Mafia Crown: Standalone Enemies to Lovers Romance, page 28
I sense the vibrations roll up his chest and try to put distance between us, but he yanks me even closer to him. My skin crawls and a trickle of revulsion slithers down my spine. Terror grips my chest and I stare at Axel, willing him to do something, anything, to help me. His jaw flexes and the nerve grows even more prominent at his temple. The fingers of his right hand curl slightly. My gaze flicks to his hand, then back to his face. He shakes his head, the motion almost imperceptible, except I have been watching him so closely that I spot it.
"We were partners," Freddie clarifies.
"Partners?" Luca frowns, "Dear old dad didn’t do partners. He wouldn’t even entertain the thought of any of us succeeding him. He had to die for Michael to finally become Don."
"And why do you think that was?" Freddie waves his hand holding the gun.
All of my muscles tense. Axel’s chest rises and falls. His gaze tracks the gun as Freddie leans forward and further into me in his excitement, "He already had a partner, so he couldn’t entertain the thought of anyone else cutting in on his empire."
Axel’s gaze narrows, the skin around his mouth whitens, his shoulders flex, and he seems like he is about to rush forward and drag Freddie off of me. This time, it’s me who shakes my head slightly. Please, I plead with my gaze, please, don’t do anything foolish.
He must understand me, for he nods.
"I don’t believe you," Seb finally says, "and even if I did, what difference would that make?"
"What do you want from us?" Luca growls.
"Not you, him," Freddie jerks his chin at Axel. "Shoot him."
"What?" Axel scowls.
"Your brother." Freddie nods in Seb’s direction, "You can start with him."
"Why would I do that?" Axel growls.
"Shoot him or I shoot her." He places the barrel of the gun against my temple again, and I can’t stop the sound of panic that spills from my lips. My heart slams against my ribcage. Adrenaline laces my blood.
"Do it," Freddie snaps.
Axel’s features tighten. He lowers his hand, reaches for the gun at the small of his back, then he draws it out and raises it.
"No funny business now, or I’ll shoot your wife." Freddie tightens his grip on me and I groan.
Axel’s entire body goes rigid. "Don’t hurt her, you motherfucker," he says in a low voice, "I’ll do as you say."
He turns slghtly and levels his gun at Seb.
"Cazzo," Massimo swears.
"Knew you’d turn on us," Luca glares at him. "Don’t fucking shoot him, you carogna."
Axel cocks the pistol and the sound echoes through the space. Goosebumps pop on my skin. The hair on the back of my neck rises.
"Don’t," I manage to push out the word through a throat gone dry.
Seb seems to freeze, every muscle in his body wound so tightly that the tension pours off of him. He meets Axel’s gaze, and the two seem to engage in a face-off.
The silence stretches a second, then another.
"The fuck you waiting for?" Freddie bursts out. "Shoot him, you basta—"
A shot rings out. I squeeze my eyes shut and cry out. Something clatters to the ground, then his grip on my waist loosens. I turn to find Freddie staggering back. He has his palm pressed to his side. The blood flows down his arm, drips to the floor. I hear someone screaming from a distance. My throat hurts and that’s when I realize it’s me.
Axel moves in Freddie’s direction, his gun in his outstretched hand. Freddie pushes me forward. My foot hits the gun that Freddie dropped and it clatters away. I stumble forward and Axel swerves to the side and catches me. Seb bends to pick up the gun, then charges past us, following Luca and Massimo.
I stare up into Axel’s expressionless face. He’s glaring down at me, anger in his eyes.
"Axel?" I venture.
"You’re okay?" he says in that expressionless tone.
I nod.
"If anything had happened to you, I’d never have been able to forgive myself." He wipes my cheek and his hand comes away bloodied.
I press my palm to my face, rub at whatever is there.
"Are you hurt?" he asks.
"No," I swallow. My stomach churns. "I… I don’t think it’s my blood."
