Page 9

Chapter

Eight

TARA

F uck it.

Fuck it all.

The hurt.

The pain

The voices telling me to pull away.

That I have to do this all on my own.

When I was little, this was what I wanted.

Someone fighting for me.

Someone begging to stand in my corner.

Did I want it to come as a result of what happened that night?

Hell no, I wouldn’t wish what I went through on Valarie.

But it is what it is, and I can’t change it.

What I can change is the uncertainty and self-doubt swirling in Gabe’s deep eyes.

We both know that once trust is broken it’s not easily fixed.

But he is sitting here begging me to try.

To give him the opportunity to fix it.

If Dean and Ned never came into my life the fight we had wouldn’t seem so big.

Dean and Ned aren’t Gabe’s fault.

What they did to me isn’t his fault.

It’s not my fault either.

Truth be told, I have loved this man with my whole heart for two years, but I’ve let my need to see the people who hurt me pay keep me from being with him.

Like I said last night I’m sick and tired of letting what happened hurt the people I care about.

My hands move into his thick, sun-kissed brown hair.

I pull his face to mine and lose myself in the feel of his lips pressed against mine, his hands roaming my back, and his dick growing hard underneath me.

I pour all my love for this man into our kiss.

I try to take his pain from what his bitch of an ex, bastard of a brother, and, yes, even what I did to him.

I never allowed myself to think about what my death did to Reed or Gabe.

I couldn’t because I was unsure of where I stood with both of them, but now I know—at least with Gabe.

My center is wet and aching, making me want to ignore the sound of my phone beeping behind us.

God, do I want to stay right here and let this man own my body, but I want to end my year-long hunt.

I pull back and wait for Gabe to open his eyes.

Our chests are rising rapidly, and I’m sure his heart is pounding like a tribal drum in his chest, just like mine.

Once Gabe is looking at me, I offer him my real smile.

“There has never been a moment over the past year that my heart hasn’t ached for you. That you haven’t still had complete ownership of my body, heart, and soul. I love you, Gabriel Matthew Mariano, with everything I have inside me.” The words are spoken slowly but with so much conviction that I hope they shatter all the worry he holds inside him.

I don’t want him walking around thinking that I will ever find someone else because truth be told, I haven’t noticed another man since my heart chose him.

“And you will let?—”

“Yes, Marito. I will let you help me.” My phone beeps again, and I lean back to grab it without taking my eyes off him or moving from his lap.

I want to see if he catches onto the fact that I just called him my husband.

“What does that mean? Marito?” Gabe asks, but his eyes are on the strip of skin on my hips.

The t-shirt I’m wearing rises up my stomach as I stretch backward.

My hands finally find my phone, and I lean back up.

I smirk at him. “I’ll let you figure that out.” I look down at my phone and see three unread messages from Lilly.

Lilly

Who is this?

Whatever game you are playing, it isn’t funny.

I’m going to report you to the police.

My fingers fly over the screen.

Me

This isn’t a game.

These are the consequences of your actions, and now it’s time to face them.

I know what you did, or better yet, what you didn’t do.

You know it as well, and now it’s time for you to tell me why.

“You contacted Lilly?” Gabe asks.

I don’t pull my eyes off the screen as three little dots pop up.

“Sure did. Something or someone forced her to lie about that night. Before that night, we were sort of friends, and she would never lie like that. If I can find out why, I can figure out who to look for next. Ned is hiding…” I hold up my finger for him to wait while I read her message.

Lilly

What do you want from me?

Me

Tell me the truth about why you betrayed someone who thought of you as a friend.

If you do that, you will never hear from me again.

Her reply comes back instantly.

Lilly

Okay. Not over the phone.

Me

I’ll send you a location.

Be there in one hour.

Not one minute later.

I send her the address of an old warehouse that I know is secluded enough that no one will see us.

“I’ve set up a meeting with Lilly. We need to go now so we are there in time,” I say.

I’m in the middle of getting off Gabe’s lap when a loud explosion sounds throughout the room, and the whole house shakes.

I stumble, and Gabe catches me before I fall to the floor.

“Figlia,” Elio’s panicked voice comes from below.

Gabe and I look at each other for a quick second before rushing out of my room and down the stairs.

Elio is running toward the front door with his treasured AK47.

I grab Gabe’s hand and pull him toward the hall closet, which is still standing open.

I lay my finger against the scanner on the gun safe.

It reads my fingerprint and opens up.

I grab the first gun I see, a double-barrel shotgun, and Gabe grabs the other AK47.

We rush out behind Elio.

I run into him on the front porch and take in the scene in front of me.

“Fuck, get the water hose,” I yell, and Gabe takes off.

Ava is right behind him, shouting where it is.

Elio’s phone is to his ear, and he is shouting in Italian so fast that I don’t try to keep up.

All I can do is stand here, my hands clutching the gun that is going to do me no good, watching Ava’s car, Gabe’s truck, Elio’s Mustang, and my truck be consumed in flames.

Gabe rushes back and starts dousing the flames with water.

“Elio,” I say, my voice rising an octave as the flames start licking up the garage.

“The house. We can’t stop the fire. It’s going to burn the house down.”

“I know Figlia. I know, but it’s just a house and can be replaced. Gabe,” Elio walks forward and lays his hand on Gabe’s shoulder.

“It’s no use, son. The fire trucks are on their way. Help me get all the guns out of the safe quickly. Someone needs to get Reaper from the backyard.”

I don’t know what else is said or how the shotgun disappears from my hand because all of my attention is on my phone and the new message that just came in.

Unknown number

Welcome back from the dead bitch.

