Page 24 of Capone (Sinful Warriors MC #6)

“It is. You were heartbroken and he was trying to expand his family with his wife.”

“No,” Asha denied. With each word Cara spoke, I watched Asha’s eyes darken. The hurt washed away and was now replaced with anger.

“Yes, he did. While you sat at home, probably listening to sad breakup songs, drowning in a bucket of ice cream, he had moved on with his life. He treated you as an afterthought. You were grieving your child, and he was trying to make another one with the woman you claimed he didn’t love.

Then, even in death, he made sure you remained his secret by denying you access to his funeral.

That doesn’t sound like a man who loves you. ”

By the time Cara finished, Asha’s face was beet red. Her hands shook as she stared at Cara with hate-filled eyes. Asha looked possessed. I knew if Asha had a weapon, she would try her chances in taking Cara out. Cara had successfully gotten under her skin.

“AND THAT’S WHY I KILLED THAT HEARTLESS BASTARD!” she roared, jumping out of her seat.

Cara and Sara were quick on their feet, stepping back, as Asha tried leaping over the table.

The room was quickly swarmed with agents as they detained Asha.

Viper and Bear urgently made their way out of the room we were in.

There was no doubt in my mind that they were making their way into that interrogation room to make sure their women were safe.

Asha squirmed on the floor, fighting against agents. as she freely confessed her sins. “That’s right! I did it and I would do it again! He was supposed to love me. If I couldn’t have him, then nobody would. Get off me!” She cried and struggled as the agents led her out of the room.

Her lawyer didn’t say a word. He shook his head, gathered his briefcase, and left the room. There was nothing he could do to get her off now.

“Did that really just happen?” I asked out loud.

“It did.” Capone pulled me into his arms, hugging me.

“Does this mean it's over?” I turned to Mercury.

“Yes. We got the confession we needed. I promise you. Asha will spend the rest of her life behind bars.”

I sighed in relief, knowing this chapter of my life was finally over. I could finally rest, knowing the person responsible for so much of my pain would be behind bars.

After hugging Mercury and thanking him, I let Capone lead me out of the room. “Come on, Sugar. Let's get back to Lil Bit.”

That sounded just fine to me.

“Mom, we’re back!” I shouted as I walked through the front door of my home. Just like last time, I felt a sense of dread being here. Memories of sleepless and lonely nights plagued my mind. Now that I knew the reason behind those nights, I couldn't help but hate stepping foot inside this home.

“Shhh. Gabi went down for a nap.” My mom came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel.

“Sorry.” I lowered my voice, throwing my hands up in surrender.

My mother’s gaze moved over to Capone beside me. She looked him over from head to toe, a smile slowly stretching across her face. “Is this Capone?”

I felt myself blushing and nodded my head. “Yes. Mom, this is Capone. Capone, this is my mother, Gia.”

My mother reached out a hand to shake his, but Capone step forward, bringing her into a hug. “None of that. We’re going to be family one day.”

My mom’s smile widened as she nodded in approval. When she stepped away from him, her eyes squinted, and she tilted her head to the side.

“What is it, Mom?”

“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before, but I’m not sure.”

Capone stood there confused. He looked between my mother and me before giving her a light smile. “I doubt we’ve met before. I wouldn’t have forgotten such a beautiful face.”

I watched my mother’s cheeks turn a deep pink before she threw her head back, giggling like a schoolgirl. “Such a charmer. Now I see why you’re smitten, Giovanna.”

“Mom!” I shrieked in embarrassment.

A few chuckles from behind me reminded me we weren’t the only ones in the room. I turned and introduced Cara, Sara, Bear, and Viper to my mother. She quickly moved forward, hugging and thanking Cara and Sara for bringing Gabi home.

“So how did the interrogation go? Did she confess?” my mother asked me.

We sat in the living room, going over the details of the interrogation. My mom’s eyes were wide as I went over how ruthless Cara was in that room. Cara caught the look in my mother's eyes and raised her hands in defense.

“In that room you have to be willing to go places you normally wouldn’t. Regardless of how I feel about her personally, my heart goes out to her. I’ve never lost a baby but I’m sure its detrimental. No one deserves that. No matter how messed up of an individual you are,” Cara said.

Asha having Derek’s baby would have hurt me to my core.

As much as it would have hurt hearing Derek had fathered another baby outside our marriage, I would have never wished a miscarriage on anyone .

Derek had no doubt become a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Or maybe he was always that way. Either way, the blinds were now open.

I saw him for who he truly was, and that was a selfish, heartless, misogynistic ass.

He didn’t deserve me. He never did. The only good thing that came from Derek was Gabrielle. Despite all the pain that man caused me, I wouldn’t give her back.

“What was that paper you gave her that suggested Derek asked me to have another baby? That never happened.”

“Did you forget who you were talking to? Tech guru, sister. When my fingers hit a keyboard, anything is possible.”

We all laughed at her brazen statement.

“Cocky much, sis?” Sara jested, elbowing Cara in the arm.

“Cocky or confident?” Cara threw back.

“With you, the line is very thin,” Sara teased with a smirk.

Just as I was about to ask more questions, I heard my front door open. Capone, Viper, and Bear stood to their feet, gripping their guns tucked in the back of their jeans. As Whitney rounded the corner to the living room, they relaxed, taking a seat.

My mouth hung open as this woman walked into my home like she owned the place.

She didn’t understand boundaries whatsoever.

After dealing with this woman for years, she was slowly but surely driving me crazy.

