REMEDY: A Mafia Romance (Return to Us Trilogy Book 3) (5 page)

Jacade

The security monitor shows Bernard arriving in the lobby of my building, and I call down to Joe. "Send him up."

"Yes, sir."

Bernard walks into the foyer. "How is she?" he asks as he hangs his coat on the rack.

"She's doing well. Sleeping."

I walk to the bar to pour him a finger of Chivas.

"You brought her here yesterday? Only three days in the hospital?"

"Don't question me, Bernard. She's safer here. Have a seat." I point to the couch and offer him the whiskey.

He takes the drink and sits. "Can we speak openly?"

"I don't know. Can we?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He stares at me with wide eyes.

I stand opposite him with my hands on my hips. "Viktor got real talkative before I filled him with lead."

He glances at the exit. No way out now, old man.

"What did he tell you?"

"Enough to conclude she's a pawn in some sick scheme you've got going with Boothby."

Sweat beads on his brow. "Viktor was insane."

"Is that how you're gonna play it?"

"I don't have anything going on with Boothby."

Yeah, right.

I lower my face to his and speak in low, threatening tones. "Your word means shit to me. You've lied to me from day one. You told me Viktor was her boyfriend. You didn't tell me she was homeless. I made the deal without knowing all the facts."

"If you hadn't made the deal, Jacade, where would you be now? Not drinking fine whiskey in a penthouse overlooking Navy Pier."

"Maybe not, but I could've been with her all this time." I sweep my arm through the air, cutting through all the lost years.

His face reddens, and he shakes his head. "Listen, Jaca—"

"Is she a commodity in your pocket?" I can't control the volume of my voice. "An asset you didn't want me to have? Were you afraid I'd be too powerful with her at my side?"

"Settle down, Trip."

"Settle down? You never should've told her Viktor got to me. She went running blind into a deathtrap!"

"Why don't you discuss this with me since I'm the one you're talking about?"

Ivy. Oh shit.

She's standing with one hand on the doorframe, the other across her middle. She looks sleepy and hot as fuck in a pair of my boxer shorts folded at the waist and a pink T-shirt so tight it shows the imprint of her bra through the fabric.

"What deal?" she asks.

I slide my gaze to Bernard and raise my eyebrows. Let him field this one.

"I made a deal with Jacade to protect you from Viktor, which is why he joined the practice."

That part is true. He's quick on his feet for an old geezer.

"I see. And why did Jacade ask you if I'm a commodity?"

"I don't know," Bernard replies.

"But you do know. You both know and yet you stand before me again and again mute and culpable. With mouths that spew garbage and insult me by excluding me." She takes a step toward us with one hand in the air, but stops and grabs her abdomen. Her knees bend and she lowers her head.

I rush to Ivy and scoop her into my arms.

She grunts. "Jacade, no."

I angle my head at Bernard. "Get out!"

"I was leaving anyway." He turns and leaves.

I place her on the bed, and she curls into a fetal position.

"I'll be right back."

I lock the front door and man the alarm, checking the monitors to make sure Bernard left the building—and Chowder is following him. I swipe her Percocet on my way back to the bedroom.

"Sit up." I help her to elevate her head and take the pill.

"You said no more secrets."

"I did, and I will tell you. I wanted you to heal first." I place the cup of water and the pill bottle on the nightstand. "Fuck! There's never a good time." I run my hands through my hair. "I never know where to start."

Ivy peers up at me as I stand beside the bed, her voice soft and patient. "Did you make a deal with Uncle Bernie to stay away from me?"

Christ. She already knows anyway. I guess the beginning is the best place to start.

I gaze into her soulful eyes. "When I was eighteen, I took my stepfather's vintage red Mustang for a joy ride. I was sleeping in the backseat when a girl with beautiful hair jimmied the lock and hot-wired the car."

Her eyes widen, and she pulls in a breath. "She did?"

"Yes, she was terrified and driving like a maniac. I popped up from the backseat and scared the shit out of her. We almost crashed."

Her hand flies to her heart. "The boy in the backseat… He was… You're him?" Her pitch rises as she speaks.

"Yes. And I fell in love with you the moment I saw your angelic face."

"You fell in love? With me?"

I nod and close my eyes. She'll finally know me again. This must be the anticipation a parent feels when they sneak to place a giant box filled with a coveted gift under the tree. Oh god, I hope she likes what's inside.

"It was so long ago." Her eyes grow hazy. "I wondered what happened to you after we got arrested. I asked the commissioner about you. He said you were long gone."

"I was. I left."

"But you came back?"

"I did. I shouldn't have done it. I promised Bernard I wouldn't contact you. But I had one infinitesimal window to be with you, and I was a selfish prick. I drove back to see if you were there. I got lucky and found you waiting for Viktor on the bench outside the station. You were huddled up in my jacket."

"The jacket. Yes. I remember the clerk gave me a leather motorcycle jacket. I thought it was a mistake, but she said a young man insisted it was mine. I still have that jacket."

"I know." I take her hand in mine. "So, I saw you were cold and sitting alone outside the station. I wasn't expecting anything to happen. I just wanted to keep you warm until Viktor got released."

Her eyes flash with recognition. "My heart leaped out of my chest when you stepped out of that Mustang and told me to get in. Didn't you try to bribe me with a box of doughnuts on the roof?"

"I spent my last forty bucks on that box."

