When Angels Seek Chaos (The DePalma Family Book 1)

by Addison Jane

  I watched her shoulders sag and had to wonder whether Emerson was the only woman in this family who had been broken down by this man, or maybe I was reading too much into it.

  Maria walked out, flashing us a beautiful smile as she did and closed the doors behind us.

  Nic gestured for us to take a seat in the arm chairs across from his desk, so we moved forward and made ourselves comfortable.

  Well, as comfortable as you could get with two eyes glaring at you from six feet away.

  I wasn’t intimidated.

  I’d stood toe to toe with men a lot scarier than Nicholas Rossi.

  “To what do I owe this visit,” he asked, getting straight to the point. He looked tired. Fucking exhausted actually. Dark circles under his eyes and his face covered with gray bristles. It looked like he’d aged ten years in the past two weeks, but I guess that’s what happened when you experienced the death of people you loved.

  “I’m here to apologize about what happened to Sophie,” Anthony answered with heaviness in his voice, leaning back in his chair as if his brother’s death stare didn’t worry him a single bit. Which I was sure was the truth.

  “You’ve already taken her away, but that wasn’t enough was it? You had to step in and take Emerson as well,” Nic scoffed, copying Anthony’s demeanor.

  Anthony’s body tightened just enough for me to notice, and just like that any kind of calm discussion was out the window. “You and I both know that you’re not that stupid. Walking away and changing your name was never going to alter the fact that you and those girls are part of this family. I take responsibility for my part in this mess, not ending things when I should have. But you need to own your part, too.”

  Nic slammed his palm down on his desk and leaned forward. “Why would I want my children to know that they were related to killers and criminals? Why would I want anyone to know that? Do you realize what this has done to my business? To my wife’s career?”

  “I don’t give a fucking damn about your business or your career,” Anthony snapped, sitting forward. “Don’t try and walk the high road and act like you haven’t done things in your life that won’t come back to bite you in the ass. These girls deserved to know who they were before it fucking blindsided them, whether it be because of one of my mistakes… or one of yours.”

  Anthony allowed those words to hang in the air for a moment, and right then I realized that Nic really wasn’t as innocent as he’d made himself out to be. I knew he’d done time working for the family when he was younger, but it seemed as though this family had more secrets than even I knew.

  When Nic didn’t reply, Anthony continued, “The girls should have had more protection. They should have known how to fight for themselves. And here you are, complaining about losing money because it’s all come out now.”

  “I’ve built my company from the ground up, without the DePalma name following me around… damn well haunting me,” Nic sneered, ignoring Anthony’s shots at his parenting and questionable history. I was barely holding myself back from telling him exactly what I thought of him and his fucking business. “I’ve already lost one daughter. But yeah, go on and take the other, I don’t care.”

  I shook my head, clenching my fists and biting my lip as Nic pushed out of his chair and turned to face the large window behind him that looked out on an expansive garden and pond.

  Did he really not give a shit whether Emerson was in his life or not?

  Or was he just playing some kind of stupid mind game?

  “Emerson looks up to you,” I said, unable to hold my tongue any longer. “She sees a man that’s made sacrifices and worked hard to be who he wanted to be and not what others expected of him. She sees a father who, at one point, trusted her to stand up for herself when some teen punk kept trying to grab her boobs in a movie theater.”

  Nic spun around, his eyes wide and burning with animosity. “How the hell did you—”

  “Because I listened,” I growled. “When did you stop listening? When did you stop believing in her?”

  “Angelo,” Anthony warned sternly, but at this point, I didn’t care if he shot me. Technically he was still a member of the family, and a brother none-the-less. I was meant to show him respect. But I didn’t give a shit. I was going to stand up for Emerson, because someone needed to tell this pathetic excuse for a father, just how his controlling and narrow-minded ways had impacted on his daughter.

