Warning, Part Two (The Vault) Read online

  “Then you want your mom in your corner, right? This must’ve been her idea—to lock you out of the conversation so she can assure Jillian she’s not lying to her. You need Jillian to trust the family, Damon. Let her start by trusting Lina.”

  “You’re right, Percy. I know you are. Jillian hasn’t had much reason to trust the family, especially me. You know, man, it’ll just be hell admitting my mom had to talk my wife into marrying me.”

  “Whoa. You’re already thinking marriage? You just met the girl.”

  “The girl is pregnant with my baby. And I love her. I don’t need more time to know she’s the one I want—the only one I want. Apparently, I just need more time to get her to realize that and want to be with me again.”

  Over three hours later, the sound in Jillian’s house mysteriously kicked back on, but all I heard was dead bolts locking. We had cameras installed too, but those were only turned on when I was watching alone. If I had caught any of my men gawking at my girl, I would’ve ripped his eyeballs clean out of their sockets. I’d never been a jealous man until I met Jillian. Jealous was the wrong word… I was possessive of her. Not that I thought of her as anything I’d bought or owned, but I craved her. And I wanted her to crave me just as much.

  Mama was right when she said I’d know when I met the one.

  After telling Percy to take a break, I pulled the headphones over my ears and listened to every sound in her house. From the creak of wood floors to the faint squeak of closing doors, I pictured her every move. When I heard Percy’s snores from the other room, I flipped the switch for the cameras and watched Jillian on the flat-screen monitor. She took my breath away, and just the thought of losing her could bring me to my knees.

  I kept vigil in that spot for hours, watching her move from room to room. She’d pick up her laptop, scroll through a few pages, then walk back to the spare bedroom. She held the screen up to the wall and stood back as far as her arms would allow, trying to envision the decorations. Then she’d go back to her desk, scribble a few words, and add to the sketch in her notebook.

  She was making so many plans and preparations for a tiny baby—and loving every minute of it.

  Before long, she went into her en suite bathroom to get ready for bed, washing her face and brushing her teeth. Then she walked back into her bedroom and sat on the bed. She opened the top drawer of her nightstand, removed a gun, and placed it within reach beside her bed. Did she have a bad feeling? In the weeks upon weeks I’d watched her at night, she’d never done that before.

  “Percy, get in here!”

  He came rushing into the room. “What? What happened?”

  “Something’s off. She feels it. I feel it. You sit here and listen to everything. If you hear a limb scratch her window, you tell me. I don’t care what it is. I’m going over there now, and I’ll sit on her front porch all night if I have to. But I’m not staying here another second when she needs me there. Do not turn on that camera unless I say so.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  When I’d first moved to Louisiana to watch over her, I bought a house that was only two streets over from hers. Closer would’ve been preferable, but the one I found was already empty. We could’ve persuaded another owner to part with his home, but that would’ve aroused too many suspicions in her small town. The extra attention would’ve hurt more than helped.

  Under the cover of night, I moved between the houses, following my route I established on day one. Avoiding dogs, fences, and security lights, I arrived in Jillian’s backyard completely undetected. Percy was in my ear on a small two-way transmitter, feeding me information about what he thought she was doing from the sounds he heard.

  Movement in the ornamental shrubbery caught my eye, and I crouched in the shadows to scope out the threat. When he moved again, my blood ran ice cold. An intruder, dressed in all black with a ski mask over his face, slowly reached up toward Jillian’s window. Lorenzo had sent an assassin, but he had signed his own man’s death warrant instead. When I got my hands on him, I wouldn’t need a gun or cement shoes to finish Lorenzo off. I wanted the pleasure of watching the life drain from his eyes.

  I slid my gun out of the holster and attached the suppressor, silent and deadly just like I was trained to do. Then I moved closer behind him, keeping low to the ground, staying light on my feet, but picking up speed as I went. Before he knew I was behind him, I grabbed him in a headlock around the neck with one arm and placed the barrel of my gun against his head with the other.

  “Don’t. Fucking. Move.”

  He nodded, as much as he could with my choke hold secure around his throat.

  “Are you here to kill Jillian?” I asked calmly. Walk right into my trap, dickhead.

  His eyes darted around the yard, making me wonder if he had backup somewhere I hadn’t yet seen. He tried to stall, not wanting to give me an answer. Not knowing which reply would get his brains blown out of his head.

  “Answer me.” I closed my arm tighter around his neck with a swift jerk.

  He nodded again. “Yes,” he croaked.

  “That’s too bad, fella. Do you know who I am?”

  Another single nod.

  “Then you know what I do to men who try to hurt my family.” The unmistakable smell of ammonia filled the night air, causing my eyes to drift down to his crotch. “Excuse me, but did you just piss yourself? You’re a hit man, for Chrissakes. Have some dignity. Fucking amateurs, crawling around at night, getting picked off by real hit men. It’s embarrassing, really.

  “Back to what I was saying. That’s too bad—your being here to kill my girlfriend and all. That means I have to kill you now and get rid of your body tonight. I was looking forward to finally getting some sleep.”

