Breaking Bones (Mariani Crime Family Series Book 2) (30 page)

“They’re here,” I said, unable to mask the relief and nervousness in my voice.

“Well, let them in,” Nonna said, returning to her phone call.

I unlocked the door and ushered the two of them in. Natalia walked past me. She was gorgeous and confident and I still had no clue who she was to Bones or why she’d wanted him. Bones stopped, his eyes on me as he closed the door behind him. Then he and I stood in the entryway, staring at each other. It seemed like it had been forever since I’d seen him, and I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to hug him or strangle him. Instead of either, I looked him over, inspecting him for wounds. He looked a little roughed up, but okay.

“Thank you for not dying,” I said.

He cracked a smile. “You told me not to.”

That smirk would be the death of me. I drank in every perfect line and curve of his face, committing them to memory. Then, it was time to get out of there while I still could. I reached for the doorknob.

“Where are you going?” Bones asked, his expression unreadable.

Since I didn’t really know, I couldn’t tell him, so I stuck with the facts. “I just needed to make sure you’re okay. Now that I know you are, it’s time for me to bounce.”

“Why?” he asked, leaning against the door.

“You made it pretty clear you want me to stay in Vegas. Without you.”

He winced. “So that’s it, then?”

Was it? My chest hurt at the thought. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

He mumbled something that sounded a lot like, “Bullshit.”

Wondering if I’d heard him right, I asked, “Excuse me?”

“I call bullshit, Ari. Since when do you listen to me?”

I blinked.

His grin turned cocky.

Wanting nothing more than to wipe that ridiculous look off his face, I said the first thing I could think of. “Thanks for the birthday present.”

His eyes searched mine until his smile faltered. “You found it?”

“Yeah, I did. So what’s with that? You wrote all that nice shit about me and then you kicked my ass to the curb talking about my career like my decisions are yours to make. Every time you speak for me, you get it so completely wrong I want to scream.”

He uncrossed his arms, grabbed my hands, and pulled me to him. He gave me a quick peck on the lips before saying, “You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s start over, and you tell me what you want.”

I hesitated, unsure of where to start. There were so many things I wanted, but the main one was standing in front of me. He had to know this, though. I’d done everything but throw myself at him. Okay, I had admittedly done that, too.

“You still want me?” he asked, reading my mind as he rubbed his fingers against my cheek.

I leaned into his hand and closed my eyes, welcoming his touch. I nodded.

“Good. You want to stay in Vegas and sing? I’ll set it up with the talent scout and when you’re not singing, I can send for you and you can—”

“I’m leaving Vegas.”

“But the scout… Ari, this is a great opportunity, and—”

“I don’t care how great of an opportunity it is, I…” I swallowed. I knew what I wanted to say, but it made me feel too vulnerable.

“You what?” Bones asked.

I looked away, summoning the courage I needed. I focused on the fear I’d felt when I thought I’d never see him again. It had ripped me apart, and I’d do whatever it took to make sure I never felt that way again. Even if it meant putting myself out there.

“I want to be with you,” I whispered.

He cupped my face in his hands, and then ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “You will. We’ll make it work. We’ll rock the long-distance thing. I don’t want you walking away from your dream and resenting me for the rest of your life because of it.”

“Goddammit, Bones, I want out of this city! And it’s my decision, not yours.”

He startled at my tone.

Frustrated, and wanting him closer to me, I leaned in and gently brushed my lips against his.

Bones’s entire body stiffened like it was taking everything he had in him not to jump me right then and there. Encouraged, I pulled back and let my gaze drift down his body. He wore jeans and a tight black T-shirt, both of which showed off his amazing body. My hands longed to touch every square inch of him, but not yet. First he needed to understand how this was going to work.

I pressed against him, enjoying the warmth of his rock-hard body against mine. “I know too much. This city is no longer safe for me.”

He opened his mouth to object, but I laid a finger against his lips, silencing him.

“And you know what? Even if it was safe… even if I got offered an incredible gig… I’d leave. I want to be with you, Bones. Get it through your thick skull.”

“So that’s it, huh? That’s your final answer?”

I felt my own smile widen. “Yep.” I kissed him again.

This time Bones pulled me against him and deepened the kiss. My toes curled as his thick arms encompassed me, making me feel warm and protected. My fingers hooked in his back belt loops, determined to keep him close to me forever. His lips pulled away from mine, only to explore my jaw and neck. Then he whispered, “I love you, Ari.”

My insides turned to goo and I couldn’t stop smiling. “I love you, too.”

He pulled away long enough to look me in the eyes. I don’t know what he was looking for, but he must have seen it, because his grin was back.

“Oh get a room you two,” Natalia said.

I nodded in her direction, unwilling to take my eyes or hands off Bones. “Who is she?”

“Uh…” He stepped back and grabbed my arm, turning us both to face Natalia. “Ari, meet Natalia, my sister.”

My eyes felt like they were about to bug out of my head. “Your what?”

“His sister, dear,” Nonna said. She came up behind Natalia, phone still in hand. “And now that we’re all acquainted—”

Someone banged on the door. I practically jumped out of my skin. Bones picked me up and set me beside Natalia, putting himself between the door and us.

Nonna put the phone back up to her ear. “He’s at the door now, just a moment, please.” Then she stepped around Bones, looked through the peephole, and swung the door open. A tall man with olive skin, dark hair, and dark features, wearing a suit and bearing a strong resemblance to Angel stood in the doorway, glaring at Bones.

