I lay in my own bed that night with him beside me as I babbled on about house hunting and baby names, and how I really wanted a big bowl of hot peach cobbler with lots of vanilla ice cream, and chocolate syrup, and nuts and whip cream and…
He finally started laughing at me.
That was good because I didn’t want any more of his serious side to suck away our happiness. “Do you think we can find any place tonight that has peach cobbler?” I asked.
“Baby, it’s almost midnight—no, I don’t think so. You know you haven’t asked me how much I weighed when I was born.”
I gave him a funny look, “Why?”
“Because the baby usually follows the father’s genes in size.”
“So—how much did you weigh?”
“Ten pounds, five ounces,” he said, looking at me with a crooked smile, “If you aren’t careful, honey, this baby might be as big as I was.”
His unpleasant thought was putting a damper on my midnight snack ideas.
Chapter Thirty-One
The next morning, I begged him to go to the store and buy peach cobbler with all the trimmings. I had this insatiable need to eat peaches and it wasn’t going to go away until I got what I wanted. He happily agreed, but did ask if I wanted a can of sardines included with my order. I wrinkled my nose and said definitely not.
“But if you can find some good barbecued ribs this time of the morning, I’d like those.” I was serious.
He was laughing.
When he came home, he wasn’t smiling. He set the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter and then pulled out a magazine and handed it to me.
“It just came out this morning,” he said quietly.
The cover was a picture of me with an obvious baby bump, taken apparently at some point when we were either going into or coming out of the restaurant in San Antonio. It was only a shot of me, but surrounding me were three pictures, Micah, Ryan, and Sadarius with question marks over all of them asking “Who’s Your Daddy?” That really pissed me off and for once, I was ready to call my attorney and tell him to go after them—they had gone too far.
I read the article and it didn’t say specifically I was at the restaurant with Micah, I guess because they wanted to build the suspense for the next issue, but with D’Angelo looking for anything to pop up this could possibly start him investigating. He wouldn’t have to go far to get someone in San Antonio to remember the kind of guy that accompanied me to dinner.
I was in tears, but Micah told me he had it under control. We were still safe as far as he was concerned. I wasn’t convinced, but he begged me to forget it, at least for today. He baked the frozen cobbler and piled all the items on top, and I finally found my smile as he helped me eat it. He didn’t care for the chocolate syrup over the whole thing, but he said it wasn’t bad, just different.
He had ribs delivered for lunch and I was in food heaven. It was even better than the cinnamon bun, because he decided to suck the barbeque sauce off my fingers and that took more time than icing. It didn’t take long before we were excusing ourselves from lunch and heading for the bedroom. He scooped me up before we reached the door and growled softly as he buried his face into my neck. It was going to be a stellar afternoon.
I didn’t come back out for the rest of the evening, but Micah did go downstairs once to bring me another bowl of cobbler. We finished the night with Micah treating me to one of his wonderful, pampering showers and then it was back to bed where he told me, very tearfully, that he thanked God for giving him another opportunity to be with me.
“We’ve been through hell and back, Annalisa, but it’s all been worth it to be right here, right now in your arms. I love you with more strength than I possess in my body,” He kissed me with a passion that was different from what he’d ever exposed.
I was trying to come up with an equal response to how I felt about him, when he slid down in the bed and told me he was going to talk to the baby for a little while. I laughed, even though I knew he was serious, but it was still funny to listen to him speaking to my stomach. I had already insisted the baby’s first name would be Micah, but Micah senior wasn’t quite convinced yet, so he simply called him ‘little guy.’
He kissed and caressed my stomach and told our son how very much he loved him and that he wanted only the best for him. “And you’ve got a great start,” he continued, “because you’ve got the best mother in the whole world. She’s smart and beautiful, and sexy and—”
“Micah, I don’t think sexy is what we want our son to tell other kids about his mother,” I playfully scolded.
“You’re right,” he said sliding up in the bed and staring into my eyes, “I should be telling you that…but at the moment I think I’d rather show how I feel about you.”
What a wonderful experience every night with him could turn out to be. I was exhausted by the time we finally slept and I didn’t wake until after nine the next morning. Breakfast was beside the bed, but Micah left a note saying he had to go out.
I carried the tray downstairs and found Mom and Kimmy planning a big shopping adventure for today. They had been bitten by the ‘baby bug’ and they were going to spend the day putting together a huge layette. Mom wanted to purchase everything from diapers to outfits, to blankets and crib sets.
“I just need to know if you’re planning on bottle or breast feeding.”
“What is breast feeding?” Kimmy asked.
I looked at Mom and laughed. “I’m going to breast feed the baby, but since you brought it up, you get to explain it,” I said, ruffling Kimmy’s hair as she followed Mom out the door.
By one o’clock, I was starting to worry about Micah’s whereabouts. I tried his cell phone several times, but it kept going to voice mail. I heard a vehicle pulling in around two and I was relieved that he was home, but as I went to the front door and peered out, I realized it wasn’t Micah. I hesitated at the open door, wondering if I should close it in case this was a reporter, but when the car door opened I was shocked to see Ryan step out onto the driveway with a large envelope under his arm.
