Page 18

Chapter 18

Eden

I really do deserve a Golden Globe.

Vito called Gus and told him he had overreacted—Jax and Cutt were nowhere to be found around my place—and I was pissed off with him barging over there. When I arrived back at Gilly's, Gus was still agitated, but eventually calmed down because I seemed fine.

As the night went on, no one suspected anything, as I acted normal, serving drinks and making sarcastic comments.

When Vito called with the address for me to meet him and Raf, I claimed a headache, and Gus was more than happy to close the bar.

Once I arrive at the dark, deserted facility in an industrial area, Vito and Raf aren't alone; Creed waits with them. I get out of my car, with a frown, eyeing the youngest Santoro brother. He doesn't say anything, only nods and holds out his hand. Understanding his role and purpose here, I give him the keys and watch as he silently gets into my vehicle and drives away.

After watching my taillights disappear, I turn to Vito. "I don't like you pulling in your family's resources for this."

He shrugs. "It's risky to leave your vehicle here, and a cab or an Uber would leave a trail and a connection. Creed doesn't know what this is about, and he won't say anything, not even to Massimo."

Raf rocks back on his heels and jerks his thumb at the SUV waiting. "We should go." He flashes me a grin. "Don't worry; this one's stolen so no trace back to us."

What's one more law being broken tonight?

I open the back door as Vito climbs in the driver's seat. Raf turns to me from the passenger seat. "You can have shotgun."

Keeping as much distance from Vito as possible is a necessity. "I'm good back here."

After I give them the coordinates Ohith sent me, we're silent as we leave the city.

Clouds cover the moon and the night is dark and quiet when we reach the destination—a treed section of a huge vineyard outside a state park. Raf hands me a pair of gloves and Vito grabs the shovels from the back of the SUV, and we use the headlights to dig a deep grave. Knowing Ohith, this land probably has more bodies in the ground.

I'm sweaty, and I rest my arms on my propped up shovel as a van drives into the clearing, its headlight momentarily blinding me. Axin had already called a head to warn it was him so we didn't shoot him.

Axin climbs out, his white-blonde hair and pale skin making him look like an eerie phantom that could haunt the woods. He's been in the city since I arrived, but we haven't gotten together because I hoped this part of my life wouldn't intersect with my current one.

Wishful thinking.

"Good to see you." He hugs me tightly. When I pull away, I glance over my shoulder to see Vito and Axin having a stare-off.

Axin caves first and turns to me. "Get changed and give me everything to destroy, then get going. Text your father when you're back in the city."

Taking off the gloves that protected my hands from blisters, I hand them to Axin for disposal. I grab the bag of fresh clothes and boots Vito and Raf had brought from my place and go behind two thick trees to change. When I come out, Vito and Raf have changed and put their clothes, boots, and gloves in Axin's plastic bag, and I do the same. There's no blood on these clothes, but the dirt and soil composition from here could be a link to the crime if the bodies are found.

It's not just the authorities we're covering this up from, but the Havoc Guardians and the Chamber. Axin and Ohith are pros at eliminating the risk of evidence being found and connected, but I know they'll be extra cautious since I'm involved.

"The clean team is finishing up at your apartment. It will be spick and span when you arrive," Axin reassures me. He glances at Vito again, then back to me. "Stay safe."

Vito murmurs his thanks to Axin as I climb into the back of the SUV. I'm still reeling from tonight's events on top of what happened earlier.

First, the funeral, then that fucking scene in the library. I press my fingers to my eyes to try to block it out.

Then hearing Aiken's song and knowing someone was coming for me. The attack. Watching Vito kill Jax and Cutt.

I have no idea why he'd do that; why he was even there. Or why he insisted on covering this up from the Chamber. If Ash ever finds out…

It wouldn't just be dissolved alliances; the Santoro family and the Havoc Guardians would be pitted against each other. Vito and Raf could be attacked. Taken out.

Why would he risk that?

Guilt because of Aiken, maybe? Does Vito feel some sort of responsibility for me because of Aiken's last words?

Like with the drive there and during the digging, we stay silent, each in our heads.

As we approach the city limits, I text Ohith that I'm back in the city. While I stare at my phone, a thought fills my gut with dread. "What about their phones? Their vehicle?"

Vito looks at me in the rearview mirror, but Raf answers, "We couldn't find a vehicle registered to either of them, so they likely stole one."

That would've taken tech skills to find out so quickly.

I grind my teeth. "I said no Santoro resources."

Vito glances back at me. "Crispin just got me into the database, and I searched. He doesn't know any details."

Raf twists in his seat to me. "Neither Cutt nor Jax had phones on them. That means, they didn't want their presence tracked to your place, Ed."

Whatever Cutt and Jax had planned, they didn't plan to leave me alive.

Fuck my life .

Dread still pools in my gut. "They could've texted someone."

Vito shakes his head. "Cutt knew what would happen if anyone discovered him going after you. If I hadn't finished him, Ash would've."

"If you believe that, then you should've let me tell Ash—"

"Abso-fucking-lutely. Not."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "A cover-up makes us look guilty."

