CHAPTER THIRTYNICKOLASI pull up at my house still grinning. I can not seem to erase the look on Robert’s face when I walked in. The mixture of shock and eventual anger was epic. I should have done it sooner. I get out of the car, lock the door and get into my house, taking off my shirt immediately. I can not still be distracted by this happiness I now feel, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. This is just one battle that has been won in this long war of ours and I need to always be on my toes. Lily’s face pops into my head as I step into the shower. She appeared extremely shocked to see me, it looked like she honestly didn’t know a single thing about what was going on. I shake the thought out of my head as I continue bathing. She is still one of them after all and when push comes to shove she will always choose them, just like she did all those years ago. I can not allow her pretty face to distract me like it had done on the boat cruise. All feelings for her defi
CHAPTER THIRTY ONELILYAs I see him burst into the room, for some strange reason I can no longer hold back the tears that I have been trying my best to keep at bay all this time. Looking up to his face I just feel this need for him to hold me and tell me everything's alright.He rushes towards me and holds me firmly as I sit down on the floor wrapped in my blankets. The tears rolled down my eyes like a water pipe that had just been burst.“It will all be alright, Lily.”I hear him say these words over and over again as his hands pat my back, doing his best to calm me down.I feel so pathetic at this moment, I know I need someone but that person can not be him. Not after everything he has done. He most definitely is not the person for me to trust, afterall he knew about it all this time and didn’t say a word to me.Summoning all the strength in me, I wrestle myself from his embrace and push him away. This feeling of weakness has to be transformed into something I can work with and the
CHAPTER THIRTY TWONICKOLASI keep on looking at her as she realizes exactly who I am talking about.“NO. Are you trying to tell me? Her?”I nod my head in approval“Yes. Ingrid is your mother.”“Wait a second. That means when we went to see her you knew and didn’t say anything to me.”“I felt that would be a lot to talk about at the time.”I know that if I tell her the exact reason why I could not tell her at that time she is going to hate me for life. Seeing her right now I can see how effective my revenge would have been. Robert took the glory from me by telling her but this is still how it would have played out if I had told her.So why am I feeling this way? This guilt creeping up on me as I look at her scattered hair and the messed up mascara on her face as she wipes her nose with my handkerchief. Why do I feel this need to console her?All through the drive here this thought was on my mind. I should be happy right now but for some strange reason I am not. Here I am consoling t
CHAPTER THIRTY THREELILYLooking out the window as we drive down to Ingrid’s house, I can not stop thinking. Thinking about everything, Life in general has not been fair to me. I must have been a really horrible person in my past life, that must be why I am suffering from all of this emotional trauma right now.Hearing bits of Nickolas' convo earlier, I know he is hiding things from me and not telling me the whole truth, Just another thing for me to add to my list of things I do not know I guess.I hate this feeling that is creeping up on me; the feeling of helplessness.“Are you okay?” Nickolas asks me.“I am okay.”I say this even though I know I am far from it and by the look I see him giving me from the corner of my eye I know he does not buy my story one bit.“It will be fine.” He says this and lays his hand on my thighs.I do not move as he does this because a part of me thinks this is a mistake. Maybe he was reaching for the gear shift and then he put his hands on me. I realiz
CHAPTER THIRTY FOURNICKOLASI enter into my apartment to see Scot sitting on my couch with his legs crossed. The judgemental look he is giving me is crazy but some reason it makes me want to laugh as well.“Hi.” I say. The guilt in my voice is evident. I was not expecting him to still be here when I came back but Immediately I turned the key in the doorknob and it was loose. I knew he was still here.I dread this conversation we are about to have. I do not want to tell him that I think I have now fallen for this girl who I came here to seek revenge on and who I have kept on insisting is my enemy. A part of me knows he has already figured it out hence the judgemental looks he is throwing my way.He motions for me to take a seat without even saying a word.I sit down and look at him and we both sit in silence. This is something he always did to me, just sit and wait for me to croak under the silence. Scot is extremely manipulative but then he is my friend and I know him better than any
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVELILYI am screaming at the top of my voice as I barge into the house looking for my mother.“Come out mom. Where are you?”I see her rush down the staircase to meet me. She looks so teary eyed as she appears and moves in to hug me.“My daughter.”I put my hands in front of us to create a wall in order to prevent the hug.“Save it. I am not your daughter and you know it. How could you do this to me?”She breaks down in tears as I continue talking.“All these years you lied to me and for what? So you could play at being a mother? You allowed me suffer all this emotional stress I went through in the hands of your husband while you watched and could not defend me. What sort of a mother is that?”“Lily.” she says to me.The tears I see in her eyes are genuine and I can see that my words sting her. My emotions are not wavering either ways because as much as I her I also know that she had no right to do what she did.I walked into this house with an anger that rivalled th
