His secret sin, p.15
His Secret Sin, page 15
“You’ll call me if there’s any change?” Diego asked.
“The daughter is down as next of kin.”
“I’m with Belle. She’s already stressed out by everything that has happened. I don’t want to worry her. I will also supply a huge donation to your ward for you to forward all messages.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the doctor said.
“I insist. I will also be supplying two guards for him. I don’t want him to be at risk.”
The doctor didn’t put up an argument as he wrote out a check.
“There will be more for you to pay extra attention to him.”
The doctor nodded before leaving.
He had to make this right for Belle. The only reason James got hit was because they were coming for him. Someone had been able to tail him, and he’d not even seen it. That meant, someone was that good, or one of his men had given away his location, which pissed him off.
Leaving the hospital, he found Richard already waiting for him.
“Her father’s in the hospital?”
“Yeah, and it doesn’t look good.”
“I’m sorry, man,” he said.
“Yeah, well, I’m sorry too.” He rubbed at his eyes, fucking exhausted with the whole thing. There was just no way he could have stopped this. He knew something was going to happen; he just didn’t know what and when.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”
“Let’s not go there, man, none of us know what could have happened.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t help but wonder if I could have helped you stop this.”
“It doesn’t matter now. Angelo made his move, and I wasn’t ready.”
“You can’t blame yourself for this,” Richard said.
“My woman’s dad is in the hospital. He warned me about something like this, and I didn’t listen. I thought I knew everything, and look at what is happening. He’s in a coma right now. He may never get out of that. Not to mention my dad has Belle. I couldn’t leave her alone. Fuck! When did everything get screwed up?”
“Around the time you started dating Belle.”
“Shut up, Richard. I really don’t need to hear you talk about all this bullshit right now.”
Richard shrugged. “This was your call to make with Belle.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Not now, not ever. I told you to keep an eye on Angelo, and you wouldn’t fucking listen. Let’s keep the blame to a minimum tonight.” He was tired and all he wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. Before he could do that, he needed to go and see Belle, and then of course, it was a meeting of all the capos, with the boss, to deal with this shit show.
“Angelo was being watched, Diego. These attacks didn’t include him, which mean he has men acting on his behalf. I’m watching Angelo, not every fucker that he comes into contact with. I don’t have that kind of resources.” Richard turned and walked away.
He would know more of what happened as soon as he attended the meeting. Until then, he was in the dark.
Richard drove him to his home, and Diego didn’t even invite him in, assuming the not-friend would do that himself.
His father was in his office, enjoying a glass of brandy when he entered.
“Where’s Belle?” he asked.
“She’s in one of the rooms, secured. You don’t have to worry about her,” his father said.
“Secured?”
His father picked up a remote and turned the television on.
“You fucking bastard!” The television showed Belle chained up in a room. There was no furniture other than a bed. She was huddled in the corner, looking terrified.
“So this is the reason you ran out at lunch? This is the reason your priorities have been affected? This blind fucking slut?”
“You be careful.”
“You are my son.”
“And I’m your capo. That girl is mine. You insult her, you insult me. Dad or not, I will take you down.”
“You’d face consequences.”
“In case you didn’t get the memo, I don’t give a shit about them. I’ll deal with whatever is thrown my way.” He stepped up to his father.
“You always were a piece of shit. Always thought you had what it took.”
“What’s the matter, Dad? Does it bug you that I’ve taken over and shown The Boss what a real man can do?”
His father drew his fist back as if to hit him. For years he took the hits without fighting back. No more. He was a strong man, independent, and there was no way he was going to let him speak out about his woman.
Slamming his fist into his father’s face, he felt immense joy at the sound of shattered bones, and his scream.
“Stay away from her. If I hear you’ve even looked in her direction, I’ll fucking kill you.” With that, he turned on his heel, heading toward Belle. Richard was lurking close. “Stay with him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. If he tries to hurt you, kill him.”
“You’re giving me permission to kill him?”
“Why not? I seem to be on a roll tonight.” He also didn’t want an audience when he saw Belle.
The cuffs on her irritated him, and as he made his way to the room, he felt … nervous. He was Diego Leoni. He didn’t get nervous.
Turning the door handle, he entered the room.
“Belle?” He closed the door, moving toward the bed where he saw her on the security footage. She was still kneeling in the corner, and seeing her like this broke his heart.
“Diego,” she said.
“Yes, it’s me.” He took a step toward her, but she threw her hand up.
“No. I don’t want you to come a step closer.”
“Belle, don’t do this.”
“Capo? You’re not just a nightclub owner, are you? Capo is something related to the mafia, isn’t it?”
“Belle—”
“Isn’t it!” she screamed at him, getting to her feet. Her gaze was off in the distance, but he saw through her blank stare. She was hurting, and it was all because of him.
He stayed silent, resting his hands on his hips. “I don’t want to argue with you.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Diego Leoni.”
