I chuckle. “Maksim may be helping us, but the man lost a fuck of a lot of men. That’s a blow to the ego no one can recover from. What better way to get back at us than coming after us?”

  Stefan nods in agreement. “Exactly. By helping us out, he also gets to know just what we’ve found out. He could be waiting until we get close to finding out who, and then attack. We’d never see it coming, as he’s played the part of being an ally so cleverly.”

  Dante’s eyes darken. “I’m far from stupid. You keep your friends close and enemies closer, Stefan. Maksim isn’t going to know anything we find out. I haven’t been giving him details on anything we’ve uncovered.”

  Makenna nods. “You should know by now, Stefan, that we’re distrusting people at the best of times. Just because we handed Maksim a million-dollar business, doesn’t mean we’re fools. The stables of women aren’t something we’re interested in. Yes, both Finn and Malcolm think it could be a lucrative business, but it’s not what I want. We do not need them.”

  While I agree with Finn and Malcolm, having a stable of women would mean more ears to the ground. When men get horny and drunk, they spill secrets. It’s true. Having a whore house would attract influential clients such as politicians and higher ups in the police department. Whorehouses owned by criminals such as us would give these ass’s anonymity, and in doing so, would have them and their asshole friends frequenting the places. Those men get real talkative when they’re fucking around on their wives and partners. Pillow talk is never attractive.

  “I’ll have Declan do a deep dive on every member of the Bratva,” Makenna sighs. “It’ll take him a while, but he’ll get it done.”

  Declan joined us almost six months ago. The man has been a fucking Godsend. He’s a hacker. He’s barely an adult, the youngest member of the Clann. Since he joined Makenna’s ranks, he’s hacked almost every database we’re on. Declan’s managed to hack the FBI and DEA. Thankfully, they’re not any closer to figuring out what we’re doing. However, they had a search warrant for the Fury Vipers compound two months ago that Declan managed to uncover, giving Makenna enough time to warn Ace, so when the feds came calling, there was nothing for them to find.

  “We’re traveling to Indianapolis next week,” Makenna announces once the talk of who the hell is after us has died down. At the moment, they’re probably trying to rebuild and find another way to come after us. Hopefully, we’ll uncover who it is before that. “Every family member is to be in attendance.”

  I grin, loving that I don’t have to go. There are too many Gallaghers, and they’re popping kids out like it’s a fucking race. I’m not sure how many kids have been born since they all got married off, but Makenna’s brother Denis takes the cake. The man has eight kids. That’s a small army in itself.

  “Ales,” Dante chuckles. “You’re coming too.”

  I grit my teeth. “Why?” I don’t go to these events. As much as I love my sisters-in-law, I do not need to be around their crazy family.

  “Because it’s been almost five years, you’re family, and that means you’re coming,” Makenna tells me as she raises her brow, daring me to argue with her. “Adelina has been through hell, Ales, and she’s finally celebrating something, so your ass will be on a plane with the rest of us and we’ll be going to Hayden and Ade’s baby shower.”

  I grind my jaw. This is bullshit. The fucking last thing I want to do is go to some baby shower. “Isn’t that shit for women anyway?” I ask.

  Dante and Rome chuckle, but I can see in both of their faces that they’d rather be anywhere than at the celebration. Talk of births, babies, and God knows what, is something I want no participation in.

  “You’ll enjoy it,” Holly assures me. “It’ll be fun.”

  “Doll face,” Rome says with a smirk. “Nothing about it will be fun.”

  I sigh, knowing there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to get out of this. “Fine, but there had better be alcohol.”

  Makenna beams at me. She’s all about her family and ensuring they’re all happy. I still don’t understand why the fuck I have to be there. But whatever it takes to keep the boss happy.

  “So, what’s happened?” Rome asks once we leave the Gallagher mansion. “I can tell by your face that it’s something to do with Gabriella, so what is it?”

  Ever since I told him about what went down, Romero has done everything in his power to help me find her. Not only do I have an investigator looking for her, but he does also.

