Convicted: A Mafia Romance (12 page)

Dropping my fork on the edge of my plate, appetite long gone now, I let the words I hoped I wouldn’t regret flow freely. “I’ll help. What do you need me to do?”

“Thank you,” Sebastian said, relief in his voice, as if he had been worried I might actually say no. “A man like me doesn’t deserve a woman as wonderful and perfect as you, Agapi mou.” He leaned in, pressing a sweet tantalizing kiss upon my lips, his fingers slipping into my hair, cradling my neck. Before I could stop it, a moan escaped my lips, swallowed up in a heartbeat by a man I should fear but couldn’t bring myself to.”

Hackett cleared his throat, and just like that, we were torn apart and back into the tortured reality of the here and now. “Haven, I want the two of us to go out on the town with Eamon as our driver. We will let the bastard watch us, find a weakness that he can’t resist. Then we’ll have him and life will return to normal.”

“It sounds so simple. What about Hackett? How does he play into this plan of yours?” I asked, teeth grinding into my lip.

“I will be watching from a distance,” Hackett said. “Never too far away. You’ll be safe, I promise you that.”

“Alright. Does Agent Dooley know about all of this?”

“No… and we won’t tell him right away either,” Sebastian said flatly. “I don’t trust him enough to risk ruining our plan. He has nothing to gain from helping me.”

“Okay. But promise me you’ll tell him if you think he can help. I don’t want to end up like... like...” I couldn’t finish the sentence, no matter how hard I tried. The hurt was still too much, too fresh.

After breakfast, I sat by the pool, wondering if Theron would be caught.

Chapter Sixteen - Theron

“Love has its place, as does hate. Peace has its place, as does war. Mercy has its place, as do cruelty and revenge.”

- Meir Kahane

The world was bathed in red tonight. The war I’d been waiting for had finally come. I could taste the destruction, the metallic taste of my bloody victory. Peering through a scope in the distance, tucked away in the shrubbery of the landscape surrounding the Christakos estate, I watched every move they made, frothing at the mouth with envy and hate.

It was a battle to keep myself grounded in this spot, fisting my hand into the dirt, the grit coating my sweaty palms, hoping like hell that was enough to keep me where I needed to be. It was barely enough to remind me of my purpose… but thankfully it managed to be just enough.

The clock was ticking in my head, each move of the hand more audible than the last, stoking and teasing at the madness inside, the green hue of the night-vision scope warring with the red hue of rage as I focused on my prey. I had waited so long, so very long, to finally face him, but it still was not time. Not yet. Soon, though, I would face my brother and watch the shock fill his face, unable to utter a fucking word as I pressed the business end of my Ruger to his rich holier-than-thou forehead. My skin tingled at the thought, loving the gratification that filled what little soul I had left. In a way, I was mortified to find any soul left to speak of within me. It was funny, really.

The corners of my mouth inched upward in a half-assed attempt at a smile as Sebastian and the pretty little lawyer played like teenagers in the pool. They thought they were alone. But I was always watching. Every smile that worked across my brother’s face, every moment of pure bliss I saw them share, only made the rage boil like lava in my veins.

I was ready to blow my top. And soon, I wouldn’t have to hold back that rage. Soon, he would pay for every single fucking thing he stole from me. Every hard memory in my life without loving parents would be let loose on him. I’d revel in the glory of watching him pay, of feeling the life ease from his veins. Bliss. Revenge. It would be mine. And finally, I would be able to smile and take everything I deserved.

Drawing the scope away from my eye, shoving it into the depths of my black satchel, I sighed. My heartbeat was slow and tamed as I stood, making my way back to my car. Every inch of my skin prickled as I unlocked the door and slipped inside. The motor roared to life, growling like a mechanical beast as I stabbed the peddle to the floor, sending gravel flying.

Speeding down the winding highway back to the city, I could think of nothing but how close I was to my victory. In fact, I had already won. Sebastian thought he’d gained his freedom, but he hadn’t, and he fucking wouldn’t if I had anything to say about it. After watching his every move for weeks, months, years, I had come to know him as well as, or better than, he knew himself.

