by CJ Bishop
“I’m okay, papá,” she whispered with a tremor. He didn’t need to know what Riccardo had done—and what he’d intended to do had she not been rescued in time. “I’m home.”
The older man loosened his arms and stepped back, hands resting affectionately on her shoulders. “I was so afraid for you, mija. But mijo told me that your young man was our amigo and he was watching over you. That brought me some comfort.”
Caterina nodded and blinked at forming tears. “He took care of me, papá. He is a good man.”
“I would like to meet this good man,” Lorenzo smiled warmly.
“You will, very soon.” She gazed at her godfather. So much like your father Salvatore. Terrell Pisano’s words haunted her mind. She set them aside for now and glanced at the sofa; Rodriguez was gone. “Where is Rodriguez?”
“Matteo and Benito took him to his quarters to rest.” He smiled. “He is a strong young man. He will be all right.”
Caterina felt the relief. She hadn’t truly been worried about him, but there was always that slim chance of something going wrong. Loved ones could slip from one’s grasp at a moment’s notice. Her heart trembled as her thoughts turned to the boys and Flynn. Anything could happen tonight. If she hadn’t noticed the second shooter outside the house, Matteo might’ve been killed. Maybe her and Rodriguez as well. In a split second, it could have all been over.
But it wasn’t. The three of you are home. Safe. God is watching over all of you tonight.
Why hadn’t he watched over Diego on that night? But there were mixed emotions among the family concerning that incident. Diego and Marissa had been soulmates, so deeply in love that many wondered if one could have survived without the other. Had Diego survived…he would now be without Marissa, raising their baby girl alone, trying desperately to provide her love from within his shattered heart. In some ways—though it had hurt so much to lose them—it almost felt like fate. Neither had truly had to spend a moment on this earth without the other. Caterina believed with all her heart that they were together on the other side, watching over their daughter as her guardian angels. She believed this because she felt her father’s spirit with her, all around her, every day.
“Are you all right, mija?”
Caterina blinked and wiped her eyes. “I’ll just feel better when the boys are home.”
“Your papá, as well.” He gazed at her thoughtfully. “Is something else upsetting you, mija?”
Her chin trembled and tears filled her eyes. “That man, at the other house, Terrell Pisano…he said some things.” She bit her lip, swallowing hard.
“What things?”
“About…about my father.”
Lorenzo went still, his voice dropping. “What did he say, mija?” Before she could answer, he touched her elbow and motioned her toward the door. “Let’s go into the dining room. I’ll have Maria make us some tea and you can tell me what was said. Sí?”
Caterina nodded and wiped her eyes again. “Sí, papá.”
•
The throbbing in his head was the first thing he registered when he came to. It felt like his brain was pulsating, about to explode his skull. The second thing he became aware of was that he was no longer tied to a chair. His back was pressed to something hard—wooden. Riccardo opened his eyes with effort, the tiniest bit of light igniting the pain in his head, spiking it to new agonizing levels. He moaned and tried to open them wider, his head lolling to one side. After a moment, his mind cleared a bit and noted that he was on his back on some kind of table or plank. The pain in his wrists and ankles made itself known next as he realized they were each separately bound with small chains, splaying his arms and legs in each direction. He could feel the stress in his hip and shoulder joints. The most disturbing detail of his situation—he was naked.
“Where…where the fuck…am I?” he rasped. The last thing he remembered was Cruz and the cowboy tying him to the chair in the furnace room, then…nothing. Until now.
A face appeared above him. Flynn. “Comfortable, fucker?”
“You…” Riccardo hissed, spittle flying from his lips. “You traitorous fuck!” His arms and legs suddenly stretched a fraction more, nearly popping his arms from their sockets. “Fuck!” he choked, vision blurring. He glared at Flynn as the man’s face swam above. “What the fuck did you do to me?”
“Not me,” Flynn said. “My new friends. When you choose a side to fight on…make sure it’s the right side. Because this…” he waved his hand over Riccardo. “…is what happens when you choose poorly.”
