Luca grimaced. “I’m afraid this part will be unpleasant to hear. To ensure she received all of your money, Kelly needed to be the sole beneficiary. She mistook Mrs. Cameron for Mrs. Parker.”
I heard every word he said, but it took a moment or two for it to fully register in my head. “You mean she was trying to kill my unborn child!” I roared.
Batta’s hand landed on one shoulder while Judge’s landed on the other. “Easy, brother. Rein it in.”
“And Todd’s role in all of this?” Copper asked while I fumed.
Luca almost snarled at the mention of his nephew. “He’s a lazy little shit who thinks he’s entitled to the finer things in life simply because his father married a Peccati. I had already reached my limit of patience with him, but he will no longer be a part of this family because he broke the most valued rule—he betrayed us. He plotted against me, he conspired with a police officer, and he almost started a war with you and your club by attempting to kill one of your members.” He shook his head. “Greed has been the downfall of many men.”
Kelly regained consciousness and started screaming behind her gag that had thankfully been replaced.
Luca clapped his hands together. “Well, no sense in dragging this out longer than necessary. I do apologize, but out of respect for my sister, Todd must be dealt with by me. I hope you understand,” he said and fired one round into Todd’s forehead while he kept his eyes trained on Copper.
Luca held the gun out to Copper. “But, you may do with her as you wish.”
Copper’s eyes flicked to mine and I nodded once. Luca held the gun out to me. “I prefer you to use this one. It will be disposed of with the bodies.”
I took the gun and let the rage I had been holding back consume me. “I never hated you. Until today. You tried to kill the woman I love and my unborn child for what? Purses and shoes? Yeah, burn in hell, cunt,” I said and squeezed the trigger hitting her in the chest. I didn’t want her death to be immediate. I wanted her to spend her last few moments knowing she was paying the ultimate price for her selfishness.
48
Avery
After my session with Harper was over, I stayed at the clubhouse for a few more hours to help her and Leigh prepare a few freezer meals before Leigh drove me home. She apologized again for deceiving me, but I assured her I understood. And I did.
When I got out of Leigh’s car, I walked into my garage and sent a text to my parents letting them know I was going to see Sienna before I came inside. I knew Riley and Braxton would want to go visit as well, but I tried to limit the amount of times I allowed them to visit because their excitement could be overwhelming at times.
I was happy to see Karen was assigned to Sienna for the day. We worried much less about our little girl when she was in Karen’s care. “How’s my girl today?” I asked after washing my hands.
“She’s doing good. We decreased her oxygen again. So far, she’s not had any issues.” She filled me in on a few other details and the plan for the week while she helped us get settled in the rocking chair. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you,” I said and focused my attention on the little bundle in my arms. I rocked slowly and let my thoughts go down whatever path they chose while I cradled her against my chest.
“Mommy is not going to play the ‘what-if’ game any more,” I said quietly. “I can’t change the past, so there’s no point in trying to guess what the future would’ve been. Things happened, and they happened for a reason. And you wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t happened. So, Mommy is making you a promise right here and now. I’m not going to play that game again, and I’m going to work on accepting the things that happened and finding a way to be happy. But no matter what, I will always love you and your daddy will, too.”
After my visit with Sienna, I headed back to my house. I needed to get dinner started for my parents and the kids and I had tons of laundry to do before they went back to school.
“Mommy, where’s Kellan?” Braxton asked when we all sat down to dinner.
“He had to do something with Copper today,” I lied.
“He’s going to miss dinner,” Riley cried.
“I’ll put something in the fridge for him,” I assured her.
“But he’s always here for dinner,” Braxton pouted.
“Listen, kids, I know you’ve gotten used to Kellan being around, but he’s getting better and will be going back to work soon, so he’s going to—”
I was cut off when Kellan entered the kitchen. “Sorry I’m late,” he said and kissed the top of my head. “Smells delicious,” he almost whispered.
I glanced from the bowl of steamed broccoli in my hand back to him in confusion. “It does?”
He shook his head and winked. “No, but you do.”
I felt my cheeks heat and I quickly glanced around the table to see if anyone had heard him. If they did, no one commented, including myself. Instead, I continued plating food and passing bowls.
The rest of dinner was stilted. My parents tried to keep a conversation going, but they finally gave up and we finished the meal in silence. Mom and Dad ushered the kids into the living room while Kellan and I cleared the table and started on the dishes.
