"What the—" he said before I pushed him off me.
"Celia's outside!" I yelled, running for the door.
Turning the knob, I flung open the only barrier to my cousin and ran straight to her car. The distinct smell of a recently fired gun filled the otherwise crisp, clean, air. Celia was still sitting in the driver's seat, her head resting at the twelve o'clock position on the steering wheel.
I fell to my knees and screamed my pain into the vastness of the sky. "Celia!"
Christian limped by me as fast as he could, ripping Celia's door open.
CHRISTIAN
I kneeled down next to Celia, noting the puddled blood on her lap. I followed the trail up to her neck where I found the source of the sticky red liquid.
Il Fantasma—has to be.
Lexi's wails reverberated through every part of my body, and I knew she wouldn't be able to handle seeing her cousin in this state. I pulled out my phone to call Rico. He needed to start an investigation before the police got their useless hands on the scene.
The phone rang only once before Rico's eager voice greeted me on the other end.
"Yeah, Boss."
"Rico, get over to the house. Someone shot Celia in my driveway."
"Celia? No, Boss."
"Just fucking get here," I said, peering through the car windows at Lexi, who was looking straight back at me for answers.
I shook my head—her eyes widened, shining with tears. I looked away, saddened by her pain. Whoever did this to her would pay—they would pay with their life. As I waited, I noticed a small corner of card stock sticking out from beneath Celia's thigh. I pulled on it, sliding it out from underneath her. It was a four by six photograph of Liam and Lexi together, presumably at the club in Chicago. The fury in me grew as I pored over the photo. I wanted to strap Liam to a chair weighted down with cement blocks, and throw him into the river after I stuffed this picture in his mouth. I wanted him to know I knew he had betrayed me before he drowned—that son of a bitch.
A rev of an engine pierced through the silence, pulling me from my murderous thoughts. It was followed by Rico's Rover pulling into the driveway. Quickly, I stuffed the picture in my pocket, hiding the evidence of Lexi's indiscretion, knowing she would be embarrassed if the truth ever came to light.
Rico stepped out of his car and ran to my side, helping me from the ground.
"Go to Lexi, Boss. I'll take care of Celia," Rico said, using himself as a crutch for my bruised body.
I fell to my knees as we approached Lexi, pulling her close to me as I wrapped my arms around her trembling body. Now was not the time to bring up her confession, or the picture. After all these years of her looking the other way, pretending I wasn't a cheating bastard, I owed her. I owed her her dignity. I owed her so much more.
"We'll get 'em, baby. I'm gonna make 'em pay," I whispered.
Through her sobs, she said, "The voice said another domino was going to drop. It warned me. I should have listened."
"What voice?"
She pushed away from me, her eyes narrowing as she wiped away the tears. "I should have listened!" she yelled, pounding her fists against my chest.
I grabbed her wrists, clutching onto them tightly as I pulled her back in. I rocked her back and forth with my arms hugged tightly around her.
"Shhh. Shhh. Shhh."
"Why her? Why Celia? She didn’t do anything. It should be me."
"No!" I said sternly through gritted teeth. "Not you."
"She was my cousin," she cried. "My beautiful cousin…" her words trailed as she continued to cry.
"What else did this voice say, Lexi?" I asked, hoping to glean some information about Celia's killer.
But before she could answer, I heard Rico walking up from behind. "Boss."
I stopped rocking Lexi to turn to him. "What did you find?"
"It was a hit—too clean to be anything else."
I turned back to Lexi. "Tell me about this voice."
She wiped a tear away. "I got a call right before I got here. It said you were the first domino, and there would be a second today."
"I was the first?"
She nodded. "That’s what it said."
"Was it a man or a woman?"
"It was one of those electronic voices. I don’t know, but it did say to ask you if I wanted to know who it was."
"Il Fantasma, Boss?"
I nodded. "There is no one else who could be targeting me in this way. Like it's a fucking game. No fucking honor."
