Chapter Five

Damon

Late afternoon had set in when I woke up. If I was exhausted, Jillian must have been nearly dead on her feet. She was still in such a deep sleep, she didn’t move in the least when I got up. After I dressed, I left her to rest while I went into the den to assess our situation. Before I joined Jillian for a long nap, I’d silenced my phone so we wouldn’t be disturbed. But the moment of truth had arrived—the time had come to check my phone for any messages or attempted contacts.

“Now or never, Marchetti.” I unlocked my phone and stared at the lack of phone calls or text messages from my family. Seemed I had my answer.

Since I hadn’t heard from my mother after the showdown at the garbage distribution center, the odds that she’d chosen my side were slim to none. On that note, the council members undoubtedly would’ve met and voted on my standing within the family. Because my sister had fraternized with the enemy, her fate was also in question. Having no word from her was slightly concerning, but then, she’d be lying low for a while, the same as I was. Radio silence wasn’t unusual given our extraordinary circumstances.

The direct line from my building’s security desk rang, making my heart rate jack up and putting me on high alert. They knew better than to disturb me when I specifically told them not to, unless they had a damn good reason. The only time my order had been disobeyed in the past was because Vincenzo Marchetti showed up in the lobby unannounced.

“Yes?” I snatched the cordless receiver from the base then immediately moved to my hidden closet that held my arsenal of weapons.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Marchetti, but Marco is here to see you, and he says it’s an emergency.” The guard’s apprehension was obvious.

On one hand, he had to face disturbing me when I’d given strict instructions otherwise. On the other hand, he was standing in front of my brother Marco who was every bit as intimidating as he was big.

“Put him on.” I walked through the first level of my apartment, checking every possible entryway someone could use while Marco distracted me on the phone.

“You can stop checking the windows, brother. I’m here alone.”

“Come on, Marco. You know better than that. Why would I take your word for it?”

“Damon.” When he paused, I did too, knowing I wouldn’t like what he had to say next. “They have Carrie.”

“Who has Carrie, exactly?”

“A couple of Leo’s goons picked up both Carrie and Lorenzo about an hour ago on Uncle Leo’s orders. They were taken to Leo’s house outside of Fort Lee. Let me come up. We have plans to make.”

“All right, Marco. But I’m warning you—if this is some kind of trick to nab me, it won’t end well for you.”

“You’ve never trusted anyone, little brother. Where has that gotten you?”

“That is precisely what has kept me alive. Put the security guard back on the phone.”

When Marco handed the phone off, I gave my approval to allow him to come up and re-engaged my secure elevator. Then I hurried to wake Jillian, just in case my brother was sent as a mercenary on behalf of the council. I was relieved to find her exiting the bathroom, dressed and ready to face company. When I gave her the same gun from earlier that morning, shock registered on her face before concern took over.

“What’s happened?”

I quickly filled her in, adding one of my brothers was on his way up. “You have to be ready to shoot him at any moment, Jillian. He’s part of the family—he knows how it works. They’d send him here to get close to me. They’d use Carrie’s predicament as a cover story to make me put my guard down. But they obviously don’t know me well enough because it only makes me more suspicious.”

“Just don’t shoot your brother before we find out for sure. If Leo does have Carrie, we have to save her.”

That “we” would be a problem because there was no way in hell I’d let my pregnant fiancée go anywhere near Leo’s fenced fortress. I’d only convinced Jillian to marry me a few hours before, so I wasn’t about to risk losing her again. And that’s exactly what would happen if she stepped into Leo’s line of sight. After the confrontation I’d had with him, blood wouldn’t mean shit. In fact, if he was truly holding Carrie, his plan was to draw me in then kill us all.

The question remained—who in our family had chosen Leo’s side and who had chosen mine? Father against son. Mother against daughter. Brother against brother. We all knew what had been drilled into our heads for years. But when push came to shove, would my immediate family actually turn on me?

When Marco knocked on the door, I motioned for Jillian to stay out of sight. Until I knew what his true intentions were, I’d assume he was my enemy. Marco and I had been close while growing up. Less than two years apart, we were the closest in age and in personality. Our take-no-shit attitudes came naturally and developed well before either of us realized what our family business really entailed. That personality trait had suited us well in our individual business ventures but not so well in personal relationships.