  I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her anymore, and that included her fucking father. If I had to protect her from him, I’d do that in whatever way I needed to. But I’d seen in her eyes just how much she wanted him to be proud of her because she was following her dreams and not his.

  “She wants to dance,” I told him simply. “And you know what, if you took the time or effort to watch her do what she loves, you’d understand why. Yes, you lost one daughter. And if you don’t pull your head out of your ass soon, Emerson is going to finally find the strength inside her to walk away, too. You can either follow and support her or watch her disappear into the distance.”

  Nic glared at me in silence for what felt like an eternity before he finally steeled his shoulders and spoke, “I love my daughters,” he said with confidence, and a slight shake in his voice. “I love Emerson.”

  “Good, here’s where you prove it.”

  We walked into the station, it bustled with officers and people.

  Detective Marcos followed in after us. “This way,” he said simply as he walked off.

  We made our way down a long hallway until we reached a closed door that read ‘Interview Room Two.’ He pushed the door open and stood to the side. I walked through, Andre right on my heels.

  “I’ll wait here,” Leah called out after us.

  The room smelt old and musty when we stepped inside like someone had left one too many moth balls hanging around. The wooden floor creaked as Andre and I walked toward the large solid table that sat right in the center, which seemed to be bolted to the floor.

  The chairs were much the same, sturdy metal that appeared to be attached to the floorboards with brackets and screws.

  I looked sideways at Andre, raising one eyebrow.

  Marcos had requested this interview. We weren’t being arrested, yet we were thrown into some stupid interrogation room that felt like it hadn’t had a makeover since the sixties.

  Andre rolled his eyes and mouthed the words, “He’s trying to be dramatic.”

  I nodded. It did seem like Detective Marcos had already made his mind up about the type of person I was.

  I wasn’t Emerson Rossi from the famous Rossi family.

  Nope, not here.

  In this city, and in this detective’s mind, I was Emerson DePalma, niece to one of the most notorious mob bosses within the USA.

  It probably didn’t help that I was living with Angelo, Anthony’s right-hand man.

  The detective followed us in along with another officer who closed the door and stood beside it with his arms crossed. Detective Marcos sat opposite us, leaning back casually in his seat.

  I raised my eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.

  “So why don’t you run me through what happened that night,” he said, waving his hand casually in the air.

  I smiled. “I’m sorry, which night might you be indicating?”

  The corner of his mouth quirked, almost like he was impressed. “I have a few in mind,” he said, shrugging casually. “How about we start with the night that Sophie was assaulted.”

  “Killed,” I corrected sharply. “My sister was not simply assaulted, she was killed.”

  Marcos nodded, but I could already tell that this interview had nothing to do with what had happened to my sister. He didn’t give a shit that my sister had been raped and killed. Marcos didn’t care less about how they had slit her wrists so she’d slowly bleed out, and that there would be nothing I could do to help her.

  All he cared about was the information he had which could possibly bring down the DePalma family. He
wanted to know about Benny’s death, something I technically knew nothing about. I wasn’t going to let him make out like what Benny had done didn’t matter, like it wasn’t important, and that the DePalmas were some kind of monsters in the way that they may, or may not have, removed that sorry excuse for a human being from this world.

  Hell fucking no.

  “All right,” Marcos shrugged. “Tell me about what happened that night.”

  “No doubt you’ve already read the police report,” Andre cut in, placing a closed fist on the top of the table. His Italian accent got stronger as his anger rose, much like I’d noticed Angelo’s did. “How about we just skip that part, instead of trying to shake Emerson down by forcing her to get emotional and relive the torture that Sophie suffered in front of her.”

  I inhaled a deep breath, appreciating the fact that I had Andre at my side. I knew my rights. I was fully aware I could walk out of this stuffy old room within a second if I wanted to. But when asked to discuss that night, I would always shut down.

  Marcos grinned across the table, completely and utterly happy with himself and the fact that he’d managed to stir us a little. “Fair enough,” he answered, trying to sound serious, but he’d failed to wipe the stupid grin off his face. “Do you remember a man called Benny being in that room with you that night?”

