Master of My Mind BN (28 page)

“Oh, god,” I whispered.

 
The next image that
flashed on the screen was a professional family photograph of George, Sloane,
and Hayden. As Tony sat down next to me, I reached out and grabbed his hand. My
heart hammered in my chest. Glancing from the TV as Vito and Alisa entered the
room, I quickly turned my attention back to the anchorwoman, focusing on her
words.

“Officials have still not determined the cause of the fire,
but sources close to the investigation say explosives were involved. And with
the blast claiming the lives of both his ex-wife, Sloane, and daughter, Hayden,
questions about Judge Marston’s multi-billion dollar estate are being raised.
For that we take you live to Chicago and our on-scene reporter, Sasha
Clevenger. Sasha, what can you
tell
us?”

The blue-eyed, blonde newscaster stood in front of George’s
burned out house. Black soot stained the once red brick, and the broken out
windows reminded me of a cold, dead skeleton. A handful of firefighters traipsed
in and out of the opening where the front door once stood.

“Unfortunately, officials are being tight lipped about this
mysterious explosion, Bianca. Through court records we’ve obtained, we know
that Judge Marston’s ex-wife, Sloane, had filed an injunction contesting his
will. Some of our sources speculate it might have something to do with his
longtime, live-in companion,
Leagh
Bennett. So far
we’ve been unsuccessful in reaching Ms. Bennett for comment. We do know,
however, that she is not a suspect in the explosion at this time.”

My stomach pitched and threatened to purge as I watched a
montage of photos spool over the screen.
Photos of George and
me… together at several high-dollar political dinners.
Pictures I didn’t
even know existed were being transmitted for the whole world to see.

“No. No. No,” I repeated under my breath, in horror.

Tony turned and looked at me. His dark eyes filled with
fear. The same fear that was crawling through my veins and choking the air from
my lungs. Suddenly, a loud knock came from the front door.

“Tony?” I cried. Fear gripped me in a choke hold as I
whipped my head toward the door.

“It’s okay,” Vito assured, walking toward the entryway. “The
boys are back out there keeping an eye on things,
Leagh
.
They won’t let anyone suspicious near the house.”

“That was a national news channel, Tony,” I murmured.
“Matt’s going to be able to find me now.”

“Even if he does, I won’t let him hurt you, I swear.” Tony
wrapped his arm around my shoulder as I fought the urge to vomit.

James walked into the room, looking first at me, then the
television. “Fuck,” he muttered. “I wanted to get to you before you heard about
all this.”

“I’ll make some more coffee,” Alisa announced, before
darting toward the kitchen.

James and Vito sat down across from us as Tony held me
close.

“Is it true? Are Sloane and Hayden really dead?” I asked.

“Yes,” James affirmed with a solemn nod. “We also positively
ID’d
the guy, as well. His name was Fredrick Willis.
He’s the same dude who was outside the club last night, and he’s got a rap
sheet a mile long…specializing in explosives.”

“What about the guy that was following Tony last night?”
Vito asked in concern.

“His name is Arthur Feeney. When he found out Willis was
dead, he started singing like a canary.”

“Hold that thought. I want to know who the fuck is talking
to the press,” Tony barked.

“That’s the same thing the chief, half the damn
precinct,
and I want to know,” James groused.

“So what is this Feeney guy saying about Willis? Did Hayden
hire them to kill me?”

“It wasn’t Hayden; it was Sloane,” James replied with a grim
expression.

“Sloane?”
I gasped.

“Yeah, she hired Willis to take you out. The story we got
from Feeney is that Willis planted the C-4 in
Leagh’s
car, but when we interrupted him, he freaked. He called Feeney and told him to
watch the club while he went to George’s house to get the rest of what Sloane
owed him. Evidently, Willis didn’t trust her. I can’t imagine why,” James added
sarcastically. “Anyway, he’d always planned to kill her after he got his money.
The fire investigator found pieces of a homemade incendiary device. He must
have planted the explosive in the basement. How or why it detonated with Willis
inside the house, we’ll never know.”

