by Ravenna Tate
Because you’re not a heartless bitch?
She’d been engaged to a hitman, for Christ’s sake. She knew how things worked. That was the life she’d been born into, and it was the life she’d chosen to continue with the man who had wanted to marry her.
It hadn’t mattered to her that her family hated him. He was handsome, rich, and in the business. He was the kind of man she was expected to marry, only not him, particularly. Her parents hadn’t wanted her to spend her life with someone whose history had included reducing them to the status of hired help, as opposed to being one of the most notorious families in the area.
They’d had a dozen men picked out for her instead, only she hadn’t wanted any of them. She’d only wanted Vince. He had swept her off her feet and charmed his way into her bed and into her heart. Until a few days ago.
But that wasn’t entirely true. The troubles had been going on long before she ran into Sofia. She needed to come clean about that, too.
Snippets of arguments she and Vince had in the months before she had coffee with Sofia raced through her mind. Vince getting upset because Marie went to parties at her friends’ homes without him every weekend. Never mind that every time she asked him to come along, he was always too busy. What had he expected her to do? Sit home and wait for him to call? Never see her friends?
They argued about money, which was absurd considering how much he had spent on her before asking her to marry him. He told her she was spending too much on the wedding, and she reminded him they both had big families who expected a lavish, traditional ceremony.
Small disagreements turned into heated verbal fights. Those in turn led to hours or sometimes days when he barely spoke to her. Marie had begun to have serious doubts, but she didn’t tell her parents. The thought of facing down their “We told you so!” expressions was too much to deal with. Her pride was hurt, and she was confused.
Vince was distant and cold when he didn’t get his way. He blamed the stress of his job, but he’d been doing this work for years. The only thing that had changed was her presence in his life. When she pointed that out one day, he told her she was crazy.
If this was how he treated her before they were even married, what would her life be like once they were man and wife with a few kids?
Would she have helped Sofia if none of that had happened? If she hadn’t already been wondering whether there was a way to break off the engagement without shaming Vince?
Her parents had been right about him, and Marie didn’t want to admit that to them, or to anyone. They’d have rubbed it in her face the rest of her life. Thirty years old, and they would always see her as someone who never had enough sense to do as she was told and listen to people older, and presumably therefore wiser, than her.
And now here she was, halfway across the country, hiding out in a strip club. All because she’d made the decision to help an old friend get away from her fiancé, who’d been hired to kill her. But that wasn’t all she’d done. She’d lied about it to Digger, and she’d inadvertently involved over fifty people in the mess. She’d left behind her life and everyone she knew by running.
Would di Stefano dare to go after her family? Vince had no proof she’d had anything to do with Sofia’s disappearance, but she had run. That made her look guilty, even if he could never prove it with tangible evidence. She had really fucked this up by making one impulsive decision after another. They would both see her helping Sofia to hide as a betrayal against them, and they would view her disappearance as proof of her guilt.
Business was business, after all. Sofia and Lenny had owed him money. They hadn’t paid it to him, and from what Sofia had told her, he’d given them plenty of chances to make things right.
And what had Marie done? She’d absolved Sofia of her financial responsibilities by helping her get away. She’d taken money that was owed to Roberto di Stefano away from him. And, she’d made her fiancé look like a damn fool who couldn’t control his woman or his own environment.
Worse than that, she’d dragged Digger into this, and now Jimmy and his friends as well. She’d put her family and friends back home in danger. The best thing for everyone would be if she left this place, tonight, and simply kept going.
Surely the people who lived here knew someone who could make her fake papers. She had taken plenty of money to keep for herself. She’d be fine for months if need be. Just until she could find a place where it was unlikely Vince or di Stefano would look for her.
People did it all the time and got away with it. She could, too. And then no one would know where she’d gone. When they told Vince and di Stefano that fact, they wouldn’t be lying. No one would have to cover for her or perpetuate a lie, because they hadn’t helped her get away or hide.
If Vince somehow discovered that Digger had driven her here, he could say that once she told them what she’d done, they’d sent her away. Although, if Digger and Jimmy were successful with their plan, it wouldn’t matter. The news that someone had been able to take out a man like di Stefano would turn their world on its collective head, and no one would care that Vince wanted to find her.
But Marie couldn’t hang around and wait to see if that happened. She had to get out of here and take the danger she’d brought to these people with her. It was the only way to make this right.
****
The club was open, but this couldn’t wait. Vassago and Digger sat opposite Gorgon in one of the offices. “You two can’t go through with your plan,” he said. “Not now.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Digger looked at him like he’d lost his damn mind. “All the more reason now why we can’t fail. We have to take him out. Do you understand the far-reaching implications of this?”
“Don’t fucking tell me what the far-reaching implications of this are, when you brought this woman into my club!”
“He didn’t know what was going on when he left Jersey with her,” said Vassago. Gorgon glared at him, but Vassago didn’t give a fuck. It was the truth. “If one of us was in trouble with the Mob, would we give up that person to them?”
