"Yes, and that’s why we got outed to Theo and Alec."
"WHAT! Alec was there? The guy from the bar?" She grabs my arm. "Was he the other bidder?"
"Yep, it was us, Theo, and him. He came up after and chatted. Theo knew who we were as soon as Jayme opened his big mouth." I roll my eyes at him, and he just grins. She glances over at him.
"Thank you. I know you probably wanted to buy another girl, one that you actually intended on fucking, but honestly, thank you. I’m glad you guys were the ones that won me. And that night was the best night I have ever had.” Her cheeks blush, but then her face falls, and she starts to cry. She covers her face with her hands, trying to hide her tears.
"Cass, what’s wrong?" I put an arm around her shoulder, and she startles. Shifting away from my touch.
"Sorry, I just was remembering some stuff that happened. It came flooding back so fast. I don’t know what to do. I see him every time I sleep.” She cries.
“It will take time. You can’t rush healing. Maybe talking to a professional will help, like the doctor said.”
“What if I never get back to normal? What if he haunts me forever? Even though he is dead, he is still hurting me.” She cries against my chest again.
“I love you, Cassie. I will be here for whatever you need, whenever you need me.” I tell her as she continues to cry. If I could resurrect him and kill him again, I would.
70. Cassie
Besides the fact that he completely betrayed my trust by going through my phone, it led to where we are now, so I can’t be too mad. I’m just freaking out over Theo. I still can’t believe that he is gone. That this nightmare might actually be over.
"Cass. I just want you to know we... I did what was necessary. He hurt you, and I couldn’t just sit by and let him get away with it. He was too powerful. The day we found you, we had tracked down the doctor who took out your IUD. He told us everything. I snapped. I couldn’t wait for Jayme's team to be in place. I knew I needed to get you out then."
“So Jayme. Are you really part of the Mafia, like Theo said.” I asked.
Lucian tries to speak, but Jayme cuts him off.
"It’s ok, Lucian. If she is going to be with you, she needs to understand all this. I trust her. Cassie, my real last name is not West; it’s Morelli."
"Morelli? Theo called you the Morelli boy.”
"Morelli’s are the top mafia family in California right now. My cousins are the leaders in L.A. My dad runs Santa Monica, which I will soon be taking over. Lucian is going to be my 2nd in command. Mr. Snider and Madam Odette are also in the circle too. Snider is related, and Odette is just a close friend. They are the ones who helped me put together a team to get you back." He says this shit so casually. I can’t help but laugh.
"OK, so you are a mafia lord. Lucian is going to be your partner in crime, and Madam Odette is a badass by day and a dominatrix by night. Is that all?"
"It’s all true, Cass—every word he said. West enterprise is the front, ran under his mother’s maiden name to avoid suspicion. I will eventually be moving to California, and I’m hoping you will come with me. Leave this place. You will love Santa Monica. The beaches are amazing." Lucian says.
"Holy shit, so you aren’t joking. Well, shit. Thank you again. You really went out of your way to get me back. Thank you, both of you." I say, looking back and forth between the two of them.
"It’s no problem at all, sweetheart. We protect our family, and you are part of the family now." Damn, real-life mafia. Who would have guessed it? And now Lucian is going to be part of that life, too. Hmmm.
"So, what happened when you guys got to the bedroom?" I can tell it is going to be bad. Lucian rubs his hands over his face and takes a deep breath. I feel bad for making him relive it, but I need to know what happened so I can move past this... well, try to, at least.
"He was standing outside the room, staring at me after I had just killed his last guard. He was smiling, actually fucking smiling. I demanded to know where you were, and he pretended to be talking to you but then said you were out of commission. I snapped and saw red. I shot him in the knee, and when he went down, I jumped on him and started beating him with the gun. Jayme had to stop me before I killed him."
He pauses for a moment. I’m unsure if it is for my benefit to process or his when recalling it all.
"When I glanced in the bedroom, I felt like I was dying. You were lying naked in a pool of blood. Your body was twisted at a weird angle. You were barely breathing, and there was just so much blood. We couldn’t risk moving you in case your neck wasbroken. There were so many bruises on your neck. Jayme called the ambulance, and they came and got you. Tim called ahead and spoke to the hospital staff to avoid too many questions. They also called the state cops and told them a lie about where we found you. Unfortunately, the city cops are loyal to Theo."
“I still wish we could expose the shit he did. What happened next?”
“After Jayme spoke to the doctor, who assured us he would keep us updated while you were in surgery, we went to the docks. Mr. Snider has a warehouse there. We had Theo held there. And you know the rest.” Lucian looks ashamed of what he did, but he shouldn’t be.
I’m in slight shock. This man killed so many people just for me. He was shot because of me. And he killed my captor to make sure he could never hurt me again. I sit there silently. How could so much in my life have changed so fast? The way Lucian tortured and killed Theo for me should terrify me. How could a man I’ve known most of my life be capable of such violence? But it doesn’t terrify me at all. I don’t know what that says about my mental state, but oh well.
"Cassie, please say something." Lucian places his hand on my arm. I realize I’ve been staring at nothing for multiple minutes, just disassociating.
I look over at Lucian. His eyes are wide, and he is afraid of what I might think of him. He needs to know I don’t fear him at all. I grab his face, ignoring the pain of my busted hands, and crash my lips to his. I need him more than my lungs need oxygen. He breaks away to look into my eyes.
