by T K Barber
She offered Marianna a small smile. “He doesn’t know.”
The twitch in Marianna’s mouth was a loud enough answer for
Annalise who smiled wider, baring more teeth. “You’ll let him choose, Ms. Marianna. Or I’ll tell him all of it. Everything you just said.” She shrugged. “Maybe even stuff you didn’t say. I’ll make that choice if it comes to it. And you and I both know he’ll believe anything that comes out of my mouth.”
Marianna had been studying Annalise while she spoke, and when she ended the sentence with a thrust up of her chin, Marianna smiled.
“You’re playing a tricky game, hon. Are you sure you’d want to leave? I think you’d be quite good.” Her smile fell. “I don’t want Thomas hurt, nor you. I never wanted you to get involved in this. It’s why I hid him from you in the first place. I know what damage a love that strong can cause.” She gestured to Annalise’s side of the car, frowning. “I tried like hell to keep Scarlet out of it too. Though, that might not have been as good an idea as I thought it was at the time.” A soft chuckle. “Ian was right after all.”
Annalise’s eyes widened. Thomas and Scarlet. She could see it now. Their eye color was similar.
“Is Scarlet . . .?”
Marianna shook her head. “Scarlet is mine and Ian’s. The only good thing to come out of that forced travesty.”
“But Thomas is years younger than her. So, how did you, I mean, she doesn’t know either? And your—Ian must have known, right?
Marianna smiled ruefully and glanced down at the floorboard. Annalise caught Rico’s sad eyes watching Marianna in the rearview as much as he could without wrecking.
“It’s easy to hide something from a husband who was endlessly out of the country doing God knows what to God knows who. Or so engrossed in running the business he barely looked up from his desk. Not to mention he was—” She cleared her throat and continued. “It’s also easy to hide it from a six-year-old who’s obsessed with dolls and styling their hair. Plus I never told her.” Her shoulders lifted. “She probably just assumed I gained a little weight if she even noticed. Luckily, Thomas was a tiny—” Marianna’s voice cracked, and Annalise’s chest tightened.
How sad. Scarlet grew up thinking she was an only child, and Thomas didn’t get to have a sister, or any family worth having. God, his life would have been so much better by comparison.
Marianna eyed her open palms for a second, then linked her fingers and focused on her window.
And it all had to be kept a secret. How long had she been holding all that in? God, had she ever told anyone? Annalise glanced at Rico and the hand he twisted around the steering wheel.
Oh. Poor Rico. Was he there for all that? Annalise’s heart ached. Yeah. He wouldn’t have been anywhere else. That probably killed him.
Marianna continued on a long breath, sounding like she was getting lighter with each word.
“I was scared. Alone.”
Rico’s hand slipped off the wheel and landed on his knee as a puff of air left his mouth. Annalise winced as Marianna continued. She really was kinda clueless.
“I called Lyle from the hospital. First mistake. Well, honestly, fiftieth in a long list. After a fashion, he demanded I sign him over, or he’d come after Scarlet. I thought . . . well. I was still so stupid. Part of me hoped he’d do right by him since he was ours. Jaime, his wife, couldn’t have kids anymore, so.”
She picked at an invisible spot on her skirt, chewing on the side of her cheek. The sudden squeak of brakes ahead of them snapped both their attentions to the front window.
Thomas
The room moved. It pitched and yawned. The walls bled. Dried. Cracked and peeled back like layers of skin from a burn victim. Thomas squeezed his eyes shut.
Pop was right. He was a monster. Always had been. Anna’s face flashed in his mind for the ten millionth time.
She was too good for him. He’d known that the first time she’d talked to him. In that sexy as hell smooth voice with its random gravel. His skin heated, but he frowned.
How could he have been so stupid? Thinking he could be anything different. She needed to run. Far away from him and everyone else in this fucking town.
Lyle rested his hand on the back of the cold, armless, metal chair and Thomas swallowed. The tarnished silver seemed so normal before it all began. Just a chair. Maybe something they’d use at some little writing desk. In a kid’s room. His stomach rolled.