  “Thomas said he picked up her trail in Louisville, Kentucky, but when he got there, she was gone.”

  He shakes his head. “How the fuck can one woman disappear? She’s evaded both men over the past four years. What the fuck did you do to her?”

  I roll my eyes at the fucker. “Nothing,” I say, knowing I did a fuck of a lot more than that. I promised her I’d be back, and she thought I was full of shit. Turns out, I was. The Famiglia comes first. The shit we had going on needed my full attention, although, that was something I could never do. The moment I saw Gabriella, I wanted her, but when she saved me, put her neck on the line for me, I knew I’d have her. But the more I fucked her, the more I knew it was more than just lust and want. I became obsessed, and nothing has diminished that obsession over the four years. It’s been simmering on the surface as we’ve tried to find her.

  “We’re heading to Indianapolis, Ales. That's what… a two-hour drive from Indianapolis to Kentucky? Use the time we’re there to find her. You’ll be able to do some digging and see where she was, and maybe, you’ll be able to find out where she headed.”

  A slow smile forms on my lips. Fuck. He’s right. Maybe going to this baby shower won’t be so bad after all.

  Chapter 13

  Gabriella

  “Sweetheart, are you okay?” my dad asks as I sink down on the sofa. I’m beyond tired. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep. “You’ve been working nonstop; you need a little break.”

  I laugh. “Break? What’s that?” I have a three-year-old boy who has more energy than should be allowed. He’s energetic, funny, and is the double of his father. Every time I look into Anthony’s face, I see Alessio.

  “Funny,” Dad grins. “But you’ve worked your ass off these past four years and you’re an amazing mom. While you’re here, take a load off and let me spoil you and the boy.”

  I smile at him. He’s really trying. As much as he was a shitty dad to me while I was growing up, he’s been an amazing grandfather to Anthony. The two of them get along like a house on fire. I’m so glad my baby has that relationship.

  “That would be nice, but I can’t expect you to do that,” I say through a yawn. “You’re busy too.”

  My dad has tried his hardest to get away from the business, but it’s a lot harder than said. He’s bought some legitimate businesses and has moved his base to Kentucky. He lives less than a two-hour drive away from me. Something I’m ever so grateful for. Both Anthony and I can visit him anytime we like without having to plan a vacation.

  “Never,” he says vehemently. “Never too busy for you or Anthony.”

  That’s another thing that has changed. He’s right, no matter when I call, he’s never too busy to take it. Whenever we drop by, he’ll stop what he’s doing to spend time with us. He’s been my biggest supporter over the past four years. He’s been with me every step of the way.

  When I was giving birth to Anthony, I wanted Raylee to be my birthing partner. She was more than happy to be there with me. But so was my dad. He held my hand throughout the entire process, never once letting go.

  I think in that moment, I let go of all the anger and resentment I felt over the years and was just so happy to have him with me. Since then, our relationship has become more. He’s my father, and I’m proud to call him that, just as I’m proud to call him Anthony’s grandfather.

  “Dad, we’re only here for a few nights,” I tell him. It’s his birthday tomorrow and I’m taking him out for dinner. “I have to be back in Indianapolis for Adelina’s baby shower.”

  Ade has become one of my best friends. She’s sweet, caring, and amazing. Her husband, Hayden Gallagher—who happens to be related to Raylee’s husband, Malcolm—owns the club next to my art gallery. Ade took over running it, and the moment we met, we hit it off. It was so nice to have a woman around my age that I could talk to.

  That was almost a year ago. Since then, Ade has been through Hell and back. Her husband’s enemies planted a bomb in her house, which left Ade with a scar on her cheek and led to the death of her thirteen-year-old sister, Vivianna. It took a while before Ade was able to come to terms with the scar on her face. Her entire life, she was made to believe that she was only wanted for her looks, so having a scar that’s so prominent brought about a lot of insecurities. Thankfully, her husband is amazing and has showed his wife that she's more than her looks. But even with the scar, Ade is one of the most beautiful women I have ever come across.