Whitney had always been overbearing, but it seemed since Derek’s death, she’d gotten worse.

When Derek was alive, she would never just invite herself inside my home.

Derek might not have stood up to her a lot, but he at least tried to make her respect me inside the comfort of my own home. While there were times Whitney made underhanded comments, she would keep the disrespect to a bare minimum while here.

I remember trying everything to win this woman over, but it was never enough. She had it set out that I wasn’t good enough for her son, and there was nothing I could do or say to convince her otherwise.

But today was a new day. I no longer harbored feelings to win this woman over. I now understood that it was Derek who didn’t deserve me.

“Did you let yourself into my home?” I asked her in disbelief.

“You mean the home my son bought? I sure did,” Whitney responded.

My anger rose. My blood was boiling. Not only had she barged her way into my home, but she brought company. She had Dennis, Danny, and Nicole with her. They stood in my living room like they had every right, further pissing me off.

It was starting to dawn on me that I would never be able to be cordial with them for the sake of Gabi.

Not because I didn’t want to, but because they would never respect boundaries.

They would always have this sense of entitlement.

Derek being the breadwinner made them believe I didn’t get a say-so, but they were about to learn.

Either they would get in line or have nothing to do with my child. I didn’t have to deal with this.

“Get out of my house. You have no right to use your spare key whenever you like. I don’t care who paid for it.”

Whitney ignored me, turning her attention to Cara. She stared at her with a sour expression. Nicole stood behind her with a cocky smirk. Her face was still bruised up from the beating she took from Sara. Whitney opened her mouth to say something, but Cara swiftly cut her off.

“Before you come over here playing with me, you better think twice. I spared you while I was with your son because we were together, but that isn’t the case anymore.

You had better ask your son about me. I’ll hit you on the top of your head and shatter the bones in your frail ass feet.

Find you something safe to do, Whitney, because I promise you, I’m not it. ”

Whitney stood there with her mouth hung open.

The fierceness in Cara’s eyes was not to be taken lightly.

Whitney turned to me, seething. “You see what kind of trash you have in my son’s home.

God knows what my grandchild has seen and heard since you decided to surround yourself with people who have no class. ”

Cara snatched her purse off the coffee table before standing.

Sara, Bear, and Viper followed suit. “Giovanna, I’m going to get out of here.

I can feel it in my bones. This woman is going to make me knock her and that crooked-ass thrift store wig on her head straight.

I would hate to explain to my mother that I slapped a senior citizen. ”

My mom barked out a laugh before slapping her hand over her mouth. I giggled as Cara and Sara came over to me and hugged me. As they were leaving, Cara was still ranting.

“Got the nerve to be talking about class while wearing a wig that’s more crooked than Forrest Whitaker’s eye. That damn thing is just screaming ‘all my life I had to fight ,’” she mocked Oprah Winfrey’s famous line from The Color Purple.

You could hear Bear and Viper roaring in laughter right as the front door closed.

Whitney stared at Capone who was trying his hardest to not laugh. His eyes were shut tight as he bit his lip. “Aren’t you going to leave with them? This is family business.”

Capone’s amusement washed away as he opened his mouth, but I placed my hand on his leg, shaking my head. I didn’t need him to intervene. Today, she would finally get what she’s been asking for all these years.

“He doesn’t have to go anywhere. He’s here because I want him here. If you don’t like it, you can turn around and walk right back out that door you weren’t welcomed in.”

“How dare you speak to me this way!” Whitney yelled.

I stood up, followed by Capone and my mother. “No, how dare you. For years I have tolerated you, but enough is enough. I have done nothing to deserve the way you’ve treated me, and it stops today. Get out of my house before I call the police and have you removed. I’m done.”

“Done? I’m not leaving. I came here to see my grandchild and I’m not leaving until I do,” Whitney said.

The more this went on, the more I wanted to pack up all my belongings and never return. Mentally and emotionally, I was drained. This family was nothing but miserable. If they even sensed I had a little bit of joy, it was like they set out on a mission to kill it.

“My daughter asked you to leave, Whitney. Either you get out or I’ll revert back to the woman I used to be and drag you out,” my mother threatened.

My eyes bucked because I had never heard my mom speak this way.

I guess her mama bear was coming out and I couldn’t blame her.

She knew firsthand how much this family had worn me down over the years.

“Drag me out? Please, Gia, have some decorum. Shouldn’t you and your husband be somewhere trying to sell her off to the highest bidder?” Whitney sneered.

“Bitch!” my mother snapped. She raced forward and slapped Whitney so hard that the wig on her head was a little more crooked than it was before. Capone pulled my mother away as she struggled against him.

I wasn’t surprised that something I told Derek in confidence, he then went and repeated it to his family. I begged him to never speak of it to anyone. What my father did was embarrassing. It was almost as if he wanted his mother to hate me because why would he tell her something like that?

And for Whitney to turn this around on my mother, as if she tried to force me into a marriage, was below the belt. While my father pressured me, my mom stood firm that if I wanted to marry the man he picked out, it should have been my choice.

Whitney held her cheek in her hand, completely caught off guard. “You just made this so much easier.” She pulled a manilla envelope out of her purse and slammed it onto the table. “I’ll see you in court.”

She and her family made a quick exit. I didn’t need to open the envelope to find out what was inside. Whitney had finally done good on her threat and was suing me for custody of Gabi.

If she thought she was taking my daughter away from me, then she was in for a rude awakening. I wasn’t going down without a fight.