allowing me full control. It had me acting in a way I never have before, something like the whole alpha male shit my sister Sophie talks about. I ended up steadying myself and found myself in awe of the way Hads let me take over. Getting our first orgasm out of the way paved the way for us to spend the next couple of hours exploring each other. Although, I also managed to bury myself deep inside of her, as often as possible. I fell in love with the way she came undone beneath me. Her pussy gripped my cock so fucking hard that my body convulsed everytime she did it. She milked me dry, every fucking time. Once I entered that sweet body of hers, I lost all control of my actions. I could have sworn my cock had a mind of its own and dictated my every move. By the time we had finished, I was spent, collapsing beside my girl and falling asleep instantly.
Shit, I’m hard again, but there’s no time to deal with that now. I need to find out what’s going on.
“What the fuck, Gerrick,” I hear Hadley yell as I step out of the bathroom. “We are coming to get you, you’re not safe.”
Well that doesn’t sound good.
“Meet where?” she grunts in disapproval. “Make sure you are there, Gerrick. We will be there in an hour.”
And with that, she hangs up. Sensing that I’m there, she turns, her face grim.
“What’s wrong, Hads,” I ask to break the silence.
“My father visited Gerrick last night. He’s given my brother an out. If he kills both you and me, he’ll take Luca’s place by his side,” she emotionally confesses.
There’s a look of sadness shadowing her pretty face, but she should have anticipated this move. Her father was never going to give up without a fight. He will be using Gerrick’s current state of mind to try and sway him. Regardless of whether he goes through with the hit or not, he’s dead. There’s no way Jason Alexandria is going to make good on his offer. He wants his children dead and he’s manipulative enough to work every angle he can.
“I’m guessing Gerrick is disappearing,” I finally reply.
Nodding, Hadley continues. “There’s a place Gerrick and I would hide when we were kids, when my brother needed to escape his monsters. No one but the two of us know the location. It’s the only place he feels safe and where he knows they can’t get to him.”
After agreeing to help, and dressing, we leave to find my father and Hawke. Both men are in my father’s suite in deep discussion. As we enter, their eyes turn to us and their conversation ends. Knowing that we have interupted, I’m cautious as Hadley relays what Gerrick has told her. Their first sugges
tion is to place him into federal protection, but she refuses. She tells them that there is only one place her brother will be safe, and he is already there. If we tried to move him, her father would find him and kill him.
When my father asked Hadley what she thought we should do, she told him that just she and I would go to her brother. Over his dead body, he boomed at her. He made it very clear that he wouldn’t allow his son to come into harm’s way. She understood that, telling him that she would go alone. It would be safer for everyone anyway. She knows how to get in and out without being detected. The last thing she wanted to do was spook Gerrick any more than he already was.
I objected, but she paid no attention, telling me to trust her. That’s the thing, I do trust her. It’s Gerrick and her father who I don’t trust. Kissing my lips, Hadley leaves my father’s hotel room promising to return as quickly as possible. It’s the look in her eye as she turns that final time that worries me. It’s as though she knows there is trouble ahead, but is protecting me.
Keeping me safe.
Hadley
Leaving Sean behind was hard. The concern that was written all over his beautiful face warmed my heart, but there are just some things that this girl needs to do herself. One day, he will accept I’m not like other girls, that I am more than capable of taking care of myself.
On the corner of Tenth Avenue and Prospect, there’s an apartment complex. It’s a rundown red brick building in a part of Brooklyn our padre never visits. It’s also home to a kind old woman who used to let us hide in her basement, and feed us milk and cookies. Renita is her name, and she used to fuss over us like we were her own children. Gerrick loves her, and we both make sure she never wants for anything. There is no other place he would have felt safe.
Approaching the building on foot, something seems off. This street should be busier. I don’t like the niggling feeling I can feel in the pit of my stomach that something is very wrong with this picture. Slipping through the gate behind the apartment, Renita’s car is missing. I’m praying that she is working and not at home. Scoping out my surroundings, it’s way too quiet for this time of the morning. There should be more people out on the sidewalk by now. Yet, there is only half of what I’m used of seeing on any normal day.
Gerrick’s in trouble...
Fuck...
I have to get into that building, and fast.
How the fuck did they know where he was? We’ve never told anyone about this building. It’s always been the one place we could escape to, when bad shit happened. So you can imagine we came here often as children, until the day I learnt to fight back.
What the fuck happened?
Using some old pallets, I manoevour my way over an old brick structure to come round to the front. The only background noise that stands out is the parrot squawking in its cage over at the hardware place on the opposite corner. A cool breeze flows past me, sending chills throughout my body. Shivering, I get the sudden feeling of eyes on me. The thought freaks me out slightly as I enter through Renita’s front gate. Looking around, they could be hiding anywhere. There are two-storey buildings on every corner of the intersection. The openess of this particular suburb was one of the things we loved about hiding here. There was no chance anyone could sneak up on us, because we would see them coming.
Raising my hand to knock, I notice that the door is already ajar, and open slightly. I don’t know how my padre found Gerrick, but he’s here and they will be waiting for me. I’m thankful I made Sean wait with his padre, because this is a setup. Our padre was obviously anticipating that Gerrick would run. He would have had one of his goons following him. That’s the only way they would know about this place. My fratello was wrong, our padre didn’t believe him when he said he’d carry out the hit. He set Gerrick up knowing he would take off and warn me.
