by J. G. Sumner
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By: JG Sumner
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Copyright © 2017 by JG Sumner.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: July 2017
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-162-3
ISBN-10: 1-64034-162-5
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
To Burrows Babes Street Team. I appreciate your continued support and belief in me. I appreciate all your hard work. You’re freaking amazing!
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two`
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Epilogue
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“I've heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I've brought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
~Dr. Seuss
Prologue
I walk up each flight of stairs, peering down the dark corridors in search of the man who has been wreaking havoc on my friend’s life for the past two years. The man who not only beat Tony an inch from death, but now has kidnapped his fiancé and forced several men on her. I can only imagine the things this sick fuck has done to her.
Once I get to the fifth floor, I proceed a bit more cautiously. This is where Kate said she ran from. This is where Matteo is supposed to be lying unconscious, and hopefully dead. With all my experience in various intelligence positions, I know these little problems can sometimes come back to life. I’m not going to hold my breath and hope the bastard is dead. No, I’m going to take care of this once and for all. No more trying to hunt this putrid piece of pond scum down. I’m going to make sure this man spends the rest of eternity with a pitchfork in his arse.
I slowly proceed down the corridor, trying to make as little noise as possible while stepping on the torn, dirty carpet. There’s no doubt, if Matteo is alive, he knows someone will be looking for him sooner rather than later. The last thing I want is to give him an inkling I’m close by.
I pass about six doors before I come upon one that is cracked open. I immediately raise my gun, ready to shoot with the slightest movement. There’s no doubt in my mind. This is the shithole Matteo has kept Kate in for the last few weeks.
I push open the door just enough so I can peer through. I look around the empty room before entering cautiously. I’m ready for whatever shit-storm hits. The living room is empty except for a cast iron frying pan lying on the floor. Was this the weapon Kate used to escape?
I move into the tiny kitchen in search of more clues or hopefully a body. Unfortunately, there’s no one. There’s only one place left to search, and that’s the bedroom. I silently pray he’s in there, or we have a whole other set of problems.
As I turn around, I gasp at the sight before me. Matteo is standing in the doorway of the bedroom, naked as a jaybird. There’s dried blood caked on his face, and a small amount still oozing from the temporal region of the right side of his head. He’s pointing a gun at me, but his stance is wobbly at best. The fucker looks like he could fall over at any minute. A laugh escapes my chest. Kate kicked the shit out of Matteo. Good for her!
“Well, well, well. It looks like you’re not so tough now, are ya?” I slowly begin to approach Matteo.
Matteo tries to hold the gun steady but can’t, and it’s all but pointing at the ground now. Just as well, I don’t want to shoot him. I want to make this look like self-defense and an accident.
“Fermo qui o sparo!” Matteo’s words are barely audible. It wouldn’t matter if I could hear them, because I don’t know a lick of Italian.
“Did you honestly think you were going to get away with this?” I continue to approach Matteo slowly, but steadily.
“Did you think Tony was going to let you walk away with his entire life?”
Matteo’s eyes seem glazed over and unable to focus. He keeps closing and opening them as though he’s trying to get a fog to clear. “Are you just that much of a greedy bastard that the hundreds of millions you have tucked away in some offshore account aren’t enough?”
“I—I wanted her. She was mine!”
I laugh again. “Who, Kate? She was never yours. Her heart belongs to your cousin and that will never change.”
Matteo attempts to put the gun to my chest as I now only stand inches from him. I swipe the gun out of his hands and watch as it flies across the room toward the entrance to this shithole.
“She would’ve come to love me. Everything would’ve been perfect. It would’ve been just the three of us on that island. There wouldn’t have been anyone to bother us. We could’ve learned to be happy.” Matteo cocks his arm and attempts to swing to my face. I block it and hold his hand in mine.
“What do you mean, the three of you? Who else did you plan on? You would’ve needed more than one bodyguard to stop us from finding you.” I take his fist and slowly begin twisting his arm.
The fucker chuckles. He actually thinks this situation is funny.
“She’s pregnant with my child. It looks like I won after all. There’s no way that spineless cousin of mine will want her now.”
The sly look on Matteo’s face makes me sick. The thought that he impregnated Kate makes me see red.
“You didn’t win. She was already pregnant. That baby is Tony’s, and now that you’re no longer going to be in the picture, they can have the family they’ve been wanting.” With one strong twist, I snap Matteo’s arm. The crushing of bones is a sound I’ve heard many times before. It once made me sick. Now, it makes me smile. As he falls to the ground, I kick him in the head, forcing it to snap back. I know immediately that his neck is broken. Despite the fact I just killed a man, I feel no remorse. I don’t know if that makes me a monster or not. What I do know is I need to find Tony before he gets wind of the fact that Kate is pregnant. Matteo is right. Tony is going to lose his mind if this is really his cousin’s baby.