"You want me to get the boys together and see if anyone in the neighborhood saw anything?" Rico asked.
"No. I wanna meet this ghost face to face. Tell all the boys to spread the word, if he wants me—come and get me."
LEXI
"Who's this Il Fantasma? Is that who killed Celia? Did Celia die for your dumb shit?" I asked, slapping him in the face.
His head wrenched to the side, then slowly turned back to me.
"Tell me!" I yelled, attempting to slap him in the face again before he detained my wrist mid-air.
"Stop. This is no time to be divided. We are stronger together," he said through tight lips before loosening his grip on my wrist.
He was right. I wasn't going to be safe on my own—not with a crazed psycho on his tail. "Fine," I said, relinquishing my obstinate behavior.
"Okay, I'll tell the guys, then round up a team to watch the house," Rico said.
"No. If this ghost is so powerful, he will see you guys from a mile away. I have to do this on my own. If I don’t make it, then at least the danger to the rest of you dies with me."
"What? No!" I yelled. "Not you, too!"
He cupped his palm to my ear, his thumb caressing my temple. "Let me do this for you. Let me be the husband I haven't been to you for so many years. Let me show you love the only way I know how, mi amore."
He hadn't called me that in years—not since after the first time I caught him cheating. My heart ached to see this side of him now.
IL FANTASMA
CHRISTIAN
"Boss, I can't leave you alone like that," Rico pleaded.
"You'll do what I ask, Rico."
He shook his head. "I just—"
"This is not up for debate," I said, pushing myself off the ground before holding my hand out to help Lexi up. "Call the police, then disappear. I don't need you caught up in this."
I left Rico in the driveway as I walked Lexi into the house and sat her at the kitchen table. I limped around the kitchen to make her a cup of tea while we waited for the police to arrive. She sat there, with her face buried in her hands, until her phone began to ring. Her crying ceased as she shot up from her chair, frantically searching for her purse.
"Where the fuck is it?" she screamed.
"You didn’t come into the kitchen with it," I said, and with that, she ran out of the kitchen toward the front door, to what I could only assume was the side foyer table.
The ringing stopped, followed by Lexi's labored, "Hello."
"Put it on speaker," I ordered from the kitchen.
She walked into the kitchen holding the phone in front of her. "I'm still here," she said.
"Did you enjoy what I did?" the electronic voice asked.
"No. How dare you kill Celia. She has nothing to do with Christian," Lexi said through her sorrow.
"Maybe so, but she had everything to do with you," the voice taunted.
I reached over the counter and yanked the phone from her hand. "Il Fantasma, I presume?"
The voice chuckled wildly. "Christian, Christian, Christian."
"Tell me where to meet you. Man to man," I cajoled.
"Tisk, tisk, tisk, Christian. My game, my rules," the voice bantered.
"You're on my fuckin' turf, you son of a bitch."
"Listen here!" The speaker blared. "You may think you can push me around, like you do everyone around you, but I'm about to burn your empire to the ground. And when you're left with nothing but decay, I'll be there slicing a knife th
rough your heart."
My gaze shifted from the phone to Lexi, whose face was pale white. I pulled out my gun from the waist of my pants and laid it on the counter, trying my best to reassure her without saying a word.
"Are you still there?" the voice asked.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"I want you to bring Liam and Lexi to Pier 17. Alone."
"No. You can have me, and that's it," I growled.
"Like I said, dear sweet Christian. My game, my rules," the voice said before the phone hung up.
"What are we going to do, Christian?" she asked as police sirens blasted into the house.
"We gotta deal with these assholes first. Then we'll call Liam."
"I'm sorry about Liam," she said with utter sincerity in her voice.
I handed her back the phone as I limped to the door. "I deserved it," I admitted under my breath.
I pulled the door open to a young, well-dressed, woman—her hair cut short, slicked-down, and shiny, with a part on the side. There were a slew of police officers swarming the scene behind her, taking pictures of Celia, and rolling out yellow caution tape around my driveway.