There was only one thing that bothered me… and that one thing was driving me insane, too. His release from prison had me on edge. I didn’t know what strings he had pulled or if it was the young lawyer that made it happen, but I was miffed about it. When I saw the lawyer and several men – a few of which I recognized as Sebastian’s made men – leave the prison, I damn near jumped out of my car and unloaded my gun on him right then and there.

But I resisted. It was the right thing to do, after all. Killing him at the prison, with so many witnesses, wouldn’t have ended well for me. I might be dead-set on ending his life, but I had no desire to ruin mine. Following the black SUVs from Huntsville to Austin, staying far enough behind to keep me hidden, was my only choice. I made do with what I had. Had done that for years. It had worked for me before and still did now. I had all I needed. Clothes on my back, food in my belly, and a satchel holding the only possessions that meant anything to me. You could say I lived a simple life. Unlike my brother, who wouldn’t know simple if it bit him square on his rich ass.

I watched and watched, keeping track of Sebastian’s every move for more than a month. At night, I would sneak up to his house, pressed into the darkened shadows like a demon possessed. I’d listen to every conversation that reached my ears, soaking in all the information that I could. Following Sebastian was so easy. While he spent time with his lover, Haven, he let his guard down. He seemed to fear nothing.

Romantic dinners and dancing filled their nights, and I could see that they were growing close. The more I watched, the more I thought I should kill the girl while he watched. Yes. That would cause him pain like nothing else. More pain than if I physically tortured him. But she was a pretty thing. I could keep her for myself, torture him by taking her as my own while he sat tied to a chair. I’d staple his eyes open so he couldn’t look away. Chuckling at the thought of Sebastian fighting his bindings only made me want that thought to come to fruition even more. But I had to stay focused on my ultimate goal – ending my brother’s life. He was the last of the family that still breathed.

Chapter Seventeen - Sebastian

“When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to get it.”

- Jim Rohn

When I was a young boy of about sixteen, my father took me to the beach. A sort of father-son moment, one of the only ones I could honestly remember. Parents seemed to think it necessary to have that embarrassing and quite humiliating conversation about the birds and the bees. Hell, I already knew all about that stuff. I’d lost my virginity to one of the maids’ daughters the previous summer, but I wouldn’t dare speak of it to my father. Why? Not because he would harm her. Oh no. Nothing like that. It was simply that mixing of the classes was frowned upon greatly in our family.

My father and I had sat in the sand, watching tourists meander up and down the opulent beach, gazing across the mesmerizing blue waters of the Greek Isles. He sighed, gripping my slightly-muscled shoulder and chuckled as he began the sex talk. I didn’t meet his eyes, but from the sound of his voice, he hated having this talk as much as I did. A little part of me appreciated the fact that he was as uncomfortable as I was.

I nodded and grunted as the talk wore on, hoping like all hell it would end soon. His final words had felt, at the time, like a joke since they were coming from a mafia boss like him; a man so powerful speaking of love and how when it happened, you just knew deep down inside your bones, that when that one woman – that very special girl – appeared in your life, you’d rearrange just about anything to make her happy, to make her fit into your life. He told me that was the type of love that would last beyond time, would get a man through his darkest hours. I was too young to understand the gravity of his words then… but now; now I knew what he meant.

I was brought back to the present by Haven easing slowly down the staircase towards me in a pale yellow gown with a slit up to her thigh. Her beautifully tanned shoulders, bare as a baby’s ass, and that hint of thigh drove me fucking crazy, teasing me with each step she took. Her long thick brown hair flowed like silk down her back, a few wild strands trailing over her shoulder, kissing the tops of her magnificent breasts. A low growl rumbled in my chest at the sight. The smile on her face grew brighter as she stopped before me. The savage man in me wanted nothing move than to grab her, scoop her into my arms, and rush back up the stairs to love her in a way no man but me ever would. She was mine, and no other man would even get the chance to try..

“You look ravishing this evening, Agapi mou,” I said, placing a kiss on the soft skin of her hand.

A pink hue rose on her cheeks as I trailed my thumb over her pouty lips. Her breath hitched at the contact. God, the things this woman did to me. I was under her spell. My father’s words flowed in the forefront of my mind, whispering to me.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “You look very handsome yourself.”

