by Soraya Naomi
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yeah, I can’t stay,” he says, slipping out before I even get a chance to thank him.
Baffled, I wonder why he’s in such a rush. However, maybe he was summoned by Adriano.
Where’s everyone? Where’s Luca?
The more I think about it, the more enraged I become, and the need to end this nightmare obsesses me. After peeking into the bag, I take out a pair of jeans and a sweater, along with my white wool coat and black boots. Hurrying into my clothes, I put on my boots and throw on my coat before grabbing my Smith & Wesson from the bag and stashing it in the waistband of my jeans. Then I tiptoe toward the door, squeaking it open to see one guard in front of my room.
“Can you get me a coffee?” I ask, and he hesitates yet nods, marching down the hall and turning right.
Racing out the door, I go through the corridor, rounding the other corner while the guard is standing at the coffee machine with his back to me. I slow my pace, and as luck would have it, the elevator opens, so I tread inside and ride down. Upon entering another hall, I peek inside rooms and nod at several nurses that I come across. Then I reach a closed door at the end, so I click down the lever and open it to see Tez lying in a bed, his left arm handcuffed to the headboard.
He turns his head that has a white bandage around it and shouts, “You fucking bitch!”
Closing the door behind me, I stroll to the foot of his bed, taunting, “Did they cuff you? I told you they’d believe me.”
“You’re so fucking stupid!” he barks and then winces, most likely from pain.
“Shut it! You’re in no position to call me names.” I inch closer to stand beside his bed. “See, all I need is to effectively end this mess so that I can see my children!” Grabbing my pistol, I direct it right between his eyes that widen, and his free arm shoots up to shield his face in defense.
After a few seconds of utter silence, he glances up hesitantly as I smirk at him. “I should really just kill you.”
“Jesus Christ. You’re a full-fledged mafia member too.”
“I’m not, but this is the effect the Syndicate has on people.” Sliding my finger over the trigger, I hiss at him, my anger begging to be freed.
All of a sudden, I hear voices coming from outside the door. “Where’s the guard?”
“On a break probably.”
I wonder whether I should just finish this for good. This type of thought never would have crossed my mind two years ago, but my conscience altered when I married Luca and became a part of this Syndicate. I’ve learned that you need to eliminate threats so that they can never come back to haunt you – that’s how this ruthless world works.
CHAPTER 35
Luca
I STRIDE INTO MARC’S office on the tenth floor after Adriano calls me to meet with him and Henry. Hanging on the edge of true sorrow because Fallon rejected me, I long to grant her wish and take her home.
Adriano and Henry are standing in front of the desk talking, and Adriano beckons me in as Henry explains, “It all pans out. John Rudd was indeed a regular at the sex club. We found a tape of him in an interesting threesome. He’s actually the candidate for Supreme Court associate justice, and the number Fallon called is listed as his. Also, Michael confiscated Tez’s phone and saw that the number was called numerous times from it. And after doing some digging, I found out that the bar owner is actually John Rudd’s stepbrother. You can’t find anything online about the fact that they’re related, so John must have the same type of influence that we do and be able to control what’s found online. John’s known to be a deeply religious man who’s been married for ages and has adult kids. Plus, Michael confirmed that John has been in frequent contact with Tez since before New Year’s Eve.”
Adriano freezes. “Remember how the bar owner told us he knew something right before you killed him, but he wouldn’t say what? He was covering for his stepbrother and knew Tez was involved with the raid, of course.” Then he scrubs his beard. “So Fallon was right all along. What should I do...How powerful is Rudd?”
“Very,” Henry replies. “He has contacts in high places. We can’t just execute him without raising questions.”
I offer, “I want to put an end to all of this.”
“Believe me, so do I,” Adriano agrees. “We have to remember that this is still a public hospital and having Tez here is too dangerous.
“He’s a weak link and knows too much about our inside business,” Henry puts in.
