Chapter Nine

Jillian

Damon’s sudden agitation sent warning shock waves through my nerves. The deadly game we’d been caught in was far from being over, that much was clear. My every sense fired on overdrive, my mind reeling from running through a list of everything that possibly could’ve gone wrong. The list was too long and every option was too daunting, but that didn’t stop my endless parade of assumptions. With my foot slammed down against the gas pedal, I maneuvered through the early morning traffic which was steadily increasing as we approached rush hour.

“Damon, what is it?” Mama Lina asked.

As I drove, I continuously scanned the area in front and behind us. When I checked the rearview mirror, I adjusted my position until I could see them both. Mama Lina’s worried expression was expected, but his wasn’t. Had I ever seen my cool, calm, and collected hit man with a hint of fear in his expression before? Concern for the safety of those he loved, yes. But true fear? Never.

“Later, Mama. Let me check a few things first.”

She didn’t argue. She didn’t push or try to question him further. She just accepted he couldn’t tell her what he knew or what he suspected. Then his gaze met mine, and I could tell from the change in his expression he knew exactly what I was thinking.

That could never be me.

What we would do about that little dilemma was still to be seen. I wouldn’t yield, and I wasn’t sure he’d bend. But one of us would have to…if we were going to stay together.

“Jillian, when we get to Mama’s, you stay there with her. I’ll drive myself over to Leo’s house.”

“The hell you will!” I blurted out the words before I even thought about them. “There’s absolutely no way I’ll let you drive, Damon. You have pain medications in your system. You just got out of the hospital. You have a concussion. You’d be lucky to even make it over there alive.”

“Why do you need to go to Leo’s?” Mama Lina’s stern tone was back. “You’re not going alone. Jillian is right. You’re certainly not driving.”

“Fine.” Damon’s lips disappeared into a thin line, his aggravation not quite hidden. “Jillian can drive me over there and drop me off. I’ll catch a ride back with Marco or Dad.”

He thought his idea was the best solution, but he should’ve known me better than to think I’d go along with that plan. He was in no shape to be alone, much less to rush into another dangerous situation. The man was beyond hardheaded. He was reckless with his own safety while being overprotective of everyone else. None of it should’ve surprised me, but then he shouldn’t be surprised by what I planned to do either.

“Son, do you really think that’s a good idea? Matteo arranged for a nurse to take care of you. He didn’t even really agree to let you leave the hospital—you forced his hand. You shouldn’t be doing anything but resting and recuperating.”

“I know, Mama, but I have to do this. There’s no way around me being there for it. Dad and Marco are still there—they have everything under control.”

Neither Mama Lina nor I were stupid enough to buy that line of bullshit. If there was no danger, he wouldn’t object to either of us going with him. Instead, he couldn’t wait to get rid of us while he faced whatever was happening alone. And already severely injured.

We reached Mama Lina’s house and were immediately greeted by a handful of the biggest men I’ve ever seen in real life. They surrounded the car, checking inside, in the trunk, and underneath the vehicle before allowing us to enter. Never mind that the homeowner was in the car, or that the next Boss was sitting beside her. Apparently, they had strict orders to check everyone, and they weren’t too keen on being the ones to allow a breach.

“Damon.” Mama Lina stopped as she was getting out of the car. She was hesitant to finish, but she couldn’t let it go. “Find out about your aunt Maria. Was she part of this? Where is she?”

“Maria didn’t know anything about it, Mama. Leo kept it from her. She was taken to a safe place until we’ve finished. Then we all have decisions to make.”

She couldn’t hide the inner pain and conflict over her sister-in-law. She loved Maria, that much was clear. She couldn’t bear to think of anything happening to the woman who was like her own sister. That was when another family truth hit me.

Every member of the family had lost so much in their lives. Friends, family—people they loved—had been stripped away from them far too soon and much too often. Accepting their inevitable death didn’t make it any easier to swallow when the time came. Maria’s ultimate fate weighed heavily on Mama Lina’s shoulders as she walked into the house, and it broke my heart that I couldn’t help her.

“Pay attention to the directions I give you so you can get back to Mama’s okay,” Damon said from the back seat.

“Don’t worry. I have my phone with me if I need it. My GPS works just fine.”

His hand covered his forehead. His fingers gingerly rubbed back and forth. “Yeah, right. My mind is on something else. I didn’t even think about that.”

“You’ve had a long day.”

His hand dropped from his face, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. I saw his expression in the rearview mirror, but only in my peripheral vision. The man had an uncanny ability to read my thoughts and anticipate my every move. For my plan to work, I had to master the poker face that came naturally to him.

“So have you…and the babies. All three of you need rest.”

That was a trap—one I recognized instantly.