“I don’t believe it.” I said meeting him halfway and embracing him.
“Hey, baby girl,” he held me tightly for a long time.
“Where’s Candace?” I asked, pulling away from him and looking around to see if she was in his car.
“Colorado,” he answered softly.
“What are you doing here? Just visiting your mom or…” That was when I began to pay attention to his expression. He seemed sad and reserved which could only mean one thing. “What happened? Did you two—did you break up?” I knew he shouldn’t have planted that kiss on me with her watching.
“No. Annalisa, we’ve got to talk. I’ve got to tell you something and—well, it isn’t going to be easy to say. Can we go inside?”
I’d never seen him this way and he was starting to frighten me. I eyed the envelope suspiciously, “Sure, come on in.” My heart was starting to flutter over his mysterious reason for showing up at my house. I took him to the living room, talking as I went, “I’m home alone. Mom and Kimmy went shopping and then they’re picking up dinner. I hope you can stay and join us.” Everything is normal I kept repeating in my head; this is nothing bad. “Micah should be home pretty soon, but to tell you the truth I don’t have any idea where he went today. I can’t get him to—”
Ryan’s expression became pained and his eyes were filling with tears, “Sit down, baby girl, that’s why I’m here.”
It was like my blood pressure bottomed out when I heard those words. I was suddenly weak and I couldn’t stand as he gripped my shoulders and slowed my descent to the couch, “Wha—what do you mean?”
“Micah called me this morning.”
“Why would he call you?” My emotions rose mid-throat and locked in place. My tears welled over my lower lids and I knew something terrible was coming, “What’s this about? Ryan, please, please—don’t let this be something bad.”
“Leese, when the two of yo
u came to see me, Micah and I left for a while because he needed my help with something. He told me he was going to call me the day he went after D’Angelo.”
“No—no, he didn’t—he wouldn’t have,” I was starting to shake as I began to cry.
“He said he’d let me know when it was almost over,” Ryan’s tears had started to slide down his cheeks. “I was on the plane here when I got the second call, he’s there now.”
I covered my face with my hands and wept. The mob wouldn’t forgive his actions this time.
“He took me to an attorney’s office. He wanted me to be a witness to his will,” he said as he removed the envelope from under his arm, “and he wanted me to have his bank account information—for you.”
“Shut up, Ryan! You’re lying—if he did that then he was planning on… Tell me you’re lying,” I said, gripping his shirt in a feeble grasp, “Please… Tell me you’re lying.”
“I wish I was, baby girl. He wanted me to be the one to break this to you because he said you’d never let him go if you knew what he was doing. He said I was the only person he would trust to watch over you—and the baby. He doesn’t want you leaving Florida and trying to find him.”
I was so weak that I swayed as I stood from the couch, “Do you really think you can keep me from going to him?” I threatened.
“Yeah—I’m sorry, but I can.”
I started to push my way around him, but the attempt was pitiful. He gripped my shoulders, but he was wide open as I jerked my knee up to try to hit his groin. He must have known I’d try using force because he moved his hips backward as my knee glanced off the front of his jeans.
“Aaah!” I screamed, my hands dropping to my right side. I felt the muscle spasm as soon as I made the rapid movement. My sobbing began as he put me back on the couch.
“Shit, Annalisa, don’t do stuff like that! Are you okay? What hurts?”
“My side,” I whimpered. It would have been a great ploy to catch him off guard if it hadn’t been the truth. I crumbled into his arms. I wasn’t going anywhere and I knew it. I had no idea where Micah was at, so flying to Louisiana was a moot point. “They’re going to kill him, Ryan. I didn’t realize last night would really be my last night with him. Would you pray with me, please? I can’t lose him, not now, not like this… Please help me,” I begged.
He clasped my hands as we bowed our heads and the prayers began going up for Micah Gavarreen.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Micah walked calmly into D’Angelo’s office, surprising the young lady at the desk because she hadn’t been told that he was coming in.
“Shhh,” he whispered with a soft smile, his finger to his lips.
That threw her off for a moment. For one thing, she’d never seen him smile.
He came around the desk beside her as she gathered her wits and tried to get to the intercom button, but he was too fast. The rag was over her face and before the inhaled breath filled her lungs for the scream, she was out cold. Micah laid her down on the floor and then quietly placed her chair underneath the door knob to D’Angelo’s conference room. He’d seen the cars in the parking lot and he knew he wasn’t alone. He pulled out the real appointment book that he knew was kept inside the desk away from prying eyes, and laid it on top of the fake one that was sitting out.
“Damn it,” he whispered.
Two other capos were meeting with D’Angelo. Most likely, they were discussing all the reorganization made necessary when Micah and David brought in the drug lords from South America. That and the people here in the States that needed replacing since he’d had Micah going around privately killing them off.
Micah couldn’t kill the other Capos with any justifiable reason, although the mob would see little to no reason for the death of D’Angelo. His family knew what he was doing and they had plans to meet after he finished D’Angelo and approach the Boss, requesting clemency for his actions.