  “Ah, how is the lovely Adelina?” my father asks.

  I roll my eyes. “Hayden would kill you for calling her lovely,” I tell him with a smile. As amazing as her husband is, he’s also very protective and possessive.

  He smirks. “I know.” Silence descends on us, and I wait, knowing by the hesitant look on my father’s face that he has something to ask or say. “Dinner tomorrow, would you be okay with Hazel coming?”

  I inwardly smile. I knew it. I knew she was the woman he was dating.

  “Dad…” I begin. “Is she your woman now?”

  Four months ago, my father told me he was getting a divorce from Christina, something she wasn’t too happy about. I knew he must have found a woman. It coincided with my father finding an assistant. A young, sexy, funny assistant who treated both Anthony and I like we were family. The second I met Hazel, I liked her. However, she’s my age, and the fact that my dad is dating her is a little weird, but I’m not going to make a big deal about it as he seems happy. Probably the happiest I have ever seen.

  He sighs as he glares at me. “Yes.”

  I press my lips together so as not to smile at him. “So does that make her my new mommy?”

  “Gabriella,” he says sternly.

  “You’re too easy to wind up, Dad.”

  He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Look, Gab, I’ve made mistakes, some I wish I could go back and change and others that are mistakes but also the proudest moments of my life. Like meeting your mom and having you. That wasn’t meant to happen, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

  I let his words sink in. “Dad, is Hazel pregnant?”

  “You always were the smart one,” he grumbles. “Yes, and if Christina finds out, she’ll hit the roof.”

  That’s something that is going to happen anyway. Christina is a bitch. I understand her husband cheated on her multiple times and his mistress gave birth to his child, but the way she treats Anthony is something I’ll never forgive. She screams and shouts at him whenever he’s near her. She even pushed him away from her when he was learning to walk. Thankfully, my dad took her out of the room because I was about to rip the hair out of her head.

  “Of course she’s coming. She’s family now.”

  It’s that simple to me. Hazel makes my dad happy and that’s all that I want.

  He gives me a bright smile, and I know I’ve made the right choice.

  “Have you heard from Anthony’s father?” he asks me a little while later.

  This is a conversation we have every six weeks. I think it’s my father’s not so subtle way of telling me I should tell Alessio that he has a son. Even though Anthony looks like his father, my dad hasn’t made a comment about it. He either doesn’t see the resemblance or he’s just not letting on that he knows. Either way, I’m grateful.

  “Dad,” I say with a deep sigh. I’m sick of having this conversation. “While I appreciate that you’re looking out for me, you have to realize that I’m doing what I think is best for my son. I don’t want Anthony to go through what I did, always being second best.” It’s taken over twenty years for me to be at peace with the way I used to feel and to forgive my father for how he treated me. It’s not something I would wish on anyone, let alone my son. So I’m doing what I believe is the best thing for him.

  “How do you know he’ll do what I did?” That’s another thing I respect my father for; he’s admitted his faults, he’s understood how it made me feel, and he takes responsibility for that. He allowed not only his work, but his wife to stand in the way of our relationship, and to me, that was unacceptable.

  “Because he told me he’d be back in a week and he never returned.” That hurt a hell of a lot more than I’d ever admit to anyone. Alessio Bianchi managed to get inside my walls and make me feel something I never thought possible. Yet even now, when I think of him, my heart melts and all those feelings start to surface.

  I don’t hate Alessio. I never could. But I don’t trust him, and that’s something I don’t think will ever change.

  His eyes soften as he looks at me. “Okay,” he says, and I pray that this’ll be the end of it.

  “Next month, we’re doing a local talent exhibition in the gallery,” I say proudly. It’s something I wanted to do, spread out and open the gallery for local artists to showcase their talent. “I had over three hundred entries. I hate that I could only pick seventy.” It’s always heartbreaking to send an email telling someone they won’t be featured.

  “If this is a success, then hold another one and invite those who weren’t able to be featured,” he tells me, listening with rapt attention.