“The babies are fine. We got a little rest while you were in the ER. I’ve felt them moving around, being as active as ever. I’m a little tired, but nothing to be worried about. I’ll sleep when I get back to your mom’s. Honestly, I’m more worried about you. Your mom had a good point when she said Matteo wasn’t even going to let you leave the hospital. Your full-time nurse will be at the house in a matter of hours now. It’ll be awkward if you’re not there too.”

“Don’t worry about me, doll. You just get home and stay inside with the doors and gates locked at all times until I get back.”

“All right. Whatever you say, Damon.”

Damn it. My lack of argument was way too obvious. He placed his hand loosely over his mouth and stared at me with those piercing eyes.

“Just know you’re going to pay for this in some unsuspecting and unpleasant way in the very near future. Don’t think for one second I’m letting you off the hook. I’ve just decided I want a little more time to plan my revenge on you.” I slowly lifted my eyes to the rearview mirror and met his gaze straight on. Mustering the best resting bitch face I had, I stared at him, quirked one eyebrow to finish off my pointedly unhappy expression, and dared him to push my buttons.

“Is it weird that I’m really fucking turned on right now?”

“Yes. It is weird. I think someone crossed the wires in your brain during one of your CT scans tonight,” I deadpanned.

His dark chuckle rumbled through the car as we sped toward Leo’s house, the morning sunlight barely breaking the line of the horizon. He gave me turn-by-turn directions until we reached Leo’s street, but my mind wasn’t on memorizing the turns and street names. My focus was on what I’d do after he got out of the car. When I looked back at him again, his head was leaned against the back of the seat, his eyes were closed, and his knuckles were white from gripping the seat belt. He was in so much pain. The parts of him that weren’t in a cast or bandaged were black and blue. In that shape, he was far less capable of defending himself than he’d admit.

He’d already given me the house number, so I knew exactly which driveway to turn into. When I shifted the car into park, he opened his eyes and looked around, weariness etched in every line of his gorgeous face. He didn’t want to go inside any more than I wanted him to, but his commitment to the family ran deep.

Something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Something didn’t feel right about the entire situation. Nothing visible had spooked me, but I couldn’t shake the intuition inside me.

“Straight back to Mama’s, Jillian. Wait for me there.”

“Do you need help getting inside, Damon? You look like you’re about to fall down, and you haven’t even stood up yet.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want you inside that house, doll. Don’t worry about me. This will all be over soon.”

That’s what I’m afraid of, Damon. You just don’t realize it.

He slid out of the car, taking extra care with every move he made, and stood between the door and the car for a moment to steady himself. I watched him walk slowly toward the house, knowing every step sent jolts of pain through his battered body. But he’d never allow others to see that weakness. Regardless of how much the effort drained his energy, he’d maintain the image he’d worked all his life to curate.

To keep up my own appearances, I put the car into gear and pulled around the circular drive, heading through the front gate toward the main street. When he closed the front door behind him, I jerked the wheel to the side road and parked along the tall brick fence. With the car completely hidden from anyone inside the house, I jogged back to the front gate and slipped through before the panels completely closed.

The gun Damon always kept under the front seat was tucked securely in the band of my jeans. He had a bad feeling about what was happening, but he wasn’t as slick as he liked to think he was. I saw him slide a pistol under his extra-large scrubs shirt while I was driving. Whatever Marco said to him, it was bad enough to knowingly risk his life over. But the ominous feeling I had was a warning that it was more than a risk—it was a certainty.

When I reached the front door, I pressed my ear against it, listening for anything inside. Voices near the door. Shouting. Feet shuffling. Guns shooting.

But there was nothing at all.

Before opening the door, I took one last look around the exterior—and that was when I realized what was off about the entire scene.

Vincenzo’s car was gone.

As softly as I could, I opened the door and slipped inside, leaving it barely cracked in case I needed to make a quick exit. Standing in the foyer, I strained my ears to locate any noise that would lead me to Damon. Not hearing anything in the house, I recalled how far the basement was from the front door.

That was where I had to go—I could feel it in my gut. I withdrew the gun from my waistband and chambered a round, hoping the magazine was full and kicking myself for not checking it first. I followed the path I’d watched Damon take only hours before, until I stood in the ornate great room, staring at the spot where Leo and his men tried to beat Damon to death.

The door leading downstairs was blown off the hinges, pieces of it barely clinging to the screws. Splatters of his blood had dried on the wood floor, bringing the visions back to life in my mind again. Then I heard a muffled voice. A man’s voice. With my gun ready, I began my descent down the steps, treading lightly in case the creak of wood gave away my presence.

The basement was huge—matching everything else in the enormous house. The long stairway led to a long hallway, with seven doors that were all closed. I crept through the mostly dark area with only a handful of night-lights to guide me. Stopping at each door, I pressed my ear against it and lingered only a second or two before moving on to the next one.