My ambition only slightly exceeded his. That was why I was next in line to be the Boss over my older brother. I’d taken the streets by storm and by force faster and more ruthlessly than he had, earning a name for myself as I went. In all honesty, Marco and I were equally as bullheaded as we were cunning. He and I were an explosive combination when we were together. Whether that was good or bad in the current instance remained to be seen.

I opened the door, keeping my right hand out of sight, holding my gun and my finger close to the trigger. With my poker face intact to hide my thoughts, I met Marco’s intense stare with my own. “Marco.”

“I’m sorry to hear about Benny, Damon. That really fucking sucks.”

“Yes, it really fucking does.”

“You look like shit, by the way.”

“What do you want, Marco?”

“Put the gun away, little brother. You don’t need it. I told you why I’m here.” He walked past me, and I pushed the door closed before dropping my gun hand to my side. “Where’s Jillian? Is she waiting in the wings to shoot me?”

“Only if you make her.”

“You don’t trust your own brother?” He had the nerve to appear insulted.

“My brother happens to be a capo in a large organized-crime syndicate. He’s been trained to put the family first, not his brother or his sister. So you’ll have to forgive me if I’m not fully convinced your objective in coming here is benevolent.”

One side of his mouth quirked upward slightly at first before morphing into a full-on smile in an uncharacteristic display of amusement. “My objectives are never fully benevolent, Damon. Except when it comes to you and Carrie. You and I have always been close, and you know I’ve always been protective of our little sister. No one else fucks with her—no one. Leo crossed a line he never should’ve even thought about, regardless of who she’s dating.”

“You knew, didn’t you? You already knew she was dating Lorenzo.”

He shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. “I’d heard rumors. Whether it was true or not didn’t mean shit to me. She’s grown and it’s her life—she’s entitled to live it however she wants. I’d only get involved if someone tried to hurt her, which is why I’m here now.”

He turned his back to me, walked into the den, and made himself comfortable on the couch. “Damon, bring Jillian in here and let’s come up with our plan. You can both keep your guns pointed at me the whole time if that makes you feel better. All I care about is getting Carrie out of Leo’s house in one piece.”

Jillian stepped into the hallway and looked at me for a cue on how to proceed. With her hand in mine, I led her to the opposite side of the room, and we sat together facing Marco. She placed her gun in her lap then laid her hand over it. She wasn’t pointing it at him, but he got her point nonetheless. Marco grinned at her boldness and nodded slowly, admiration obvious in his expression.

“It’s good to see you again, Jillian. I’m glad Damon convinced you to come back with him. He was hell to be around after he lost you.”

“After my house was shot to pieces, I didn’t really have much choice but to come with him. But I’m here now, and I have no intentions of leaving again. Tell us about what’s happened to Carrie.”

“Right to business. I like it. From what I’ve pieced together, Carrie and Lorenzo had just arrived at her house together when a couple of Leo’s goons busted the door down and grabbed them. A neighbor heard the ruckus and called the police. One of my guys was monitoring the police band and heard the dispatch to Carrie’s address. They gave the license plate and description of the car, and I tied it to Leo.

“When I called him, he ignored my calls. So I drove straight to his house, and his enforcers were manning the gate. They refused to let me in, and not so subtly threatened to shoot me in the back of the head if I pushed my luck. By then, I was so fucking pissed off I couldn’t see straight. When I called Dad to get him involved, Mama answered his phone and said he couldn’t talk. She was crying, Damon.”

“What? Mama answered his phone…and said Dad couldn’t talk?”

I couldn’t believe my ears. To my knowledge, that had never happened before. The significance of that small act was huge in our family. Not that Dad was always available. But that he wasn’t taking calls when the family was coming apart at the seams.

“It’s completely off, right? I tried to push Mama for information, but I couldn’t get much out of her. I have a very bad feeling this isn’t going to end well at all.” Marco scrubbed his hand over his face.

“Vincenzo and Leo are brothers, but Leo kidnapped Vincenzo’s daughter? Won’t your dad defend his daughter against his brother?” Jillian’s eyes darted between Marco and me, waiting for one of us to assure her our father would come to his daughter’s rescue.

“We don’t know, Jillian. We don’t know what Dad will do in this situation. This is all new territory for us.” I covered her hand with mine, knowing she was as worried about Carrie as I was.

“What do you think we should do, Damon?” Marco looked at me for guidance because I should be the next in line for the Boss position. But that was before I attacked the Underboss.

“Did you not hear what happened this morning?”