“And on top of that, I’m having a really hard time dealing with the fact that one of my trusted men is a goddam traitor, but I’m not in the fucking mood to drive up north and finish it at the warehouse,” Adriano grumbles, violently unbuttoning his charcoal suit jacket. “Let’s go,” he orders unexpectedly and marches out of the office, leading the way upstairs to Tez’s floor.
As we walk down the hall, I notice that no one’s guarding Tez’s room.
“Where’s the guard?” Adriano asks.
“On a break probably.” Henry opens the door, which I quickly close after we enter and come to a stop.
We see Fallon pointing her revolver at Tez’s head while he lies in the bed with a terrified look in his eyes, his arm that’s cuffed to the bed rattling against the railing as he jerks it. “Help me!”
“Shut up!” both she and I bark in unison, and I see the corner of her mouth twitching when she glances at me.
Although she looks angelic in her designer jeans and custom-made white wool coat with her hair neatly brushed and swept to the side, the gun in her hand indicates that she’s anything but. Then I notice the bruising around her nose, and my anger comes back full force.
Blinking calmly, Fallon tilts her head and her graceful, captivating demeanor reminds me immediately of the woman I admire. Memories I left in some dark place in my brain come back to fill me with guilt and even more fury toward Tez.
Her stare shifts from left to right to Henry, me, and then Adriano standing beside me, who speaks, “You couldn’t wait for us? Fallon, don’t do anything...”
Her lips quirk up, which makes Adriano smirk, apparently just as impressed as I am.
“Do you have an update for me?” she inquires in a soft-spoken voice.
In the meantime, Tez looks at Adriano incredulously and stammers, “G-get her gun!”
But no one pays him any attention.
“Yes,” Adriano answers Fallon. “You were right. Rudd and Tez are behind the raid, and we found the footage of Rudd in the sex club. I believe what you said, that Tez sent you a spoofed message and that Rudd presumably hired the attacker.”
Expelling a sigh, she sexily cocks her arm and lets the gun dangle from her forefinger. “Thank you, Adriano. It’s good to hear someone finally believes me.” She glowers at me while I watch her every move.
She’s a true mafia member now and has told me often not to underestimate her. Instead of breaking down in relief, she stashes her pistol in the large pocket of her coat. “And don’t worry,” she assures Adriano. “I won’t defy the boss.”
I’m surprised at the agility with which she yields her weapon and how poised she is, yet I shouldn’t be – this is the woman I married.
Adriano’s grin grows wider. “Well, I do need to take care of him.” He sends a lethal glare at Tez.
“Whatever you do to me, you’re all dead men anyway. Rudd won’t rest until he has the hard copy.”
Adriano chuckles maliciously. “This is also why you would never have been an official member. You have it all wrong. It’s the underworld that rules the world, not your politicians or government. I am the king of Chicago.”
“You’ll never be able to kill him,” Tez retorts, wincing as he clutches the area of his waist that has stitches.
“Who says that’s my plan?” Adriano mocks. “God, you are a moron; Fallon’s right. How the hell did I miss that?!”
“Fuck you!” Tez spits as I roll my neck, my necessity for retaliation begging to be appeased.
Fallon and I lock eyes, and while it upsets me to see how much ferocity blazes in her steady amber gaze, I relish in her attention. We’ve both lost every ounce of empathy for this man who’s conspired with a mysterious enemy, but one thing that’s come out of this is that I now realize that I don’t have to hide the murderer inside me for her. She understands my merciless needs because her mind obviously has the same craving since she sees the importance of ending this. It’s kill or be killed in our lawless existence.
In reaction, Adriano regards Tez and says to me, “Do your thing. Henry, watch the door.”
When I stalk forward, Fallon shifts backward to join Adriano as I address Tez, “I told you I’d get the approval to torture you. That time has come.”
Pulling at the cuffs irately, Tez objects when I stop right beside his hip next to the bed, “You need me to catch Rudd, Luca!”
I hurl my fist into his face, banging his bandaged head back as his lip busts open, blood trickling down his chin onto his chest. He grunts and blinks while I relish the sting splintering through my knuckles.