"Mr. Cerisi?" she asked as she pulled out a pen and pad from her blazer pocket.
"Yes, that's me."
"I'm Detective Eva Jones. May I come in?" she asked in a distinctly British accent.
"Of course," I said, widening the opening of the door.
Her eyes roamed around the room as she walked in. "You have a beautiful home."
"Thank you," I said, closing the door behind her.
Lexi walked in from the kitchen.
"Mrs. Cerisi?"
"Yes, that's me," Lexi said, holding out her hand to shake the officer's.
"Tell me what's happened," she said, readying her pen.
"We were in here, and she was out there…" Lexi's words trailed as she began to sob.
I took her into my arms, and continued for her, "Lexi came in to grab a few things, while her cousin Celia waited outside. There was a gunshot, and when we ran outside—she was already dead."
"Do you know anyone who could have done this?" Eva asked.
"No. No one," I said.
"Sir," Eva said, putting her pen away. "Let's not play games. I know who you are. Could this be a rival hit?"
"Who I am?" I asked, pointing my finger at her. "Who I am is an upstanding citizen with a dead family member in my driveway. So why don’t you do your job and figure out who did it."
"Upstanding citizen—whatever you say, Mr. Cerisi," she said snidely.
"And what's that supposed to mean? Why are you worried about him, and not my beautiful cousin?" Lexi asked in a firm voice.
"I'm worried about what your husband's business has done to your cousin—same thing," Eva replied, looking out the window to the driveway.
"This has nothing to do with him," Lexi replied.
"And how do you know that?" Eva's question slapping a zipper over both our mouths.
I gripped Lexi's hand tightly, signaling her to keep her mouth shut.
"Hmm—I thought so," Eva said, walking out the door to speak with another officer.
Lexi pushed me off and took a step toward the door. I knew what she was thinking of doing, and the last thing I needed was for her to get arrested. Not with some crazed lunatic after me, whose reach could extend into a prison.
To keep her safe, I had to keep her close, so I yanked her back, snaking my arm around her waist. "Shhh. Mi amore. Shhh," I whispered in her ear. "We'll take care of this as a family."
She stopped thrashing against me and instead took a fistful of my shirt tightly into her hand as she laid her cheek on my chest. "She needs justice," she said, crying quietly to herself.
The warmth from her adrenaline flushed body bore into my flesh, and I, being who I was, could offer no deep comfort except to hold her. I wanted to console and give her solace with words spilling from my softening heart. But a man like me couldn't show such weakness—not even to my wife—not even in the midst of such tragedy.
"I know, and we will," I breathed into her ear as I reached out and pushed the door closed, relegating the judging eyes of the various police officers outside.
I led her into the room and laid her on the bed, covering her with her grandmother's knitted throw blanket, which she liked to cuddle in whenever she felt down.
"Did you want me to call your family?" I asked.
She nodded. I turned to walk away but stopped in my tracks when I felt her soft hand clutch onto my wrist.
"Stay," she said.
I turned and kneeled in front of her, stroking my fingers through her hair. "I have to take care of them outside, baby. I'll be back to lay with you soon. You rest now," I said, pressing my lips to her forehead.
Her grip loosened as her eyes slowly closed. I waited there—stroking her hair—loving her like I'd never loved her before.
God, she's beautiful. How could I ever step out on such an angel?
Her hand fell from my wrist as her breathing slowed. I picked it up and laid it next to her, covering it with the blanket.
"My love," I muttered under my breath as I stood to my feet.
Walking through the house toward the front door, I couldn’t help but think of the day we moved in. We were so in love. I would have given her the world back then.
What changed?
I'll tell you what changed—I changed. The money changed me. The women changed me, and overall, my pride changed me. I didn’t deserve her anymore. I deserved whatever Il Fantasma had planned for me. She deserved someone who was willing to put her first, not just some of the time, and not just when it was convenient. She deserved someone who would put her before him every time. Could that person be Liam? Maybe. Could that person be me? If I were really honest with myself, my answer would also have to be maybe.