He drags the back of his hand across my cheek again and again. "He touched you," he says in a hard voice. "The bastard dared to put his hands on you. He held a gun to you." He lowers his hand. "I am going to kill him." He tries to brush past me, but I grab his arm.
"Don’t go. Please, Axel, don’t go." My voice wavers, and damn it, I don’t want to appear weak, but the thought of that monster’s blood tainting my skin…? Somehow, it feels worse than having him hold a gun to my temple. A trembling grips me.
"Sunshine?" Axel’s features seem to fade in and out.
My hands and feet feel so cold. It’s the adrenaline draining away, I realize, but I can’t stop my body from swaying. Dark specks flicker at the edges of my vision.
"Theresa," he calls as he grips my shoulders. The heat of his body flows over me and I lean into him.
"Axel," I whisper, "I… I lo—" Darkness overwhelms me.
44
Axel
"Theresa, baby," I catch her as she slumps against me. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." I hold her close, peer into her features. "Open your eyes, Sunshine." My heart is racing so hard, I’m sure it’s going to jump out of my ribcage. My stomach ties itself in knots. Why did she collapse? Is she hurt? I rake my gaze across her face but can’t find any injury. "Goddamit." I scoop her up in my arms, then walk over to the settee and lower her to it.
Water, I need water. I glance around, spot a bottle of water on the table and leap toward it. I snatch up the bottle, race back to her, and splash some of the water on her face. She moans, then her eyelids flicker.
"Bloody hell." I haul her to my chest and hold her and rock her. My heart beat refuses to slow down and my stomach is still tied up in knots. "You scared me baby, you fucking made me die a thousand deaths in those few minutes."
"S…sorry," she coughs. "I think everything just finally got to me." She shudders, "Is he gone?"
"I think the others are still in pursuit, but," I squeeze my arms about her, "I need to go after him and—"
"And what, kill him?" She peers up at me, "Is that what you are going to do?"
"You know the kind of life I live, Sunshine. Death and I are not strangers by any stretch of imagination."
"I won’t let you go after him." She grips the front of my shirt. "If something were to happen to you, I wouldn’t be able to survive it."
I hold her gaze, then bend and brush my lips over hers. "Nothing is going to happen to me. You, on the other hand," I cup her cheek, "you’re fragile, and so vulnerable. It’s because of me that he came after you. I put you in danger."
"No," I shake my head, "you know better than that. When you live in the world of the Mafia, you have to be prepared for something like this happening."
"And yet, you were safe until I came along."
"You don’t believe that," she argues.
"I do," I nod. The band around my chest is so tight that I can’t breathe. "You sure you’re okay?" I search her features. "You sure you haven’t been hurt?"
"I am fine," she whispers.
I place my palm over hers, wanting to hold her close. Wanting to reassure her and tell her that I’ll never leave her side again. That we’ll always be together. That I’ll always be there to take care of her.
Lies. All lies. It’s because of me, that bastard Freddie got to her. It’s because I married her, she came to his attention. It’s because I brought her here, I put her squarely on the radar of every criminal who holds a grudge against me.
I drop my hand from hers and try to rise, but she doesn’t let go of me.
"Don’t," she begs, "please, don’t leave me."
I glance down at where she clutches the front of my shirt, then back at her face. I gently try to unhook her fingers from my shirt, but she holds on.
"Axel, don’t do it," a tear slides down her cheek, "please Axel, please don’t."
"You don’t know what I’m going to do."
"Don’t I?" She swallows, "You’re blaming yourself right now for what happened. You think I’ll be safer if I’m away from you. You think if you’re not with me, I’ll be safe."
"It’s true," I glance away, "I can’t protect you, my own wife." I squeeze my eyes shut. "I promised that you were not in any danger, that I’d make sure nothing happened to you. I failed."
"You shot him." She grips my cheek and tries to turn me to face her. "It’s because of you that he’s gone."
"It’s because of me that he decided to use you as a way to get to me."
"But you saved me."
"I almost got you killed."
"I am here. So are you. We are both fine. That’s all that matters."
