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CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

ADALYN

T here comes a time in everyone’s life where the need for self-preservation outweighs everything else. Now was one of those times.

Over the next few days I scarcely left the confines of my room and decided that avoidance was my best strategy. I wouldn’t allow myself to be in the same situation again. I couldn’t. Not if I wanted to survive and have a chance at being happy in Chicago.

It didn’t matter that he wanted me. It didn’t matter that I wanted him. If I gave in to whatever feelings I had for the Don, there was a decent chance my heart would get broken in the process…and I couldn’t give everything I had to a man for it to mean nothing .

It would always mean something to me because of my past and what another man did.

I was already fractured by it, so to risk myself for someone who I could scarcely trust…it had the potential to shatter me irrevocably. And I didn’t know if I could survive it.

Instead, over the course of the weekend I focused on locking away whatever feelings I had for Marco until they were inaccessible to me. Until self-preservation, distrust, and fear shrouded our kiss in a heavy fog and deterred me from lingering on my feelings any longer.

My phone buzzed where it lay on the desk beside me.

I glanced at the screen and immediately scowled, turning back to my computer. I tried to concentrate on the email I was in the process of writing.

Less than ten seconds later my work phone rang.

“Miss Rossi, I have Don La Torre on line one. Would you like me to patch him through?” Keeley’s now familiar voice called through the handset after I picked up.

“No, thank you Keeley. Please tell him I’m in a meeting.”

I put the phone down and sighed. I had managed to avoid him the entire weekend, and while I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to speak to him, I wasn’t done being a coward yet.

Later , I decided.

I collected myself and got back to the email.

Not two seconds after I began typing, my work phone rang again.

I was fast becoming frustrated with the constant interruptions.

“Keeley, I still don’t want to speak to him. If he wants, he can leave a mes?—"

“I don’t want to leave a message,” came a blunt and all too familiar voice.

My heart spluttered in my chest anxiously .

“I’m busy Marco,” I said flatly. “How did you even get this number?” Noticing that the screen showed it as a direct call.

“You forget who I am. Why are you avoiding me?” He demanded.

“Work’s been busy.” I lied.

“It’s because of Friday.”

I swallowed back the lump forming in my throat. “What? No!” Even I could detect nervousness in my voice.

“Don’t lie to me, Ada. It wasn?—"

“Look, I can’t talk about this right now.” I cut him off, really not prepared for this conversation. “I have a deadline at five and a shitload of work to do…”

“Fine.” Marco snapped, clearly annoyed at my tone. “Another time.”

With that he hung up the line and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, ‘another time’ didn’t come up during the next two days as Marco was apparently not at home.

Jesse kept me company instead, and the topic of mine and Marco’s kiss stayed surreptitiously out of our conversations. Whether that was because he wasn’t aware it had happened or because he didn’t know what to say, I couldn’t tell. Either way I was grateful.

It was now Thursday morning, and I was standing in the kitchen throwing back the last of my warm caramel coffee before heading into work. I collected my handbag from the bar stool and made my way to the entrance hall, just like every other morning since starting at Diamond City Casino.

“Adalyn!”

Jesse’s voice shouted from somewhere in the house just as I started opening the front door.

Anxiety immediately swirled in my stomach at his tone, and I turned on my heel to see him jogging down one of the side corridors, concern lighting his face.

“What’s wrong, Jesse?”

“You’re not going to work today.” He paused, as if measuring his next words as he came to a stop before me. “Something’s happened. I can’t give you the specifics, all right? But it wasn’t good. Everyone will be here soon. Do not leave this house.”

“Jesse I will be fin—” I began.

“No!” He barked, his face darkening at the thought. “Until I can guarantee your safety you aren’t stepping one foot out that fucking door.”

His voice was unwavering, devoid of all humor and light-heartedness.

I nodded immediately in agreement.

Clearly something else had happened and whatever that was, it was serious. The last time he’d only been angry or enraged by whatever had happened. This time it was different.

He was… rattled .

I called Jon to say I wouldn’t be in that day or the next, stating there had been a ‘family emergency’. Jon seemed to understand exactly what I meant by that, making me question whether my actual boss had links himself to the La Torre syndicate. Though at times like this, that didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

Not long after I got off the phone with Jon, numerous vehicles began pulling up to the house and a slow stream of La Torre men came filtering through the front entrance. I hovered around the doors to the kitchen, unsure what to do with myself until I saw a few of the men shoot hateful glares in my direction.

It didn’t take a genius to guess that whatever had happened, it had something to do with my family. Their usual hate had now morphed into a violence that clouded their eyes.

“Jesse!” I whispered loudly across the hall to him.

He was standing beside the front door nodding at some of the men as they entered. Seeing me waving for his attention, he immediately left his position and came over.

“What, Bandit?” His voice was stern, but at least my nickname was back.

“Does this have something to do with me?” I asked gesturing to the men and scene before us.