"You didn't need to sweeten the deal. I thought you were the hottest guy I'd ever seen. I sprinted to your car without a glance back at the courthouse or a thought of Viktor."

I sit facing her with one knee on the bed. Damn, her smile was riveting as she ran down the steps to the Mustang, her wild hair flying behind her.

"Do you remember where I took you?"

"A big field?"

"Yeah. A drop zone near Frank's hangar."

***

Jacade

"Cold?"

She shakes her head and shivers as she pulls my jacket tighter around her. I pop the trunk of the Mustang. Bingo! A blanket. I walk to the front of the car and fan it out on the grass.

"Join me."

She sits Indian style next to me and peers into the box of pastries I place in the center of the blanket. "I thought these were doughnuts. But they're desserts. Fancy desserts!" She reaches for a chocolate-covered strawberry.

"Only the best for you." I hand her a half-pint carton of milk with a plastic straw.

We eat in silence, keeping a careful distance between our knees. I tap my finger on my milk and steal furtive glances at her.

She's off-limits
.

Shit. Heldman will kill me if I touch her.

She stares at her lap and tries to hide behind her hair, but the stars emit enough light to highlight her delicate nose, her pouty lips.

"Thanks for the jacket," she says softly.

"You're welcome."

"And thank you for trading places with me tonight when the cop pulled us over."

"Not a problem. You're too sweet to go to jail."

"I'm glad they let me go."

"Me too. The cops treat you okay?"

"Yeah. The creepazoid commissioner tried to put his hands in my pants. He got all pissy when I fought him off."

Bastard. I heard that prick Boothby in the bathroom bragging about giving her shit.

"He's a dick," I say.

"Yeah, he's a dick wrapped in a douchebag tortilla topped with fiery asshole sauce."

"True."

Our laughter evaporates into the still night air. I gaze up at the powdered sugar sprinkling of stars peeking through the clouds. "So, did they call your parents?"

"No. My parents are dead. I ran away from my foster home a few months back."

"Oh." She's a runaway? Why didn't the old man tell me? "Is that guy Viktor your boyfriend?"

Her hair swishes against the blanket as she shakes her head. "I don't know him that well."

Fucking Heldman is a scumbag liar.

She gathers her hair and tosses it behind her back. She leans forward, and her shiny locks slowly cascade over her shoulders to block her face from me again.

"You have really pretty hair."

"I do?" She looks up at me with wide, round eyes. Her fingers inch closer to mine.

I swallow hard, wiping my clammy hands against my jeans.

"Yeah. When I first saw you, I was blown away." I angle my torso toward her, brushing my shoulder against hers.

"You were?"

"I still am." I press my pinkie finger to the side of her hand. A frisson of electricity sparks up my arm.

Her breath catches as her gaze falls to our point of connection. She felt it too. She glances at me and bites her lower lip. I give her a half-smile and a light squeeze with my hand.

"You still cold?" My voice breaks.

"No."

"Yeah, right. I see you shivering. Come here." I twist toward her and open my legs, nodding to my lap for her to get closer.

She scooches in front of me without looking up. I grab the edges of the blanket and wrap us up with my arms crossed over her chest. She grabs my forearms with her hands.

I rest my chin on top of her head and inhale her vanilla scent. Mmm, she smells like an angel. The warmth coming off her seeps into the tight space between us. Her soft hair rubs my neck and arms.

"Why did you run away?"

Her shoulders drop. "This time it was drugs. I delivered a package, but the guy didn't give me the money I was supposed to collect. When I came back empty handed, my foster dad lost it. He came at me fast with his fist in the air, but I high-tailed it and ran. I always run before they can hurt me. I'm eighteen now. I'm not going back."

Wow. She's much more comfortable talking when she can't see my face. "Why did you steal the car?"

"Viktor took the Corvette first. He said I could live with him at his farmhouse if I stole the Mustang. He taught me the trick with the drill." Her voice trails off.

"You ruined my stepdad's ignition."

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I'll fix it." I rub her upper arms and wrap my legs around her curvy hips. "Are you gonna stay with Viktor at his farmhouse after he gets released?"

"I don't know."

"Do you have anywhere else to go?"

"No."

We embrace in silence for a while, listening to the rustling wind, the crickets, the unidentifiable noises of the outdoors at night.

"I wish I could take you home with me, but I can't. My stepdad's a mean drunk. It's not safe for you there."

"Why don't you run away?"

"I stayed to help my mom. Not sure how much good I did, but at least he hasn't killed her. He shot me once, though."

"Oh my god, he did?"

"Yeah. I'm okay. I'm getting the hell outta here now."

"Where are you going?"

"Away—to school. I'm gonna make something of myself."

"Oh." Her back rounds against my chest as she slouches.

"You going to college?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

Not the best answer.

"You should. It's important. Don't let those assholes at your foster home hold you back."

"Okay."

She yawns, and I glance at my watch. "It's four am. We should get some sleep."

"Oh, okay."

"I'm gonna say one more thing first."

"What?"

My hands skim the bottom of her breasts as I wrap my arms around her waist. I rest my chin on her shoulder and press my lips to her ear. "I will have you someday."

Her back shoots ramrod straight. She angles her face toward me. "Have me now."

"No," I say through gritted teeth.

"Oh. I see."

She pulls away, but I tighten my hold. She doesn't see shit. Fucking Heldman.

"It's not that I don't want to. I mean, you're gorgeous. It's just that… Well, I shouldn't. You're not mine to take."