  He’s so supportive of my work and what I do. He’ll listen to me for hours talking about what I want to do to bring more people to the gallery. Thankfully, I’ve been lucky and have a steady flow of clients looking to buy pieces. And I have been able to expand my gallery by buying out the store next door. My dad gave me the money to buy my first store, and I paid back the loan, even though he didn’t want me to.

  “If you’re around, I’d love for you to come.”

  “I’ll be there,” he promises me.

  “Great, and that invitation extends to Hazel, Dad. If you two are together, that means she’s family. So next family dinner, she had better be there.”

  His chuckle is deep and throaty. “I’m proud of you, Gab. The woman you have become is amazing. You’re smart, kind, caring, and loving. You could have walked away from me when you moved to Indianapolis, told me you were done. I wouldn’t have blamed you. Instead, you gave me the opportunity to repair the damage I caused to our relationship, and you gave me the chance to be a better man. I love you.”

  Tears fill my eyes as I stare at him. “You’re my dad,” I tell him simply as I get to my feet and walk into his open arms. “I love you too.”

  I couldn’t be where I am today without him. Losing Mum hurt me so much. It was hard leaving Spain, but I knew I had to. Dad flew back and helped me get home. He was a shoulder to cry on and someone I could talk to. Him and Raylee helped me through my darkest hours. Without them, I would be in a deep state of depression.

  Dad’s cell rings and I pull away, letting him get it. As much as he’s trying to put distance between family and work, work still needs him. His eyes brighten a touch when he sees the screen, and I know it’s Hazel calling him. He always gets that spark whenever he speaks to her.

  I walk toward the bedrooms and stop at Anthony’s. It’s hard to believe my little boy is three. He’s amazing, and I’m so in love with him. I never knew what people meant when they talked about the love you have for a child is different than that to anyone else until I held Anthony in my arms for the first time. My heart filled with so much emotion, it took everything in me not to cry. I held my boy for hours, just staring at him, visualizing everything about him. I find myself doing it still to this day. I always check on him while he’s sleeping. I stare at his peaceful face, making sure I take in every single detail.

  Pushing open his bedroom door, my heart warms as I see him fast asleep, his stuffed animal tightly held in his arms. It was a gift from Raylee when he was a baby, and he’s never without it. Thankfully, Ray had the foresight to ensure we had a spare, in case anything happened to it. I press a kiss against his head, thankful to have him in my life.

  Giving birth to him was hard. It was chaotic, and it was painful. What was meant to be a natural birth went AWOL. I wasn’t dilated enough, and Anthony was in distress—as was I. I ended up needing an emergency c-section and lost too much blood. I hemorrhaged. It was touch and go whether or not they’d have to do the drastic measure of taking my womb. But we’re both here, we’re both happy and healthy, and I couldn’t ask for more.

  When I was released from hospital and returned home, I was shocked to find Christina waiting at my house, a sweet but fake smile on her face. She congratulated me on the birth of my son and then proceeded to tell me I took the lazy way out by having a cesarean section. I was three days post op, I was tired, sore, and my patience was gone. I informed the stupid cow that as long as my baby was okay, that’s all that mattered. Giving birth—no matter how you do it—is an amazing experience, and no one should be shamed for it.

  Thankfully, she backed off when my dad walked in with mine and Anthony’s bags. He glanced between us, and obviously noticing the tension, told Christina to back off. Which she did for all but a minute. She then had something to say about me not breastfeeding Anthony. Something I tried to do, but ultimately failed. She made me feel like a bad mother, that giving Anthony formula was the worst thing in the world. But Raylee went off on her and made sure I knew that I was doing everything right for me and my baby. It was a stressful week, and I was so glad when Christina returned to Denver and left me the hell alone. There was only so much criticism that I could take, and I was close to losing my mind with her.

  “Sweetheart,” Dad whispers as he walks into Anthony’s room behind me. “Are you okay?”

  I turn and look at him. “I’m good, just reminiscing,” I say with a smile.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22