Chapter Ten

Jillian

I stayed with Damon at the hospital. Even though I seldom missed work, I didn’t think twice about going back in. The visual of his blood-soaked shirt wouldn’t leave my mind. The terror of not knowing if I’d lose him on the way to the hospital was still fresh in my heart. I couldn’t imagine not being beside him when he came out of surgery. Then when his parents left, I was apprehensive about leaving him alone.

“You can’t be comfortable in that chair,” he mumbled. His medication had kicked in, and he was feeling no pain.

“I’m not leaving you, Damon.”

“If you’re not going to sleep in your bed, you could at least sleep in mine.” He opened one eye and arched his eyebrow at me. With care, he slid over in the twin-sized hospital bed and left a sliver of empty space for me.

I eagerly curled up beside him, my head resting on his good shoulder and my arm draped across his stomach. “You’re sure I’m not hurting you?”

“Not at all. Go to sleep. We’ve had a long day.”

Sometime during the night, the nurse made her rounds and began to chastise me for being in the bed with Damon. But with one word from him, she silenced her objections and went about her business. Her subsequent rounds were frequent but without incident. When the morning shift began, the new nurse didn’t say a word about my place. I’d never mentioned that first hospital visit or how the cop had warned me about Damon and his men. While the officer didn’t come out and say it, and Damon had never confirmed it, I had a good idea why his family commanded respect. Even in the hospital.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling I was the intended target this time and he’d taken the bullet for me. I’d started to tell him in the emergency room, but the nurse interrupted us. Then by the time his parents left, he was too tired and needed his rest. I’d decided to tell him about the embezzlement I uncovered as soon as possible that morning. At least then he’d know what we were up against.

When his breakfast was brought in, I helped him sit up in the bed and arranged his food and drinks. “Do I need to feed you?”

The sensual look he gave me sent chills up and down my spine. Even shot, bandaged, and in a hospital bed, that man was deadly sexy. “We’ll feed each other when I get out of here. For this, I think I can manage.”

“Damon, there’s something—”

“Good morning.” Vincenzo’s booming voice filled the room, followed by Uncle Leo’s echoing greeting. “Jillian, sweetheart, I’m sorry to be so rude, but Leo and I need to speak with Damon privately. Would you mind stepping outside?”

“Dad.”

“No, it’s fine, Damon.” I leaned over and kissed him. “I need to go to my apartment and shower. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to stay with you again. If you need more time than that, just let me know.”

“Thank you, cara.” Vincenzo took my hand and kissed the back of it. “And thank you for staying with him last night. You don’t know how much you relieved his mother.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“Is Benny here?” Damon asked.

“Right here, boss.” Benny stepped into the doorway. “I’ll make sure she gets there safely.”

Damon nodded, but his eyes lingered on Benny’s for a couple of seconds longer, conveying a hidden message. Benny nodded once, signaling his understanding, then we walked away together. I desperately wanted to question him about Damon and the rest of the family, but I knew better. Benny was loyal and would think my questions were too intrusive. If Damon wanted me to know something, he’d tell me himself.

When we arrived at my building, Benny escorted me up to my apartment and checked all the rooms. “I’m sorry I can’t stay here with you. Joe is busy with an assignment, so Vincenzo and Leo don’t have a driver. Call me when you’re ready to go back to the hospital, and I’ll swing by to pick you up. Do not call a cab.” He handed me a business card with his number on it.

“Thank you, Benny. It’ll be at least a couple of hours or so before I call you. I need to check in with work.”

“Do not go to the office. In fact, don’t go anywhere without me. Stay inside until I call and tell you I’m at the front door. We can’t be too careful now.”

“Okay.” So many questions flew through my mind, but they’d have to be addressed to Damon. And I had plenty of topics to speak with him about, too.

I made sure the door was locked when Benny left, then headed straight for my bedroom. After a hot shower, I tied my wet hair up in a towel and called my manager, Ronnie, at the corporate office in Louisiana. I explained I needed a few days off for an emergency, without giving the details. His motto had always been family came first, and I didn’t correct his assumption that the emergency was with my mother. Ronnie promised to call Blaine Financial and explain I’d be out the rest of the week.

After I’d finished drying my hair and getting dressed, I grabbed a suitcase and started packing a few things so I could stay with Damon. A knock on my door surprised me since the front desk hadn’t called about a visitor. I moved silently toward the door and rose on my toes to look through the peephole.

What could Lorenzo want?

My cryptic emergency message must have alarmed him, but still, an unexpected drop-in at my apartment was hardly appropriate. I slowly opened the door and purposely gave him a quizzical look. “Lorenzo. What can I do for you?”

“I’m sorry to intrude. Ronnie called and said you were dealing with an emergency, but there is something urgent I need to speak to you about. It’ll only take a few minutes, but I’m afraid it really can’t wait.”

“All right. Come in and have a seat.” I stepped aside and extended my arm toward the couch.

I sat opposite of him on the love seat and waited for him to explain the urgent issue that couldn’t wait until Monday. The one I knew I couldn’t work on without my laptop from the office anyway.

“I’ll get right to the point. I know what you found, Jillian.”

I remained silent, not knowing if he was part of the embezzling scheme or if he’d been monitoring it himself.