“Did this Feeney guy say why he was following me?” Tony
asked.

“Sort of, he’s not the sharpest crayon in the box. He was
parked in back at the club and still on the phone with Willis when the cops
showed up. Feeney said he was nervous and didn’t want to hang around. But
Willis told him to stay put to watch for the girl,
Leagh
and her boyfriend,” James looked at Tony. “You’re the boyfriend. The two men
had been watching you and
Leagh
for days.”

“Lovely,” Tony groused.

 
“Anyway,” James began
again. “When they started to evacuate the club, Feeney said he tried to call
Willis but couldn’t get an answer. It freaked him out even more, but instead of
bugging out he did what Willis told him; tailed Tony.”

“What was he going to do to Tony after he finished following
him?” Vito asked.

James shrugged. “Feeney said he didn’t know what he was
supposed to do, other than try to find
Leagh
through
Tony. Trust me. Willis was the brains between those two dip shits, and he
obviously wasn’t very smart…dumb bastard got himself blown up.”

“Okay, we’ve got a bigger problem here,” Tony stated with a
grim expression. “
Leagh’s
been trying to hide from
someone for a number of years.
Someone who might want to kill
her.
Now that the fire and deaths have made national news,
Leagh’s
face and location is being blasted to everyone in
the country.

James snapped his head my way, concern stamped his face.
“Who’s after you? Is it an abusive boyfriend?
Ex-husband?
Who?”

“No.
Nothing like that.
I worked
for a very bad man and witnessed something I shouldn’t have. There’s nothing
you can do, James. It’s big. Bigger than any of us can handle,” I explained,
trying to avoid spilling the whole sordid story.

A shiver of fear rippled through me.
   

“Dad, we need to contact Uncle Enzo,” Tony blurted with
urgency.

Vito’s brows furrowed. He turned a startled glare at his
son. “No.”

“Dad.
He’s the only one who can
help us.”

“No. He’s dead to me. You know what he’s involved in, Tony.
I cut him out of my life twenty years ago in order to keep my family safe.”

“I know, Dad. But he’s the only chance I’ve got to keep
Leagh
safe,” Tony
implored. “I love her.”

Vito closed his eyes and issued a heavy sigh before staring
back at his son. “Not a word of this to your mother, you understand me?”

“Yeah, I hear you, Dad. I swear.”

“If you’re talking about what I think you are, you two need
to shut the fuck up,” James issued in a terse whisper. “I can’t know about this
shit.”

“Then plug your ears,” Tony replied with a humorless
chuckle.

“What do you want me to ask him to do?” Vito grumbled,
disregarding James’ warning.

“I need him to find out all he can about a man named Matthew
Price. Lives in Atlanta, or he did.
A heavy hitter in drugs
and guns.
He could be anywhere by now. He may be outside the U.S.”

“Fuck me,” James whispered before slapping his hands over
his ears.

“No,” I cried. “Tony, you can’t ask him to do that.”

“
Shhh
, it’s going to be okay. If
Matt knows where to find you now, I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit idly by
and wait for him to start scouring Chicago. Uncle Enzo lives in L.A. If his
search raises any red flags, Matt may think you’ve already left the city. It
might buy us some much needed time.”

“Time for what?”
I trembled.

“Time for me to figure out what we’re
going to do.”

“
We’re
not going to do
anything.
I
have to get the hell out of
here and start over someplace new.”

“That’s never going to happen, angel.” Tony shook his head.
“Everyone else in your life has turned their back on you. I’m not going to be
one of them and you need to get that through your head. You’re mine,
sweetheart. We’re in this together… for the duration.”

As if he’d waved a magic wand, Tony’s pledge quieted the
panic snaking through me.

“Do I even want to know who Matthew Price is?” James
drawled.

“No,” Tony replied, his tone icy and cold. “And for
fucksakes
, don’t go snooping around looking for info on him
either. We need that prick to think that
Leagh’s
left
Chicago.”

“That goes against my grain, man,” James argued, running an
unsettled hand through his hair. “I took an oath.”

“To protect and serve,” Tony interjected. “
Leagh
needs to be protected.”

