Convicted: A Mafia Romance (15 page)

“You,” he shouted, pointing the gun at me. “Get out of the car. Keep your hands where I can see them. Move!”

All he did was shout. I almost pushed the door to the car closed as I climbed out, but thought better of it. Leaving it open allowed Haven a means to escape and hide from this lunatic. I eased away from the car, hoping Theron would forget about her. The headlights showed bright into the darkness, swirls of dust from our movement kicking up like a small tornado in the beams. Theron jammed the gun in my back, forcing me to keep moving into the light. Anger boiled inside me, threatening to crack its confines, breaking free into the night. With each push of the muzzle into my back, the crack widened.

“On your knees, brother!” Theron shouted, the last word cracking as it slid across his dry lips. I eased down onto my knees, rocks digging into my skin. I turned my head towards the car, and even though I could not see Haven, I knew that she could see me. I could feel her pain. I didn’t want her to see me die. I didn’t want her to be left alone with this jackass. Where the fuck was Hackett?

Out of nowhere, Theron begins raging on about his life, swearing at our father and me for stealing what he should have had. He yelled and screamed, the years of pain and sorrow giving birth to rage and vengeance evident in every word he spoke. I felt sorry for him. He had been done wrong even I could see that. If things had worked out differently, we would have been close. But he chose this road. He had the chance to come to me and share his story, his life, and I would have given him anything, welcomed him with open arms. A brother. A twin. But he crushed that chance, killed it as he had Astra and Davis and that poor sweet innocent girl, Meg.

Now all I could see was a man so filled with hate that it ruled every fiber of his being. There was no saving him. He was well past the point of being forgiven for all of the things he had done. All of the lives he had taken. Innocent lives that would never have the chance to come to fruition. Taking a sobering breath I raised my eyes daring to meet the cold heartless eyes of my brother and waited for whatever came next.

Chapter Twenty-One - Haven

“Courage is being scared to death...and saddling up anyway.”

- John Wayne

I never thought I would fall in love with a man like Sebastian Christakos but he had touched my heart and gotten under my skin. My taste buds had been saturated in fear for weeks as the days rolled by, one by one, each day ending faster than the one before it, speeding like a race car to the finish line, leaving me alone and him behind bars. Again.

When he handed me a ticket to Paris, my heart swelled with joy. The feeling didn’t last long though. The excitement was quickly replaced with the darkness that overshadowed everything we were building together, but like all things between us, he somehow managed to swallow the fear and give me hope; hope that he would be by my side in Paris. I wanted to believe it was possible. I really did, but I feared it was only wishful thinking on my part. Still, we managed to salvage our lovely romantic dinner together, pushing aside all of the darkness closing in on us. Sebastian held me close, his warmth insulating me from the cold as we walked to the car.

I was so excited to get back to the Christakos estate that I hadn’t noticed anything was wrong. How stupid of me. How could I not see? It wasn’t until Sebastian’s driver stopped on the side of the road that everything became so clear. The moment the door flew open and I saw Theron’s dark evil glare, I knew how screwed we both were.

He looked so heartless, so different from the man holding me tight against him. His voice was like razors to my ears, slicing away haphazardly. My body shook violently with each venomous word he spoke as Sebastian eased me behind him, keeping his body in front of mine. Tears streamed down my face as I witnessed the two brothers – mirror images of each other – size each other up like prize fighters in a title fight, neither one backing down from the other.

Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision as I fought to see beyond the front of the car. At gunpoint, Sebastian knelt in the gravel on the roadside. I don’t know what I had expected when the two met face to face, but this wasn’t it. Sebastian on his knees before his deranged psychotic brother was an image I never once conjured up. Sebastian was a damn fighter. Why the hell was he submitting to this asshole? Why?

The muzzle of the gun swung wildly to and fro in the hazy beam of light. I struggled to sit up taller, hindered by the handcuffs binding my wrists behind my back. I blinked away the tears filling my eyes again, my heart pounding chaotically. This wasn’t supposed to end this way. I couldn’t lose Sebastian now.

