I turn to look at her, and her eyes are shiny with tears and hope, but she nods her head.
“Once the baby is born, Tori, we won’t need you. I will love it like it needs to be loved and hope that it’s enough,” she says quietly, almost like it’s a warning.
I have nothing to say to that, so I turn back around.
“Do you feel anything?” I hear her say, but I don’t acknowledge her. “Gio and Casey are gone, and you don’t seem to care at all. In fact, I would guess it wasn’t a surprise when the agent told you.”
“He got what he deserved.”
“But the baby,” she argues with tears in her voice.
“Gio knew what he was getting into when he put his happiness before the good of the family. He would probably be proud of the way I dealt with it if he wasn’t on the receiving end,” I tell her flatly.
“You’re going to hell, Tori,” she murmurs, and a slow, icy grin spreads across my face. I can see myself in the reflection of the window, all teeth and terrifying.
“I don’t believe in hell, and even if I did, I’m sure I would make the devil my bitch in no time.”
I hear Colton scoff with amusement in the backseat, and Vienna hisses at him.
“I have no doubt about it.” Xavier chuckles. “So where is the warehouse?”
“Pfft, what warehouse? You obviously know about all our assets. Hell, you even know about the ones under the Kitty Kat Club that I only just discovered. Why would you think we were hiding any others?”
“Because Lorenzo told us there was one, although he didn’t know the location of it, and we searched those tunnels and didn’t find anything.”
Thank goodness I had the one that leads to the underground bunker secured. Our contractor made it look like it was a dead-end tunnel with a fake wall that we can access from inside thewarehouse. Anyone not looking too closely will never be able to tell the difference. That reminds me, I need to get away from these four at some stage so I can tip Agent Garcia off to their shipment of drugs coming into the docks. It almost felt like Colton wanted me to know that information. After all, he was there when Lorenzo was taken by the feds after an anonymous tip. I won’t let this city get flooded with that filth. I also need to retrieve that important piece of paper from my desk and search the location for any sign of my father.
“So how about you share it with me as a wedding gift?” Xavier pushes.
My head snaps around, and I stare at him incredulously. “You really think I’m going to tell you? And as a wedding gift? The only wedding gift you’ll get from me is a fucking bullet between your eyes.”
“Tori, please,” Vienna begs.
“Don’t make Tristan torture the information out of your father, Tori. Mario won’t give him any other choice, and he won’t be able to come back from that,” Colton implores as we pull up to the courthouse. I don’t bother responding, instead grabbing the door handle and scrambling out of the car before Xavier has even turned off the ignition.
My breathing is fast, and I gulp in a mouthful of air as I try to stave off a panic attack. I will not let my father suffer, but I also won’t give them the satisfaction of caving. Damn it, I need to contact my team, but I bet my room is bugged, and I wouldn’t put it past Colton to bug my phone as well.
I wonder if he bugged my playroom. Fuck, all those memories are tainted now too, just like the Black Rose. Once this is all over, maybe I just need to disappear. Dad’s alive, so he can take over running the family again with Mickey, Carla, Ben, and Suzy by his side, and I can fade into people’s memories. I’llbecome a cat lady in a little cottage on the coast of Ireland or something. I’m sure Maeve’s family will help me.
Fuck! Maeve and Mickey! Jesus, that isn’t going to end well once he knows Carla’s alive. A wave of sympathy rushes over me. I really like the fiery Irish woman, and what the fuck was with my dad and Carla? Maybe there is more merit to what Suzy and Ben told me about my dad prior to meeting my mom. My head throbs at the thought of it all, and I decide I have enough on my plate to worry about their relationships. They are adults and will sort it out themselves. I just hope I still have them all in my life at the end of it.
I’m shaken out of my chaotic thoughts by a hand gripping my arm. “Stop fucking around, Tori. Mario’s men won’t hesitate to threaten the public if they think you aren’t going to go through with this,” Xavier mutters into my ear as we start walking up the steps to the courthouse.
I glance behind me, and sure enough, five men shadow us. One of them has his hand tucked into his jacket and nods at me threateningly, like he can hear what Xavier is saying, though that would be impossible.
“Fine,” I huff out as Colton opens the door, and we move inside the large building.
“This way.” He waves when he follows Vienna in, leaving our shadows to sort themselves out.
My heels click on the marble floors of the mostly empty courthouse as Colton leads us in whatever direction we need to go. They obviously had this planned, because he doesn’t need to ask for directions.
We pass a bathroom, and I pull Xavier, who still has his hand on my arm, to a stop. “I need to use the bathroom.”
He scowls, looking from me to the closed ladies’ room door. “Fine, but make it quick. Vienna, go with her,” he orders, and Imuffle my scoff. I’m pretty sure I could just snarl at Vienna, and she would cower.
Vienna looks between the men and gives a quick nod as the rest of Mario’s men catch up to us. “Can you hold my phone?” She passes it to Colton, who slips it into his pocket without taking his eyes off our escort.
“What’s the holdup?” a pockmarked, greasy-haired behemoth asks as they come to a stop.
