Page 69 of Desired By you (Always & Forever #3)

Chapter Fifty Eight

Brad

I am putting out fires all over the place today and it feels good to finally tie up all these loose ends so Gabriella and I can get on with our lives. Patrick has been dealt with, I’m visiting her parents with her this weekend to tell them about us and I’ve called Amy in to the club to have a chat.

I lied and said she needed to fill out some forms to officially terminate her employment.

Little does she know, I’m on to her and know what she’s been doing.

My usual go to in situations like this would be my one glass of whiskey, but I settle for coffee, knowing I need to be level headed for this.

Since Gabriella and I admitted our love for each other, my need for control has lessened.

I’ve learned that the world doesn’t fall apart if I miss a workout, if I have two whiskeys instead of one I haven’t fallen off the sobriety wagon that I never needed to be on.

No, she has taught me that the world doesn’t end if I don’t follow the same steps each day.

She healed a part of me I thought would be forever broken, and for that, I owe her everything.

A soft knock sounds at my office door.

“Come in.” I call out.

Amy, sweet, quiet, mousey Amy, stands in my office doorway, dressed in light jeans and a white cardigan. Her glasses perched at the end of her nose and her straight brown hair meets her shoulders.

“Hello,” she says so quietly I almost miss it.

“Please sit.” I gesture to the seat on the opposite side of my desk.

She sits down, her eyes darting round the room nervously.

A thick silence falls between us as I stare blankly at her.

“You… you needed me to file some paperwork?”

“No.” I open the drawer on my desk, pulling out the file, which includes every transaction of Amy’s deceit. I slam it down on the desk and she flinches. “I want you to tell me why you have been stealing our money.”

She looks down at her lap, avoiding my gaze.

“Amy,” I say sternly. “You can tell me or the police. Your choice.”

‘No, please, don’t call the police. I will pay you back. I…” Her lip trembles and she cradles her face in her hands and sobs.

I have no patience for this. “Start talking, now.”

She sniffs, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

“I used to do some volunteer work at a local shelter, for people who were transitioning from prison to real life again. One of the organizers handed out a flyer, pen pals for prisoners. So, I got talking to a few guys on there, and I got paired with Matteo, and we fell in love over letters.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Matteo?”

“Yes,” she says quietly, avoiding my gaze.

“As in Matteo Russo, my brother?”

She nods and I slam my hand on the desk in frustration and she flinches.

“Keep talking Amy,” I yell.

“He told me his story, and my heart broke for him.”

“Yes, my heart bleeds for my brother, who helped murder an innocent man.” My tone is dripping in sarcasm.

“It wasn’t like that. If you had…” I slam my hand down on the desk.

“I’d watch what you say Amy, I appreciate you have been told his version of events, but my brother is a dangerous man, I can dial that phone and have you removed from here in cuffs and you can end up where Matteo was.” She shrinks under the weight of my stare, and I nod for her to continue.

“He was asking me for money which I’ve been sending to him for a while and then when he got approved for a parole hearing, he knew we needed money so we could move away, start a new life. When he found out I worked here, he said I should take what was his.”

“What was his? Is he fucking serious? I worked for this. I built this business from the ground up. Me and my friends. Matteo had fuck all to do with it,” I growl, running a hand through my hair, my chest burning with anger.

“I know it was wrong.” She sobs. “I will get the money back. We are leaving tomorrow. I’ll get the money back, just please, please, don’t call the police.”

I brace my hands against the desk just as my phone begins to buzz. Gabriella’s name flashes across the screen and I go to answer, but I need to wrap this up.

“No, you aren’t leaving. You are going to go to Matteo and tell him I want every single cent back or I will be calling the police. Got it?”

My phone dances across my desk, Gabriella’s name flashes up on the screen, but I need Amy gone before I answer.

Amy stands, doesn’t give me a second glance as she leaves my office without another word. I sag into my leather office chair. The phone stops ringing and I stand, pacing the room.

“Fuck,” I breathe out, digging my heels into the floor and hit the files on my desk with my hand. They scatter across the desk and floor. I lean my head forward, cradling my head in my hands.

Things in my life are good, and then this. I have so many questions, ones only my brother can answer.

I’m up and out of my seat, swiping my keys and rushing out my office to head out to my car.

I dial Gabriella’s number; it rings and rings and just when I fear it will go to voice mail someone answers and my blood runs cold when I hear her screaming.

“Help. There’s someone in my apartment.” Her terrified voice has my blood running cold.

“Gabriella,” I yell, but she doesn’t reply.

The phone connects to the car as I drive and panic claws at my throat when I hear his voice.

“Feisty little bitch, aren’t you? You like it rough, huh?”

A guttural roar erupts from my chest as I punch the steering wheel. Horns blast as I swerve to miss a car.

He’s got her. He’s got Gabriella.

Pressing my foot to the floor, my only focus is getting to her.

I think my body shuts down, goes into autopilot because the next thing I know, I am walking into Gabriella’s apartment, where I find her slumped on the floor in her entryway. My legs give way. I fall to the ground and scramble over to her, my heartbeat ringing in my ears.

No, please, please let her be okay.

But I never make it to her. A pain ricochets through my temple and something warm and wet trickles down my face as a voice I haven’t heard in years seeps into my brain.

“Hello, little brother. It’s been a while.”