“I really wish you hadn’t stumbled across it. And I wish you hadn’t been so damn determined to figure it out. We buried it so deeply in the transactions, it’s amazing anyone short of an FBI forensic accountant found it.”

He eyed me suspiciously, waiting for confirmation that would never come. I wasn’t part of the FBI, but I had every intention of reporting the crime to them to handle. My suspicions of him being the one behind the recent events were at an all-time high, and I wasn’t about to give anything away. I’d never been very good at lying, but I was sure as hell going to lie my way out of this situation.

“Are you an FBI agent, Jillian? Do you work for the government? Were you sent to my company to find evidence to use against me?”

“Of course not. Your company hired me to do a job. That’s all I’m doing—my job. I’ve rotated through several departments in Blaine Financial without a hitch. I’m simply working the accounts I was assigned.”

“I’m afraid I’ll need more…reassurance…than just taking your word for it.”

“What do you mean?” A cold chill ran up my spine, and a sick feeling sank low in my belly. The sneer that crossed his face was pure evil.

“If you’re not with the FBI or some other government agency, I can only assume you work for the Marchetti family.”

“This is ridiculous, Lorenzo. I work for Morgan and Bartholomew Consulting. In Louisiana. I’m only here for a short time on assignment. How could I possibly work for the Marchetti family? Do I look like a construction worker to you?”

A surprised expression took the place of the sneer before turning into a smile. “Do you really not know who you’re fucking? This is priceless. Sweetheart, your boyfriend is a capo in the Marchetti mafia. His father is the Boss. When he’s finished with you, you’ll be somewhere at the bottom of the Hudson, fodder for the fish.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I held my head high and the indignation in my voice was strong, but my insides were quivering with fear. Suspecting Damon was part of the mob was very different from having it verified. Discovering he was the Boss’s son, and high up in the hierarchy of a mafia family, was disturbing. Hearing Lorenzo callously describe my fate with such pleasure covering his face was terrifying.

“You should. He’s a dangerous man, and I know dangerous men very well.” His pointed look hit its intended target in my chest when my breath seized. “Here’s what you’re going to do. First, you’re going to give me all the information you’ve uncovered.”

“I don’t have it here. It’s in the office.”

He smiled, but it was condescending and didn’t reach his eyes. “Jillian, I know you copied data on to a flash drive. You’ll hand that over to me.”

“I told you it’s not here. It’s in the office with the rest of my things. I didn’t make it back yesterday to pick up my briefcase.”

He nodded, accepting my excuse for the moment. “To prove you’re not working for the Marchettis, you’re going to kill Damon in his sleep.”

“What?” I started shaking my head before the word came out. “No. I won’t kill him. I won’t do it.”

“You will, or we’ll kill her.” He held up his phone and showed a picture of my mother. She was sitting on her front porch in her wheelchair. Her home health care nurse was beside her in the rocking chair. “I have a couple of men down in Abita Springs right now. Great beer down there, I hear. They’re waiting for the word from me.”

My tearful response was immediate. I just shook my head from side to side. None of this terrible mess could really be happening to me.

“Come now, Jillian. Don’t get so upset. Your mom will be fine as long as you do exactly what I tell you.”

“I’m not a murderer. I can’t do it, Lorenzo.”

“You can, and you will, or you’ll be responsible for your mother’s death. She doesn’t seem to be in good health as it is. I imagine she’d have a hard time fighting back, no?”

My tears increased, turning from single droplets to flowing torrents.

“Here’s how you’ll do it. When he’s discharged from the hospital, I’m sure you’ll stay with him to play nurse while he heals. Wait until he’s asleep, then slit his throat.”

I gasped audibly then my hand flew over my mouth. My heart thumped against the inside of my chest, and my body trembled. Speech eluded me, and I was scared out of my wits. Kill Damon or they kill my mom? Cut Damon’s throat in his sleep?

Could I simply tell Damon and let him help me out of the impossible scenario I faced?

“No wonder Marchetti picked you. I’m sure he can read your every thought like a book, too. Don’t even think of running to him or his daddy with this. We’re watching your mom, but we’re watching you too. I’ll know, Jillian. Do what I told you to do and your mom will be fine. You can move back to Louisiana with her, but you’d better never show your face here again.”

He stood and walked to the door before turning to face me one last time. “You have twenty-four hours from the time Damon leaves the hospital. Tick-tock.”

“Why? Why would you want Damon killed? I don’t understand.”

He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at me. “My men should’ve taken both you and Damon out on the street yesterday. But they underestimated how protective Damon is of you and how fast Benny is on his feet. With you taking care of the dirty work, my family can avoid an all-out war with the Marchetti family, while still taking out their top capo. They’ll be busy mourning the loss of their son and leader while we finish seizing control of their considerable assets. You have easy access to him, and we have easy access to your mother. It all works out nicely in the end. Don’t you think?”

He closed the door behind him, and I collapsed into a sobbing mess on the couch. An unimaginable choice was put on my shoulders. One that left me with no way out. No possible escape. No Plan B. How could I live with myself either way?

My mom was my world. She’d done everything for me. She’d sacrificed so much to send me to college and give me a chance at a life better than she had.

And Damon. I had fallen for him in a big way. My heart connected with his. My body craved him. His family had become my family.

What could I do?