Bella (A Sagatori family saga-A Mafia Romance Book 6) (6 page)

Bella

“This can’t be real—there is no way!” I stood watching the crease above his brows and the vein that throbbed on his temple. I viciously shook my head unable to believe what I’d just read. “Jax, I— I need a drink.” I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. “This is how you’ve betrayed me? By not telling me this secret?”

He pressed his mouth into his hands and nodded. “Yeah,” The word was muffled. “I knew, and I kept it from you—” He stood slipping his jacket off. “—I had the best intentions, though. He said under no circumstances could you find out.”

I dropped my eyes to the paper once again. “I don’t understand how this could happen.”

“Your father didn’t know. He was lied to also, but he only wanted what was best. I want you to remember that.”

I read the words again trembling as their meaning sunk into my conscious.

Jax Moretti,

Return my daughter or you and your entire family will meet your God. You can do nothing to stop what will happen if she’s not returned.

Ivan Mikhailov

“Who is this?”

“He’s the Russian boss, the big guy, the one who decides if you live or die.”

“But you’re the boss here, make him stop, make this—” I shook the paper toward Jax, “— make this go away, Jax.” He reached for my hand pulling me to his chest again. “Tell him I don’t want to go. Because I’m not going, I won’t leave you.” I panicked.

“No, you’re not going anywhere.”

“This is why everyone is here?”

“Yes, but we are all leaving in a few hours.”

I leaned away from his chest. “We are running away? Jax, we have a life here.”

“This man—” Jax ripped the paper from my hand lifting it to me, “—had his daughter taken away from him. What would you do to get Ennio back from someone that took him from you?”

“I’d kill them.”

“Yes, and that’s what he will do as well.”

“Becca? She—”

His head was lowered, but he lifted his eyes to me knowing what I was asking. “She was working for him. Hell, I don’t even know what she planned to gain from all of this or what it was she was doing in the first place. I think she was acting as a mole. He knew she could get close to us.”

“Is she really my sister?”

“Unfortunately, Anthony Sagatori
is
her father, but it doesn’t matter now. She’s a traitor in the eyes of the family. Blood or no blood.”

“My father—” I cleared my throat. “—He cheated on my mother?”

He watched my concern as he drew his brows together. “A long time ago thing were different, unfortunately, I don’t know the specifics, but I do know it’s what happened.”

I nodded. “My parents always seemed so happy, I never would have thought he cheated on her.”

Jax shrugged. “Baby, none of that matters now.” The soft touch of his hand on my chin comforted me.

“Did you kill her?”

He shook his head. “No, you asked me not to.”

After what she’d done he hadn’t killed her simply because I’d asked him not to. That was the trust I’d so desperately wanted. I took a deep breath. “I need to take a shower, and I suppose I also need to pack.”

“Yes, pack light. We will only be gone long enough for me to get things together.”

“A sit down and all that?”

“How do you know what that is?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Seriously? I grew up eavesdropping.”

He threw his head back with heavy laughter causing a smile to cross my lips. “Yeah, that’s my girl. How many times have you done that to me?”

I crossed my arms over my chest pinning a smirk to my face. “Not often,” I blinked.

A smile rested on his lips. “I’m not even mad that you’re lying.”

“Of course, you’re not, you love me.” The lightened mood had helped the nausea in the pit of my stomach but it still lingered.

“Yeah, I do.” He pulled me into his embrace. “I won’t let anything happen, baby. I’ll protect you from Satan if that’s what I have to do, and in this case, there isn’t much of a difference.”

“Is he that bad?”

“Baby… there isn’t any worse. He makes me look like a priest and that’s sayin’ something.”

“I’m gonna get ready. I’m not feeling very well.” Once Jax had admitted what we were up against and all of the other things in between I became heated with fear and nausea.

“Take Alessandra with you.”

I had stepped away but turned back to him when he spoke and nodded.

He followed me through the door requesting that the other men come back into the room so they could continue their meeting.

“Tony!” I said nodding once I’d had his attention. “Emily— have you spoken with her? I want her protected.”

“Bella, I don’t think that’s Jax’s concern right now.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I yelled causing everyone to turn. I gave an apologetic smile and quickly returned my attention back to Tony. “It’s my concern, and if you love her it’s yours, too.” He made some strange noise with his mouth and rolled his eyes. “Don’t make me kick your ass. Make it happen—” I said pointedly, “—and if you think my husband will have a problem with it, then tell him to come speak to me, because she is the
only
real thing in my life right now. You got me?” I quickly walked away feeling my emotions get the better of me. It was extremely difficult finding out that my entire life was a lie and now we had to run. I needed to punch something and had I not chosen to walk away it would’ve been Tony I punched.

“Isabella,” Alessandra called my name.

I nodded to the stairs seeing she was a wreck herself. She was a strong woman, but this was all too much. Jax didn’t bring his work home with him ever with the exception of the guards. “Come on.” I wrapped my arm around hers.

“What’s going on?”

“You don’t know?”

She nodded. “No, I only know we are leaving.”

“Yes, we are. Are you all packed and ready to go?”

“Oh yes, I’ve been a nervous wreck, and you know I can’t sit still.”