Riccardo trembled, fear surging through him as the full impact of his dire situation sank in. “Where is Terrell?”
Sliding his thumb across his upper lip, Flynn said, “He’s the devil’s bitch now. You should be more concerned about…you. Because, you see, I know the truth now. I know that it was you who killed my mother.”
Riccardo went still and stared at him.
“Wondering how I figured it out?” Flynn asked. “It was your own big mouth that tipped me off…when you said you could turn my life to hell in the blink of an eye, that you’d done if before. You should really think before you speak. Otherwise, I may have never known the truth and continued to blame Cruz. Luckily, you tipped me off, because as I’ve recently discovered…Cruz is a pretty cool guy and I think we could be very good friends.”
“You betrayed and killed your own father?” Riccardo raged. “You piece of shit motherfucker!”
“He betrayed my mom, and in turn…me. Don’t think you can make me feel a shred of guilt for taking the fucker out.”
“So…what now?” Riccardo rasped, his face twisting. “You gonna get your kicks by torturing me?”
“Again—not me.” Flynn stared down at him dully. “I don’t think I have the stomach for it, in all honesty. But lucky for me—though not for you—my new friends here are quite skilled at inflicting pain. I will leave you to their imaginations.” He leaned down closer, a cold smile on his lips that failed to reach his icy eyes. “And I will extend your heartfelt apology to Caterina for the attempted rape. I’m sure she’ll be happy to know you’re atoning for your sins.”
“Fuck you!” Riccardo spit at him. “And your bitch!”
Flynn straightened up and shook his head. “No,” he murmured. “You’re not our type. We’ll just stick with each other.” He smiled—and this time the fucker looked genuinely happy. “Have fun with your new friends.”
He moved away from the table and out of view. Riccardo heard hushed voices all around him and his heart kicked in full gear. The chains around his wrists and ankles squeezed tighter as his limbs were wrenched a bit more. “Fuuck!” The stretching ceased but the excruciating pressure remained in his socket joints. A few more tugs and—he would be ripped apart.
The voices came closer and through the ringing in his ears, he heard the cowboy ask, “Any special requests?”
Fuck—fuck! Being ripped limb from limb was surely the finale. What hell awaited him beforehand?
“I trust your…creativity,” Flynn answer the cowboy.
Cruz Santiago spoke up. “He did like to wag his tongue. Maybe you should take care of that, for one.”
The Egyptian suddenly appeared above him. His thumb slid slowly along the blade of his huge-ass knife. “I guess it’s you who will now become…collateral damage.”
No…no—fuuuck! Nooo!
•
“Go on home.” Clint clasped Flynn’s shoulder. “Leave the dirty work to us.” A cool, dark smile formed. “We don’t mind getting dirty. Don’t give this fucker a second thought. Go back to your girl and…welcome her home properly.” He chuckled low. “Or not so properly, whichever she prefers.”
Flynn laughed quietly, his body instantly warming to the imagery the cowboy sparked in his mind.
“Hey, now,” Cruz mumbled. “That’s my baby sister you’re talking about.”
“Mine, too,” Sanchez said. “By proxy.”
“Well, if she’s anything like you
two,” Clint drawled. “She’ll opt for improper.”
Sanchez grinned. “That’s true.” He wrapped his arm around Cruz and kissed his head. “I can’t wait to get home and get improper with this one.”
Clint shook his head as if dealing with two incorrigible children.
“Don’t get all up on your high horse, cowboy,” Cruz smirked. “I know there ain’t nothing proper about the things you do with—and to—Axel. You can’t fool us. We know you too well.”
The cowboy scowled, a hint of smile at the edge of his mouth. “He’s the improper one. Not me.”
“Yeah, right,” Cruz laughed. “He was an innocent boy when you met him. If he’s improper now, it’s because you corrupted him.”
Clint chuckled low. “I haven’t heard any complaints from him.”