“You’re more important than you realize, Thomas. The day I brought you home from the hospital, you became the penultimate piece in a massive game.”
Thomas blinked. Wouldn’t Ma have been there too? Maybe they let her go home early? Kinda couldn’t have a baby without the mom.
“Wrong or right, Steven was good at this. He was an obedient puppet. Easy to manipulate. I had plans for him, but he got too cocky. You on the other hand . . . If I had had any clue she’d have caused so much trouble I never would have let you near her. I’d have had Steven take her to one of the other buildings.”
White-hot rage. An instant bolt of anger shot through Thomas so fast he got dizzy.
He spun in the chair and had to steady himself. What had been in that damn water? He gave his head a quick shake, then pinned his pop with a stare.
“You’re the fucking one that ordered that? I should’ve known. I said so in your damn office.” His voice was slurred. “I should . . . kill you, right n—” his neck weakened, and he closed his eyes. Everything was so grey.
“She was an unfortunate cog in the wheel, Thomas. Nick was the real target. His druggy mother had done a decent enough job of staying under the radar, but no one can hide from me for long. His father was part of the reason Jaime was in that house to begin with. You were another part. Fucking traitors.”
The charred piece of wood was suddenly front and center. Thomas sucked in a surprised breath, and his mind fuzzed, filled with smoke.
With ash. With screaming. Wait, where was that coming from?
He glanced at the screen just in time to see his Ma’s face. His vision spun and he almost called out. Then she was fire. Another scream. He flinched and his chest tightened. Ma . . .
“The one you set on fire.” Pop’s voice was suddenly in his ear. “Take it. Hold it. You did this.”
He tried to make his hands work but they felt distant. When his fingers finally closed around the jagged, fire smooth chunk of despair he choked on sob. I’m so sorry ma . . . I don’t think I meant to.
“You’re not a good person, Thomas.”
Pop’s voice was in his other ear that time. Everywhere. Nowhere. It was too hard to fight this time. Too hard to ignore. He was right, anyway. Always had been.
“You know the things you’ve done, and how much damage you caused. You want to make me happy. You killed that poor guy at the bar. Anger. It’s your go-to, son. What if you hurt her?”
Thomas slowly raised his brows and chewed the inside of his lip, eyes glazed and lost in thought.
He’d never hurt her. Never. Right? He wanted to make his pop happy. That guy was an accident. Wasn’t he? I’m a monster. Why was everything so hazy? That asshole tripped after he tried to cut Thomas wide open.
Another scream. More fire. Ma. A bar. The room moved again, and his stomach burned into his throat.
“Letting her go is the best thing you could ever do for her. You’re a monster. A monster, Thomas. Through and through. You’ll fully see that soon enough. Regardless, love is useless. It gets in the way, clouds your mind. Makes you do stupid, reckless things. Like disobeying your father. Trying to leave the family.” Lyle sighed and Thomas swallowed.
He’d never hurt her. He loved Anna with his entire everything. Love couldn’t be useless, could it?
I’m a monster. I’ll hurt her.
“We need to be concise. I have it on good authority we’re working on borrowed time. But there should be enough to make sure we can introduce everyone to the new, i
mproved Thomas. The one that will make me proud. Do what I say, be who he’s supposed to be. A monster.”
Only a monster would do the things he’d done. Thomas firmed his lips and stared at the screen. Seeing why. Proof.
Minutes passed. Maybe hours. Days. A whole life. His blink was slow, but everything came into focus when his eyes slid back open.
He was a monster. No matter what he really wanted, or how hard he tried to change. Why had he fought so long?
Everyone had a different monster they feared, and Thomas was all of them, loaded in a gun with a hair-trigger.
He understood, finally. As long as it kept the only person in the world who mattered safe, all he needed to do was line up the shot and fire. Gladly.
“I need you, Thomas. Tommy. You’re my son. You’re going to make me proud, by just letting go.”
He stilled, and Lyle walked around to stand in front of him. Thomas met his gaze.