My lips rose into a smile. “That I do know.” We climbed the stairs and entered my room. “Okay, I’m gonna take a quick shower.”

“I’ll pack a few things for you. With this ruckus I want to make sure you are safe.”

I turned to her. “Alessandra, I thought you didn’t know what was going on?”

“Oh dear, I’m not completely in the dark, but I couldn’t say that with all of those men down there. I know how to get information.” She winked as she stepped into the closet.

“I knew you were sneaky,” I laughed.

“Oh, dear, you have no idea how sneaky I’ve learned to be over the years,” she muttered from inside the closet.

“And that’s why I love you,” I whispered before closing the bathroom door.

Fifteen minutes later I was out of the shower and wrapped into a towel. My hair was drenched against my back before wrapping a towel around my head as I watched Alessandra fold clothing into a suitcase.

“Are you packing for Jax as well?” I asked.

“Oh yes. You can also buy what you both need when we get wherever it is we’re going.”

“Are we meeting Jax’s family?”

She stepped closer resting her hand on my arm. “No, dear, they will stay in a separate safe house.”

I raised my brows with question. “Why?”

“Only those in immediate danger will be relocated to the same place, my love. Now hurry, we must go.” She waved me to get ready.

Only those in immediate in danger?

We were in danger because of
me
. I was the cause of this. What if I contacted this man and told him I wouldn’t leave my husband? What if I demanded that he leave my family alone? Maybe I could reason with him, make him understand where my loyalties lay.

“Oh, Bella, I’ve seen that look before. Are you feeling well?”

“Oh, umm, yes, I just need to get dressed.” I slipped into the closet and closed the door.

What if I did get his information and contacted him? If he was my father like he’d said maybe he
would
understand that I couldn’t leave my husband.

I searched through the color-coordinated closet wondering what one wore when they ran from the Russian Mob. Deciding on a light pink Jersey dress, I quickly slipped inside of it and slipped my feet into a comfortable pair of sandals.

“I’m gonna do something with my hair then I’ll be set,” I said snapping my watch onto my wrist as I walked through the closet door.

“Okay, I’ve packed the important things in here, next I’ll pack the toiletries,” she said, talking more to herself than to me.

While she was busy digging through the bathroom for supplies I snuck out of the room carrying my laptop and phone.

Dominic had, since replaced the man that had guarded the bedroom door earlier. I didn’t want to ask what Jax had done to that man.

“Hey,” he said as I walked across the hall. “What are you doing?”

“I just need a moment, alone.” I shook my head playing my actual intentions off with a warm smile.

“Okay.” He nodded not seeing past the lie.

I closed the door and locked it. I pulled my laptop out onto the bed and logged on waiting for the Wi-Fi. Once it was on I typed in the name that I’d seen on the letter. Quickly, images of an older man popped on the screen with the subtitle naming him as the Russian Devil, Mob Boss, Wealthiest man in Russia, most powerful man in Europe. The titles were a bit unnerving, as Jax had already admitted this man was scary even to him.

I clicked on the image of him getting into a black car. He didn’t look at the camera. With the next image it showed him looking into the camera and it was undeniable what I saw looking back at me. His eyes were the very mirror image of my own.

I leaned back reaching for my cheek in shock. I was his spitting image looking exactly like him. How did this happen and why? Was I taken from him when I was an infant? Was I given away to the highest bidder? Why did my father tell Jax I’d been given to him by the Russian president? There were simply too many questions floating around my thoughts. I just didn’t know what to do or to think.

I stood from the bed twirling my wet hair around my fingers as I wondered what he was really like. After all, Jax was named a monster. My father had been called a monster, but to me they weren’t like that at all. So, maybe he wouldn’t be either, maybe he would be kind. Or maybe he wouldn’t be. But there was no way in hell I’d let people in my family die because of me. I wouldn’t have any of that. If he didn’t see things my way— if he didn’t see that I loved my husband, and I fully intended to stay at his side then— I sighed into my thought. —Then I’d do what needed done, to protect my family. I didn’t know this man, I had no idea he existed until an hour ago. How could he possibly expect me to just leave the only family I’d known? Surely he’d be reasonable to the idea that I couldn’t leave my husband.

I sat on the bed continuing to scroll the pages looking for any contact information, but of course, there wasn’t anything. I nervously looked at the door knowing they would be looking for me any moment. In a hurry, I searched his name again only this time through a database that offered phone numbers for nine dollars. I hesitated entering my credit card for fear Jax would see it, but I shrugged off the thought knowing it was likely he wouldn’t see for a day or so and by then maybe I would’ve fixed all of this and things would be set straight.

After typing his name into the computer an address of his last known residence in Russia as well as a phone number popped up into a box. I couldn’t imagine it was that easy to retrieve this man’s information. For an additional thirty dollars it said I could also get his criminal history and credit information. How could it be this easy to locate a crime boss?

Glancing at the door one more time I swiped my phone and dialed the number that stared at me from the computer screen. My heart raced. I knew I shouldn’t have done this without letting Jax know, but he wouldn’t have agreed. I knew it was what had to be done. I couldn’t let anyone die because of me. I wouldn’t be able to go on living with myself if anyone died from something that I could’ve prevented.