  The big guy started flailing, trying to break free from my hold. His adrenaline spiked, and the fight-or-flight mechanism kicked in. He wanted to fight and flee, no doubt about that. He would disappear into the night if he could just break my stranglehold around his throat. In our scuffle, and my carefulness not to shoot myself with the angle I had the gun trained on his head, he managed to break free.

  No matter, I could still do what I had to do to protect Jillian whether he was on his feet or on his knees.

  “Lorenzo has a message for you,” he taunted with a smug expression.

  “Yeah? Let’s hear it.”

  “He said to tell you her time is coming.” He pointed toward the window to Jillian’s bedroom. “But it won’t be slow or easy or painless. He plans on having some fun with her first. Said he bets she’s a real screamer in the sack, and he wants to hear her scream his name before she dies.”

  “I have a message for Lorenzo. You tell him I said he’s not man enough to make her scream.” Then I leveled my gun at him and shot him between the eyes. His body fell limp to the ground, and I stood over him, firing another round for good measure. “On second thought, I’ll tell him myself.”

  “Cleanup crew is on the way, boss.”

  “Thanks, Percy. I’m going in to stay with Jillian now, whether she likes it or not.”

  “Good luck.” Percy chuckled in my ear, and I couldn’t help but smile along with him.

  I knew exactly what he meant. She was just as likely to use her gun on me as she was to let me into her house. Maybe after I explained the very real danger she’d just narrowly escaped, she’d change her mind faster.

  I raised my fist to knock on her door, but it swung open before I reached it. She had her gun drawn, aimed directly at my chest, so I jumped to the side and held her wrist in my hand. “Whoa, doll. It’s just me.”

  “Damon, what the hell are you doing sneaking around my house in the middle of the night? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  I released a loud, long sigh before I explained the reason behind my presence. And the man I’d just murdered in order to keep
her safe. The blood drained from her face and her hand fell to her side, still tightly gripping the gun, but her finger was a little too close to the trigger for my comfort.

  “Here, doll. Give me the gun, and let me help you sit down. You don’t look so well all of a sudden.” She released it into my grasp without argument, and I tucked it into the waistband of my pants. Then I scooped her up in arms, stepped inside with her glued to me, and locked the door behind us.

  I had every intention of only taking her as far as the couch when she met me at the door. But I changed my mind the moment she wrapped her arms around my neck and plastered her body against mine. She shook all over and her teeth chattered—the fear that gripped her was all too real. Instead, I made my way down the hall and to her bedroom. After I deposited her on the bed, I double-checked the windows, closed the blinds, and drew the curtains together.

  Then I moved her to the guest bedroom, away from the windows on the back of the house that offered too much of an easy access to her. The only window in the spare room was smaller and higher off the ground. When she was tucked in, I lay down beside her on top of the covers and draped my arm over her.

  “Rest now, doll. I’m not going anywhere tonight. I’m right here to protect you.”

  She buried her face in the crook of my neck and eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep. I, on the other hand, got zero sleep. With one man down, they’d come back with reinforcements. My men already knew the drill, but I wouldn’t take any chances with Jillian’s life by dozing off and getting caught unaware. Several times during the night, her whole body jerked, and she awoke with a stifled scream. From the few times she talked in her sleep, I knew she had nightmares about someone breaking in and getting to her.

  Not on my watch, doll.

  Chapter Four

  Damon

  The last time she woke, the sun hadn’t been up long, but she slid out of bed and headed for the shower.

  “There’s no window in there, so that’s good. Just lock the door for protection, doll.”

  “Do you mean to protect me from you while I’m naked and wet?” A hint of a smile played on her lips. At least she was starting to joke around with me again.

  “Doll, no door in the world could protect you from me under those circumstances.” I winked and flashed her my best smile. “But after last night, I’m not taking any chances with your safety. We have to get you somewhere more secure before I can bust down the door and join you in the shower. Only then will you know what wet means.”

  “I’ll shower first, then you can jump in while I stand guard. But, Damon, when you get out, we have to talk about last night. All of it. If I even think you’re holding out on me this time, I will cut you out of my life completely.”

  “Is my sweet Louisiana belle becoming a ferocious tiger on me?”

  She placed her hand on her stomach, instinctively protecting the precious life inside. “I’ll be whatever I have to be for my baby. Even if that means I’ll be a single parent.”

  The jab to my heart couldn’t have hurt worse if she’d used a dagger and physically pierced it. Was she the type of person who would keep a child from its father? A father who wanted nothing more than to make the mother and his child his whole world? My stunned silence and pained expression told her all she needed to know, apparently. Her aggressive stance softened, and her gaze fell to the floor.

  “We’ll talk about everything after breakfast. I’m trying not to make any rash decisions about anything, Damon. But so much has hit me all at once, and I’m still trying to find my footing after confirming my pregnancy only the day before yesterday. You may have to be a little more patient with me than normal.”

  “I can do that, doll. Jump in the shower. When you get out, I’ll make breakfast, then we’ll talk. My cards are face-up on the table, whatever you want to know.”