“What are you?”
“I’m just a man.”
“You’re not just an ordinary man. Stop lying to me. Stop with all the bullshit and tell me the truth.”
He didn’t want her to know the truth, but she already knew so much. There was no way he’d be able to let her go. If he didn’t keep her now, she would be killed.
“I’m capo of the city,” he said, opening up and telling her everything. He told her who he was, and what he did, not leaving anything out, including tonight. “You and your father got caught in the crossfire.”
“Where is my dad? Did he know? Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay?”
He went to her, reaching for her arms, but she screamed at him.
“Don’t touch me.”
She slammed his hands off her. Diego wasn’t going to be pushed aside. Pulling her into his arms, he didn’t allow her to say no for an answer. She screamed at him, trying to get away. He wasn’t letting her go.
Holding onto her, he collapsed onto the bed, with her in his lap, holding her tight against his body so she didn’t move, so she didn’t fight against him. Slowly her wiggling stopped, and he didn’t let up, knowing she was a fighter and would do everything in her power to hold him off.
“You lied to me,” she said, whispering the words.
“I didn’t tell you the whole truth.”
“You’re not who I thought you were, and you’re engaged.”
Diego gritted his teeth.
“Please, Diego, let me go.”
“Not happening.”
“You can’t keep me here.”
“I can’t let you go either. You’ve seen too much. You know too much.”
She began to cry, sobbing against his chest. “What happened to my father?”
“He’s in a coma. I’ve paid for all the best kind of care money can buy. He will be protected and safe.”
“He knew about you?”
“Yes. He recognized me and my name.”
“I don’t watch the news,” she said. “I stopped a long time ago.”
He stroked his fingers through her hair, holding her, wanting to take her pain away, but not seeing any way he could do that.
“I never wanted to lie to you, but knowing how you were with me, you didn’t treat me any differently, and I liked it. I shouldn’t have pursued you. I even tried to stop, but every single time I did, you were always there, waiting.”
“I want to go back home,” she said. “I won’t say anything. I don’t know anything.”
He sighed, slowly lowering her to the bed. Her hands were clenched at her sides, and she had already done a lot of damage with those claws. He felt the scratch along his cheek, but if it made her feel better, he took the pain. “You’re not going home.”
In his need to see her, he’d forgotten the key to the cuff. He was going to have to keep her locked in this room for a considerable time, so she didn’t hurt herself. It wasn’t what he wanted to do, but until she came around to who he was and that she wasn’t leaving, he was going to have to keep her in this prison.
Getting to his feet, he walked toward the door. “I’ll be back with some food.” He saw the tray his father had left in the corner, and it pissed him off.
“I won’t say anything about who you are, or what you do. I don’t know anything.”
“We were attacked tonight, Belle. My enemies found where we were, and your father got caught in the crossfire. It wasn’t what I wanted to happen, but it did, and now I’ve got to fix it. If I let you leave, you’ll be killed. I’m taking care of your dad. If you leave, I will remove all security around your father that I’ve put in place.”
“My father can afford it.”
“Yes, and your father is in a coma unable to take care of his own needs.”
“I can take care of him.”
“You’re willing to take that risk rather than stay here.”
“I don’t want to be near a liar. A liar and a cheat. What kind of woman would marry you?”
He laughed. “The kind that is doing her duty. My fiancée is not someone I would pick. She’s who has been picked for me, and I can promise you, I have never touched her. I have no intention of touching her.”
“You were still going to continue seeing me?”
“I had every intention of building a life with you.” He put the tray he’d picked up on the edge of the bed and sat down beside Belle. Placing his hand on her stomach, he stared at her. “My baby could be here right now, Belle. You and me could have made a boy or a girl.”
“What?”
“I came inside you, and as I did, I knew I wasn’t going to let you go. You’re mine. You will always be mine, and there’s no getting away from that.”
“No.”
“Yes. There is a chance you could be pregnant, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
Before she could shove his hand away, he left, picking up the tray. At the door, he turned back to look at her. “For what it’s worth, I do actually love you, Belle.”
He closed the door, not giving her time to dispute his claim. He had hoped to tell her in a more romantic and humble setting, but that decision had been taken from him.
Carrying the tray through to the kitchen, he tossed the soup or porridge, or vomit, he didn’t know what, into the trash. Cleaning up the dishes, he opened the fridge and got to work making her a sandwich.
As he was spreading the bread with some olive butter, he paused as he noticed his hands were shaking.
He’d never been the kind of guy to shake.
Staring down at him, he thought about Belle, and he clenched his teeth together. Throwing the knife across the kitchen, he turned and slammed his fist into the glass cabinet, before throwing the blender off the counter as well.
Gripping the edge of the granite worktop, he took several deep breaths. The rage continued to flood his veins, and his temples pounded with it.
Calm down.