CHAPTER THIRTY SIXNICKOLASAs I ascend the stairs to my apartment, all I can think of is how the person that could have aided in this investigation is dead and it is all because of me. If he had not reached out he probably would still be alive right now. I can not stop running down possibilities in my head. Who killed him? I already know the answer to this one or rather I have an idea of who it is since I do not still have any valid proof to support my claim but definitely one names keeps on popping in my head. Robert.He definitely has to be behind this, I mean there is no other explanation for this. But then how did he find out about the meeting? How did he know what we were talking about? Does he have somebody following me? No that can not be possible I check my surroundings every single day so the leak definitely did not come from me. It has to be the informant.I do not even have an idea who the guy is or rather was. I can not even think of the next step to take now that this
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVENLILY“Are you ready to talk to me about what happened?” Ingrid asks, as she releases me from her arms. I have been in there for a while now but it certainly did not feel like it. I feel so relaxed right now, compared to how I felt when I walked in.I still feel the anger inside me.“I hate them.” I blurt out.Ingrid looks at me intently and then lets out a sigh.“I can tell you are angry and that is probably how you feel right now. These are people that have raised you your whole life. They looked out for you and provided for you.”“Are you trying to defend them right now.” I snap at her. “After everything they have done… after they stole from you and caused you this much pain?”“No I am not defending them. I am the last person that will do that, especially not after everything they have done. What I am saying is this. Like it or not, they are still people that you care about deeply and sooner or later you are going to have to forgive them.”I take a brief pause a
EPILOGUE SCOT SIX MONTHS LATER I could feel the wind in my face and the harsh glare of the sun on my skin. I inhaled, sighing at how content and fulfilled I felt with the woman in my arms. It has been six months since everything went down… six months since my life changed for the better and since I realized I would live and die for the woman I held in my arms. We had gone on this holiday after cutting all her ties with the clan and bidding them farewell. She was no longer with that life and the danger it entailed. She had no idea of course about everything I had planned for today and I could not wait to see the look on her face when she realizes that I am going to ask her today to complete me for as long as the world and our lives continue. I turned to the left, to the man holding the signal and he winked in my direction to let me know that everything was in place and it was time for the commotion. “Hey baby” I whispered in her ear, feeling her stir and open her eyes. “I think
ONE HUNDRED AND FIVECATALINADespite all the air flowing all around in the open yard I can feel myself struggling to get air into my system, the whole atmosphere around is so tense as both Dante and Scot face off in the middle of the square.This looks extremely familiar to me, I have watched so many fights take place in this same yard during my training but none of them held as high a stake as this. Everything is hanging on this showdown, whatever happens here is definitely going to change a lot of things drastically.“You came,” Dante says to Scot, “I see you are not a coward after all. Just a man with a death wish.”“Yes I have a death wish, but not mine.” Scot says laughing,I can tell Dante is furious by the blank look he has on his face as he turns to me, he still has the same expressions from when we were younger.“So this is it, your plan is to challenge me with this lowlife.” he says, addressing me.“He is not a lowlife.” I reply,“And now you defend him. What went wrong, Ca
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOURSCOT“You should get dressed.” I tell her as I get up from the bed and begin to search for my clothes which are strewn across the floor.I can see the fear in her eyes as she clutches tightly onto the sheets and speaks,“No, please, you can’t go. This will be suicide.”Looking at her as I grab my shoes from the corner of the room and begin to put it on“I do not think we have a choice anymore, you heard what they said.”“There’s always a choice,” she says, getting up and rushing to kneel right in front of me as I put on my shoes. “We can run, go anywhere else but here, that’s a choice.”Her eyes tell me that she means everything that she says as they reflect the deep pain and worry which she feels right now.“Are you willing to elope with me?” I ask,“Yes.” She says without hesitation, cupping my face in her hands. “I will go with you wherever and we will be able to get away from them.”For the first time in a long time I understand what this feeling is no
