Seductive Sin, page 18
That’s the way of these things.
It’s just business.
I sigh.
Falcon lies on the bed, his eyes still closed, the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.
I sit down in the recliner next to his bed and hold his hand. It’s cold. So cold.
Everything is cold.
I grab my phone once more.
This time I call my mother.
And she answers.
“Hello?”
“Mom, it’s me.”
“Oh, Savannah,” she says. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”
My heart lurches. Her voice is venomous. I’ve never heard my sweet mother speak this way before. “What? What are you talking about?”
“Do you ever think, Savannah? Do you ever consider the consequences of your actions?”
“Mom? I don’t understand what you mean. I haven’t done anything. I’m in the hospital with someone I care for deeply, and—”
“Yes, the Bellamy boy.”
“He’s hardly a boy. I love him, and he loves me.”
“He’s a convict,” she says.
“An ex-convict. Plus, he says he’s innocent, and I believe him.”
She sighs through the phone. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”
“Mom, Vinnie’s home. Vinnie. Your son.”
“You think that makes me happy?” She’s shouting now. “Vinnie had a life. A life away from all this. He came back because of you.”
“My God,” I say. “Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”
“I lost my Michael, but at least I knew my Vincent was safe and happy. Far away from here.”
“What about me, Mom? I was here, and I wasn’t happy.”
“You made a deal, Savannah. You agreed to go with Miles.”
“How do you know about that?”
“I know everything that goes on in this family. I always have. I may look and act a certain part, I may have married a man I didn’t know to do my duty to my family, but I’ve always known the truth of what’s going on.”
“And you were willing to forsake your only daughter?”
“Of course not! Your father let you out largely because of me. I went to bat for you, Savannah, not once, not twice, but three times, first getting out of marriage to Miles at eighteen and at twenty-two, but also freeing you from the business months ago when you moved to Summer Creek. You were home free, Savannah. You are the one who made the deal with Miles McAllister.”
“That’s not fair, Mom. He sent gunmen to Falcon’s house to get me.”
“But he didn’t get you. And they would have been dealt with. This is on you, Savannah. You made a deal with the devil, and then you backed out. Vinnie, Falcon, Miles’s death, your father… It’s all on you.”
I swallow against the rage inside me.
How dare she? Though Vinnie came back for me. And now…
And Falcon… He went to Austin for… I don’t even know.
But Miles. What do I care about Miles? He was a vile rapist and a waste of human skin.
How dare—
“Wait. What? What happened to Daddy?”
My mother sobs through the phone. “He was arrested, Savannah. Arrested for the murder of Miles McAllister.”
33
FALCON
“He’ll never stop,” Eagle says. “He won’t stop until he kills me. So I’m going to kill him first.”
I gesture toward Vega’s minions. “You two should get the hell out of here. Now.” I’m amazing even myself that my voice isn’t cracking. Inside I’m a quivering mass of nerves, but on the outside? I’m standing tall, remembering the words of my father that have been jammed into my head since the day my sisters were born.
You’re the oldest, Falcon. You must protect all your siblings.
And if my brothers—especially Eagle—ever needed protection, they need it now.
The minions don’t respond to me. Not that I expect them to. Vega is most likely armed, but he can’t reach for a weapon with Eagle’s gun pointed at him.
Hawk is still trained on one of the minions, but I’ve got nothing. Eagle’s holding my piece.
“Easy, boy,” he says to Eagle. “You’re in trouble enough already.”
“Fuck you,” Eagle spits out. “Fuck all of you.”
“Eagle, come on,” I say, keeping my voice calm. “You do this, your life is over, man.”
“My life is already over, Fal.”
“You’re a kid,” I say. “You got in with some bad people. You think you’re the first kid to fuck up?”
Eagle scoffs. “You never fucked up. You and Hawk. Dad’s perfect sons.”
I raise my arm slowly. “Hey, I promised I’d help you, and I will, but I can’t unless you put down that gun.”
“You think those two shitheads won’t pump me full of bullets the moment I do?” he says.
He’s got a point. I turn instead to Vega.
“You’ve got your cash and then some,” I say, again trying to stay calm. “Just get out of here. Leave our brother alone. You’ll never hear from any of us again.”
“Yeah,” Vega says. “It’d be nice if it worked that way. But it doesn’t. This kid caused me a lot of headaches, and I’m going to take it out of his skinny ass.”
Hawk cocks his trigger. “Say goodbye to your friend, then.”
Vega scoffs. “You think I care about either one of them? They’re a dime a fucking dozen.”
“Eagle…” I say. “Please.”
Eagle’s hand shakes. He’s a good shot, but damn, a shaking hand with a gun in it never leads to anything good.
I take another step toward him. “Eagle, I’m going to put my hand over yours. I’m going to take back my gun.”
I take another step, until only about four feet separate us. I’m ever aware of the four guns in play. Mine in Eagle’s hand. Hawk’s trained on the minion to my left. And both the minions’, trained on Eagle.
If my brother shoots Vega, he’s a dead man.
I can’t let that happen.
