Life of a Fool (London Brothers Book 2) (8 page)

I squeezed Jace’s hand and held on tight.  “No, she won’t.”
he gritted out.

“She is not yours,” one of the other men said.

None of us responded as we continued our movement.  I was
fixed on the men staring at me with smug grins on their faces.  It confused me,
and I wondered what were they up to. 

I didn’t have to wait to find out.

In a flash, a gun sounded from somewhere behind us.  I
screamed, not knowing which way to go.  Jace jerked my arm so hard I thought he’d
tear it out of the socket.  “MOVE.  NOW.”  I ran, ripping with pain, but
running nonetheless.  I heard more pops of weapons as I was pulled through the
entrance and shoved into a black car with such force that I was sure I’d either
broken more ribs or re-injured the ones already damaged.  Jace and Craig were
still out of the car, exchanging gunfire.

“CRAIG!”  Jason screamed with such a feral yell that I
stopped breathing.  Then, I saw Jason step away from the door of the car and
fire his weapon a few more times before he stumbled back and fell into the car
with Craig leaning on him, bleeding. 

“Oh my God!” 

“GO, GO, GO!”  Jace screamed to the driver, and miracles of
miracles, the little Italian man took off even with the back passenger door
still open.  “Legs, help!”

I reached with my good arm and helped Jason pull Craig the
rest of the way into the car before Jason reached to shut the door.  I could
see one of Antonio’s men through the car’s back window firing his weapon from
the middle of the street as we drove away.  I didn’t want to know where the
other men were.

“Goddammit!”  Craig was yelling as he tried getting his
backpack off his back.

“Let me see.  Where are you hit?”  Jason asked as he
shrugged off his own pack, unzipped it, and dug a tee shirt out.  I just sat there
staring, not knowing what the hell to do.

“Just my arm.  I think I’m just grazed.”  Craig groaned as
Jace maneuvered the injured arm to take a look before applying pressure with
the tee shirt to stop the bleeding. “Shit, man.  They just fucking went nuts.” 

I sat frozen in the seat as we sped away from all the chaos.
My ribs were screaming with pain, but I wasn’t about to say anything. I didn’t
know what to ask, wasn’t even sure I wanted to know what had just happened.  I
could feel the adrenaline making both men’s bodies shake.  Trying not to show
any signs of pain, I leaned over Jason, who was more or less in the middle of
the backseat with Craig half on him, half on the seat by the door, turned
backwards facing us.  I placed my right hand in Craig’s and held it tightly,
letting him know I was so grateful…for him, for his help, for all of us still
being alive.  His head jerked to look at me.  “You okay?”

“I will be.  Are you?” 

“I think so.  Jace?  How does it look?”

“Looks like it took a pretty good chunk of skin, but no
holes, no bullets lodged,” Jason answered as he tried to point to the top of
Craig’s left shoulder.  “We need to get you checked out just as soon as we get
to the airport.  They’re not going to let us board if you’re bleeding everywhere. 
Looks too suspicious.”

“We have to
at least
get through security, Jason.  We
can deal with my arm after that.  I have a jacket I can put on to cover it. 
Let’s just get her to the gate first.” 

I carefully picked up Craig’s hand that I was still holding
and kissed his knuckles.  It was all I could do to say “thank you.”  My voice
was clogged with tears even as they dripped down my face.  I was a mess.

Jason watched the exchange, and his body stiffened.  I
wanted to hold his hand too, help bring some calm to both of them, but he was
using both of his hands to hold pressure to Craig’s wound as he attempted to
affix the tee shirt as a tourniquet.  So, I leaned my head on his shoulder and
cried while I held onto my best friends, my
saviors
who’d come to rescue
me. 

“Hey.”  Jason turned to kiss the top of my head.  “Look at
me.”  I felt him look at Craig, then lean and kiss my head again.  I knew they
were worried about me, and I didn’t want them to be.  But I was completely and
utterly broken—sick about the danger I’d put them in, so I couldn’t look either
of them in the eye.  As soon as we were back in the States and I was healed, I’d
make it up to them.  But first, I needed to be sure they were safe.