Chapter One
Tony
I haven’t seen Kate in seven agonizing months since I left her in that hospital room. I never even bothered to get my things from our apartment. I took the coward’s way out and I hightailed it back to California where I had started my life once before in the
witness protection program. Instead of starting over this time, I’ve fallen into a downward spiral and can’t seem to escape.
My days and nights are all mixed up. I drink as soon as I wake up, no matter what time it is. I can’t remember the last time I was sober. It’s like a permanent case of amnesia and the fog won’t lift. My best friend is Jack. We have a pretty good relationship. I talk to him, share all my problems, and he helps to numb my pain without saying anything. Once in a while, he’ll get a jab in during my prayers to the porcelain god. The way he burns on the way back up is horrible, but nothing a little Pepcid or Tums can’t handle.
I know I’ve failed Kate. I’ve contemplated going back to New York and begging for her forgiveness, but I can’t. Leaving her was by far the worst decision I’ve made in my entire life. I don’t deserve her, and frankly, I still haven’t gotten over the fact that she might be carrying Matteo’s child. I know I’m a dick for leaving her alone and pregnant, especially after I had just found her. I deserve what I get and this private hell I live in isn’t nearly punishment enough.
How did we get here? We’ve been through so much during our time together. Meeting her in Florence as Katherine and watching as she morphed from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly who broke out of her cocoon. She’s so strong and resilient, and never once lost faith in me even though I’m the reason why she’s been tortured and raped. Nobody deserves what I’ve done to Kate, and I wasn’t even man enough to take care of her when she needed me most.
I attempt to take another swig from Mr. Daniels only to find out someone already emptied the bottle. I guess that was me. I throw it across the room, causing the bottle to shatter as it hits the wall. I don’t fucking care. The maid will be here sometime today to clean my shit up like she does every day.
I stumble across the room in search of another container of the amber liquid. Much to my dismay, it looks as though I’ve drank my entire stash. Jesus. This means I’m going to have to sober up enough to get down to the liquor store without passing out on the sidewalk or getting arrested for public drunkenness, which has already happened, twice. Fuck. I’m a mess.
I take some unbalanced steps and make my way into the bathroom to piss. Last time I woke up soaked in urine. I hope to avoid doing that again. Once I’ve relieved myself, I splash some water on my face. It’s the first time I’ve looked in the mirror in countless days. I have a full beard, and I think there might be vomit living in the hair. Or it’s my last meal. Whichever, it’s fucking gross. My eyes are bloodshot, and my breath smells like shit. I think about brushing my teeth, but my hands are starting to shake, indicating I need to get another drink fast.
I put some water on my hands and rub my face in an attempt to get whatever is growing in my beard out. I need to look somewhat civilized so they don’t throw me out of the liquor store. It’s strange how I can pull myself together for booze, but I can’t get my ass out of this funk. Whatever. This is easier to deal with.
I head out of the shitty motel I’m staying in. It’s one of those lease by the month, hour, or however long you need it kinds of places. The amount of homeless people and prostitutes that hang out here is astounding, but this is where I fit in. No one gives a shit about how I look or how much I drink. They leave me the hell alone with the cockroaches that skate across the floor when the lights are out.
I stagger down the sidewalk searching for the liquor store I’ve been to on a daily basis the past several months. I don’t even know what street I’m on. I just follow the buildings that look familiar. It’s amazing that I ever make it back to the motel at all.
I stumble upon a hole-in-the-wall Mexican takeout place and decide to go inside. The constant growl and churning of my stomach convinces me to get some food. I order a carne asada burrito with sour cream and guacamole. I can’t remember the last time I ate something substantial besides Funions and Fritos with bean dip. My stomach is roaring to life, begging for the monster to be fed. If I’m not careful, the damn thing might jump outside of itself and devour every ounce of food in this restaurant without me.
I think about taking the burrito with me and eating it when I get back to the dump I call home. My legs are tired of holding up my weak body, so I decide to sit down at the orange table with brown plastic chairs and force myself to eat.
I’m shocked by how easily the food goes down. There’s something about the Mexican food in Southern California that fails to compare to any other place in America. It’s authentic and good here. I think about ordering another burrito, but decide against it when Mr. Daniels begins calling my name. I don’t know how he knows exactly what I need, but I don’t dare argue.