  “Yes,” I replied sharply. “Benny was the one I saw violate my sister.”

  Marcos nodded, and the police officer by the door stepped forward, dropping a manila folder on the table with a resounding slap. “As I said before…” he continued as the officer stepped back again silently, “… Benny was found dead yesterday. His body was almost unrecognizable, as it was dismembered and stuffed into two suitcases and dumped into the East River.”

  “Look away,” Andre snapped quickly, just as Marcos flipped the folder open revealing an array of pictures. I managed to avert my eyes, but not before catching sight of the blood and pieces of flesh spread across a river bank. My eyes were wide as I stared at Andre, his gaze softening when he saw my shocked expression. “Do. Not. Look.”

  I nodded, pursing my lips together and breathing through my nose as my stomach started to churn.

  Did I care that Benny was chopped up into little pieces and thrown to the fucking gators? No.

  The only thought running through my head was, I hope it goddamn hurt. I’d seen the fear in his eyes that night with Angelo, the way he looked up at us and pleaded for some kind of exemption.

  After what he did?

  After the pain he caused?

  Hell no. I was glad he was dead.

  It was the blood and gore that made me want to vomit my lunch all over the detective sitting across from me with the smug-ass smirk on his face.

  “Put the pictures away,” Andre warned. I heard Marcos chuckle, and the folder was shut.

  Releasing a long breath, I turned back to face him.

  Oh, he was well impressed with himself. He wanted a reaction and he got one.

  “I think it’s best if you get to your point, Detective, because I don’t need to be subjected to you forcing horrifying pictures in my face. Pictures of the man who raped and assisted in the murder of my sister,” I told him sharply, my voice barely above a whisper.

  Marcos folded his arms across his chest and relaxed back into the uncomfortable steel chair. “Sure, let’s just get right to it, shall we?” he replied, his eyes darkening dramatically and narrowing in on me. “I think the DePalmas did this. I think they managed to get to poor old Benny before the police were able to arrest and interrogate him. What do you think?”

  I dug my fingernails into my jeans, heat consuming my body. “Poor. Old. Benny?”

  He shrugged. “Every man or women has a right to trial, no matter what they’ve done. That’s how the law works.” His patronizing tone didn’t go unnoticed.

  Placing both my palms flat on the table, I sat forward in my chair, wanting my voice to be heard when I spoke, so there was no mistaking my opinion. “My sister was tortured. She had the right to not be violated by these men. She had the right to live and not be murdered.”

  Marcos met me head on, his dark eyes staring back at mine like he was daring me to come at him, so he had an excuse to take me down. He wasn’t going to get one, but what he was going to get was a lesson in exactly who the fuck he was dealing with.

  “Whoever did this to ‘poor old Benny’… I applaud them. I would high five them in a second, and then I would give them my eternal thanks. Do you know why, Detective Marcos?” He sat forward in his seat, his lip curling as he listened to me rant. “Because… Benny deserved it.”

  He slapped his hand down on the table with fury blazing in his eyes, but I didn’t even flinch. His voice lowered to almost a whisper. “You think because you come from the DePalma bloodline that you’ll be protected from this? You think that just because you’re a rich trust fund brat that you have immunity?”

  I smiled. “No. I think the fact that I’m innocent, and the fact I have no idea what happened to Benny.” I shrugged. “And the fact that the last time I saw him, he was in one piece…” I paused, “… that fact will give me immunity.”

  It was the complete truth.

  I had no idea what actually happened to Benny. And the last time I saw him, he was still in one piece. A little damaged, but still one complete piece.

  “The truth will come out, and they’ll leave you high and dry,” he threatened. “You’re nothing to them. You don’t even carry their last name.”

  I tightened my fingers into a fist, urging myself to calm down. “Go fuck yourself,” I threw back, sneering at the man across the table and trying to keep my head straight.