He had to remain calm. Making any decisions now would ruin everything. After another deep breath, he stepped over the glass, tossed the bread, which could have shards of glass, into the trash, and started again, away from the mess he’d created. He wrapped his cut and bleeding knuckles in a towel so he didn’t ruin more of Belle’s food.
“You okay?” Richard asked.
“You’re supposed to be keeping an eye on my father.”
“Already done. He’s out for the count. I’m going to ask again, are you okay?”
“Yep. Absolutely nothing wrong.” He cut the bread into little triangles before turning toward his not-friend. “Do you know what happened?”
He had intended to come and talk to his father, but after his little spat with Belle, he knew it was useless. He’d only kill him.
“It was Angelo. He attacked with the Russians. The rest of the capos and The Boss know. You have a meeting tomorrow night once they can do some damage control.”
“Right, of course.”
“Also, your father has made The Boss and the Durantes aware of Belle’s presence.”
Diego burst out laughing, and once he started, he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
“I don’t think any of this is funny.”
“That’s because you’re not me. Ignore me.” He bent forward, laughing so hard his stomach hurt. “Everything is so fucked.”
“Will they kill her?”
“No, they won’t. Believe it or not, the mafia don’t shy away from a mistress. Only when that mistress gets a little too big for her boots, if you know what I mean.” He didn’t want Belle to be his mistress.
“Do you want me to take that upstairs to her?” Richard asked.
“No. I will be handling all of Belle’s care. No one else.”
He left Richard alone in the kitchen. For now, he couldn’t give a fuck if it was protocol to have a civilian or an outsider in his home. Let him explore. Let him find shit. He couldn’t give two fucks right about now. Entering her room, he closed the door, noticing there was no lock on the inside. Great, just fucking great.
“Who is there?”
“It’s me,” he said.
She relaxed a little but tensed up immediately after.
“I don’t want you to be here.”
“Tough. Your dad wouldn’t approve of me starving you, and I don’t approve of such methods. You will eat this sandwich or I will feed you.”
His knuckles hadn’t bled through the towel, so he considered that a good thing.
“I don’t want to eat it.”
“Belle, don’t piss me off. Not right now. You hate me, I get it, but do you think your father when he gets out of his coma is going to be able to cope knowing you’re sick?” He didn’t like playing the dad card, but he was more than happy to do so if it got him the results he needed.
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t. If you hated me, you’d be able to deal with this a whole lot more. You love me, and that is what kills you.”
“You don’t even know what love is.”
“I know what love is. I’ve just never felt it before until you.”
She flinched as he touched her cheek.
“Eat.” He put the small triangle into her hand and waited. He expected her to throw it at him, but she clearly had gotten past the childish stage as she handed him the bread.
“I don’t love you.”
“I know.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her.
“I think what you did was unfair,” she said.
“Baby, what I did was fucking awful, but I still did it and it got me you. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Eat your sandwich, and then I’ll take you for a shower.”
“I don’t want you to touch me.”
“I won’t. I said I’ll take you for a shower, not fuck you.” Anyone else, he’d have killed by now because of the effort. With Belle, it was so much different. Running a hand down his face, he ignored his own hunger to watch her eat.
“You need to eat something,” she said, taking the second triangle of sandwich. “Please, share this with me.”
“I made it for you.”
“And you’re not eating.”
“You’re going to take care of me.”
“I don’t want you to starve. I’m not a monster here.”
“I know. I’m the fucking monster.” He took the triangle and shoved it in his mouth, chewing on the food. There was no taste. He didn’t want to eat anything because he felt sick to his stomach.
He’d nearly lost Belle today, and that was enough to send him over the edge.
Stroking his fingers down her arm, he ignored the flinch, and touched her pulse. Still alive. Still breathing.
He couldn’t ask for more.
****
Belle sensed a change within Diego. The way he touched her, it was like he was checking she was still alive. His touch was so gentle. She wanted to know her father was okay, and above all else, regardless of everything, she wanted Diego to throw his arms around her and hug her tight.
What kind of person did that make her? She wanted to be held by the very man who had lied to her. Who was seeing someone else.
“Did you eat the other part of the sandwich?” There was no way she could eat anything else, not after what they’d been through.
“It’s all gone.” He slid off the bed. “It’s time for your shower.”
“I don’t want to take a shower.”
“I didn’t ask you, Belle. I’m telling you. I’ll be back in a moment.” She heard the door close behind him, leaving her alone.
Rubbing at her temple, she thought about what he said. Was it possible for her to be pregnant? She knew it only took one time, but could she be that unlucky?
No.
There’s no way she could be pregnant.
Or could she?
With her hand on her stomach, she couldn’t feel anything. There was no baby, but then, she wasn’t a pregnancy test.
How had her life gotten so fucked?
Again, Melanie.
If she’d not been in that stupid club, she wouldn’t be here now, and wouldn’t be at Diego’s mercy.