One blink of my eyes changed everything. One millisecond of time, of darkness, and that was all it took for my life to freeze. The shot rang out, followed by a flash of light and a shrill sound I couldn’t place. It wasn’t until Sebastian’s body toppled to the ground that I realized the sound was coming from me. I was screaming bloody murder.

Before I could blink again, another shot rang out. Theron’s body tumbled stiffly forward onto Sebastian. A satisfied smile worked onto my lips at the sight, but it only lasted a heartbeat. Sebastian had been shot. The man I loved was dead or dying and I could barely believe it. I crumbled into the seat of the car, all reasoning and abilities to do anything gone. I’d lost everything. My body shook with intense sobs, my chest heaving, as I did my best to catch my breath. It was useless. Pulling my legs to my chest, huddled into a fetal position, I did the only thing I could do. I wept for the man I loved, the life we could have had.

“Haven? Haven, are you alright?” a deep voice asked. I could feel large hands pulling me up from my crouched position. Warmth surrounded me. Comforted me in my darkest moment. I felt lost and adrift with nothing to save me. Nothing to calm the hollowness in my heart. Warm arms surrounded me, “Haven, it’s Hackett. Can you hear me?”

I barely recognized my own voice as I spoke, “He’s... he’s gone.”

“Oh, honey. Sebastian is fine. It was only a shoulder wound.”

Just hearing those words brought me out of the dark place I was falling into. Sebastian was alive. Thank god. But he was hurt. “I have to see him. Please, Hackett? I need to see for myself.”

“Sure, doll. Come on. Let me help you stand.” Hackett pulled me from the car, easing me onto trembling legs. “I need someone to get these fucking cuffs off of Sebastian’s woman. Now!”

Agent Dooley tossed a set of keys to Hackett, who made quick work of releasing me from my metal prison. I wasted no time in getting to the front of the car where I had last seen Sebastian on his knees. But he wasn’t there. Where the hell was he? “Where is he, Hackett? Where?” I pounded my hands on the big guy’s chest. The tears had returned in earnest. I had to see him. I had to know he was really alright.

“Calm down, Haven. The boss is in the back of Dooley’s car.”

Hackett pointed to a black SUV I hadn’t even noticed. I wiped the tears from my face, finally catching sight of Sebastian sitting in the back seat, his head slumped down, hand gripping his right shoulder. I ran for him, stumbling in my heels as I went. I crashed into Sebastian, throwing my body against his.

“It’s okay, Agapi mou. It’s just a flesh wound.”

“Don’t ever fucking scare me like that again.” As the words left my mouth, I stiffened. “Where the hell is that bastard? Is he dead? Please tell me he’s dead or I’ll kill him myself.”

“He’s not dead, Haven. We need him alive. He’s the only person that is capable of saving my ass and you know it.”

“I know but...”

Sebastian silenced me with a kiss so intoxicating that all thoughts of Theron left me. A whirl of sirens pierced the night as two cop cars and an ambulance came to a halt around us. Organized chaos ensued as I watched Agent Dooley escort a couple of emergency medical personnel to Theron, who was leaning against the side of Dooley’s vehicle cuffed and bleeding like a pig from his stomach.

The cuffs were removed as the medical team loaded him on a gurney and did whatever it was they needed to do. If it was up to me I’d just let the bastard die. But the smart lawyer side of me knew he needed to answer for his crimes and pay the price, a price that would no doubt be steep. But in no way would it ever be enough. I’d make sure he paid for what he’d done, all the lives he stole and tried to steal.

Chapter Twenty-Two - Haven

“Woman begins by resisting a man’s advances and ends up blocking his retreat.”

- Oscar Wilde

The three months following Theron’s arrest were a whirlwind like you wouldn’t believe. As Sebastian’s attorney, I was forced to keep a professional distance from him, which I can only describe as painful. The time apart only seemed to bring us closer together, though. God, he was a wonderful man.

Sebastian’s name was cleared in the murder of his wife, Astra. Theron’s trial came and went in a blur, leaving him with a punishment that fit the crimes he had committed. The death penalty, in my opinion, was a fair trade. I guess you could say the old saying ‘an eye for an eye’ fit perfectly. He wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else. The dark days had ended and it was time for a new and brighter beginning.