  This was what he wanted.

  To get to me.

  To shake me.

  To make me think I was alone.

  “And Angelo? You’re there playing happy families…” His laughter boomed in the small space. “Trust me, you ain’t the first, and you won’t be the last.”

  I slowly pushed to my feet and leaned forward, bracing my palms on the table. “Does it make you angry? That Angelo is out there, relaxing, living life, with women dying to be near him, and you’re stuck here, trying so desperately to pin something on him like a dog chasing his tail?” I covered a triumphant smile as I saw his breathing increase and his chest heaving.

  Andre, on the other hand, looked like he was about to burst out laughing, sitting back in his chair casually folding his arms as he watched Marcos become more and more wound up, his face starting to turn red with anger.

  I can only imagine how long this man had been trying to pin something on the DePalma family.

  How long had he been trying to bring Angelo to his knees?

  How many times had he failed?

  Now I’d just added another number to his tally.

  And as it seemed, gained myself an enemy in the process.

  “You know nothing about me, detective.” My skin was hot, but my words were like ice. Then I took a page from Angelo’s book, smiling as I stepped away from the table. “Fuck with my family… I dare you!”

  “Emerson!” I shouted as I stormed through my front door, slamming it behind me, not caring that it made the walls shake. All the lights inside were lit up, and I could see her silhouette standing outside on the balcony, leaning against the brick edge with a glass of wine dangling from her fingers.

  She turned her face to the side, acknowledging my presence, but I couldn’t see her eyes.

  This fucking woman, I thought as I began to shuck my suit jacket, tossing it haphazardly across the back of the sofa while making my way toward her. My heart was in my throat, and all I wanted to do was get my damn hands on her.

  What kind of woman walks into a police station by her own will and stands up for a fucking man like me? Knowing full well that the questions they had asked her could have incriminated her as an accessory to murder.

  This damn woman.

  The kind of woman who made me out to look lik
e a fucking king in her eyes. The kind of woman who would stare a policeman in the face and tell him to go fuck himself. The kind of woman who would implicate herself before letting anything fall on the shoulders of her family—a family she’d only just learned she had.

  There was a reason I hadn’t allowed Emerson to see what happened to Benny, or discussed it in detail of any sort with her, because if she was questioned it meant she couldn’t lie.

  “Get out,” I ordered Samuele who was lying back casually on the sofa, his feet kicked up on my coffee table.

  He snapped me a quick salute before hustling for the door.

  I didn’t move another inch until I heard the door open and click shut closed behind me, knowing that the moment I reached Emerson, I wasn’t going to be held responsible for who saw what I was going to do with her body.

  I forced my feet forward again, and as I got closer to her I took in the outline of her figure, the way her body had regained some of its strength and curves since she’d been managing to fuel it, and it would only grow stronger now she was dancing again.

  Andre had filled me in on everything that had happened at the police station yesterday. I could see how impressed he was with how Emerson held herself, and how she didn’t let an intimidating man like Marcos push her around or make her feel inferior.

  Fuck no! My woman stood her ground and let him know exactly what she thought of him and his opinions, and not only that, but she let everyone know exactly where she stood on the subject of having DePalma blood in her veins.

  She’d drawn her line, and it was right where I wanted her.

  With me.

  “Hey,” she said, a hint of nerves in her tone as I stepped around the outdoor furniture and strode toward her. “How was—”

  Taking the wine glass from her hand and tossing it into the corner of the patio, I couldn’t even find it in me to care as it shattered against the brick railing. Emerson gasped at the same moment I thrust my hand into her hair and drew her lips to mine. She twisted my shirt in her fingers, holding onto my body for dear life as I stole her breath away. My other hand drifted over the curve of her hip and snaked around her waist, pulling her body against mine. Her soft curves felt like heaven under my hands. The dress she had on so perfectly molded to her body it was almost not even there.