“Leo, you’re our uncle. How could you do this to us? We’re your blood!” Marco’s angry voice echoed down the hall, revealing their location. “Look at Damon—you almost killed him, when either of us would’ve died for you.”

“I can’t really expect you to understand right now, Marco. You would have, though, had your brother became the boss of the family over you. If you had to take orders from him every fucking day. If you had to watch him promote his son ahead of you at every turn. Lucky for you, you’ll never have to face any of that.”

“How? How the fuck did you pull all this off? And right under Dad’s nose.”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Marco?” Damon asked, and I felt my heart jump through my chest. “He partnered with Geno.”

“What?” Marco’s stunned reply matched my own reaction.

“Good job, Leo. I give credit where credit is due. You played this game to perfection. Killing Jillian’s mother was a nice touch, knowing we’d place the blame squarely on Lorenzo and annihilate him because of it. Brilliant plan to eliminate all the competition along the way.”

I covered my mouth with my open hand, controlling the screams building inside my chest. More answers were coming, and I didn’t want to do anything to stop their discussion. Damon wasn’t finished, I could tell by the way he spoke—slow and meticulous, spelling out the plans of Leo’s betrayal. Leo hadn’t answered—I wanted to hear his confirmation that Damon’s accusations were true.

“Not everything went according to plan,” Leo began, his smugness oozing off him and filtering into my ears. “You and Jillian were supposed to die on the street—both times. Those fucking idiots couldn’t hit the broad side of a building. They had every opportunity to finish the job on all occasions. Jillian was supposed to run off to save her mother, and you were supposed to chase Jillian to save her, then you’d all three die together. But you fucked that up too, so her mother had to die alone.

“But you know what they say…if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. So, it’s up to me to take you two out of the equation, and then I’ll move on to Vincenzo and Lina, right after he tells me where he hid Maria.”

“You had a disabled woman killed, Leo?” Marco was still in shock, trying to catch up with the conversation. I knew exactly how he felt.

“When those idiots fucked up and only injured Damon, I went to the hospital that day to prevent any suspicions. I had to play the doting uncle, after all. Geno originally issued the order, but I decided to make a move while you were laid up in the hospital. So I flew to New Orleans, drove to a little town called Abita Springs, and found one Annemarie Hart. We drove her to the outskirts of Manchac Swamp, and I shot her in the back of the head. We only kept the sitter alive to lure Jillian back home. She was going to die too, but you sent your men down instead of showing up yourself, even after I’d made sure word was sent back to Vincenzo. No matter, though. It’s been a long time coming, but your time has come, Damon. Say goodbye to your brother.”

I heard Leo rack the slide of his pistol.

I pictured him taking my mother into the swamp. Her wheelchair couldn’t have been easy to push through the mud and the muck, bouncing over uneven earth and sinking into the soggy ground. She most likely knew what was happening to her…she must have been scared out of her mind. Then he killed her out there—where no one would ever find any evidence to link him to her murder.

A contradiction of emotions I didn’t understand overcame me—a raging storm of vengeance and a peaceful notion of closure.

Without giving my plan conscious thought, I twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Damon and Marco were each tied to their chairs, and Leo stood on their left side with his gun at the ready. Shock from my intrusion registered on all their faces, but only one of them concerned me at that moment.

Leo threw his head back, roaring with laughter. “This day literally couldn’t get any better. You walked right into my hands.”

“You killed my mother.”

“Yes, I fucking did. Now put that fucking gun down. You don’t scare me, little girl. You don’t have the balls to shoot me.”

“Maybe you’re right, Leo. Maybe I don’t have it in me to kill a man in cold blood.”

His sardonic chortle was meant to be a snide sneer at me. His last hateful jab to tell me how much he disapproved of me and my weakness.

But I wasn’t weak.

I vowed never to be weak again.

“But I’ll never know for sure until I try.”

His surprised reaction only lasted for a millisecond before my finger squeezed the trigger.

Then he wasn’t laughing anymore.

The one act I thought I was incapable of committing had come so easily. Watching his lifeless body fall to the floor wasn’t what shocked me. Knowing I’d just killed a man wasn’t what rendered me speechless. Thinking about the repercussions of what I’d done wasn’t what scared me.

I’d just killed the man who murdered my defenseless mother…and I didn’t feel bad about it. At all. My mind didn’t know how to process the enormous change. The significance of my actions was multifaceted. I’d have to face Vincenzo for killing his brother…I’d have to face Maria for killing her husband…I’d have to face Damon for killing his uncle. But none of that mattered because I’d avenged the best woman I’d ever known.

What frightened me was I didn’t know who I was anymore.