The flight went by quicker than I thought it was going to, and by the time the wheels of the plane touched the tarmac in Miami, I was ready to see everyone. I couldn't wait to wrap my arms around Allegra and spend much-needed time with her."If you wait here a moment, sweetie, I'll make sure they load everything into the car, and then I'll come back for you," Neal said as he stood and kissed my cheek.Casting my gaze up to him, I smiled with a nod. "Sounds good."Since the moment we took off from New York City, Neal had been wrapped in a fury of emotions. I wasn't quite sure what was bothering him, but I had a feeling it had to do with our trip to Miami in general. I understood he was concerned about the issues revolving around James, but he couldn't let that ruin our trip.These plans were made long before he had told me about the issues with the Russians, and it was my job to show him that we didn't have anything to fear.After all, we didn't do anything wrong.It was Jam
Becca.I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I got up early the next morning, sliding from the bed with the full intention to go see James. Neal had been sleeping when I walked out of the room, but before I could make it to the door, I heard his voice behind me."You're going to see him, aren't you?" he said softly, his eyes narrowing at me. Turning slowly, I stared at his pleading eyes and sighed."Yes, I am," I replied slowly, nodding my head. "He has a right to know, and the sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can be free with you."Shaking his head from side to side he licked his top lip. His eyes cast off into the distance as if he wanted to keep me here but knew that it would only cause an argument. "I don't like this, Becca. I mean, I should have known that you would do this, but still.""Neal, I'm sorry," I whispered. "This is just something that I have to do.""I know," he replied with a sigh. "I just don't like you going alone, unprotected. What if some
Becca.I wasn't sure what to expect when I pulled up outside of the Valentino mansion. Tally was waiting for me inside, but even though I had told her I was coming it didn't stop me from second-guessing what I was doing.Everything that had happened with James kept rattling through my mind. He had acted like a complete asshole, and I should have seen it coming. There was no way he would believe that the child was his when I'd waited this long to tell him.Not to mention I was with Neal.Still, I had hoped he would at least let me speak.Stepping out of the car, I made my way towards the front door. Before I could knock, the door swung open, and Tally stood staring at me with a grin spread from ear to ear."Becca? Oh, my God! It's so good to see you."I was shocked. The woman who stood before me did not look like the Tally I knew. Instead, she looked like a soccer mom. She was no longer adorned in the designer clothing she had loved so much. Instead, she was in simpl
Becca.A whirlwind of emotions ran through me as chaos consumed James's home. The wood shattering echoed around me in slow motion as glass broke and screaming consumed the home. Men in black clothing came through every entryway, and it was obvious that they weren't friendly by the way they pointed their guns at us.I wasn't sure what was going on, but as I gained focus, I realized I was in trouble. Tally was screaming, yelling, fighting, and doing everything that she could. However, I was tossed aside quickly. My shoulder hit the counter before I slid to the floor, wincing in pain. The voices that were speaking and shouting were in another language and my mind just couldn't wrap around what was going on.I had not the slightest clue what would was happening, but as I slowly regained my focus, I watched as a large, burly man had his arms wrapped around Tally, who was fighting as she kicked off the floor, screaming and jumping up and down like a wild caged animal trying
Neal.The moment James called me, I wasn't quite sure what it was that he wanted after the conversation we had previously had about Becca. However, my heart absolutely shattered when he told me that Becca had gone to his house and people had broken. She was once again implicated in something because of James, and my hatred for him grew even more. I understood very well that she might have been carrying his child, but it didn't excuse the things that he had done and the shit that he had gotten himself into.Now, because of him, there was a chance that she could be hurt or even killed. Pacing around the living room, I grabbed my keys, ready to go after her to go to James's house to save her if I had to. The problem was, I didn't expect Allegra to come home like she did. As soon as she stepped through the door and saw me, she dropped her bags on the floor and stared at me with hesitation. "Why are you crying? What happened?" I hadn't even realized tears had been falling do
Becca.The moment I screamed out, the man who had come up behind James hit him in the back of the head with the ass end of the gun he was carrying. James collapsed to his knees, his gun dropping to the floor as Sergei began to laugh."Was that honestly your poor, pathetic excuse of trying to save them?" Sergei asked as he stepped closer to where James was. "You're f*cking pathetic."He kicked James across the face. James' body fell to the floor completely as I cried out again. I couldn't watch this. Tally was begging for Sergei to stop, but it was as if nobody could get through to him."Please, please, just leave him alone. Don't hurt him!" I begged Sergei, who slowly looked over his shoulder at me with a smile on his face."Why do you even care what this man does, considering how he treated you? You are nothing to him. A piece of ass he happened to get f*cking pregnant."When Sergei said that, James's eyes connected with mine, and I saw the guilt lurking beneath. Just
Becca.Once upon a time, I would have considered myself to be absolutely blessed and extraordinary for the life I was fortunate to live. I didn't have to worry about the things that other people did. I grew up safe and away from the evils of the world.Yet, somehow that evil had managed to find me. Screams of terror escaped my throat as the sounds of gunfire, shattering glass, and chaos erupted around me. I wasn't sure if I was coming or going, but when I felt a tug at the confinements at my wrist I saw hope. Looking down, I saw Tally struggling with a knife to free me. Her panicked eyes widened as she ducked her head and flinched from the violence that consumed us."We have to get out of here," she said to me, trying to make her voice loud enough for me to hear but quiet enough that no one else could understand. Not that it helped.As soon as my hands were free, I reached down, freeing my ankles, but before I could stand, a firm grip on my hair had me yanked back. A c
James.Throughout my entire life, I thought I had known pain. However, when I saw my daughter die before my eyes, I realized I didn't even know what pain was. The pain of losing a child isn't something that I wish any parent to ever have to go through.The burning ache of losing my daughter was a feeling that would never be able to go away, a void in my chest that would forever remain empty. She was my pride and joy, my only child, my everything, and even though Becca was pregnant with my child, it was an idea that I still couldn't wrap my head around.How could I process anything when my sweet Taliana was gone?"James, I'm so sorry for your loss," Greg, the federal agent who had been working with me, said as he stood at the back of the open ambulance doors.I was angry with him. He was supposed to have been here. He was supposed to have been my back up, and had he shown up, perhaps my daughter wouldn't be dead. "You promised that you would protect her. Where the f8ck were