“Fuck you. Of course not. But she’s not one of us.”
“She is by association. Donny has known her family all his life, same as me and Digger have. She made a mistake, Gorgon. A horrible, misguided, fucking stupid, bone-headed, dumber than fucking dirt mistake. But that’s all it was. There was nothing calculated or underhanded about this. She was running scared. As far as she knew, she was Vince’s next hit.”
“Nothing calculated? She hid from him and then lied to Digger so he’d drive her here. You call that uncalculated?”
“At the time she did that, it was so she got away undetected. She didn’t know what was going on here with di Stefano.”
“If she had known, would she have made the same decision?”
“How the fuck should I know? I didn’t ask her that, and I’m not going to. She’s apologized and admitted she fucked up. I think the best thing to do now is for me and Digger to stick to our plan.”
Gorgon narrowed his eyes and watched Vassago too carefully. “You’re gonna fuck her, aren’t you?”
“Fuck. What the hell difference does that make?”
“Jesus Christ, Vassago. I’m not usually one to tell any of you to keep it in your pants, but this time you really do need to fucking keep it in your fucking pants. This woman is trouble.”
“He got hit by the Thunderbolt, Gorgon. Of course he’s gonna fuck her.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. What the hell is it with all of you?”
“Look, can we get back on track here?” Vassago’s head was ready to explode. “Digger and I need to move forward with our plan. It will end this shit for all of us, for Donny, and for Marie as well.”
“What about Vince?” asked Gorgon. “You think he’s gonna just stop looking for her once he figures out his suspicions were right?”
“We can have him taken care of,” said Digger. “Just say the word and that’s a done deal.”
&nbs
p; “Oh, right. Just like that.”
“Yeah, Gorgon. Just like that. I got friends who would die for me, too.”
Gorgon banged both fists on the table. “Fuck this shit. I’m at a fucking loss for words right now. Vassago, when you came to me with this idea, I told you it was risky. Almost too risky. I was right.”
“Marie wasn’t a factor we could have anticipated.”
“Well, she’s a factor now.”
“It doesn’t change anything. Di Stefano tried to take out Donny. He won’t stop there. If we don’t end this shit now, we’ll walk outside one day and find snipers hiding in the trees to pick us off, one by one.”
Gorgon was backed into a corner and knew it. But like any caged animal, he was ready to fight his way out, regardless. “I still don’t like it.”
“I don’t either. But what other way out of this do you see?”
“We should send her away. Tonight.”
“Where do you suggest she goes?” asked Digger.
“I don’t care.”
“Well I do. She’s family to me, too.”
“You fucking fool. She tricked you.”
“You think I don’t know that? But what do you want me to do? The same man who tried to kill my uncle pays the man who had her followed. Her ex-fiancé. He had her trailed without her knowledge all through their engagement, and now he’d take her out in a heartbeat if he knew what she’d done. You want me to send her back to that?”
“Having her here increases our danger. My job is to protect this club and its members.”
“And I can help you do that. You say the word and I make a call.”
Vassago and Gorgon exchanged a dark look. Vassago had known Digger all his life, and he was the only man Vassago actually feared.
“Fine,” said Gorgon. “Make your call.”
“You got it.”
“You scare the fuck out of me at times,” said Vassago.
“Yeah? Good thing I’m on your side then.”
Chapter Five
Vassago stood looking down at Marie’s sleeping form far longer than he should have. She was curled up on her right side, hands tucked under her chin and knees up to her chest. She had no covers on, and wore a robe. Her hair looked damp. She must have showered and then fallen asleep. Was she naked under that robe?
He’d never seen anyone so uncomfortable as she’d been during dinner. The cover story he’d made up on the spot just came tumbling out of his mouth, but what should he have said? Told everyone the truth, right there, without any warning to her? That wouldn’t have solved anything.
At forty-two years old, he’d resigned himself to the fact that his life was what it was. Working at this club, taking care of the books for the MC, and fucking the sweetbutts and dancers who could still stand him. He’d given up on finding love. The perfect woman didn’t exist, at least not for the likes of him.
Never in a million years would he have guessed he’d already met her, years ago, or that she came with more baggage than any one woman should.
She’d lied to Digger. But once he’d blurted out the bullshit reason why she was here at the start of dinner, she’d played along. He didn’t feel guilty over that. She’d made her bed the second she decided to help Sofia Genova run from Roberto di Stefano’s hired hitman.
Yeah, he knew which Sofia she meant. It hadn’t been hard to narrow down. Like he’d told her, they knew the same people. But even he and Digger hadn’t yet been able to figure out where Marie had sent the woman. Maybe she was in the wrong business? She certainly knew how to hide someone when she wanted to.
His gaze cut to her perfectly-manicured nails. That’s what she did, back in Brooklyn. She did nails in a salon, right down the street from where Donny and Digger each had grown up. Her entire world was back there, as much as his was here now. What the hell had possessed her to make a decision like that?