Taking her hand in mine, needing the contact with her skin more than air, I laced our fingers together. I had worried she would pull away and was happy when she didn’t. “I made reservations for dinner at my favorite restaurant… but before we go, I have a gift for you.” Reaching in my pocket, I pulled out a long slim velvety box and her eyes lit up like diamonds. Damn! She was gorgeous.

“Oh, Sebastian. You really shouldn’t have.”

I flipped the box open and her eyes went wide in disbelief. Hesitantly, she reached out her hand, stroking her fingers over the pale yellow heart-shaped diamond pendant surrounded in diamonds.

“It’s so... so very beautiful. Thank you.”

“Let’s see how it looks on you, shall we? Raise your hair, Agapi mou.”

Stepping in front of the mirror near the front door, she placed her small shaking hand over the large stone and smiled so damn big my heart fluttered. So this was what my father meant. This was what it felt like to want someone more than anything else. She was worth... hell, she was worth everything; anything.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you, Sebastian.”

Hell, she deserved more than just a necklace. She deserved much more and I wanted to be the man that gave it to her. I wanted to be the man that gave her everything she ever wanted or needed. I promised myself that I would be that man.

An hour later, we arrived at Dominick’s, my favorite Italian restaurant. It wasn’t a fancy place, and to be quite honest, we were really dressed up too much for it. I had only wanted to see Haven dressed up in the yellow gown I had seen in a shop window last week. One look at it and I could imagine it on her, as well as what it would look like pooled at her feet in my bedroom. I was right about the dress. It was as perfect as she was.

The hostess seated us in a private room, alone as requested. I wanted so much to show Haven that I was more than a mafia boss, more than a killer. I wanted to show her I was capable of living a normal life, and regardless of my wealth, still able to enjoy normalcy. The simple things still mattered to me. The stunned look on her face told me she saw that. Was she impressed? I so wanted her to see me as just a man, a man that was interested in her above all things.

“Are we are over-dressed for this place?” Haven asked. “Everyone is staring at us.”

“Forget about them. Tonight is about the two of us. I want to get to know you; the woman, not the lawyer.”

Her brow arched up, a sweet little smile following closely behind it. “I’m not that interesting. Sebastian. Really. I just graduated Harvard. I volunteer my services to help those that can’t help themselves.”

“And that, my dear, makes you interesting. Tell me why do you not have your own law firm? You are obviously very good at your profession.”

“It’s not about the money for me. It’s about the people. So many are lost in a system that rarely works. Like you, convicted of crimes they didn’t commit, but these people are helpless to fight the system that has stolen their lives.”

“What do you see yourself doing with your career or your life after my case is wrapped up?”

“I don’t know. Well, that’s not true I do know. I do want to start my own firm, one that will align with The Innocence Project, reaching state-wide. What about you? What will you do when this is over?”

“My plans are simple. I want to have a family with a lovely woman. Do you like to travel, Haven?”

“Family, huh? I don’t see myself starting a family for a long while. I hope your plan works out for you. And I love to travel. Haven’t had a chance to, what with school and all, but I’ve always dreamed of going to Paris. Someday I will.”

“It’s a magical place. You’d love it there.”

“You’ve been?” She chuckled. “Of course you have. You could go anywhere what with the things you... crap. Never mind.”

“What? Because I’m a mafia boss I travel extensively? I do, but my travels are not related to that. I enjoy seeing the world. Maybe when this is all over, you will join me in Paris.”

“Sebastian, please. You and I don’t stand a chance,” she said softly. “We’re different; too different. What has happened between us won’t last. You’ll grow bored with me.”

“I disagree. Give me a chance to show you who I am. Can you do that, Agapi mou?” My heart thudded like the hoofbeats of a million stallions racing across an open field to avoid capture. I feared she would say no. My heart was seconds away from plummeting into my stomach when she nodded. She didn’t smile, however, but she had actually agreed. At least there was some chance of winning her love. Love? Was I really in love with her? Yes. Yes, I was. I’d go to the ends of the Earth to make her mine and I would remove any doubts she had about me.