“I need you gone...You came between me and my wife and, because you’re weak, you deliberately chose to trust the wrong person, even though you know what we’re capable of.” I bend low and he shrinks back. “You broke into my home! Where my children sleep! And you harmed my wife.” I grip a fistful of his white hospital gown, yanking him up and snarling, “I sentence you to death.”
Sweat trickles down his temples when I release him, his eyes tearing up as he breathes raggedly.
While studying his useless self, I command, “Get the guard to uncuff him.”
Unbuckling my belt, I yank it from my waistband as Henry opens the door, sticks out his arm, and turns around with the keys in his hand.
Adriano leans back against the wall, grinning cruelly, yet Fallon frowns at me.
I will give her the retribution she desires and that I failed to give her for too long – I will avenge our son.
Obviously, Henry understands my intent because he unlocks Tez’s wrist from the headboard and heaves him into a sitting position. Then he swiftly locks his hands in front of him while Tez protests, “Ow! W-what are you doing?!”
Sliding my belt into one ring of the cuff, I knot the sturdy leather and tug him upward, off the bed. Swaying as he gets up, he stands shakily.
“I must settle the score.” Cool rage underlines my clipped words.
At that moment, Henry jumps on the bed behind Tez and takes the end of the belt from me to sling it over the metal curtain railing up above, stretching Tez’s arms as he howls. Making a half-circle around Tez, I pick him up by his knees just as Henry pulls the belt down to lift Tez a few inches off the floor, and I let go.
“Ah!” Tez screams bloody murder while we lynch him, his stitches ripping as his middle is stretched, angry lines of red forming at his ribcage. Frantically, he tries to feel the floor, but the tips of his toes dangle right above the ground.
“No...s-stop...” Spit dribbles down his chin.
I stand before him, the rage I’ve harbored deep inside bubbling out. “The pain hurts, doesn’t it? But it won’t knock you out. No, I’m going to keep you here for the night to ensure you experience enough pain. Or maybe you’ll be dead when we return in the morning. I want you to regret targeting my wife and son for long, conscious, agonizing moments.”
His face turns beet red while he shouts and sobs.
“I’ll see you in Hell where I’ll torture you again,” I conclude as Henry manages to tie the belt around the railing to keep Tez in his painful position while his objections become weaker due to fatigue.
“The guard will stay here and Marc will help him dispose of the body. Marc also told me Fallon can go, so we need to get out of here.” Adriano comes up to me as I look at Fallon, who assesses us with an unruffled expression.
I hold out my palm to her. “Let’s go home and see our kids.”
Without moving, she stares at my hand and I wait for unbearable seconds, dreading that she’ll reject me.
CHAPTER 36
Fallon
“LET’S GO HOME AND SEE our kids,” Luca proposes while Tez hangs from the railing, spluttering incoherently.
I look at Luca’s hand, realizing that the brutality inflicted on Tez placates my mind. And I refuse to feel any guilt over it – that’s how much I’ve changed. However, while Luca’s revenge pleases me, his betrayal has left scars on my heart.
“I just want my kids,” I repeat.
“Cam will bring the twins to the penthouse,” Adriano answers around a sincere smile, and I don’t think he even realizes how grateful I am for his interference.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and he glimpses at both of us as he speaks, “Don’t ever keep things from me again. Next time, I won’t fix it.”
Wavering under his menacing scowl, I nod before he solely addresses Luca, “If you lie to me again, I’ll strip your rank and this friendship is over.”
“I know,” Luca responds evenly, his façade rebuilding quickly.
Then he offers his hand again, but I pass him without taking it, his expression saddening as I leave the room. He follows me out and leads the way to the front entrance where a guard’s waiting in his car to drive us home.
IT’S WELL PAST MIDNIGHT when Luca and I step inside our apartment. Cam’s just arrived, because I see her unbuckling the belts of the car seat while the babies are lying in it on the oak coffee table.
“Hey,” she greets. “They’re tired but have been fed and changed.”
