James stepped forward, holstering the weapon. "You know where it is?" Marcus nodded. "How?"
"I didn't even realize that's what it was until Matteo just mentioned going across state lines. Once when I was first working for Tomasso years and years ago, he asked for me to meet him at a storage unit. It was during some time when he was taking a lot of heat, before Renzo, before even his father made his way over here. Anyway, it was only once and I thought nothing of it until now. That's where he's gone every time to hide out when there's heat on him." Marcus paused and gave me an apologetic smile.
"It's ok." I murmured and he nodded.
James glanced at me and back towards Marcus. "We are going to need reinforcements."
I shakily walked back towards the empty armchair. "I don't know how all this works, James." I whispered, my voice fading as the pain was creeping back in. We knew where Renzo was. I knew where he was and could feel myself drifting away quickly. "Do what is necessary." I finished and he nodded before quickly pulling out his phone.
"James!" I stopped him just as he was about to leave the office that smelled of iron and sweat.
"Yes, my lady?" He offered me a soft smile.
"I want to go with. I need to be there no matter what we end up finding."
He gave a curt nod and swiftly left the room. Everything and everyone moved in a thick murky distance around me. People came and went, securing both Matteo and Gianna for whatever decision Renzo would make upon his return. Everything in me hurt. It was a struggle to follow Isabella from the room when the cleaners arrived to destroy any evidence of what we'd done.
Gianna and Matteo were both out cold, bound and gagged, being watched over by several of Renzo's loyal soldiers in the family room upstairs. Mia and Lily guided me to the bathtub to wash and clean up and then I somehow managed to show them the closet where they dressed me in a black cropped shirt and a pair of straight legged jeans.
Everything seemed to happen while I watched, even above my own body. So many people filed in and out of the cabin, taking orders from James and bowing in my direction as I was now perched on the couch; waiting. I was of no help, besides waiting.
Out of the way. I was at least out of the way. Even Isabella seemed to be of more use than I was. It wasn't that I didn't want to help, it's the fact that I knew everyone had more experience than I did in this situation.
When did I become so entangled in this world? Lily and Mia sat on either side of me, simply being beside me. I couldn't bring myself to sleep, to speak, as the night faded and the sun was pouring in brightly into the cabin.
The cleaners were long gone, Matteo and Gianna drugged back to unconsciousness as James continued to take care of the preparations. A tear slid down my cheek as my mind wandered back to Brick. Renzo had seemed so angry, so in shock over losing him.
Gradually, things seemed to shift. The energy inside this cabin shifted and I could sense we were nearing the end of preparations. Then the door opened and in walked one of the scariest looking men I had ever seen. He was tall, large, and filled the doorway. The dark complexion of his skin rippled over muscles upon muscles. His eyes darted around the room on high alert, situational awareness recognized by even innocent little me.
His eyes. I couldn't look away as they latched onto my gaze. Piercing, intense, and angry. Focused rage. Something I wished I could hone. I watched as he stepped into the room, causing the rafters to quake by his mere presence. James glanced up from the papers he was looking at with Marcus and a nasty grin spread across his face.
"Antone." He said. The name rang a bell. Rang something that I'd only heard once before, and it took a moment of searching my memories for me to recall the single moment I'd heard that name. Consigliere.
"James." The man said, his voice deeper than I'd heard from anyone. Underboss and Consigliere in the same room, come to fetch their boss. He hadn't looked away from me and lifted a chin in my direction. "That her?"
James nodded as the entire room hushed, fell still and watched as he stalked over to me. The black shirt fit tightly against his body and I could see his abdominal muscles rippling below. Even the black pants upon his legs seemed to fit so forming to his legs that I worried they would burst at the seams.
Antone stopped in front of the couch, in front of me where I had swiveled to watch him. For whatever reason, his approach, his presence pulled me back into my body and I was no longer watching from above, but from my own eyes. And the anger that rolled through Antone was mirrored in my own eyes.
"Hello, Aedlin." He spoke in Italian. He had only been speaking Italian.
I furrowed my brows. "How do you know my name?" I quietly asked and he chuckled. It was an oddly comforting chuckle.
"How can I not know about my brother's girl?"
I blinked. Brother? As in brother because Renzo was Antone's boss or was he meaning actual brother. Antone sensed my confusion and smiled at me, offering his hand. "Half brother through our father." He added and my lips couldn't help but twitch upwards.
My hand found its way into his and we shook before he turned towards James. "Ready?" James stiffly nodded and his eyes flicked towards me. Antone returned his gaze to mine. "Let's go get Renzo back."
I was ready, and the entire room was ready as well as shouts and cheers reached my ears. Finally looking around at my surroundings, finally studying what was actually happening, my mouth fell open. There were guns everywhere. The largest men, the meanest looking, the nastiest looking men surrounded me. Armed and itching for a fight.
Even Andres had shown up, although he would be staying behind with a couple other cronies to protect Mia and Lily while we were gone. Antone stretched a hand forward and I glanced into his outstretched palm. Laying across it was a switchblade much like the ones James and Renzo had, although this one had a dark blue handle instead of a dark green or orange one.
I reached forward and slid it from his grasp. "James says you have a proclivity for knives." He winked and my mouth fell open as I glanced at James. He shrugged his shoulders, slung a gun over one of them and slowly everyone began filing from the cabin.
The drive was long, quiet. I was left alone with my thoughts and I wasn't sure if they were ones I wanted or not. This violence was becoming my life. Part of me knew that it would never truly end. But I'd chosen this. I'd accepted it the moment that I accepted Renzo. My heart had betrayed me in the process. Allowing me to fall for someone who was so different than who I'd pictured myself with.
This violence. I had spent so much of my childhood running from a home that encased such torment, and now I was riding into battle with men who lived this everyday. By choice. But maybe this had always been my life's destiny. Marcus was a part of this world. Lily and I had grown up a part of this world without even realizing what we were getting ourselves into.
Now we knew. We were fully aware of this life and she had happily accepted it. Happily.
I wanted Renzo, more than anything I had desired in my life. This was the world he ruled. And it was at that moment that I accepted it. Happily.
I accepted everything that it entailed, and knew that I would never be the same. Which was for the best. No longer would I run from my battles, travel as far across the world as I could to run away from it. No longer would I live in a different house simply to run from the battles I was fighting. I would take them head one, with Renzo by my side. Stronger together.
So much had already gone wrong. So much had torn us apart. But whatever came our way, whatever seemed to be thrown at us, we continued to find our way back towards each other. Renzo and I would be at Lily's wedding. Renzo and I, together.
I glanced out the window as we turned off the main road, determination boiling in my veins. "I can see why Renzo likes you." Antone said beside me, his eyes not leaving the road he was driving us down.
"Oh?" I simply said, pulling my eyes back from the window.
"You're quiet, but observant. You don't mind putting your nose into others' business and have this sweet innocence about you. A playfulness." He responded, turning us left down a dirt road half hidden.
I smirked. "Now how'd you gather all of that?"
He chuckled. "I've been on the phone with him a few times that you've interrupted. Oh, and James told me how you've handled everything these past few days."
"I'm waiting for the but."
Another smile crept across his face. "But you, my lady, are not afraid to play dirty. That innocent look hides something much more deadly."
I grinned, a wicked grin. All it had taken was for someone to unlock the cage and that beast was ready to play. What had unlocked it, I wasn't sure. Maybe I would never know, but I was excited. It was my turn.
And Tomasso better watch out. Because this beast was looking for vengeance. This beast was destructive. Antone grinned beside me, the energy that swirled between us was dark, treacherous.
Lethal.