Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jess
In the backseat, I’m squished between two grim looking mobsters. Bruno is to my right. I can feel the ripples of his hard muscles pressing against my flesh. He’s a massive monolith of stone. If I make one wrong move, I know he could crush me in an instant.
Anthony is to my left. I haven’t worked with him like Bruno, so I barely know him. He looks pensively out of the window, but I know he’s watching me closely. Every time I so much as flinch, his jerks his gaze towards me menacingly.
In the silent stillness of the car, I feel raw and vulnerable. I’d been sure that Snake and I were on our way to freedom, to our bright, happy future until they stopped us. I’d allowed myself to feel relief. Now, that’s gone.
Was Jake worth all of this? Actually, that’s not the question to ask. Was my goal to avenge his death for him, or for me? The anger I’d felt was for purely selfish reasons. I thought the perfect life I deserved was violently ripped away from me, and I wanted to make those who were responsible pay.
I thought I loved Jake. Now I know better.
I don’t want it to end here.
I clear my throat, getting both of their attention. As their gazes shift, I can feel them closing in on me.
“We’ll give you a cut of the profits,” I say, keeping my voice low. “We’ve made a lot of cash. Please, let us go.”
They respond with stoic silence, making anger shoot up my veins. How dare they treat me like I’m not even here, when I’m important enough to be killed. I want snap at them, to spit on their shoes. But what would that achieve? I let my anger control me in the past, and it’s led me here, on the road to certain death. I keep my mouth shut. I don’t want to them to kill me now. My only hope is seeing Snake one last time. If I’m shot in the back of the car, that won’t happen.
We come to a stop in front of the concrete warehouse. Anthony and Bruno tightly grip both of my arms, and escort me out of the car. I scan the area, searching frantically for Snake. What if they’ve hurt him, or already killed him?
The second car comes to a stop behind us. To my instant relief, I see Snake get out of the car, unscathed. And he’s walking freely, without being forced by mobsters.
Someone else gets out of the same car. It’s an older man, someone I recognize.
Franco Mariano.
The boss smiles at Snake congenially, and the two shake hands.
“Snake,” I yell, as Anthony and Bruno muscle me inside.
I know he hears me, but he doesn’t look at me. He actively avoids my gaze, even though I’m screaming his name.
What did he and Franco talk about in the car? My blood rushes to my feet. Maybe the boss made him an enticing offer, something good enough to turn Snake against me, and bring him back into the Mariano fold. My body goes limp. Anthony and Bruno drag me forward.
I trusted Snake. And he’s going to betray me.
I feel like I’m floating when we enter the warehouse, and walk all the way through to Monty’s office. I can feel Snake’s presence, though I don’t look. I hear his footsteps behind me, heavy, determined. How could he do this? Did he ever truly care for me?
“Uncle Franco!” Monty exclaims when we enter his office. “This is a pleasant surprise. Can I get you a drink?”
Franco silently shakes his head, then finds a seat. Monty approaches Snake with his arms outstretched, and clasps his hands to Snake’s face.
“My boy,” Monty says, with the smile of a proud father. “I knew you’d do right by me. And I’m glad the boss is here to see that.”
Snake looks into Monty’s eyes, and gives him a solemn nod. This should disgust me, fill me with white hot rage. But I don’t feel anything. I don’t want to feel anything anymore. I just want to get this over with.
“And you,” Monty says, his gaze landing on me. He scans my body with his eyes, and begins to laugh. “My terrifying assassin. Look at her. This is what happens when you get into business with real men.” He smiles widely, then trails his finger down the side of my face, to my neck. “Maybe we should have some fun with you while your heart’s still beating, and your pussy’s still warm.”
“Don’t be a fucking pervert,” Franco says, bluntly, from his seat. He gestures to Snake. “Get on with it.”
For the first time, Snake looks at me. Those dark eyes are the same ones I remember of the troubled, brooding man I fell in love with. And whether or not his love was real, I know mine was. I should yell at him, curse him for his betrayal. But I don’t want him to think I hate him, because I don’t. Maybe this is the only way. At least one of us will get out alive. Maybe I deserve this for everything I’ve done. My record’s not clean. There’s blood on my hands, just like everyone else in this room.
Anthony and Bruno release my arms and step away. I’m left standing frozen on my own. Snake’s face is hard, and completely devoid of emotion.
“Turn around,” he says. “Get on your knees.”
I blink away the tears in my eyes, and nod at him. For a brief moment, I see a glimmer of warmth pass across his face, though it’s quickly extinguished. Looking down at my feet, I turn around slowly, then lower to my knees.
I’m ready, I think, focusing on the tiled floor.
The gun cocks behind me, and I hear a bullet shift into place. Snake takes in a sharp breath.
“This is for you, Jess,” he says.
Boom!
I clench my eyes shut, anticipating the bullet hurtling through my brain. But there’s no pain, just a feeling of lightness. White light envelops me. There’s a buzzing in my ears. And someone’s touching me. Someone’s lifting me up to my feet.
I think I’m dead when Snake wraps me in his arms, and that he’s some kind of angel. I collapse against him, taking a gasping breath. As I look over his shoulder, a shocking shade of red catches my eye.
Monty is face down on his desk. A pool of dark blood forms around his head.
Snake didn’t kill me.
The realization washes over me gradually, and is immediately followed by intense fear. The others will kill us. We have to get out of here.
I try to run, but Snake holds me tightly.
“It’s okay, Jess,” he says. “I’m sorry I had to scare you like that. Monty had to believe it was real.”
He strokes his fingers through my hair, kissing all over my face. I’m still in shock, trying to process it all.
Franco rises from his seat, and approaches us.
“Miss Hunt,” he says, removing his hat. “On behalf of the Mariano family, I’d like to formally apologize for the wrongful death of your fiancé.”
I turn back to Snake. “What’s he talking about?”
“Jake didn’t talk to that reporter,” Snake says. “Monty did. He pinned it on Jake.”
Franco sighs with regret. “With a heavy heart, I admit, the Mariano’s killed an innocent man. When it was uncovered that someone tried to kill Monty, I did my own, independent investigation. I looked into everyone at the party, which led me to you, Jess. But I didn’t stop there. I took another look at Jake’s case. I tracked down the reporter, and politely asked her to hand over the recorded conversation. I should have done that in the first place, but I had Monty’s word. On the tapes, he was clearly drunk, and thought he’d get lucky with the reporter, so he told her everything.”
I listen blankly, waiting for this information to sink in. Jake was innocent, well, innocent in a sense. His death was a mistake, the result of Monty’s lies. Snake grabs the back of my neck, pressing his forehead into mine.
“Did Sal know?” I ask.
“I think he did,” Snake says. “He was trying to protect his father.” He grips me tighter. “Jake never should've died. None of this ever should’ve happened.”
I nod, blinking into the distance. “But it did.” My voice is hollow in my ears, making it sound disembodied. I look up at Snake, and deeply breathe in his scent. “And we’re here now.”
I feel the tension from Snake’s body release. He exhales deeply, and kisses me on the lips. The rest of the world disappears around me. The road that led us here is winding, bumpy, and fraught with moral pitfalls, but it’s behind us. The only direction to go in now is forward.