“No.” He answered without hesitation.

I sighed and tried again, “Is my family to blame for this?”

His darting gaze immediately fixed to me for a second, his eyes softening. “Yes.”

I had retreated to my room before more men could arrive. I couldn’t help the guilt I felt, sensing that I was somehow the reason another incident had occurred in only a handful of weeks.

What if he’s had enough of the violence and sends me back?

Agitation clawed at my throat and a wave of uneasiness swept over me.

Weeks ago I would have done anything to go home, but now… even if Marco sent me back to my family would I want to go back?

No .

A knock on my bedroom door interrupted my brooding.

Jesse’s head poked through, “Boss needs to see you.”

I slowly rose to my feet, stiff from sitting for so long, and followed Jesse to Marco’s study.

I was surprised to find that only Marco and Benny were present in the room, the rest of the men having either crowded into a nearby lounge or the dining hall. The air in the study felt warm and heavy as I entered, but the unmistakable spice of Marco’s cologne still clung to the space.

My heart stuttered as I met the gaze of the man I had been avoiding for the last four days. Tingles pooling in my stomach as my brain involuntarily darted back to our kiss in the kitchen.

I smacked the mental image away with a figurative baseball bat in the hopes of suppressing it.

Today Marco wore his usual black dress shirt and trouser combination, though his sleeves were bunched at the elbows. It was seemingly the only outward indication of a stressful day as his expression was as unaffected as usual.

His eyes fell from my face, skimming down my neck and to the collar of my work blouse I hadn’t yet changed out of. I quickly diverted my gaze, feeling a blush spread under my skin and hating the way one look from him could make me feel unsteady.

My emotional barriers were disintegrating into ash.

I took the remaining chair next to Benny before the desk, careful to avoid looking at Marco any more than was absolutely necessary.

“There have been several attacks during the night.” Marco began, also settling down into his chair. “Attacks we believe were orchestrated by your family.”

“What happened?” I asked hesitantly, not entirely convinced he would answer me.

My father never had.

Marco ran his hand across his chin, pulling at the skin. “They hit two of our narcotics labs. The laboratories were in the basements of businesses I had in New York. One was a dive bar, the other a motel. They annihilated everyone on site.”

Marco pressed a button on the black remote that was laying on the desk beside him. A television news broadcast filled the room, and I swung around to watch the news headline as it trailed across the screen behind me.

“Twenty-one people confirmed dead in a deadly mass shooting in downtown New York. The incident, now being termed the ‘Deadly Dive Bar Shooting’ coincided with an equally deadly motel shootout in the early hours of this morning. Twelve are thought to be dead and sixteen more seriously injured after gunfire was heard on the property. A police investigation is currently underway.”

Body bags being heaved into ambulances flashed across the screen and people were seen on their knees in various states of despair. Flowers being laid in respect of the dead.

The newscaster’s voice cut off abruptly and the study fell back into a harsh silence.

Tears leaked from my eyes, and I quickly swiped them away with my sleeve.

“Your family’s representatives took responsibility for both attacks this morning.” It was Benny who spoke this time, his gravelly voice somewhat calming.

I shook my head, words escaping me.

This went much further than raiding drugs and money… This was the indiscriminate killing of over thirty innocent people. How could they do this? I felt sick knowing that the same blood that went through those murderous veins, pumped through my own.

I swallowed thickly, feeling my coffee from earlier trying to resurface.

“As grisly as the attacks are, the good thing about this situation is we now know your father’s hand. It is clear the Mannino’s think we are limited to our territory in New York and is oblivious to our stronghold here in Chicago,” Benny said.

“It is of some consolation,” Marco agreed mutedly.

I met his gaze as it brushed against my skin. “Ada, you should know I have every intention of striking back.”

His expression was lethal but somewhere in the swirling darkness of his irises I thought I saw regret.

I looked down at my hands, clutched tightly on my lap.

I didn’t want my father or anyone in my family to get hurt…but doing nothing would mean permitting the slaying of innocent people. And these attacks were only the beginning.

“I need your help.”

That caught my attention.

I shook my head, meeting his gaze. “They never told me anything.”

“Perhaps you may have overheard something? Any business trips he frequently made?” Benny questioned gently.

It would mean betraying my family if I relinquished what little information I had.

At the same time, hadn’t they already betrayed me?

“I know they own a casino on the Las Vegas strip called Paradise Place.”

It was a bit of information I had learned while snooping in my father’s study one day. He had mistakenly left the door unlocked, the paperwork with deeds to the casino sitting openly on his desk. It was the very casino I had kept asking him for a job at.

“That confirms our intel.” Marco said, looking at Benny who nodded slightly.

I cast my mind back to Las Vegas, to Boulder, to anything that could be useful to Marco. Sifting through my memories now made me feel nothing short of shame. Back then, I had thought that all families within the Cosa Nostra were just as depraved as each other, with no one’s hands being clean. But now, I couldn’t help feeling like my family were at the top of that ever-shifting list with more than just their hands coated in innocent blood.