You should have stayed dead while you had the chance.

Now, we have no choice but to finish what Dean and Ned couldn’t.

We are coming, and the fucking Altobellis can’t save you from us.

The sound of approaching fire trucks pulls me from my small mental breakdown.

Elio and Ava are standing off to my left with their arms around each other.

Ava is holding a leash that is attached to Reaper, who is glaring at Gabe.

Gabe is still standing in front of me, facing the driveway.

A door slams somewhere, and the sound of someone running up behind me has Gabe turning around.

Arms wrap around me, pulling me back away from Gabe.

I would have screamed had I not smelled Vance’s cologne.

“Tara. What the fuck is going on? Are you okay?” Vance’s voice is full of worry.

The last thing I see before I’m spun around is Gabe’s green eyes growing darker and his jaw working as if he is trying to grind his teeth into dust. Vance’s blue eyes scan me from head to toe, looking for any indication that I’m hurt.

“Vance. I’m?—”

Suddenly, I’m yanked back out of Vance’s arms, and Gabe is standing right where I was.

All his muscles are locked up tight.

I can’t see around him, so I step to the side, and my eyes widen as I see Gabe has a switchblade held up against Vance’s throat.

Gabe’s other hand is balled up in Vance’s shirt, holding him in place.

“Don’t fucking put your hands on my girl again, or I will laugh as I watch the blood drain from your body.” I’ve never heard Gabe’s voice drop so low or sound so harsh as if he swallowed a handful of gravel.

“I’m—” Vance holds up his hands.

I know that Vance always carries a blade and gun on him, but he isn’t reaching for it.

Like Ava and Elio, Vance knows all about Gabe and who he is to me.

“I don’t fucking care. Don’t. Touch. Her. Again.”

I can’t stand around watching this.

I have to get out of here to meet Lilly, and Vance needs to start finding out who did this.

I step closer and put my hand over Gabe’s—the one holding the knife to Vance’s throat.

“Marito. Let him go, baby. He means me no harm. He is the closest thing I have to a brother, minus Reed.”

Vance’s eyes snap to mine, and he smirks at me.

He knows what that word means.

“You might see him—” Gabe steps even closer to Vance.

“No, Gabe, listen, Vance has been married to his wife for five years, and they have two beautiful babies together. I promise you.” I reach out and turn his face toward me.

“Hey, trust me. Trust our love. I love you and only you. Vance would give his life to protect me as a sister.”

Gabe takes a deep breath, pulls away, and wraps me up in his arms. “I’m sorry, Princess.”

I bury my face into his chest. “I get it. I really do,” I say, kissing his sternum.

I turn around in his arms and find Vance smiling at us.

“Shut it, Vance. I don’t have time to hear your shit. I need you to trace a number.” I hand over my phone.

Vance’s smile fades and is replaced with a scowl.

“What the fuck! Have you shown Elio?”

“Not yet. I was kind of busy saving your life.”

“What is it?” Gabe asks, holding out his hand for my phone.

Vance places it in his palm.

“Shit. Yo Elio, get over here.”

Vance gasps at Gabe, commanding Elio to do anything.

No one speaks to him that way, and lives to tell the story.

Elio says nothing as he walks over and takes my phone from Gabe.

“What the fuck was that?” Vance asks me.

I shrug at him because I have no idea.

“We will handle this,” Elio says, looking directly at me.

“I want you to stop?—”

I’m shaking my head before he finishes his sentence.

“No, I can’t. I’m fucking close to finding out what is going on. I’m not scared of this, of them,” I say, pointing at my phone.

“You might not be scared, Figlia, but we don’t want to lose you,” Ava says with tears in her eyes.

“Let Elio and the family find them. They will bring them to you, and you can still have what you deserve, but it is getting too dangerous for you to do this alone.”

The fire trucks have made it down the road and are trying to contain the fire, ignoring our little circle with me in the middle, hidden from view.

“I can’t?—”

“She isn’t alone—not anymore. She has me and my guys. We might not be as badass as your family, but we can protect her,” Gabe says, looking directly at Elio.

“You have my word that I will protect her with my life.”

“If anything happens to her?—”

“I know, Elio, you will kill me. You don’t have to worry about that. If something was to happen, I would take care of myself for you. But nothing will. I promise.” Gabe holds out his hand for Elio to shake.

This feels like Gabe is asking Elio’s permission for my hand or something.

I hold my breath, praying that Elio doesn’t fight us on this.

“I trust you with her, Figlio,” Elio says, shaking Gabe’s hand.

Son. Elio just called Gabe his son.

Holy shit.

“I really got to look up all these words. First, Tara is calling me Marito, and now you are calling me Figlio. I have to make sure you aren’t calling me an asshole or bitch or something worse.”

Elio and Ava’s eyes narrow on me, and I shrug my shoulders like it’s no big deal that I’ve been calling him husband.

That’s what I want for my future, so fuck it.

“We have to go. I have a meeting with Lilly Harris. Call me to let me know about...” I wave my hand at the half-burnt house.

Tears spring to my eyes at the sight of it.

Besides Gabe’s home, this is the only other place that I have felt safe and loved.

“Take my vehicle and be safe,” Vance says, handing his keys to Gabe.

“The trunk is packed. Tara, you know the code.”

“Thanks, man,” Gabe says, then pulls me toward the blacked out SUV.

I pull back on his hand, stopping him in his tracks.

“Reaper,” I call out and click my tongue.

Ava drops the leash and he rushes over to us.

I look at Gabe who is staring at him and say, “He won’t hurt you unless I tell him to.”

“Whatever, let’s go, Princess.”