“Please, Eagle. Think of Mom. You’re her baby. This will kill her. Think of Nana. Think of—”
“Shut up, Falcon!” Eagle steadies his hand, takes aim—
And he fires, straight into Vega’s heart.
34
SAVANNAH
The afternoon slides into evening. I hate leaving Falcon alone, but I have to go get some dinner in the cafeteria before it closes. I grab a pre-made chef’s salad and bottle of water and hurry back up to Falcon’s room, where I eat it robotically, alone with my thoughts—thoughts focusing mostly on Falcon but sliding every once in a while to my father’s arrest and a side of my mother that’s new to me and almost frightening.
A doctor in a white coat is there, but it’s not Dr. Logan. She turns to me when I walk in.
“Hi, are you Ms. Gallo?”
“Yes. I’m Savannah Gallo.”
“I’m Dr. Pinkman. I have Mr. Bellamy’s imaging results.”
My heart skips a beat. “And…?”
Dr. Pinkman smiles at me. “They look good. His punctured lung isn’t serious and it should heal on its own. We’ll keep him on oxygen through the night, but his vitals are good so he can probably go off it tomorrow.”
“That’s good.” I look over at him in his hospital bed. “Why hasn’t he woken up?”
“We’re giving him Demerol for the pain. He’s probably having a nice nap. It’s good for him. But my guess is he’ll wake up in the morning.”
“Good.”
“Will you be staying with him?”
I pat the arm of the recliner. “Yeah. I’m spending the night.”
“That’s fine. But you should know that the nurse will come in every hour to check his vitals. You may not get much sleep.”
“Believe me. I’ll get more than I would if I weren’t here. I’d be a ball of worry.”
She smiles. “I understand. He’s doing just fine. I’m glad you’re here for him.”
Dr. Pinkman steps over to the computer monitor, makes some notes, and then leaves. A moment later a nurse steps in.
“I’m Nora. I’ll be Falcon’s nurse tonight.” She lays a hand on my upper arm. “Do you need anything? A toothbrush?”
“That would be great if you have one.”
“We do. We keep toiletries on hand for overnight visitors. I’ll bring you a packet as soon as I make a note of his vitals.”
She checks Falcon’s oxygen and his IV, makes some notes on the computer, and leaves. Ten minutes later she returns and hands me a small paper bag. Inside is a toothbrush, toothpaste, some makeup remover wipes, and cotton swabs.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. If you need anything else, let us know. We’ll help if we can.”
“Just take care of Falcon. That’s all I need.”
“I will.”
“Thank you, Nora.”
She smiles and leaves, closing the door behind her.
I take the toiletries to the bathroom in Falcon’s room and get ready for bed. I opt to sleep in the recliner so I can be next to him rather than pulling out the bed from the loveseat in the room. I fall asleep to his breaths through the oxygen mask.
“Sav.” Someone nudges my shoulder. “Sav, wake up.”
I jerk upward. “Falcon? Is he okay?” My vision adjusts and I see my brother’s face. “Vinnie? What are you doing here?”
He darts his eyes around the room nervously. “I don’t have much time. The sun’s about to come up. I’m getting all my stuff together to move in with Mom and Dad.” He frowns. “Well…Mom.”
“What’s this all about? What—”
“Shh. Don’t wake Falcon.” He kneels next to the recliner and lowers his voice. “I want to talk in here, where I know we won’t be overheard. I told Grandpa I would check on Falcon this morning and also make sure you were okay. He’s not happy with either of you, of course, but I told him if he wants me, then you two are off limits.”
I grab his hand. “I never wanted that, Vinnie.”
“I know that, but I made a choice at the time. I see the way you look at Falcon, the way he looks at you.” He looks over at Falcon, who is still snoozing away. “The two of you deserve a chance. I’m not in love.”
“But you’re going to marry an eighteen-year-old?” I say. “And wait seven years to do it?”
“A lot can happen in seven years, Sav.” His voice drops. “I mean a lot.”
I nod. His eyes are laced with fire.
He’s still determined to take them down from the inside.
“Vinnie, you’ve been gone for so long. What makes you think—”
He puts a finger to his lips, indicating for me to be quiet. “There’s a lot I can’t tell you for your own safety, but suffice it to say our theories were correct. They’re combining the business. And getting into…new ventures.”
God. I gulp. The Bianchis and the McAllisters are merging, and somehow Grandpa got talked into dealing not just in drugs.
But in people.
I swallow back the puke that feels like it will erupt at any moment.
“Vinnie…”
“Don’t say it. I can only tell you this.” His gaze burns into me. “Grandpa didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice, Vinnie.”
“In the abstract, I agree with you.” He swallows. “But given the facts as I now understand them, if I were Grandpa, I would have done the same thing. Agreed to the same thing. Even if it meant marrying you to Miles McAllister.”
I drop my jaw, ready to scream at him.
But he shakes his head. “Understand what I’m saying, Sav. This is big. Enormous, even. I can’t give you the details. I don’t even know all of them yet. Grandpa’s an old man, and he’s a product of his age, of his upbringing all those years ago. He didn’t see any other way out.”