“I get it, but there’s got to be something the department
can do… I can do… to help her.”

‘“There isn’t,” I whispered.

“What did you get yourself into, girl?” James asked
,
his aqua blue eyes brimmed with worry.

“A mess,” I sighed.

“I’ll make the call,” Vito announced with a weary voice
before leaving the room.

James glanced at Tony. “You guys doing okay here?”

“Yeah, we’re okay. Ma’s making me feel like I’m twelve
again, but we’re making it work.”

James grinned. “Kind of puts a crimp in the sex department.”

I bit my lips together and cast a guilty gaze downward.

“Having to be quiet sucks.
That and
not having any toys with me,” Tony mumbled with a sly grin.

“Poor bastard,” James commiserated with a roll of his eyes.
“The reason I’m asking is that I got a call from Stephen on my way over. He
doesn’t know anything other than what’s been reported on the news, but he
wanted me to let you know if you and
Leagh
needed
someplace to stay, he’s got a loft near the club.”

Tony smiled. “That’s generous of him, but Carnation and
Leagh
don’t get along. I don’t want to add more stress onto
an already fucked up situation.”

“Oh,” James made a strange noise. “He and Carnation…they’re
not together anymore. He
uncollared
her yesterday.”

“What?” I gasped as my eyes grew wide.

“Really?
You’re actually
surprised?” James chortled. “I’d have cut that bitch lose months ago.”

“Good for him. He needs someone more…human,” Tony replied
wryly.

Vito entered the room, holding a cell phone to his chest.
“How old is Matthew?”

“He’s in his sixties,” I stated, mentally calculating my
father’s age.
“Sixty-one.
He’s about six foot three,
thinning blonde hair, and blue eyes. No scars or tattoos that I know of.”

With a nod, Vito relayed the information with firm resolve.
The thank you that rolled off his tongue was forced at best before he ended the
call. Appalled that I’d put him in an uncomfortable position with his brother,
I sucked in a deep breath.

“Thank you, Vito, and I’m sorry you had to—”

“It’s not you,
Leagh
. My brother…
well, he made his choices.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Tony offered with a sullen expression.

“Now, we wait,” Vito said, sending us a ghost of a smile
meant to reassure.

“I need to get back to the station,” James stated, rising
from the couch. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll keep you guys updated if
anything new happens.”

After we said good-bye to James, Alisa appeared with a tray
of coffee. “Oh, I guess I’m too late.”

“It’s okay. James had to get back to work,” Tony explained.

“Oh, well, I’ll take this outside and see if the boys would
like some,” she nodded.

Vito held the door for her and followed his wife onto the
front porch.

 
“Who are all those
guys outside?” I asked looking up at Tony.

“Three of them are my brothers, the rest are cousins. I’ll
introduce you.”

“And they stayed out there all night?”

“No, they camped out in the den in the basement. When I
called dad yesterday, he rallied the troops. They’ll be here until the threat
against you is over, sweetheart.”

“Don’t they have jobs?
Families?”

“Yeah, they work for my dad,” Tony replied with a cryptic
edge.

“So what does your dad do? He’s not in the mafia. I know
that.”

“He owns a produce company,” Tony growled. Leaning in, he
nipped my earlobe. “What do you want to do today, angel?”

“Well, I don’t want to watch anymore television,” I replied
with a dour frown.

Tony helped me into the kitchen where I sat at the table and
chatted with his mom as she combined ingredients for two apple pies. The woman
was a machine when it came to cooking. I suspected baking helped her cope with
the drama I’d brought to her doorstep, but as the brawny men from outside
trailed in and out of the kitchen, snagging pastries and sandwiches, I realized
she was simply trying to keep them fed.

Alisa introduced me to Tony’s brothers and cousins as they
filed in, one at a time, while I helped measure ingredients for a batch of
chocolate chip cookies. As the woman began rolling out dough for another pan of
cinnamon rolls, Tony re-appeared in the kitchen.

“Want to come with me and check out some of the books my dad
has in his office?” Tony invited with a wink.