Chapter Seventeen
Vassago had to avert his gaze at the look on Marie’s face. He really didn’t want to be telling her these details. All he wanted to do was hold her, and tell her that he’d been hit by the Thunderbolt. That he loved her, and wanted to spend his life with her. But did she want him? And especially now? By taking care of this for Donny, he was now terrified he’d lost Marie in the process.
“Nice touch. Calling 911.”
“We wanted them to get caught inside the apartment so they were forced to tell the cops what di Stefano had been doing. This gets it out in the open.”
“How do you know what they said to the police?”
“One of Digger’s associates called a friend at the local precinct, and we waited at Digger’s place until we heard that the cops believed it was nothing more than a household accident.”
Vassago watched her face carefully. Sure, she’d grown up with this, but after her experience with Vince, did she want to be with someone who could so casually kill two people? Bess had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Donny had brought up a very good point when he’d said di Stefano was now shamed.
The thing was, so were Bess and her family, not to mention di Stefano’s wife and kids. Vassago had had too much time and too little sleep all week. He hadn’t stopped thinking about the far-reaching consequences of this lifestyle.
One thing was now crystal clear. The dark part of him would always be there, lurking under the surface. Could Marie live with that, or was she done with the entire world in which she’d grown up?
She pulled out of his embrace and sat up straighter. “I have to tell you this or I’ll die. Jimmy, I’m in love with you.”
Oh God… “You are?” Fuck! That’s all you can say?
“Yeah. I am.”
He wanted to go up on the roof and shout his happiness! “You ever hear of the Colpo di fulmine?”
“Of course.”
“Marie, the second I saw you walk into this club, it hit me. I swear by all the fucking stars in the goddamn sky it did.”
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“But I’m still a killer. Doing that job was as easy as … I don’t even know what. I enjoyed it. I fucking liked it, Marie.”
“Are you saying you’re going back to it?”
“No. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying it doesn’t even bother me that we shamed di Stefano and killed him. I wasn’t crazy about having to do the same to his girlfriend. She was nothing more than collateral damage.”
“Like you said, sometimes that happens. If I’ve learned anything growing up the way I did, it’s that.”
“Yes. True. But to answer your question, no. I’m not leaving my Brothers. I’m not leaving this club. But that person is still inside me. It’s part of who I am.”
“I know that, Jimmy.”
He dared to touch her face, and the pain of her soft skin against his hand was almost too much to deal with. “You were with a man like that, and you didn’t really love him.”
“I didn’t really love him because he was horrible to me. Not because he killed people for money.”
“So, what would you think about being with someone again who had once killed people for money? Who recently killed people for free, as reckoning for his family?”
“What would you think about being with someone who lied? Who dragged innocent people into her trouble?”
“I’m thinking you know you did that, and you’re working hard to change who you are. But you didn’t answer my question.”
“Jimmy, I love you. That includes all of you, even the dark side.”
“God. Then I’m asking you to be with me. To be my old lady. I’m not the marrying kind. None of us are. But if you want a real wedding with a fucking cake and a ten-thousand-dollar dress, I’ll do that, too. We’ll have kids if you want. Anything. Anything, as long as I’m with you for the rest of my life.”
She put a hand over her mouth as tears welled up in her beautiful eyes. “I don’t need a real wedding. I only need you. I’ve wanted you since I was a kid. Oh my God. Is this real?”
“Fuck. I sure hope so. Otherwise I hope I never wake up from this dream. Marie, I love you.”
“I love you, too, Jimmy. So much.”
“So, is that a ‘yes’?”
She laughed. “Of course it’s a ‘yes’! I’ll be your old lady. I’ll stay here with you forever.”
“You’re okay with that? With not going back to Brooklyn?”
“We can visit. I want to be where you are. It’s all I’ve ever really wanted.”
His heart nearly burst. He pulled her close and kissed her, lost to everything except her scent and the sound of her voice.
Vassago had no clue whether someone from di Stefano’s organization, or someone else’s, would come sniffing around again and try to make trouble for Donny or the Demons on Wheels MC. But right now, he didn’t give a shit.
The only thing that mattered was Marie. The only woman he’d ever truly loved. He would spend the rest of his life making sure she knew that. She’d never go one day without knowing how cherished and adored she was.
The End
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