“I can’t believe you’re taking his side,” I hiss out in a whisper.
“I’m not. I said if I were Grandpa.” He pounds a fist against his chest. “I’m not him, Sav. I would have made a different choice, but it’s too late at this point. All I can do is go along for now.”
“Christ, Vinnie.”
“Listen to me. I can’t tell you more. It would only put you in danger. I need you to trust me.”
“How can I? You just said our family is getting into—”
“Shh. Don’t even say it.” He looks out the door of the hospital room. “Never say it out loud, Sav. You never know who is listening.”
I gulp again.
“Seven years, Sav. I have seven years to figure out how to take down my own family.”
“You’ll have to work with someone in the government,” I say. “Someone with the resources to help you from that side.”
“I’m working on that. I figure I can probably find someone on our payroll who’s willing to roll over to the right side for the right amount of money.”
I shake my head. “Do you realize how fucked up that sounds?”
He scoffs quietly. “Yeah. It’s fucked up, Sav. You think I don’t know that? But this was always my fucking birthright. Not Mikey’s, and not yours. It’s mine, and I’m claiming it. Just not for the reasons Grandpa thinks I am.”
“Do you think it’s weird that he’s welcomed you back with open arms after seventeen years?”
He shakes his head. “No. It was always supposed to be me. In his eyes, I’m the prodigal son.”
I look at the ground and scoff. “I never understood that parable. One son leaves his family and lives a life of indulgence, while the other works his ass off for the family. Then the spoiled brat comes home and is welcomed.”
“Calling me a spoiled brat, now?”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“It’s a family thing,” he says. “I was always supposed to be the one, and now I’m back.”
“So Michael and I were sloppy seconds?”
“Not in my eyes, but in Grandpa’s? Yeah, you were.” He puts a hand up right as I’m about to respond. “I’m not saying it’s right, Sav. What I am saying is that he’s glad I’m back. I’ll do what I have to do to earn his trust.”
“And then use it against him?”
“Bingo,” he says. “This will end, and it will end on my watch.”
I open my mouth to respond when someone else walks into Falcon’s room. Vinnie turns at the sound of the door.
“It’s probably just the nurse,” I say, standing.
But it’s not the nurse.
It’s Falcon’s sister Raven.
And my brother can’t stop staring at her.
“Hi, Savannah,” she says to me. “How is he doing?”
“He’s still asleep.” I keep my voice low. “Raven, this is my brother Vinnie. Vinnie, this is Falcon’s sister Raven.”
“Nice to meet you.” Vinnie holds out his hand.
Raven takes it. “You too.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask Raven.
“All better. It was just a silly virus.”
“I’m so glad,” I say. “Vinnie and I can give you some time with Falcon. Come on, Vin.” I drag my brother out of the room.
“We can’t talk here,” Vinnie says.
“I get it, but she deserves some time with her brother. He saved her life, after all.”
“Yeah. Wow.” He takes a slow breath in. “I wouldn’t have expected a bald woman to be so damned beautiful.”
“Everyone in their family is beautiful.”
Vinnie stares at Raven through Falcon’s door. She’s sitting in the recliner I vacated, leaning over and talking to him. Is he awake?
“How will we stay in touch?” I ask Vinnie.
He tears his gaze away from Raven and meets mine. “I’ll figure that out. I’m thinking a satellite phone. Falcon already has one, so you’re covered on your end. I’ll get one and make sure no one knows about it.”
“Won’t Grandpa be watching you like a hawk?”
Vinnie nods. “At first he will, so our communication will be minimal. But you’ll be notified of anything important.”
“And…Dad?”
“Dad made his bed. He knew what would happen if he offed Miles.” Vinnie looks around. “We really shouldn’t talk here.”
“Where, then? I need to know about Dad.”
He looks in the room again. “I hate to make her leave.”
“We can’t, Vinnie. That’s her brother. I can’t waltz in there and tell her she has to leave.”
Vinnie breathes. “All right. Come to Mom and Dad’s house tonight for dinner. It’ll be just Mom and me, and after she goes to bed, we’ll talk.”
“And that’s safe?”
“I’ll make sure it is. I’ll make some excuse to Mom and Grandpa that I need to spend some time with the only sibling I have left before I begin my work. Something like that. I’ll find the right words.”
“But Falcon…”
He lays a hand on my shoulder. “Falcon is fine here. No one will touch him. It’s part of the deal I made with Grandpa and Declan McAllister.”
“And you’re sure?”
He nods. “Yeah. I sold my soul to the devil, so he’d better be good for it.”
Vinnie’s words don’t exactly put me at ease.
“I’ve got to go now, Sav,” he says, giving me a quick hug. “I’ll see you tonight at Mom’s house.”
I nod.
And then I go back into Falcon’s room.
35
FALCON
I hate that mask.
I wish I could see you.
I wish I could save you the way you saved me.
Words float around in my consciousness.
Am I asleep?
Awake?
My eyes open.
Two figures.
I try to talk but a mask is over my face. With one hand, I swipe it off.
“Falcon, no.” A voice.