Sebastian and Hackett still mourned the loss of their beloved friend, Eamon, who gave his life to see his friend’s name cleared. Watching Sebastian I.D. Eamon’s body broke my heart. I hadn’t known him all that well, but what I did know showed me what a wonderful man he had been. He would be missed by all of us.

Agent Dooley received a promotion for bringing down Theron. Was it deserved? Not in the slightest… but I did have to admit that without his help that night on the side of the road, the situation might not have ended as it did. For that, I was grateful for what little he did do to help Sebastian earn his freedom. He and Sebastian had called a truce. Whatever happened between them in the past was now water under the bridge. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that they trusted one another, but time would tell.

Hackett apologized every day for shooting Sebastian. The guilt of his actions damn near ate him alive for the first few weeks after the incident. I’d never seen a grown man as big as Hackett beg for forgiveness. Sebastian sent him on a vacation, hoping he would relax a bit and come back a new man. We knew he didn’t mean to harm Sebastian that night. Everything had happened so fast that Hackett did what he felt needed to be done. When he had shot Sebastian, it was meant to draw Theron’s attention away from him, to through him off while Dooley took aim at him. It had worked like a charm, too.

Sebastian said the scar would be a small reminder of the night that everything in his life became clear. I still didn’t know what he meant by that. I didn’t bother asking. If and when he was ready to tell me, I knew he would.

“Sweetheart, are you ready?” Sebastian called, his voice deep and sultry, sending a chill down my spine. Damn, the man had the sexiest voice.

“Give me one more minute and I’ll be right there,” I said as I added another layer of gloss to my lips. “Coming.”

Paris. I was finally taking the trip of my dreams, with Sebastian by my side. Three months ago, I thought spending time with Sebastian in Paris would never happen, but I had been damn wrong. He had been right all along. Everything worked out just the way it was supposed to. I may have had serious doubts in the beginning, but right now, standing in a luxurious hotel suite, every ounce of that doubt was gone. The dark cloud of Sebastian’s mafia life still lingered though, but I did my best to tamp it down. Being in the city of love with the man I loved was all that mattered now.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to head for the bedroom door, only to find Sebastian leaning against the door frame. My heart stopped. It always did when my gaze met his. Each and every fucking time. Freezing in place, I let my eyes flow over the hardened muscles that were barely contained by his tight white t-shirt and dark denim jeans. A deep intense heat, followed by tightening of my muscles, began in my belly as my eyes once again met his.

That knowing look was there, all hungry and predatory. It was times like this that I wanted to fall to my knees and beg him to take me. The smirk on his gorgeous face told me he knew what I was thinking without uttering a word. Chills swept over my body, rapidly claiming me. Sebastian pushed off the door frame and crossed the room in a few long, quick strides, his large strong hands grasping my hips, pulling me against him. A soft whimper escaped my lips.

“I see it in your eyes, my love. Say it.” His voice was deep and husky.

“I... I want you so much.”

“Say it,” he ordered again.

My heart thumped like the beat of a thousand drums.  “I love you, Sebastian.”

“I love you.”

His lips pressed against mine, soft and gentle, then firmer and more demanding as he deepened the kiss. Electricity sparked between us as we stumbled backwards against the wall. I was aching for his touch, dying to once again feel his cock delve into the heart of me, connecting us, making us whole.

Sebastian’s warm hands slipped down my back, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as they descended. Grabbing my ass, he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs snuggly around his waist, my arms around his neck as I grinded against his glorious cock.

“Take me. Take me now,” I moaned, my voice a low whimper.

Breaking our kiss, Sebastian gently lowered me to my feet. What the hell? I watched in confusion as he stepped back, his hungry eyes sweeping down my body, then up once more.

“As much as I want to take you to bed right now, we must wait. Not long, though. I promise you that.”

“Okay.”

We left the hotel hand in hand, but something felt different. I couldn’t put my finger on it, and wasn’t sure I wanted to. We had dinner at a nice little restaurant, candles twinkling between us. Sebastian was tense, and no matter how much he tried to hide it, it showed.