"Is it, though?" I turn to meet her gaze, "What about the next time it happens? And the time after that? What if I am not there to save you the next time?"
"You’ll always be there for me." She swallows.
"Not anymore." I tug her fingers from the front of my shirt, then hold her palms between my own for just a second. Her soft skin, the scent of apple blossoms, the feel of her curves against mine... I commit it all to memory before I release her fingers and rise to my feet.
"Axel," she sits up, "where are you going?"
"Away from you."
"I am your wife," she jumps up to her feet, "my place is with you."
"Not if I divorce you."
"What?" Her voice trembles, "what do you mean?"
I glance at her over my shoulder, "I should have never married you in the first place. It was all a sham you know that, right? A way to get close to the Sovranos."
"You don’t mean it," she cries. "I know you love me. You told me so."
"It’s amazing how good pussy can make a man lose his head and say things in the heat of the moment. I—"
She raises her hand and her palm connects with my face. Pain lances across my nerve-endings, but that’s nothing compared to the agony that squeezes my chest.
"What’s happening here?" Seb’s voice sounds from the direction to the doorway. I turn to find him prowling in.
"Are you okay, Theresa?" He scowls.
"I am now," she says in a toneless voice.
"He knocked out the security guards on his way in," Massimo says in a disgusted voice as he reenters the room.
I glance at my phone and notice the notification on my security app. "I missed the warning that he breached my security measures," I growl.
"And he gave us the slip, cazzo!" Massimo rakes his fingers through his hair. "Who is he? If he was our father’s partner, then why haven’t we ever heard about him?"
"Who the fuck knows?" I raise a shoulder, "And are you actually surprised your father kept secrets from you?"
"What’s your connection to this Freddie character?" Luca steps inside and shuts the door behind him. "You’d better come clean, stronzo. It’s time for you to stop with the lies."
I glance from him to Massimo, who stares at me with a quizzical look on his face, to Seb, who surveys me with a shrewd gaze.
"I don't believe I owe you an explanation."
"Oh, you are hardly in a position to refuse," Luca laughs.
"Oh, but I think I am," I drawl.
Luca scowls and Massimo’s gaze narrows.
Behind me, I sense her drawing in a breath, but she doesn’t say anything. I dare not glance over my shoulder at her. If I do, I’ll weaken and I can’t afford that. All I have to do is make sure that she is safe… Focus, focus on that.
"Is that right?" Seb says in a soft voice.
"Indeed," I step away, creating distance from all of them, "you see, I think I hold all of the cards here." I glance at each of them in turn, then fold my arms over my chest, "I’m a cop."
45
Axel
"What?" Massimo gapes.
"I knew it," Luca laughs. "I knew you would betray us." He turns on Seb, "Told you, didn’t I?"
Seb rubs his chin as he watches me with a moody gaze. "Explain," he finally says. "You’re a cop, and you were working with him?" He nods toward the doorway through which Freddie had earlier disappeared.
"Undercover," I blow out a breath, "I was working undercover."
"Undercover?" Sunshine exhales. "So, all this time...when you were in a coma, when you asked me to move into the same home as you, when you married me—?"
"I was undercover," I reply. "I have been undercover for the last five years."
"Five years?" Massimo rubs the back of his neck, "What have you been doing during that time?"
"Building my reputation in the underworld, working closely with Freddie and building his trust."
"A trust that you broke today when you fired at him," Seb points out.
"Too bad, I missed," I growl.
"So, you were trying to get enough evidence to put him behind bars?" Massimo asks.
"And the lot of you," I admit. "It’s why I married Theresa, so I could have an ‘in’ to your inner circle. It’s why—"
"You wanted a seat at the table with Michael." Luca whistles. "The Don is not going to be happy."
"Is that the only reason you decided to take on this assignment?" Seb folds his arms over his chest, "Seems it was much more than professional interest at stake here."
"That’s a brilliant deduction." I snort, "Of course, it wasn’t only professional. I had a personal stake in bringing you guys down. It was because of my personal connection that I got this case."
"Seems you would have been too close to the targets to be allowed to take on this case."