“Of course I heard. You almost killed Leo for knocking Jillian to the floor. I don’t blame you. Old fucker should’ve known better. He has crossed the line with too many of our guys’ wives, only none of them have balls the size of basketballs like you do. They’re all fucking proud of you, man.” Marco’s smile lit up his face despite the dire circumstances. “I only wish I could’ve been there to see it happen.”

“Why have I never heard this before? None of my men have ever said anything like that about Leo.”

Marco shrugged one shoulder. “Because of your status, man. They can’t complain to you about Leo when you’ll take Dad’s place soon. That’s a surefire way for them to end up on the Boss’s bad side. They just keep their heads down and do their jobs.”

“Does Dad know?”

Marco stared at me a few seconds too long before answering. There was more to that story than he wanted to say in present company. “He knows.”

“I’m sorry, but your whole damn family is insane.” Jillian jumped up from her seat, her voice rising with every word. “We can’t just wait and see what Leo decides to do with Carrie and Lorenzo. We need to go talk to your parents—we have to talk some sense into them! If you two are afraid to do it, I’ll be glad to tell them both exactly what I think about the entire fucked-up mess.”

Marco’s mouth gaped open at Jillian’s outburst. He’d never witnessed that feisty spitfire side of her. Then he cut his eyes to me and roared with laughter. “All right, then. By all means, show us how it’s done. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Jillian, doll, I really don’t want you involved in this any more than you already have been. This still isn’t a safe situation for you. Maybe not even for me.”

If looks could kill…

“Marco, has the council met?” I needed to know what they’d decided about our fate before we made any move.

“Not officially, because Dad and Leo weren’t there to cast their votes. The other council members are ready to boot Leo out and put you in his spot, though.”

That wasn’t the outcome I’d expected. Jillian turned her gaze to me, her leery expression wordlessly questioning me. What would I choose—being the underboss of the crime family, or being the provider for my family with her? Putting the family first, or putting my family first?

“Good to know I don’t have a sanctioned hit out on me, at least. Same goes for Jillian, I assume?”

“Absolutely. Dad hasn’t exactly hidden the fact that he loves Jillian like she’s his daughter.”

“What?” Jillian’s jaw dropped open, shocked to hear the words spoken aloud.

She and Dad had a special bond from the first time they met…until Dad withheld information about her mother’s death. Since then, she’d only given him an icy greeting when she saw him. She’d lost her father just over two years ago. Even though my dad was only a temporary replacement, losing him opened an old wound.

“You didn’t know that?” Marco asked, tilting his head to the side while he studied her reaction.

“No, not really. I thought we were fond of each other at first, but then…”

“I heard what happened with your mother, and I’m sorry about that. But believe me, Jillian—that was Dad’s way of protecting you. If he didn’t care about you, he would’ve let you return to Louisiana and deal with that situation on your own.”

“You can tell me more about this later. Right now, we can’t let Carrie face this alone. Let’s go to your parents’ house and talk to them first. If they won’t listen to reason, then we’ll figure out our plan of attack.” Jillian walked toward the door without waiting for either of us to reply.

“Will she leave without us?” Marco stood and watched as Jillian left the den.

“She will. Without a second thought, brother.”

“Are you sure she’s not already a Marchetti? Seems you’ve found your match in stubbornness.”

“You have no idea.”

When we arrived at my parents’ house, the gate enclosing the driveway was closed. No cars were parked out in the open, and all the garage doors were down. I still would’ve placed odds on Mama being home, safely locked away in their mansion that appeared vacated for a reason. The gates swung open when I keyed in the code, and I pulled into the garage. We waited for the door to finish closing behind us before we exited the car.

Inside the house, I heard the murmur of low voices coming from the dining room. No doubt they were plotting and scheming on their own, trying to figure out the best way to storm the well-secured fortress to save Carrie. The voices stopped as we approached the doorway, making me pause momentarily before stepping into the room.

My parents sat at the table, Mama trying to pretend she was unaffected by everything happening around her. But her red-rimmed, puffy eyes gave her secret away. When I got closer, the streaks of bloodshot in them were impossible to miss. She wanted to appear strong for all of us, but she was falling to pieces inside.

I moved to her side and held out my hand. She looked up at me, unsure of my actions, but she finally put her hand in mine. With a soft tug, I helped her to stand then wrapped my arms around her. In an instant, she gripped me tightly, buried her face in my chest, and sobbed.