If this is the case, then he would have also known that Gerrick and I would have arranged to meet. We took the bait and I only hope that my fratello is still alive.
Pushing the front door open, I enter cautiously. After Luca blindsided me, I swore I’d never go anywhere unprotected again. Reaching behind, I free my knife from under my shirt and creep further into the room. Not surprisingly, I find no one at all. If they are anywhere, it’ll be the basement. Standard procedure for my padre will be to have another couple of men hiding, just in case something goes wrong. A quick sweep through the apartment highlights a few areas that his men could be, but nothing I can’t take care of if a problem arises.
Moving back toward the stairs, I follow them down, hesitating momentarily when I grasp the handle. There’s a mixture of fear and anxiety swirling in my stomach, caused by the fact that there’s no noise at all coming from the room. Just the thought of what our padre is doing to Gerrick has my blood boiling. Twisting the handle slowly, I push the door open and freeze. Leaning on the back wall is my padre, in front of him strapped to a chair, Gerrick. There’s blood running down his cheek from a cut above his eyebrow. His head is slumped and he’s out of it. I’m paying no attention to the man who fathered us – just my fratello, even as he takes strides across the small space toward me.
“Come any closer padre and I will gut you,” I threaten.
My knife is resting by my side, but my hand is gripping it in readiness to attack. With my vision still directed at my fratello, I can’t help but notice that my words stop my padre. He’s hesitant and for that, I don’t blame him. If Gerrick is dead, I will splay his insides over the walls of this tiny basement.
The uncomfortable silence is deafening, but I refuse to budge. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my padre’s soldati taking up position on either side of me. They are close because I can feel their presence, but not close enough for me to attack them. They are waiting on a signal.
“Now, now Angelo,” he starts. “You of all people know that I was never going to just let you go. Everyone knows what I do to those who betray me, and you, my angelo, have betrayed me in a way I never imagined.”
There’s emotion in his words, which I wasn’t expecting, but have no care for. He can’t guilt me anymore, I’m not that niave or vunerable. The sixteen-year-old girl he sent to negotiate with some Columbian clients might have been, but she wasn’t by the time she came home.
‘Let me out H – a – d – l – e – y ....’ the evil bitch inside of me calls. A voice that I don’t need clouding my judgement right now.
‘P – l – e – a- s- e let me out,’ she whines. ‘I want to play.’
“I’ve no interest in what you do,” I reply with a flat voice. “I stopped caring for you a long time ago, padre. You’ve been dead to me since you tried to turn me into a whore.”
I’m trying to focus on the monster standing in front of me, but that inner voice keeps whining like a two-year-old. She wants out, so that she can show our padre exactly who she is, and what she is capable of. I can’t let that happen. If she escapes, I’m scared that I’ll lose who I am, and any hope of escaping will become a distant memory.
“To be honest, Hadley, that’s all I thought you’d ever amount to,” my poor excuse for a padre confesses. “A common whore like your madre.”
No surprise there.
“Gerrick was supposed to be the one to take my place one day. The one groomed to succeed me.”
Once again, no surprise.
“But after what you did to Maitas, I saw a potential in you I never did in your fratello.”
Walking back toward Gerrick, he continues, “Gerrick is weak,” he says, pulling on his hair to lift his head so that I can see what has been done to him.
“Nothing like you, my sweet child. It was back when you murdered that man in cold blood that I knew who I had to groom to take over. With the roles now reversed, Gerrick only became of use to me as a whore.”
Shifting my vision to look into my padre’s eyes, I find nothing but blackness – a darkness much like that of a man with no soul. His hand grips onto Gerrick’s hair harder, yanking his head to the side. In the short
amount of time I have spent around Sean and his padre, I couldn’t help but notice how close they are. There’s an unbreakable bond between the two of them and a protectiveness I’m not familiar with. When I told them that Sean and I would come to Gerrick’s rescue, Sean’s padre went all cave man on me. If the situation I found myself in wasn’t serious, I would have laughed.
Never in my whole life have I seen my padre react in such a manner toward me or Gerrick. We have never been anything more than pawns in a very strategic chess game. A game where loyalty and trust are easily dissolved, depending on how bankable your skills were to him.
“You know I plan to do the very same to you, right?” I sneer, my lips curling into a smile. “By the time I finish, I will have painted the walls red with your blood, padre dearest.”
His eyes widen and shock registers on his face. This amuses me. My smiling at him has obviously thrown him off, but it won’t last for long. There’s a churning in my stomach, a sickness that is swirling in twists and turns trying to escape upward throughout my body. It’s evil and if it escapes, no one is safe. Finding his resolve, his face hardens and he sneers back at me.
“There are three of us in this room with you, Angelo, and two more upstairs. Even if you could do harm to one or two of us, you wouldn’t make it out alive.”
“You underestimate what I’m capable of,” I quickly throw back at him, moving slowly toward Gerrick.
Taking a hesitant step, he moves backward, closer to the wall. I know he’s scared of me, his fear is written all over his face. It doesn’t matter how much he tries to hide it, he’s terrified of what I’m capable of doing to him. He should be scared, he created this, and me. Behind me, his goons edge closer, just in case. I know that if I tried to lunge at him, they would get to me first. I’m not invincible and there’s no way I can overpower all three. I will have to be smart about this.
After the Dust Settles (California Dreaming Book 3) Page 13