It was a long shot and Micah recalled telling Ryan that he would be lucky if he had a one percent chance of surviving the Bosses judgment. But it was the only option his family agreed he had. They wanted him to go before the Boss without D’Angelo’s blood on his hands, but Micah refused. D’Angelo was too vindictive and cunning to remain alive. Micah knew he’d been secretly working with another family and, in the event of possibly escaping before the Boss got to him, he knew D’Angelo would simply change sides; a very bad thing to happen since he knew the inner working of this family so well.
With the door to the conference room secured, he pulled the iPod from his pocket and carefully hooked it into the phone system. There was no other exit from the conference room and for a few terrified moments, D’Angelo would know who and what was waiting for him beyond the door. He hit the button for the music to start and drew his guns.
The sound of electric guitars filled the room as ‘Breath,’ by Breaking Benjamin began to pound through the intercom system. Every speaker in the office was pouring out the warning that D’Angelo had sent to Annalisa. He deserved the terror he tried to inflict on the only person Micah would willingly lay down his life for. Annalisa was the only thought on his mind as he watched the door being kicked from the inside as the men worked to break out of the room.
He was ready, and he knew the coward would be the last to come out, hoping the bullets would be spent on the men before him.
Micah smiled.
He was no such amateur. Even if D’Angelo used the other men for a shield, Micah could shoot a fly off a man’s head leaving only a part through his hair. D’Angelo was about to pay for everything he’d ever done to make Micah into a monster. Now it was the monster’s turn to destroy the man who had been his master.
The door splintered, the chair was knocked away and the shooting gallery opened up. As he guessed, D’Angelo was trying to escape by cowering behind one of the other Capo’s, his head and chest well hidden, so Micah simply took him out at the knee. D’Angelo hit the floor cursing and screeching as the other Capos ran from the building.
He normally was so swift that the person never knew what happened, but Micah would delay his bullets for an instant as he stood over D’Angelo. “You hurt the wrong person this time—and now you’re going to pay for what you put her through. You want to know the funny thing? Annalisa would have sent mercy. I’m only sending this.” It was over in an instant as the Glock went off and D’Angelo went limp.
He pressed the release and let both clips drop to the floor. Micah laid down his guns and dialed his father. “It’s done,” he breathed. “I don’t know if we’ll have time for things to go as planned—he was meeting with two other capos and they just ran out of here. No, Sir, I didn’t.”
He stepped outside with his hands away from his body to make sure anyone who might be waiting could see he was unarmed. He got to his car without incident and drove to where his family was waiting. They were on their way to meet with the Boss, but word had already spread. Giorgio’s phone rang within five minutes; the Underboss wanting to know if it was true; had his son killed D’Angelo?
“Yes, and we are on our way to let him plead his case before the Boss. Tell him to expect us within the hour. No, he’s not armed—none of us are. Yes, you have my word.” The phone was closed and they continued to what would most likely be the end of Micah’s life.
Chapter Thirty-Three
When Mom came through the door, she had to do a double take to make sure she was seeing things correctly as I sat curled up in Ryan’s arms on the couch.
She asked Kimmy to take the packages for the baby upstairs as I explained to her what was going on. When Kimmy returned, we told her that Micah needed our prayers and we continued our vigil. Exhaustion from crying and praying and hoping hit me hard by ten p.m. Ryan coaxed me into eating a little food, but I just didn’t feel like I could consume more than a few bites.
“You need to go lay down. Come on, baby girl, you’re going to bed.”
Mom showed obvious reluctance to let him take me to my room, but
I told her there wasn’t anything to worry about and I needed him to stay with me tonight, “It’s not what you think, Mom. Micah understood. That’s why he sent him.”
We lay down in my bed as he begged me to close my eyes and try to rest. He curled his body behind mine and I knew I needed sleep; the baby was restless from all the stress I was under. I willed my eyes shut as Ryan massaged my back, gently rubbed my pulled muscle and kissed my neck.
Somewhere in my pain, I drifted into sleep. As far as I knew, I was safe in Micah’s arms and the baby finally settled down.
When I woke it was dawn and I was dreaming that Micah was sitting beside the bed staring at me. Those beautiful green eyes, filled with love and happiness, studied me carefully. I reached out my hand to the dream and felt his steel grip as he took my fingers to his lips and kissed them.
“Micah!” I said sitting up too quickly and curling back down in pain.
“Annalisa, what’s wrong?” came his words of deep concern. Suddenly his arm was scooping up under my head lifting me gently to bring me closer to him.
Ryan moaned and rolled away from me.
This was real? They were both here? Suddenly I felt overcome as I tried to wrap my arms around his neck, but the pain in my side wouldn’t allow it.
Ryan’s eyes must have fluttered open and all I heard him say was, “Freaking Angels!”
“No,” I cried out, “but he is to me.”
“What’s wrong, Annalisa?” Micah repeated.
“I pulled a muscle trying to knee Ryan in the groin,” I spilled out. “Thank God, you’re alive. We prayed for hours and hours. Are you okay? Is the mob coming after you?”
“No, baby—we’re safe.”
02 Unforgivable - Untouchable Page 39