“Lori Ann.”  Jason’s voice was stern.  I closed my eyes and
scooted closer to him.  “Stop.  This is not your fault.”  He knew me so well,
but he was wrong. 
This was all my fault.
  Everything, including Craig’s
now gunshot, bleeding arm was all my fault.  “I can’t take my hands off Craig
to force you to look at me, so just please…stop.  Look at me, Legs.  I need to
see your eyes.  It’s the only way for me to see what’s going on in that head of
yours.” 

I didn’t move, and I didn’t open my eyes.  He lifted his
shoulder a bit, moving my head in an attempt to get me to look up at him. 

“Legs.”  Craig’s strained voice did the trick.  I opened my
eyes to see him staring straight at me.  “Please stop.” 

“I can’t.”  Tears streamed down my face.

“Can’t what, baby?”  Jason was holding in as much restraint
as he could, his frustration with me clear.

“I can’t stop the sadness, the guilt of all of
this
. 
It’s too much. I’m not going to fall apart or hinder our escape, but I’m
overwhelmed with everything.  Stop worrying about me. I’ll do whatever we have
to do to get us home.  Okay?”

“We have every right to worry about you.  Shit, we’re here
for
you
!”  Jason yelled, causing me to flinch and jerk away from both of them. 
The sudden move shot such pain through my broken body that all I could do was
whisper my response.

“I know that, Jason.” 

“That’s not what I meant.  Fuck!”

“Jace.  Not what we need right now, man,” Craig said.

No one said anything for several minutes as Jason finished
securing the bandages before asking, “How long until the airport?”  The driver
held up five fingers, which I took as five minutes.  “Thanks.”  I watched as
Jason took his gun and put it into a hard, black case before locking it and
zipping it inside his backpack.

“Let’s stick to the plan,” Craig said as he carefully sat up
in the seat, the pain obvious on his face. “I can manage to get the bags
checked in while you two get through security.  Wait.”  Craig looked at me.  “I
just realized you don’t have your bag.  You just left it behind?”

“Yes.  I didn’t think we needed it slowing us down.”

“Shit.  Never crossed my mind that you didn’t have it with
you.  Thank you for thinking of that.  Could have been a disaster if you’d
insisted on bringing it.”  Jason smiled a tight smile at me, but I didn’t
respond.

“Lori Ann, dig in my pack and get my jacket, would you?”

“Sure.”  I unzipped Craig’s backpack that was sitting at my
feet and pulled out a black Under Armour jacket.  “Here.”

“Thank you.”  He reached for his jacket but stopped as soon
as his hand lifted.  “Damn, this hurts.  Jace, can I get a little help?”

Jason took the jacket from me and carefully helped Craig
slip it on just as our car was pulling up to the drop-off area.  “Airport,” the
driver announced as if we didn’t know.  Just before Craig opened his door, he
handed his gun to Jason who quickly secured it in a case matching his own and
stuffed it into Craig’s pack.  The guys climbed out, keeping watch for anyone
or anything suspicious.  As Jason leaned into the front window, thanked our
driver, and paid him, I slowly and carefully eased myself out of the backseat. 
No one noticed my pain because all eyes were focused on the little Italian
driver who kept saying, “molte grazie, molte grazie” meaning “thank you very
much” over and over after counting the wad of cash Jason had handed him.  Must
have been a big tip.  Jason just nodded, then moved to my side and placed his
hand in mine, holding it tightly.  “Let’s go,” he growled into my ear.

I started to pull out of his grip but felt his fingers
tighten.  “No,” he whispered into my ear.  His breath caused chills all over my
body.  I relaxed my fingers and didn’t fight him.  I couldn’t.  I was hurting. 
“Better.”

“I’ll see you two at the gate.  Go get your boarding passes
and get through security.”

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?  You look a little
pale.  I think it’s best we all stay together.”  I agreed with Jason.  We
needed to stay together.

“I’m okay.  Just go.” 

“No.”  I didn’t want to leave him.  “We stay together.  No
one is stupid enough to do something in the middle of the airport.  I’m sure
Antonio is busy trying to clean up the mess at the hotel.  We have time.”  I
hoped.

“I agree with Legs. You getting shot changed the plan.  We
don’t need to separate.”

“Fine.  Let’s hurry the hell up, then.  I have an uneasy
feeling.”  Craig must have been hurting and in need of a little help. 
Otherwise, he would’ve never given up that fight so easily.  And I hated to
admit it, but I had that same feeling.

