Page 31 of Dangerous Secrets

“I don’t know anything for certain except that she didn’t shoot Matty, but she knows who did.” I square my shoulders and lean in, nose to nose. “And I will handle this. Do you understand?”

I watch his nostrils flare and his eyes bore into mine. As the leader of this family his responsibility is great, but I’m not just a pawn in his game. I know how to handle myself, and though I may have made a mistake about Bianca, I will kill her if I need to. He knows I will.

“You know I had complete faith in you.”

“And now?” I ask, feeling defensive. I was up against a trained killer. It wasn’t like I shirked my responsibility.

“Just don’t fuck this up. You get her, and you bring her in now, or I will hunt her down and kill her myself. And don’t try to pretend it’s not the Moretti girl. Akers figured it out already; you should have weeks ago.” He shakes his head and walks away and I’m left there rubbing the lump on my head.

Why would Bianca come all this way to warn me that the Italians were after us unless she thought there was an immediate threat against us? They hired her to kill us all, so why buddy up to me? Was that her plan all along? She intended to seduce me until she got close to my family, then what, poison us all?

I grit my teeth and sink into the chair behind the counter while I nurse my wound and my pride. I let her get to my cock, and that blinded me to anything she might be doing wrong. And now what? I know how the Italians work. She can’t just not do her job. If she’s hired to kill me and knows about this threat, she’ll be the first to die when the job isn’t complete. So why didn’t she pull the trigger?

The longer I sit in this chair questioning things, the more enraged I become. She tricked me and lied to me the whole time. Her pussy distracted me from the hunt, just like Dominic said. Leo was right; I should have been focusing on facts, but I let my sex drive, my ego, and eventually my feelings get in the way. Well, not tonight.

I am going to hunt her down and take what’s mine—a pound of flesh for every life she stole from my family, even if she didn’t kill Matty.

But first I need to see my father. Dominic didn’t just come here to talk about the assassin. He had news about Dad. I heard it in his voice when he called out my name and scared Bianca off.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, put on silent earlier when I needed to focus on the security footage. There are three texts, one from each of my brothers. Dad is dying and they have given him only hours, maybe less. He could be dead before I get to Dom’s house to say goodbye.

I’m coming for her, but family comes first.

Then bloodshed…

20

BIANCA

Isneak out of that bookstore the way I came in, through an open window in the back leading to the alley. Then I stick to the shadows—which is how I got the name L’ombra to begin with—as I head back to my car. The deed is done. Rome has his warning and he knows who I am. The weight of that knowledge makes me feel heavy, clumsy. My eyes are blurry from tears, but I don’t allow myself the luxury of stopping to dump the emotion. That will come later, when I’m far away from here.

I couldn’t do it anyway—and I tried. I had the gun to his head and the trigger firmly beneath my finger, but I just couldn’t do it. My child needs a father, even if he or she doesn’t get to meet him for ten years. Rome will protect himself and his family and if my brothers get caught in the crossfire, that is on them. It would destroy me, but I can’t stay in this city knowing the way Mickey feels and how he plans to handle his business.

So I climb into my car and pull into traffic. The city seems to be as despondent as I am. The buildings look tired, the people exhausted. I can feel their weight on my shoulders as I navigate the streets, trying to get as far away from here as possible. I don't know where I'll go yet, but I know I can't stay in this city any longer. Not with the weight of my unborn child's future on my shoulders.

As I drive, I think of all the mistakes I've made in my life. All the times I've let my emotions get the best of me. But this time, I had to do what was best for my child. Even if it meant sparing the life of a man who may at some point in the future kill my brothers. The thought makes me angry, and I hit the steering wheel with my palm. The sound echoes in the car, but it doesn't relieve any of my frustration. I need to focus on the road, on getting home to pack.

Home. The word has lost its meaning for me. I have no home, not really. I've been on the hunt for so long, never staying in one place for too long, always looking over my shoulder. It's the life of organized crime and being a trained killer. But now, with a child on the way, I need to find a place to call home. A place where we can be safe.

As I drive, I think of my options. I could go back to Upstate New York, where my cousins live. But that would be dangerous. If Mickey finds out where I am, he'll come after me, and my family will be caught in the crossfire. I could go to Europe, but that would be too far away. And with a baby on the way, I need the familiarity of any of my family who will still accept me. And Rome... I need him close, even if he can't be with me.

The only option I have left is to go to Chicago. My uncle, Vito, still has connections there. He could help me start over. It's a risk, of course. Going to a city where I don't know anyone except for my uncle and his men. But I don't have a choice.

I turn toward home now with the intention of taking as much of my stuff as possible. I'll call Vito on the road and talk to him. I haven't spoken to him in years, not since Soren dragged me into this mess, but he's family. Family is everything in this world.

When I round the corner, I see immediately that Soren's car is parked out front. I pull behind another parked car and try to watch what happens. My brothers stand on my front porch talking. I can't make out what they're saying, but the tension in the air is palpable. My heart races as I wonder what they're doing here. Did they find out about what I did? Are they here to confront me? I take a deep breath and force myself to calm down. Panicking won't do me any good. I need to be smart and think on my feet.

The security cameras I installed in my place have the ability to record sound too, and I have a remote interface so I can access the footage through my phone. I pull out my phone and quickly access the security camera feed. I can hear everything now, and it's worse than I thought. Soren is yelling at my brothers, telling them I am in love with Roman Gusev, that I'm failing at my job. My heart sinks, and I feel like I'm about to be sick.

I can't believe Soren would stoop so low. He knows how much this job means to me, and he knows how much I've sacrificed for the family. But the worst part is that he's right. I am in love with Roman, and I'm failing at my job. It's because I can't focus on anything else but him.

I watch as my brothers try to reason with Soren, but he's not having it. He's convinced that I'm a liability to the family and that I need to be dealt with. I can feel the panic rising in my chest, and I know I need to get out of here before they come looking for me.

But I can't leave town until I've gotten my things from my place. That isn't happening right now, so I just need a place to lie low while I wait for them to leave my house. I pull out and use the neighbor's driveway to turn around so I don't have to drive right past the house where they stand shouting at each other. THe only place I can go now is the nightclub, but even there I won't be safe if they see my car is nearby.

It's dark and raining. The wipers on my car hardly keep the window clear, so I can barely see. I park my car a few blocks away from the nightclub and take a deep breath. The rain is coming down in sheets, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. I know I have to be careful not to be seen by anyone who might know me. I put my hood up and pull the strings tight, covering my face as much as possible.

I walk briskly through the rain, my heart pounding in my chest. I can hear the music from the nightclub before I even get there. It's a thumping beat that seems to pulse through my entire body. I can feel it in my bones. When I reach the entrance, I hesitate for a moment, wondering if this is really the best place to hide out. It's not like I'm exactly inconspicuous here, but it's the only place I know where I get out of the rain while I wait. I take another deep breath and walk past the front. I need to stay out of sight completely. I'll go in the back.

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