“Renzo, what a pleasant surprise. How are you? Please come in out of the cold.”

Bones tensed, looking from the newcomer to us.

“Is this another trap?” Natalia asked, reaching for something in her pocket. “Did you bring me here just to turn me over?”

Bones lunged at her, pressing her arms to her sides in a bear hug. “I told you, we’re safe here. And it would be considered disrespectful to draw that thing in here.”

“Bones, I’m gonna need you and the girl to come with me,” Renzo said.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Nonna replied. “Bones and his sister are guests in my home.”

“His sister?” Renzo asked.

“Yes.” Nonna headed for the kitchen, phone still in hand. “I’m about to put on a pot of tea. Would you like to join us, Renzo?”

“I’m sorry, Nonna, but I can’t. I’m under strict orders to take Bones and Natalia in.”

Nonna spun around to face him. “Strict orders from whom?” she asked.

Renzo’s face pinched into a frown. “I’m not at liberty to say. Family business.”

Nonna put the phone back up to her ear and repeated Renzo’s refusal. Then she handed the phone to Renzo. He blanched, and then took it.

“Hello? Yes sir. No sir, I was not aware of that. Yes sir. Twenty men, sir.”

On the other side of the phone, a baritone yelled. “Twenty men?! You have twenty men at my mother’s house?!”

The rest of the color drained from Renzo’s face. He turned away from us. “Yes sir, way out of line. Yes, we’re packing up and leaving now. I’ll be sure to do that. Thank you, sir.”

His hands were shaking by the time he handed the phone back to Nonna. “I’m sorry for any inconvenience I might have caused you, Nonna. I have to go, but hopefully we can get tea another time.”

Nonna smiled and kissed his cheeks. “Of course we can, dear boy. Please say hello to your mother for me.”

Renzo didn’t even look in our direction before bolting for the door. Bones followed him, locking up behind him. Then he looked out the peephole before moving to the window.

“They’re leaving,” Bones said, sounding awed.

“Of course they are.” Nonna headed toward the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and started pulling out bags. “Now come help me with the food. Angel and Markie will be here soon and you all have a long drive ahead of you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Bones

A
RIANA STIRRED BESIDE me. I brushed her hair aside and leaned over to kiss her forehead. My seat belt cut into my chest, but I was so content I didn’t even care. The sounds of the oldies playing on the Hummer’s stereo relaxed me as we ate up the miles distancing us from Las Vegas. My mind was still reeling over the turn of last night’s events.

Angel’s dad and siblings had come over long enough to say good-bye. The tightness around the boss’s eyes told me something big was going down, but thankfully that wasn’t any of my business anymore. He did pull me aside long enough to confide in me that he was friends with my pops, and he planned to get to the bottom of Natalia’s claim that Carlo had killed him. I didn’t know what to say, so I thanked him and promised to watch over Angel.

Dante refused to leave the car, but the girls wept and even Georgie wiped a couple of tears from his eyes. Markie was a wreck. She bawled after they left, and then lamented about not being able to say good-bye to the kids at the orphanage, but the boss told us to leave immediately, and his tone left no room for argument.

Nonna loaded us up with enough food to stock a small third-world country and sent us on our way.

“You’re not coming with us?” Ariana asked, pausing in the doorway.

“Oh heavens, no,” Nonna replied, ushering her toward the Hummer. “These bones are too old for road trips. Besides, I still have a little more to do here. I’ve given Angel a few places to look over, and I’ll fly up when you select one.” Then to me, she added, “I can have your vehicle returned to the condo for the movers if you’d like?”

In all the chaos I’d completely forgotten about the Jeep, still parked behind the warehouse where Natalia picked me up.

“Please.” I handed her the keys. She could have easily had it moved without them, but this would save her time and expense.

It had been after one a.m. before we left Vegas. Angel, Ariana, Markie, Natalia, and I climbed into the Hummer and headed out. We drove out of Vegas like the devil himself was on our tail, and I’m pretty sure he was. I don’t think any of us took a deep breath until we crossed the California state line. We still weren’t out of Carlo’s reach, but at least it would cost him more time and resources to come after us. Besides, I had a feeling the boss was keeping Carlo busy.

Angel drove the first leg, while Ariana and Markie slept and Natalia alternated between staring out the window and pumping me for information about Carlo.

“But you have to know how to get to him. There’s gotta be someone he cares about.”

And there was, but I wasn’t about to sic my sister on Carlo’s sweet little housekeeper. “He’s untouchable, let it go.”

She growled a lot, but in the end, she dropped the subject.

It was almost five a.m. before we checked into a hotel in Bakersfield to get a few hours of sleep. Too drained to even speak, the five of us stumbled into the room, pushed the two beds together, and collapsed onto them. I woke up with Ariana in my arms, smiling at me.

“Hey,” she said.

I smiled back and pushed her hair out of her face. “Hey.”

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when the alarm went off, telling us it was time to get Natalia to the bus station. After losing Joey, Natalia had informed me she wasn’t up for a road trip with two nauseating sets of lovebirds, so I made a call to my brother Antonio, who invited Natalia to come and stay with him and his family for a while. Being around family would probably be the best thing for her right now, and after much debate she reluctantly agreed, admitting she had nowhere else to go. I gave my little sister a hug, we exchanged phone numbers and promised to keep in touch, and then I put her on a bus to Porterville. We got back on the road, and this time I drove, Ariana played navigator, and Angel and Markie napped in the back.