We made our way to the ticket counter and got the backpacks
checked in.  I felt like every eye in the airport was on me—on us and I felt
panic settle in as we made our way to the security area.  “You’re okay.  Take a
deep breath,” Jason whispered. 

“Something has my skin crawling.  I feel like we’re being
watched.”

“I know.  I feel it too.  Let’s just keep moving.”  Jason
glanced to Craig who nodded in understanding. 

The line for getting though security and to our gate wasn’t
too long, but long enough to make me even more paranoid.  I had no idea how far
Antonio’s reach was.  Hell, he could have people working for him in the
airport.  I closed my eyes and prayed as Jason led me inch by inch through the
line.  Every little sound had me jumping.  I looked like a lunatic.  But ever
so slowly, we made it through to the other side and out of reach of anyone
without a plane ticket.  As soon as Craig was standing next to us, Jason sighed
and said, “Well, that was intense.  Shit!”  I couldn’t help the laugh that
escaped and the relief I felt when Jason kissed my forehead.  “Come on, Legs. 
Let’s find our gate.”

I turned to Craig, but he was frozen, looking out past the
crowd of people still standing in the long line.  Jason’s whole body tensed as
he followed Craig’s gaze.  “There,” was all he said.  Both Jason and I looked
to see Antonio stride up next to two casually dressed men that had been
standing not far from us in the security line.  I’d noticed them earlier, but
because they didn’t fit the type of men I’d seen work for Antonio, I ignored my
instincts. 

Jason maneuvered his body in front of mine, his hand
reaching back to hold around my waist as I pressed my chest to his back.  Craig
stood next to Jason, hiding me too.  A “stare down” of sorts took place between
the men, and I watched as Antonio nodded his challenge to the two men
protecting me.  “Fuck,” Craig mumbled. 

“What?”  I was freaking out.  “Tell me.”

“Looks like this may not be so simple.  Your husband just
basically let us know…game on,” Jason said, not taking his eyes off of Antonio.

“Oh no.”  I choked back tears.

“Yeah, but don’t worry, baby.”  Jason turned in place and
wrapped me in his arms before leaning close and whispering, “Once we’re safely
in the States, things will get better.  It will be easier for us to protect
you.”

“I agree,” Craig said.  “Now let’s get away from here and to
our gate.”

Once we were finally boarded and taxiing away from the
terminal, I felt like I could breathe for the first time in months.  I knew
Antonio wouldn’t give up so easily, but being back home, Jason by my side to
protect me, I felt assured that I would be okay.

I leaned my head on Jason’s shoulder and felt him kiss my
forehead just before I drifted off to sleep, surrounded by the sound of the
airplane and the feel of a strong arm around my shoulder and another one
holding my hand.  My boys came to get me and were taking me home.

Lori Ann, mia moglie,
my wife
, she had pushed too
far.

I recognized one of the men who stood at my door.  The nerve
of the fucking American to stand there, on my property in my own country, and
lure my wife away. 

“Deve pagare, figlio di puttana.” 
He has to pay, son of
a bitch.
  “Deve devi essere punito.” 
She has to be punished.

I paced the house, wondering what to do.  I needed to get
her back—at any cost.  She couldn’t be allowed to speak about her stupid
suspicions.  It would ruin me and get both of us killed, along with any family
I had left.  She was wrong, and I
had
to convince her. “CAZZO!” 
FUCK!
 

As I passed by the foyer, the huge antique vase that she had
persuaded me to buy her a few years ago caught my eye.  I hated it.  Always
had.  So, I walked over, picked it up, and threw it across the room, watching
the fucking thing shatter into pieces.  The satisfaction of watching it crumble
fed the devil in my soul.  It was what I wanted to do to Lori Ann.  I wanted to
watch her beg for me, for my forgiveness.  Who did she think she was to just
walk away from me?  And her American friends?  No!  Vaffanculo!
Fuck you!

“Johnny!”  My number one man walked slowly into the room,
looking down at the shattered vase, then lifted an eyebrow, smirking at me. 
The fucker actually smirked. 

“Sepevo che quella donna avrebbe portato il demonio nella
tua casa.” 
I knew that woman would bring a demon into your house.
  “La
prima volta che l’hai picchiata, sapevi che questo giorno sarebbe arrivato.” 
The
first time you hit her, you knew this day would come.

I stepped forward, gripped his shirt, and screamed, “Vaffanculo!” 
Fuck you!