"It's done," Vito growls.

Raf flicks me a grin. "And with the ace in your pocket about who your adopted daddy is… we're golden." He winks, still looking a little fanboy-crazed. "When you were changing, Axin told us they took care of the cameras around your place. As far as the digital footprint shows, Cutt and Jax were never there."

Silence descends until Vito says, "I'd do it again, Eden. But in all honesty, you didn't really need our help. Cutt was on his way to the afterlife before I got my hands on him, and you would've taken care of Jax."

He sounds… proud.

Which, because I'm a sick, twisted bitch, makes my cooch throb.

Vito is a predator—a gorgeous, lethal beast. But that's part of the alluring package; the mere thought of him can make me wet. Add this unhinged layer to the attraction…

Well, now my pussy is pounding thinking of him being rock-hard when I demanded that I be part of the cleanup.

Sick. Twisted. Bitch.

If only I could fuck him and be done with it. Scratch this unbearable itch and move on.

Instead, we're Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, tempted by the apple because it's forbidden and we're trying our damnedest not to sin.

My resolve has been slipping for weeks. I'm so tempted to say fuck it; just screw Vito already so I can satiate this growing lust and move on. But anywhere in this city is too risky. Even meeting outside of it carries risk because the criminal underworld is an intricately connected beast and is gossipy as fuck.

The only place I felt carried minimal risk was my office at Gilly's, but Vito would be seen coming and going, which would raise questions.

The memory of the big bulge in his jeans and the searing lust in his eyes back at my apartment comes to torment me again and makes my cooch pound like a war drum.

Being able to see Vito—his strong profile, his big, veined, and scarred hands—chips away at my resistance even more. The dangerous predator vibes rolling off him appear to be a calling card for my pussy.

I need to get away from him. ASAP .

I need to hit the reset button so I can get back in control.

I turn my attention from the lust flowing through my veins like molten lava and look out the window. We're further into the city and approaching the exit that leads to Gilly's.

I can't stomach sleeping at the apartment tonight and decide Gilly's is a better alternative. Earlier today, to thank the staff for their hard work of hosting Tommaso's celebration, I said Gilly's wouldn't open until the next evening. I could crash on my office couch, go home to shower, then be back to open Gilly's at seven in the evening.

"Take this exit," I say.

Vito flicks a look at me in the rearview mirror but listens.

"Axin said your place would be ready—"

"Not tonight," I cut Raf off, looking out the window.

"You want Gilly's?" Vito guesses, and I nod. "You should keep your behavior as routine as possible. Going back to Gilly's so late and sleeping there could be noticed."

I don't respond; instead, I give him directions to the back route to approach Gilly's. I'll get them to drop me off a few blocks away, which happens to be the entrance for the secret passageway—not that I'll tell them that, though. Once they leave me, I'll go into the passageway. I've only taken it a few times, not loving the dark, long, narrow subterranean space.

"Drop me off here," I order. "It's better if you don't drop me off right at Gilly's."

Vito glances at Raf but does as I say. As soon as we pull up to the curb, I hop out. Then I realize Raf got out with me.

"What the hell, Raf?"

He doesn't answer or stay with me on the sidewalk. He jogs around the front of the SUV just as Vito steps onto the sidewalk.

"Vito," I hiss as Raf drives away.

He tilts his head at me. "We standing out here all night?"

"You can until your Uber or someone picks you up," I snark.

"Eden," he growls, but then his scowl eases. "I just want to make sure Gilly's is secure. Then I'll leave you locked in your Fort Knox office."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, exhaustion and frustration warring in me. The last thing I need is for Vito to still be around me. Alone.

"The two of us arriving together could be noticed," I argue.

He doesn't seem to give a rat's ass; he just hikes his brow, waiting.

I'm beyond tired, and I don't have the patience to deal with this.

Going into Gilly's via the secret route is the least risky because I wouldn't be captured by security cameras. Vito is right; I don't want people to wonder about or question my actions tonight. But he stubbornly refuses to leave me alone until he ensures I'm safe. The longer we stand out here, the more chances we have of someone seeing us.

We're already keeping a massive secret; what's one more about the secret passageway?

My exhausted mind is quickly assessing the risks—it's riskier to stand here and argue with a stubborn, bullheaded bastard.

"Let's go, you fucking cunt," I snarl.

He laughs, but it trails off when I don't head in the direction that will connect to the street that takes us to Gilly's.

He's quiet as I use a key to open a building's side door. I can feel his unspoken questions as we enter the dark lobby, and I lead us to a door hidden behind a curving staircase.

Using the same key, I unlock that door. Dim lights come on as we enter the narrow stairwell, and the motion sensors activate the lights as we descend.

Once we reach the bottom, I lead us through a maze of hallways in the basement. Vito is still silent but follows closely behind me. We reach a dead-end with a locked door. There's a panel hidden behind a fake brick, and I slide it open and type in a code. The heavy metal door clunks open and, taking a deep breath, I step into the narrow, dark passageway.