A slow smile spread on his pop’s face. Another real smile. He would make him proud this time. He had no fight left, anyway.
“I have three jobs for you, Thomas. Then you can come home. We can be a family again. Wouldn’t you like that?” Lyle crouched down and cupped the side of Thomas’ head, moving to hold his lazy gaze. “And I’ll forgive you. It’s what family does. Will you do this for me, son?”
He’ll forgive me. Love me. Every part of him wanted that. For so long.
A nod was all he could manage, but it earned a smile so wide and wonderful that tears pricked the corners of Thomas’s eyes.
So that was what that looked like. Love. That was love, right?
Anna.
He’d never hurt her.
Never.
He blinked and refocused on his pop. He’d be proud.
The floor swayed. Rippled. Thomas floated on a poured concrete ocean. Alone with one purpose.
Clunking, fast footsteps from the side of the room. Thomas turned in slow motion as some nameless goon made his way toward them.
“They’re here with shit tons of backup.”
Pop sucked in a breath. “Is she?” The goon nodded. “Fantastic.”
His pop clenched the side of Thomas’s head, and he turned back to meet his gaze again.
“You’re going to do what I tell you, Thomas. You’re going to make me proud. Do the first two, come find me at the firm.”
Another slow nod. Another smile. Thomas’s heart swelled. His pop leaned in and whispered. He was giving Thomas the keys to having a family again. Three monstrous tasks only a monster like him could do.
Bits and pieces broke through with the directives.
Proud. Love. See you soon.
If this would keep her safe, he was ready. His heart stuttered as he watched his pop speak to the goon. Another goon ran up. Pop glanced through a window, grimaced, and left.
Why was he hurting so much?
Anna.
Pop would be proud.
Annalise
“We’re here.”
Rico’s voice was scratchy, gruff, angry. Annalise’s heart ached for him again. They pulled into a dim parking lot behind a short, commercial building and eased into a spot. Two other cars of theirs followed suit, each taking a spot to the right.
Marianna leaned forward and touched Rico’s shoulder, making his throat bob. She extended her hand beside his head and pointed through the windshield to four massive, solid black SUV’s parked in a line along the curb just in front of them.
“Is that them?”
“Si.”
“Gang life pays well, it seems.”
Rico shrugged. “They are nearly mob themselves. I hear they get tributes.”
Marianna’s brows lifted and the corners of her mouth turned down. “Then I’m glad Ian got into bed with them.”
Rico choked and swallowed. Marianna smiled and swatted him on the shoulder. “I meant figuratively.”
“Si, si. Claro.”
Marianna leaned back, straightened her shirt and skirt, and nodded. “Stay with Annalise.”
Rico sat bolt upright. “No. I’m not letting you meet with them alone.”
“Letting me?” Marianna inhaled. “Rico—”
“Ugh!” Annalise jerked her door open and climbed out.
Ridiculous. Did anyone give an actual damn about Thomas other than her?
Annalise squared her shoulders and walked around the front of the car. Marianna scrambled out, quickly followed by Rico.
“Annalise, get back in the car, now.”
Marianna’s whisper fell on deaf ears. A wave of nausea swept over Annalise, rooting her in place as one by one the SUV’s dumped their gun-wielding, suited giants onto the broken sidewalk.
They were some of the most enormous men Annalise had ever seen. Their guns out in the open, either hanging from a shoulder strap or down at their sides. Not that they could have concealed them anyway. They were huge.
The front door of the first SUV popped open, and a red-haired bruiser of a man climbed out. He scanned the lot, locked eyes with first Annalise, then Marianna. He gave them a single nod and opened the rear door.
Needles pricked Annalise’s palms. Who the hell was about to climb out? The freaking president?
In one fluid motion, like a panther stalking prey, a man eased out onto the sidewalk.
Black pants of some kind, probably jeans. Black combat boots. Body-hugging black t-shirt. And—her eyes widened and shuttered all on their own.
Flawless, porcelain complexion. Thick, short, spiked black hair. Heavy brows. Full lips. A chunky silver watch.