"It’s amazing how persuasion and corruption can go hand-in-hand within the ranks of the police department."
"They are the same as us," Luca tosses his head, "fucking pigs, with their holier-than-thou attitude. Ultimately, it always comes down to money and power. Throw in a personal stake, and anything can bend your way."
"So, you wanted to take us down." Seb tilts his head. "That’s why you took on this case?"
"What other reason could there be?" I widen my stance. "You guys are the Cosa Nostra, the most wanted criminals in Europe, and you’ve been allowed free reign for too long."
"Maybe you wanted to know more about your birth family? Wanted to find out about your brothers?"
"I told you, my mother never mentioned the fact that I was one among triplets or that I had brothers, for that matter."
"Perhaps you wanted to find out where you came from," Seb drums his fingers on his chest, "get to know your family better."
"Perhaps," I concede, "but the main reason I took on the assignment was so I could bring you all down, make no mistake about that."
"You’d do that to your own family?" Luca growls.
"You are not my family," I shoot back. "Your father—"
"Our father," Massimo corrects me.
"Your father turned out my mother when she needed help."
"She wanted to leave," Luca points out. "It’s why he let her go."
"After ensuring that he had exchanged us for assets. That’s all he was concerned about. Power. And your grandmother? She didn’t try to stop him."
"So, for what you think were their misdeeds you want to bring down the only blood relations you have?" Massimo drawls.
"Yes," I say without hesitation. "The lot of you belong behind bars."
"And you, where do you belong?" Theresa cuts in.
"Not with you," I say without looking at her, yet I sense her flinch. My stomach knots and bile sloshes up my throat. Goddam it. Apparently, even my body knows when I am lying. As long as I can keep the expression off my face and make sure that she believes me...
"Why are you telling us all of this now?" Seb finally asks.
"I want to cut a deal with you," I respond.
"Of course, you do," Luca raises his gaze skywards, "this keeps getting better and better."
Seb narrows his gaze on me, "What sort of a deal?"
Luca glowers at him.
"What do you want?" Massimo snaps.
"I want you to take her back to Palermo and make sure she is safe."
Theresa stiffens, but she doesn’t say anything.
"Done," Seb nods.
"What the fuck?" Luca rounds on him, "You’re actually going to agree without asking him what he is going to do for us in return?"
"What do we get in return?" Seb raises his chin.
"I give a version of events to my bosses that will ensure you guys are cleared…largely." I glance between them, "Of course, one of you may have to take the fall for some of the events, and perhaps do a reduced jail time." I glance at Luca, who glowers at me.
"Fuck you," he snaps.
"Indeed." I blow out a breath, "Look, it’s the best I can do, and you know it could have been a lot worse than this. I hold the fate of your future in my hands." I tilt my head in Seb’s direction. "Wouldn’t you agree?"
"Of course, we could kill you and make it look like it was Freddie. Without backup, you don't hold much leverage." Seb reminds me.
"Then again, I am your brother and I am married to Theresa, who is under your protection, so..." I raise a shoulder.
He holds my gaze for a few seconds, then he nods, "I’ll need to discuss this with Michael."
Tension leaches out of my shoulders. "Of course," I jerk my chin, "I’ll be waiting outside."
I head toward the door when she calls out, "So this is it? You are going to leave me without even a goodbye."
I pause, then grit my teeth before schooling my features back into some semblance of normalcy. I glance at her over my shoulder and choke out the words, "Goodbye, Theresa." Turning, I stalk out.
46
Theresa
"So, he walked out on you?" Elsa glances at me with wide eyes. "He just left?"
"Y-e-a-p!" I nod.
Damn it, I had been dreading this conversation, which is why I had stayed away from my shop since arriving home. Hell, I hadn’t even gone home. Instead, I had stayed with Michael and Karma for the week since returning from London. They had respected my privacy and let me be. Which meant, I had done nothing but sleep late most days, and cry myself to sleep most nights. In between, Cass had taken over the job of getting my food to my room.