I grab a glass of water before leaving. I’m not sure when the last time was that I’ve had any liquid besides Jack, but my mouth is like a drought-ridden desert. I need to get something to moisten it or my tongue is going to dry out and shrivel up. I swear, as soon as the water goes in, my tongue expands like a sponge, or one of those gel-like animals that grows one hundred times its size when it soaks in water.
Once I leave the restaurant, I head down the street I’ve traveled hundreds of times until I come across the jackpot at the end of the rainbow. By now, I’m pretty sober. It’s something I can’t deal with because I only loathe myself that much more. All I think about is Kate, Kate, Kate. Fuck. She’s got some kind of mind ninja thing going on with me. I wish I could just forget her.
The man behind the counter is of Middle Eastern descent and doesn’t bother to ask what I want. He just reaches for a couple bottles of liquid gold.
“Give me two more.” The last thing I want is to sober up anytime soon and to have to make the trek again.
I give him my debit card and in no time, I’m on my way. I open one of the brown paper bags and down a quarter of the first bottle like it’s water and I’m a parched nomad. To me, that’s exactly what it is. It warms my chest, and for the first time today, a smile erupts from my face. Numbness sets in, and I’m back to feeling no pain. Thank God.
By the time I get back to the motel, half the bottle is gone. I can barely climb the steps, and again I’m in the throes of a drunken stupor. Hot damn! I can go watch some television and drink until I pass out. I get to the door of my room and pull the key out of my pocket. This place is such a piece of shit, they still use real keys, not the cards. Whatever. I struggle to get it in the lock but finally manage. As I open the door I stumble back, not sure if what I’m seeing is real or a figment of my imagination. I wipe my eyes to try to clear the fuzziness.
“Bloody hell, mate. You look like fucking shit. Get your arse in here.” Jasper grabs me by the front of my shirt, drags my ass into the room, and slams the door.
“Whath are yuth doing here?” My speech is unrecognizable. I don’t know what I’m saying.
“I would say the same about you, but it’s quite obvious what you’ve been up to. Give me that shit. You’re fucking pissed.” Jasper reaches for my precious commodities and I pull away, falling against the wall.
I really hate it when he uses that British slang. I’m not pissed, I’m drunk. Why can’t he just say drunk?
“Yuth canth have ith.” One of the bottles falls to the floor and Jasper snags it right quick.
“You’re a fucking mess. How on Earth did I let this happen? I should’ve come to get your arse months ago.” Jasper easily takes all the bottles from me, heads to the sink, and pours them out.
“Yuth canth do that.” I try to stand, but my legs are boycotting and staging a mutiny. Fuckers. I don’t need them anyway.
“The fuck I can’t. Look what this crap has done to you. You’re a frickin’ wreck and you smell like shit. You’re going to get your arse sober and then we’re taking you home.” Jasper shakes out the rest of my newfound best friend—the one who eases my pain and never fails me.
“No! I canth go!” My body slumps to the side and I can’t keep from falling onto the floor and becoming a worthless pile of mush.
“Yes, you can and you hav
e to. Kate needs you.” The bottles clank as Jasper throws them in the garbage.
“I’m the lath thing she needs.” I attempt to close my eyes, but the room starts to spin, so I open them in hopes to stop any impending vomit sessions.
“Looking at you, I might say you’re right, but she’s getting ready to have that baby any day now, and he needs his dad.” Jasper drags me off the floor and takes me over to one of the two chairs by the window.
“Ith not mine. Yuth need tuth find Matty.” I hold onto the chair handles, trying not to fall over.
“Matty’s dead and you’re wrong. That baby is one hundred percent yours. The tests prove it, and to top it off, you’re having a boy. That Bertalucci name is going to live on after all.”
I must be dreaming or really drunk, because I could swear Jasper just told me I’m a dad and that Matteo is dead. This is definitely a dream. I attempt to close my eyes again, because I never want to wake up from this amazing dream.
My head hits the back of the chair, but I just leave it. I don’t care if the world spins. I try to imagine myself holding my son with Kate leaning over us lovingly. It’s been a long time since I haven’t had a nightmare. This is fucking amazing.
Jasper shakes me. “Wake your pissed arse up. You need to get in the shower.”
I open my eyes and get a look at the Brit who continues to disturb my happy place. What’s his deal? Can’t he leave me alone? Jasper lifts me from the chair, drapes one of my arms over his shoulder, and drags me to the bathroom and into the shower. He doesn’t bother taking off my clothes before turning the frigid water on.
“Ahhhh!” The water is like standing under Niagara Falls in the middle of winter. This is like Chinese water torture.
“Yeah, mate. You just stand there and let the water do its job. You need to sober up and I don’t want to smell that stench anymore. When was the last time you bathed?”