Flynn didn’t know who this Axel was, but he was curious to meet the person who could steal the heart of a badass gangster like the cowboy. How did one even approach a man like Clint with romantic intentions? He had a hard time imagining how that had gone down. Flynn glanced over at the Egyptian who was hovering around the table, surely heightening Riccardo’s terror with each passing moment. “Does he…” Flynn nodded toward the Egyptian, “…have anyone in his life?” His question came out laced heavily with doubt. It was even harder to fathom someone getting intimately close with the Egyptian than with the cowboy.
Cruz grinned. “Oh yeah. He’s got a hell of a man waiting for him at home. And three kids.” He chuckled. “Well, not kids, per se, they’re seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen. Two boys, one girl. Zoe is eighteen and his boyfriend’s niece. The nineteen-year-old—Donald—he saved Cochise’s life, then Cochise saved his life. So, you know, they’re pretty close. And John…” warmth filled Cruz’s eyes as his stare shifted to the Egyptian. “…he’s sort of their foster kid. He was in the hospital, in a coma. When he woke up, he had amnesia. Has no idea who he is. No family showed up to claim him.”
Flynn noted a tension in the cowboy as he shifted and glanced across the room at his friend.
“Cochise’s boyfriend—Kane—signed up to be his foster parent and they took him home. Now, he’s just part of the family.”
Flynn stared at the Egyptian, trying to picture him in a domestic setting with a family…in an intimate relationship with another person. What was he like at home?
“I know,” Sanchez smiled and squeezed Flynn’s shoulder. “It takes a moment to imagine these two as family men. But you ought to see them with children and puppies.” He winked at Clint and the cowboy scowled. “Well, in Cochise’s case—kittens.” He and Cruz laughed.
“Kittens?”
Cruz swallowed another laugh and nodded. “Cochise’s boyfriend is a veterinarian. Total pacifist, if you can imagine. One day, Clint and Cochise had some…business…with some fucker who organized dog fights. They were using kittens as bait animals. Only one was left alive and Cochise over there rescued it and took it to Kane. And the cowboy here, he rescued a puppy, gave it to his boyfriend.” Cruz smiled sweetly at Clint. “These two, they’re just big ole softies at heart.”
Flynn couldn’t keep the shock and doubt off his face—which Cruz and Sanchez found incredibly amusing. “Just wait till you see them in their domestic environment,” Cruz laughed. “You’ll see what we mean.”
•
Maria brought their tea and set a cup before Caterina. “Chamomile with a spritz of lemon for you, my dear.” She rubbed her hand over Caterina’s head. “To help you relax.”
“Thank you, Maria,” Caterina smiled warmly.
The motherly woman kissed her on the top of the head then served Lorenzo his tea. “Your peppermint tea, Señor.”
“Thank you, Miss Maria,” he offered with affection.
Caterina added a dash of sugar to her cup and slowly stirred, her eyes focused on the swirling amber drink. The steamy lemony aroma soothed her senses, though her body remained tense.
“Now, tell me, mija…what did the man say about your father?” There was tenderness and affection in her godfather’s voice whenever he spoke of Salvatore De Luca. They had been truly close friends. And more. Away from the intense stress of her previous situation, her mind was freer to think clearly, the implication made my Terrell Pisano suddenly took on a whole new meaning.
“He…” Caterina hesitated and sipped her tea. She looked at her godfather and recalled Flynn’s words. This man wouldn’t deceive her without necessary cause. “He said that my father was…murdered.”
Lorenzo frowned, took a moment then asked, “Murdered? By whom?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “He said that he…stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong and got it cut off.” She swallowed thickly. “Then he said it was technically his finger, not his nose, but same difference.” Tears formed as she stared at her godfather. “What was he talking about, papá? Was…was my father really…murdered?”
The uncharacteristic anxiety that seemed to take over her godfather unnerved her. Was it true?
“Was my father…a gangster?”
Lorenzo reached out and took her hand, squeezing with deep affection. “There are things about your father’s life that neither he nor I revealed to you. We had our reasons. All you need to know about your father is that he loved you more than life. There is nothing he wouldn’t have given up for you. You are his heart, his soul, and through you…he lives on. He loved you, mija, so very much.”