Did she secretly hate Vince? Had she agreed to marry him only to spite her family, and not because she loved the man? Her parents were no walk in the park. Marie was the oldest of six daughters, and the only one not yet married. Digger had told him they disapproved of her job and her friends. They had constantly harped on her when she’d been younger. It didn’t sound as if they’d let up once she reached adulthood.
But was that enough to drive her to make the absolute worst decision of her life? She knew the consequences. Any of them did. How had she imagined she’d never be caught?
It was torture to stand there and watch her sleep, yet know he couldn’t touch her. He should get the fuck out of there before his hormones got the better of him. As he turned to leave, he forgot about her bags on the floor, still next to the bed, and nearly tripped over them. He swore out loud, and she sat up.
Vassago waited in the dark, hoping she’d go back to sleep, but then she turned on the light next to her bed.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You scared the shit out of me.”
He perched on the edge of the bed. “We need to talk.”
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I meant to leave.” She started to scoot off the bed, but he placed a hand on her arm, stopping her.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
She shook off his hand. “Yeah, I am. I’ve brought enough trouble to your club.”
“Marie, I’m not fucking around. You’re stuck here until this over.”
“Why? Me being here is like drawing a target on the building, and on each of you. Vince already suspects me. Once he finds out I’m gone, I’m as guilty as if he watched me get Sofia out of town. He’ll find me eventually.”
“He won’t find you.”
“Don’t be naïve.”
“I’m telling you, he will soon no longer be a threat to you or to anyone.”
She blinked a few times until finally, understanding dawned on her face. He’d expected a grieved reaction, but her expression turned neutral. Had he been right about her feelings for the man? “What happened to him?”
“Nothing yet, but Digger is taking care of it.”
“Why the hell would he do that?”
“Because he and I have an important job to do, and we couldn’t let this mess you brought with you fuck that up.”
“He doesn’t have to have Vince killed to take care of this. I can leave. No one will ever have to know I was here.”
“Now who’s being naïve? You know as well as I do that eventually someone will figure out that you left with Digger, and where you both came.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But the longer I stay here, the less time I have to get away, and the less time you all have to cover the tracks.”
“I told you we don’t need do that, but until it’s over, you’re safer here.”
“I lied to him. To Digger. I lied to everyone in this building when I went along with the story you told at dinner.”
“Well, now that you’re staying, you have a chance to make that right, don’t you?”
“Yes. I want to do that. I had intended to do that, but I couldn’t very well call you out as a liar during dinner.”
“You’re right. And when you tell everyone the truth, I’ll make sure they know that I’m the one who made up the cover story, not you.”
Surprise filled her face. “Thank you. But are you serious about me staying here?”
“For now, yes.”
“Since when does an MC take in strays?”
“We don’t. But we also don’t feed our own to the wolves. You fucked up, Marie. Admit that to everyone, stay out of mine and Digger’s way so we can take care of business, and then you’re free to do whatever you want.”
Was that a flicker of regret? “Whatever I want?”
“Yeah. Whatever you want. You can go back to Brooklyn, even.”
“No, I can’t. I can’t ever do that, and you know it.”
“Well then, hang out here for a while. Creek Ridge is a nice town.” He cut his gaze to her nails. “And they have a few salons. You can paint nails in one of them.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. “You should be really pissed off at me. Why aren’t you?”
“What makes you think I’m not?”
“You’re making jokes.”
“It’s not a joke. Digger said you’re very talented at doing nails. I didn’t ask him why he would know that.”
This time, she did smile. “He knows it because every time I see him, I have on a different color, and I talk about my job a lot. He notices details like that. It’s probably what makes him so good at what he does.”
“Yeah, I suppose so. And you just drove home my point. You’re far safer here with me and Digger than you would be on your own. We both notice details. We know what to watch for, remember? And Donny is here, too. He’s protected all of us for a long time. He won’t let anything happen to you.”
Her expression changed at the mention of Donny’s name. “I still think you two are insane to go behind his back like this.”
“We’re taking care of one of our own.”
“Regardless, I can’t stay here.”
“Why not?”
“This conversation is going in circles.”
“And I already told you that Vince will soon be no threat to you.”
“But di Stefano still is.”
“Not for long.”
“But what if I don’t want to stay, even after I come clean to everyone?”
To hear her suggest that sent actual pain through his chest. He had it bad for this woman.
“Where you gonna go, Marie? You don’t have any transportation, for one thing. You have no blood relatives outside of Brooklyn. You came here because you knew we would shelter you if you were with Digger. It might have been a fucked-up, stupid idea to help Sofia get away, but this was the one place you knew you could come and feel safe for a while.”
“You’ve solved all my problems, haven’t you?”
“No. You’re going to solve them, and you can start now. The club is open. Everyone is down there. Put on some clothes and come with me.”