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THREECATALINAHe sleeps so soundly.I have a smile on my face as I look at Scot’s face as he lay there with his eyes closed. Last night was extremely draining for the both of us as I recall the nasty things we did to each other all through. Some of the best sex I have ever had in this life is definitely with this man who is laying here clutching on to my naked body. He had not let me go all night, the memory of me disappearing on him like the last time definitely still haunts him but this time is different though, I have no plans of doing such. I love it here, snuggling closer to him.“Is that how you always stare or am I just that special?” he asks, with his eyes still closed.“You are awake.”“Yes, I could feel you looking.”“Sorry I woke you,”“It’s fine, you could have been more creative about it though.” he says,“Oh really.” I reply, gliding my hands into the bedspread that covered our bodies and tracing his abs till I reach his lower region.The gasp escape
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND TWOSCOT“Do you want to get out of here?” she asks, out of the blues.The question takes me by surprise as I stand there still looking at her. Before I can say anything she grabs my hand and begins walking really fast towards the exit. Watching her from behind, it is a surprise she is moving as fast as she is in that dress and those heels she has on. She looks extremely hot.We get out of the club and turn right, continuing our little stroll in silence as the music blasting from the club gets more and more distant, eventually fading away completely. A brief look behind us reveals to me that we are being followed by the men who had thrown out the madman at the club earlier.“Friends of yours?” I ask, as we continue walking.“More like CCTV.” she replies, without bothering to turn around.“I count three of them, don’t you think that’s too much for your security? I mean you did say you can take care of yourself after all.” I say, shooting the snide remark in her dire
CHAPTER HUNDRED AND ONECATALINAThe room is spinning right now in my mind as I struggle to get my thoughts together. It’s harder to do thanks to the mixture of alcohol coursing through my veins and the shock that I can still feel reverberating through my entire system as I see him standing in front of me.This all feels like a dream, a trance that I am not sure what to make of. Is he really here? I am tempted to reach out and touch him in order to confirm but I try my best to hold myself. Scot in Italy? What the fuck could he possibly be doing here? Especially now that I am trying to let go of the past, trying to forget the one man that has consistently ruled my thoughts for the past week and now here he is standing before me once again.Short of words right now as my brain is still processing all of what is happening, trying to make sense of it. All I can do now is stare at this gorgeous hunk of a man standing before me. In the sim light of the club, all his features seem more prono
CHAPTER ONE HUNDREDSCOTA week…Seven days I have spent here and still I haven’t been able to get in contact with her. I know where she is but then I also know if I show up over there I am going to be dead before I will have the opportunity to even get to see her face. Javier is definitely not going to stand for it.Making enquiries about them had all led to the same thing.Stay away from the Vega’sEveryone I had asked turned out to be scared of them, even all of Nickolas’s contacts that I had reached out to when I first landed hung on me when they heard the name I was asking about. I knew they were a big deal in Italy but I never thought it would be up to this.What was I expecting though? Javier runs the biggest crime syndicate in the country, Of course they were feared.Recalling what Pascal; the man I had spoke to yesterday said,“If you keep on asking about the Vega’s you will end up dead, besides how good could the pussy have been for you to want to fly over from the states fo
CHAPTER NINETY NINECATALINA“I don’t think I should give you more drinks, anymore and you will be puking your guts out by the side of the road.” the bartender says to me,“Oh come on, I deserve it.” I say in between giggles, “After what I have gone through in the past couple of days, I most definitely need it.”He gives me a look and I reply with a pleading look of my own.“Pleaseee” I say, mustering the biggest baby eyes I can manage to pull in the state that I am in.“Fine,” he says, “two more and then no more. I will have the men take you home.”“You are no fun, let loose a little. I know that’s why I am here.” I say,“Well I am on duty, this isn’t as fun for me as it appears to be for you.” he says, chuckling.“How about me and you having a little fun?” I say, winking at him and putting on my best flirtatious smile.He looks back at me as he gets what I am hinting at.and a smile breaks across his face. Even in the dim light of the bar, I can tell how handsome of a man he is with
CHAPTER NINETY EIGHTSCOTWe all stand around in a circle with Javier’s man in the center of the room and the bag by his side. I do not want to let him out of my sight as we wait for the arrival of Javier. He had already made a phone call earlier and had indicated that he was already on his way. I told a couple of men to keep an eye on the entrance of the building so we would know exactly when they were coming.Finally he will be here soon and we will be able to settle all of this nasty business once and for all. My top priority is Catalina but in the event that the opportunity to take both her and Javier in safely arrives then I will take it as well. It will be a very big arrest for the department and I am sure the chief will be willing to look past the stealing of drugs and some of the other things I have done to achieve the goal. Catalina is the first priority though, all other things are secondary. Once I have her then we can figure the others out.Here I am risking my entire exis