Her chin trembling, Caterina whispered, “And you, papá?”
The man stared at her as uncertainty mingled with a quiet ache in his eyes. “We were amigos, mija. He was a good friend.”
“And…more?”
“More?”
“The man…” Caterina’s hands trembled and she placed her tea on the saucer before she spilled it. “He said you and my father were good friends…and more. What does that mean?”
For a brief moment, Lorenzo seemed to slip away to another place and time. He came back quickly and blinked. “Nothing, mija. It means nothing. That man did not know us. Your father was my very good friend. And I his.” He raised her hand and kissed it softly. “That’s all you need to know.”
•
“Are you nervous?”
Flynn released a slow breath and nodded. “I’ve never met a girl’s father before,” he smiled anxiously.
“Relax,” Cruz chuckled. “Papá will love you. You took care of Caterina and kept her safe.”
“Not as safe as I’d wanted to,” he whispered as he recalled what Riccardo had done to her while Flynn was away from the house.
“That wasn’t your fault,” Cruz said. “You weren’t there.”
Flynn couldn’t help but feel responsible. “I’m just thankful you called her cell when you did.”
“So am I.”
Cruz parked the car out front of the house and he, Flynn, and Sanchez walked inside. The other men had come home ahead of them, so surely Caterina had been told they were all right. Even so, they were hardly through the foyer when she was suddenly there, throwing her arms around Flynn.
“What makes him so special,” Cruz teased. “That he gets the hugs?”
“Yeah,” Sanchez chuffed.
“Ugh.” Caterina released Flynn and hugged each of the men. “Better? Now stop your belly-aching.” She returned to Flynn and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her tight and kissed her lips. Caterina trembled. “I was so scared,” she whispered. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
“We told you we’d bring him back with us,” Cruz smiled. “Didn’t you believe us?”
Sanchez chuckled. “Yeah. Isn’t our word gold anymore? What gives?”
“Shut up,” Caterina laughed, groaning. She took Flynn’s hand. “Come meet papá.”
Flynn wasn’t sure what, exactly, he was expecting in the Santiago family “boss”, but the older distinguished gentleman that rose up from the table to greet him was not it. Although the man was certainly at least in his late forties, early fifties, he held hi
s age well and could have passed for an easy forty-five, if not a tad younger. His graying hair was styled nice and did nothing to make him look “old”. He wore an expensive white suit and appeared fairly fit.
“Lorenzo Santiago.” He held out his hand, a friendly smile on his face, warmth in his eyes. Flynn liked him immediately.
“Flynn…Pisano.” He stumbled over his surname as he took the man’s hand. “But I go by O’Brien, my mother’s maiden name.”
Lorenzo smiled. “Irish?”
“Yes.”
“It is a good name,” Lorenzo murmured. “Much more…compatible with your given name.”
Flynn agreed.
“I must extend my deepest gratitude to you for watching over mija,” Lorenzo said. “She is quite taken with you.”
“Papá,” Caterina moaned and ducked her head.
Flynn laughed softly. “What? It isn’t true?”
Caterina raised her head, eyes narrowed with warning. “You are not allowed to join them in embarrassing me.”
“Oh yes, he is,” Cruz countered. “As my future brother-in-law, I pass him the teasing torch.”
Flynn tensed beside Caterina as she stared in shock at Cruz. “Future…”
Grinning, Cruz shrugged. “Just being positive…hopeful…whatever. I mean, think about it—we already like this one. He doesn’t have to pass any interrogations, he’s already proven himself.”
Her lips pursed and she seemed incapable of meeting Flynn’s eyes. Was that a good sign or bad sign? It felt good, but he was a little scared to be too presumptuous. Cruz had made reference to the brother-in-law title earlier that day and, as then, it again filled him with warm excitement. But how did it make Caterina feel?
She made love to you at the risk of having your baby. Pretty sure you and she are on the same page.
That was all he needed to know for now.
CHAPTER 38
“Here and Now”
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