Perhaps that was why I decided to surrender the last piece of information I had.

“There’s… something else,” I said quietly.

After working for almost four years at Pretty Penny Loans it was clear that the business had a few… misgivings . Aside from the obvious money laundering that is.

Although the company was considered only a small business with five members of staff to its name, there was a custom fit vault in the basement that cost more than my Brabus. I didn’t know for sure…but I was going to hazard a guess and say there was more than just a pretty penny stored inside.

“My old work. There’s a vault in the basement.”

“At Pretty Penny Loans?” Marco questioned, and I nodded.

“Not uncommon for a loan company.” Benny shrugged.

“Maybe not, but I’m pretty sure a dual-combination vault that’s double the size of this room is something to write home about,” I offered. “Not to mention the reinforced concrete walls and armored guards.”

That caught their attention. The men shared a look.

“Interesting. Very interesting,” Benny muttered, while Marco appeared deep in thought.

“We need to conduct covert surveillance of the site. I want to know everything that goes on in that building and why it’s so heavily guarded.” Marco said authoritatively, directing his words over my head to Jesse, who I didn’t realize was still present in the room.

“Yes, Boss.” Jesse nodded once and promptly left, leaving Benny, Marco and myself.

“Food for thought. Thank you, Miss Rossi.” Benny got up to leave as well, smiling down at me good-naturedly. “I will begin preparations.”

He nodded respectfully to Marco and departed the study.

Desperation clawed at my throat.

Had I just sentenced more innocent lives to the same fate as the thirty-three already dead?

“Promise me you will not harm them,” I blurted the moment the door closed behind Benny.

“Who?” Marco asked, rising from his seat and going over to the side of the room to pour a finger of whiskey.

“The employees. I am begging you not to do the same as my father. Let them live. Please , Marco,” I begged.

Desperation was causing my chest to constrict. If I had consigned those people to the same fate, then I was no better than my father. Bile rose in my throat.

My raw panic must have reflected in my voice as Marco immediately turned to look at me, surprise coloring his features.

He didn’t respond for a moment, sipping on his drink before placing it onto the table. “You have my word.”

Trouble was, I didn’t trust his word.

“Your word is not good enough.”

He bristled, immediately perturbed by my insult. Clearly, it wasn’t often people didn’t trust his word.

“I’ll make you a deal,” He offered, coming to lean against the desk, so close his legs were nearly brushing mine. “If any one of those people get hurt during our raid, even so much as bleed…I’ll set you free.” He gave me a dark look. “But. If they remain unharmed then you must do something for me.”

My stomach clenched with anxiety knowing he had the upper hand and could literally ask anything from me, and I would have to agree to it.

Anything to avoid death.

Anything to avoid becoming my father.

I hesitated but continued anyway. “Do what?”

“Come to Sicily with me.”

I didn’t exactly know what to expect but it certainly wasn’t that.

“Deal,” I said without a second’s hesitation.

He reached for his drink again, tipping it back with his dark eyes studying me. “I know that must have been hard for you earlier, telling us that information. I want you to know that I appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing.”

The emotions I had been so desperately trying to stifle over the last couple of weeks threatened to resurface and I looked away, staring at anything other than the man that made me believe he cared.

He sighed, clearly irritated with my flippancy and placed his glass on the wood with a loud thud, “Care to explain why you’ve been avoiding me all weekend?”

“Not really,” I dead panned.

I still wasn’t ready for that conversation. Especially not after everything else that had been going on.

“It’s because of the other night.” He observed flatly, crossing his arms across his chest.

His gaze brushed my skin like a physical touch and the pull to look at him was fast becoming overwhelming. “It was a mistake. It should never have happened.”

“A mistake? I told you I wanted you.” His flat voice morphed into frustration.

“You don’t want me, Marco. You want to fuck me. They are two very different things.” I glared, giving into the urge to look up at him. “I am not another Lexi who you can just fuck and toss away whenever you feel like it. I’m not some game.”

“I never said that you were.”

“I’m not stupid Marco, I know how this works. It shouldn’t have happened, and I’m done talking about it.”

He didn’t stop me as I half ran out the study door.

I tried to keep my face impassive as I passed the crowds of men still lingering amongst the walls as I went straight to my room.

I felt guilty.

Telling Marco about Pretty Penny Loans and Paradise Place meant choosing to betray my family. Something they would soon learn of the moment Pretty Penny Loans was attacked. They were going to hate me for it, and despite everything that had happened, that still bothered me.

Even though I knew I would never go back to my family, the idea of being completely alone in the world was troubling.

On the other hand, allowing them to continue to massacre innocent people without retribution or restitution was down-right disgusting, and I couldn’t just sit by and allow that to happen either.

Marco was out for blood, and for the first time in my life, I understood why.