As I neared the door, the intensity of the sirens grew. I took in a deep breath and twisted the handle, opening myself up to their intense glares, and implicating questions. I had never really dealt with the police, Rico managed all of this street level business, and I must admit I wasn't envious of his job. He was always picking up after me. One of these days I would really need to thank him for all his loyalty—it's something that never occurred to me to do.
Selfish bastard. That's what I am.
Back and forth I debated with the detective as to how I couldn't have been involved in Celia's murder, but she didn’t believe me, and I couldn't blame her. With as many unsolved murders plaguing my name, how I could I ask for any other outcome?
An hour later, after Celia's body had been carted away, her car had been towed, and all the pictures had been taken, the detective, on her last nerve warned, "Don't you dare leave the city. I'll be watching you like a hawk."
"I look forward to it," I said snidely, shooting her my most charming smile.
She shook her head and walked away, motioning to the group of officers. Instantly, they all picked up their cameras, paper evidence bags, and fled the scene, leaving me alone to ponder what my next move would be.
I took out my phone and called Rico. His phone rang a few times then went to voicemail. I was caught off guard, I didn’t even know he had a voicemail. It was unlike him not to answer, and I worried that he had been the next on Il Fantasma's list.
Dialing his number again, I began to chant under my breath, "Pick up, pick up, pick up."
But again I was sent to voicemail, and that's when I knew I would probably never see him again. Everything and everyone were being yanked out from underneath me, and all I had done lately was worry about my own dick.
My phone rang right as I was putting it in my pocket. The caller ID flashed Rico's name across my screen.
Fuck. Thank God.
"Rico," I said after bringing it back to my ear.
The familiar electronic voice rang loud and clear. "You wanna see your capo alive again?"
"What the fuck have you done to him?"
"Get your ass down to
Pier 17 in thirty minutes. Don't forget Liam, and your whore wife," the voice said before the phone clicked off.
"But wait—"
I shook my head. "Fuck me!" I yelled, dialing Liam's number.
A few women walked by with their little, brown, growling, Chihuahuas, staring at me with the look of death warmed over.
"What do you want?" I asked sternly, placing the phone next to my ear.
They rolled their eyes and kept walking down the street.
Zero fuckin' respect. This neighborhood is going to shit.
"Hello," Liam answered.
"I need you to be at my house ten minutes ago."
"No."
"What the fuck you mean, no?"
"I mean, I don't work for you anymore."
"Since when? Since you fucked my wife right under my nose?"
"So you know?" he asked smugly.
"I also know why you did it. It's probably the only reason I haven't sent someone to put a bullet through your eyes—yet."
"You don't know shit about me, Christian. All you know is what I've wanted you to know—"
"Do you wanna save Lexi?" I interrupted his rant.
"Lexi?"
"The Ghost is coming after me hard, and wants me, you, and Lexi at Pier 17 in thirty minutes. He has Rico already."
"Rico is not my business, and neither are you. This is a trap. Why would you bring her to a trap? Fuckin' coward."
"I'm not. I need you to come and take her away. I'm ending this shit now. He's already killed Celia, and I'll be damned if he gets Lexi too."
"You want me to come and take her away?"
"Do you care about her?"
"Of course I do," his tone lashed out at me.
"Take her somewhere no one will find her. Not even me. I can't risk her in a weak moment."
"Why would you trust me with her?"
"I saw the way she looked after Chicago. And I didn't know why until she told me what happened. I hadn't seen that look in her eyes in years. There must be some good in you, and she's seen it. I have no one else I can trust with her safety. Say you'll do this. Say you'll save my wife?"
"I need you to know I've fallen in love with her, and I can't promise I'll bring her back to you."
Wrath: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Deadly Sin Series Book 1) Page 12