Loosening the belt of my coat, I notice that the hardwood floor is shining and has been mopped clean. A taupe blanket has been strategically thrown over one edge of the couch to hide the bloodstains. There isn’t a trace of a crime scene to be found – the Syndicate soldiers have taken care of it.
Tossing my coat on the sofa, I lean forward to unzip Milana’s pink coat while she sleeps peacefully, and I lift her up when Luca focuses his attention on Noah.
“I’m going to go. Adriano will be home soon. Bye,” Cam says to me and Luca, who gives her a brief thanks, and I walk her to the elevator where she asks in a low voice, “Are you okay? Adriano told me what happened.”
“Yeah, I’m fine now.” I hug Milana to me.
“Okay, we’ll talk later,” she suggests before going into the elevator, glancing at us and, no doubt, picking up on our nervous vibes.
Treading back to the couch, I sit down to hold Milana against my chest, pushing my nose into her soft hair and inhaling her sweet baby scent. Slowly, I relax, a tear streaming down my cheek as my mind tries to cope with the ordeal of the past few weeks. At last, I feel free again, yet my resentment toward Luca remains strong.
Setting Noah on his arm, Luca runs his finger down his nose, his striking face marked with anguish. Glancing at me, he starts, “We need to talk.”
“Now you want to talk? I wanted to talk this morning, but you dismissed me. You failed me,” I retort, pressing my lips against my daughter’s hair.
“I know that. And it hurts me that I did. I should’ve believed you,” he finally speaks the words I’ve longed to hear.
Unfortunately, it’s too late. “I can’t just pretend this didn’t happen. You sedated me!”
His green eyes round. “Adriano did that.”
“Oh,” is all that comes out of me.
“I’d never do that,” he grinds out, rocking Noah while warming his little hand, and seeing Luca’s large fist enclosing Noah’s tiny one makes me want to cry.
How can he be gentle now, yet he was so harshly dismissive to me. Because of the alcohol and the bartender, which are two subjects Luca seems to forget. Besides, as a member of this cold-blooded world, I can get past the cruelty of today, but I can’t forget how my husband bailed on me when I needed him most. Palming my forehead, I scratch my brow in indecision. His presence now only saddens me more, and after this hectic day, I’m exhausted and my bruised nose and knees throb.
“
The Luca from before we had kids would never do any of this to me. Do you still love me?” I ask on a shaky breath.
Shock coats his expression as he says determinedly, “Of course! I never stopped.”
“Sometimes I wonder if you have stopped. I feel like you deserted me after Noah’s accident.”
Luca’s posture becomes taut, his eyes narrowing. “I didn’t, but I’m so glad you calmed down and came back home.”
“I didn’t leave by choice. You made me run by not believing me. I’m the one you should’ve trusted, but you’ll always choose the Syndicate over me.”
“Never! I did everything to protect you.”
“No, I did everything to protect us, and then Adriano helped me,” I counter as his face becomes a mask of regret. With Milana on my arm, I rise and add, “I’m tired and I’d like to be alone. Will you sleep on the couch?”
“What?” He scalds me with an incredulous look.
“If you don’t sleep on the couch, I will,” I assert, and it’s as if I can feel the heat of his scowl searing through me.
CHAPTER 37
Luca
“IF YOU DON’T SLEEP on the couch, I will,” Fallon says resolutely while my throat burns.
Dumfounded for a moment, I understand at last how much I neglected her and how deeply I hurt her while desperately trying to regain control of everything. There’s a pregnant pause as brown collides with green, and we stand at a crossroads.
This is how she felt when you abandoned her so many nights because you couldn’t handle the situation. The truth crumbles me, so instead of protesting, I give her what she needs.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” I concede, and before I know it, she turns around and goes down the hallway.
“I’d like to sleep with both of them,” she requests.
Kissing Noah’s head, I trail her into the bedroom where one nightstand lamp is switched on, and she retreats into the closet while I lay Noah down next to his sister in the center of the framed king-size bed. Noah fusses for a second and then curls into himself, his little butt sticking out.