  “Thank you—for protecting me last night. And for this—for the way you’re trying. I have to keep reminding myself your family doesn’t usually operate this way with outsiders. I’m finding it hard to be understanding about some aspects of this myself, so I appreciate the effort you’re giving.”

  She stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her as I’d asked. But I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her she wasn’t an outsider now. She was part of the family. And she always would be. Joining a mafia family was a lot like taking marriage vows, only there was no divorce that could dissolve the ties. She was married to the family the same as one day—soon—she’d marry me. And, like the family expectations, divorce wasn’t a word in my vocabulary either.

  But I knew my love better than she thought I did, and telling her those terms would only cause her feathers to ruffle. That would get us nowhere fast. But if she saw what it meant to be part of something as big and wonderful and mad and crazy as my family and all that came with it, I was certain I could persuade her to my line of thinking. And every step we took together until she reached that conclusion on her own would be another building block to cementing our future together.

  One step at a time, doll, and you’ll be mine forever.

  “Damon, I’m out of the shower now,” she called out about twenty minutes later.

  I stepped into the doorway when she started combing her hair. “Thought you might enjoy this while I shower, then we can sit down and eat together.”

  “Mmm, that smells so good. What is it?”

  “It’s called Passion Tango, from Havana Tea. It’s delicious.”

  “Where’d this come from? I don’t have this in my kitchen.”

  “Percy brought it over when he brought me a change of clothes.”

  She took the steaming mug from me and sipped it carefully. “This is so good, Damon. Thank you.”

  When she started to leave the bathroom, I wrapped my hand around her elbow and stopped her gently. “I need you to stay in here with me, with the door closed and locked.”

  She cut her eyes up at me, a mixture of wariness and disbelief swirling in them. “And why would I need to do that?”

  “One, because a man showed up here last night with intentions of taking you to Lorenzo.”

  Her eyes grew wide, and her lips parted on her gasp. She knew she couldn’t defend herself against a man three times her size.

  “Two, because if I hadn’t shown up when I did, he would’ve crawled through your window and achieved his mission without my knowing where to even start looking for you.”

  She covered her heart with her hand and released a ragged breath. I knew she had the same thoughts I had—what Lorenzo and his goons would do to her, in a place where I couldn’t find her to save her.

  “And, last—but most important—three, because I’m about to get naked, and you know you want to watch.”

  She dropped her chin to her chest and released a hesitant laugh followed by a resigned sigh. “Fine, Damon. I will wait in here with the door locked while you shower. I’ll just…sit on the commode and drink my delicious hot tea.”

  “By all means, my lady.” I closed the lid and put a folded towel on top for cushioning. “Please have a seat and enjoy the show. Your face will be at the perfect level for viewing.”

  There’s my sweet Southern belle and her scorching red face. So, she is still in there under that tough bravado.

  She tried to avert her eyes, but I caught her looking. Several times. Because I took my time getting undressed directly in front of her. Unabashed. Unashamed. Blatantly offering everything I had for her taking. If the number of times she licked her lips was any indication, I thought we’d move on to the next phase of our reconciliation sooner rather than later.

  We chatted while I showered, and she dried her hair and put on her makeup. She kept the conversation light, actively avoiding any topic that could be potentially volatile. But I was onto her game. She wanted to wait until I was dressed and w
e were on even footing again. With me naked and wet in the shower right beside her, she was more than a little distracted.

  She was more than a little tempted.

  To throw gasoline onto the flames, I purposely didn’t towel off before I stepped out of the shower. In fact, I didn’t have a towel in my hand at all.

  “Sorry, doll. I must have forgotten to grab another towel before I came in here. Mind if I use yours?”

  Her eyes followed the droplets of water as they ran down my torso and disappeared into my happy trail. Her mouth parted, and her tongue darted out, swiping across her lips and making my dick jump in response. The rise and fall of her chest came in quicker bursts, and she was at a loss for words. I was just glad to have her somewhat under my spell again. From her small pants and lustful gazes, she remembered the pleasure I could give her.

  “Is that a yes?”

  She looked up at my face and caught a glimpse of my smirk. She shook her head and snatched the towel off the rod where it hung behind me. “Yes, that’s a yes. Can we leave the bathroom now?” She thrust the towel at me, hitting me in the chest with it. I calmly took it from her hand and wiped down the front of my body.

  “Let me check the room first. Sit tight.” When I turned toward the door, I felt her eyes burning the skin of my ass as she stared at me. I looked over my shoulder at her, catching her in the act, and smiled. “Go ahead and look all you want. We both know you love my ass.”

  She rolled her eyes and pulled the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth in a poor attempt to hide her smile. It was there, though. Hope was there too—for my part. Hope that we could overcome the obstacles I’d put between us and get back to what we were good at. I grabbed my gun from the vanity counter and unlocked the door, stepping over the threshold ready to fire at anyone on the other side.

  “You’re still naked, Damon,” Jillian said from behind me.

  “Yeah, I can shoot just as well naked as I can with a suit on, doll. My clothes are out here on the bed. Come on out.”