He wasn’t overly big, probably just under six feet, but his arms, hell his whole body, looked like they were chiseled from a block of wood. He thrust his tongue in his cheek and cocked his jaw, scanning Marianna head to toe and right back up again. Rico’s spine stretched.
When pale, cut, and clearly in charge flicked his gaze to Annalise, she swallowed. Okay then.
He flattened his expression and turned back toward the SUV. The redhead guy leaned in, eyes trained on the three of them, then said something back.
Marianna glanced at Rico, tightening her posture.
Annalise rolled her eyes even though her stomach was a tangle of reactions. For God’s sweet sake. All this comparing sizes crap was getting seriously old.
Boss dude turned back to face them. He strolled across the lot with slow, swaggered steps, rubbing his jaw. Redhead and three of the biggest brutes fell into a flanking formation behind him.
If ‘in charge’ was a physical thing, this guy would be the sole source on the planet.
When he reached the three of them, he stopped and stuck his hand out to Marianna.
“Name’s Killer. You Mrs. Price?”
She nodded, silent. Annalise quirked a brow. Had she ever not had something to say?
Marianna clasped hands with him, and they shook. When they didn’t immediately release, Rico cleared his throat. Killer smirked and dropped it, then held his hand out to Rico.
“You’re the muscle?”
Rico gripped his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Si. Rico.”
Annalise held her breath and sucked in her cheeks to keep from laughing. Men were so stupid.
Killer grinned. “Mexican, huh? I got a guy speaks Spanish. Call him ‘Don Juan.’ Ugly fucker. You all can shoot the shit after we take this punk ass bitch down.”
Annalise snorted, and Killer shot her a grin and a wink. Her brows lifted. Surely, he knew Rico was actually Italian . . . right?
He took his hand back from Rico and rubbed his palms together. “Let’s do this shit. Me and my guys will slip along the wall, go up the fire escape, and tackle upstairs. You and yours take the bottom floor, sweep up the inside, meet us up top. Got it?”
Annalise blinked and waited for the Marianna smackdown to commence. For sure she had some kind of plan in place.
When nothing happened Annalise stepped up. “Yep, sounds great
. I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“Annalise!” Marianna hissed and spun to face her, nothing but shock and venom in her eyes.
Killer laughed, as did his entourage. “Little girl, I hate to break it to you, you ain’t coming. You and—” He shot Rico a look with his lips pursed and eyes squinted, then smirked. “Ricky Martin here, are staying behind.”
“No way!”
“Non. I’m coming.”
“Agreed.”
They all spoke at the same time and Rico turned a disbelieving glare to Marianna. “Absolutely not. You are not going alone.”
“I won’t be alone. Clearly.” She gestured to the entire parking lot full of men. “I need you to keep her safe.”
He gripped her upper arm, his eyes wild. “I need to keep you safe!”
They stared at each other a second before he grunted and dropped her arm.
Killer scratched his cheek and mumbled, “Didn’t realize you two were a boxed set.” He dropped his hand and shrugged. “Well, someone’s gotta sit with the kid. Sure as shit ain’t gonna be me.”
Annalise pinched the bridge of her nose. Kid. This kid was going to grow old and die in this parking lot waiting for adults to fucking do something. She twisted her torso and stared at the two-story building. He was in there. And that’s where she needed to be.
She scanned the alley while Marianna, Rico and Boss Dude quietly argued.
Two dumpsters. She could hide behind that one and—
A scream shattered the still air. Annalise’s heart stalled.
Her name. Thomas screamed her name. And it wasn’t just a pain scream. It was something . . . deeper. Darker. Like a piece of his soul had vanished.
Terror crawled up and down her spine. It filled every cell in her body, mixing with adrenaline, rage, and soul-crushing heartbreak.
Everyone froze, and Marianna covered her mouth for just a second. That second was all Annalise needed to make her decision. Upstairs. She dashed out from behind the car and ran toward the building.
“Thomas!”
“Annalise!” Marianna’s shout was panicked. “No!”
