Mobster's Angel (Mobster Series) (24 page)

“You’re okay,” he soothes.  He tends to my bloody leg kindly, patiently. He rips a piece of fabric from the blanket and ties it around the wound as a turnicate.  The pain is horrible. 

A shuffling and yelling makes me look up.  Brice is scrambling towards the stairs on his hands and knees, desperately trying to get away from Antonio.

“Where are you goin’, fucker?!”  Antonio yanks on his legs and pulls him back.  He flips him over and points his gun at his head.

“You want to play games, you piece of shit!?  You think it’s funny, messing with us?!  You stupid fuck!  You took my girl’s sister, you son of a bitch!”

Antonio kneels down hard on Brice’ chest, digging in to his sternum.  Then he puts the barrel of his gun into Brice’s mouth.

“Listen to me.  You’re never going to come near Erin or New Jersey for the rest of your miserable worthless life.  Understand?  And you’ve decided to go to school out of the country.  You get me?  Or I’m comin’ after you.  I don’t give a shit whose son you are.  You’re gonna get one between the eyes like your friend over there if you do anything like this ever again.”   Antonio points to Jacko.  I can’t look at him.  Vito picks me up and cradles me gently in his arms.  I whimper when my leg shifts.

Thwack!

Antonio uses the butt of his gun to knock Brice out.

“You!” he yells.  The limo driver comes out from a corner. I didn’t even know he was hiding there.  “You take care of your boy here. I never want to see him again.”  Antonio sends his point home by shoving the barrel of his gun in the limo driver’s chest.  “Not ever!”

The room soon teems with people carrying guns.  Joey is one of them. His face is stony as he takes in the room.  He sees me with Vito, and he runs to us.

“Erin!”

“I’m okay.” I tell him.  I think I am, anyway.  My head is getting funny; I’m feeling dizzy.  I wrap my hands around Vito’s neck tightly, and he kisses me.  His lips are heaven against my skin.  I’m going to pass out.

*****

My eyes flick open unwantedly.  I am so tired.  My limbs are heavy and weak, but I can’t help but run my hand over the black t-shirt in front of me.  Underneath it is a hard chest. Vito.  He’s sleeping, and I’m securely snuggled in his arms.  Without moving, I look around; we’re in a hotel room.  My sister is asleep in a chair near the bed.  I try to shift my legs, but one is immobile.  Fear grips me. I gaze down the length of my body and see a white cast. 
Is it broken?

The bed shifts. Someone has sat down next to me, and I twist to see.  It’s Clarissa.  She smiles at me, and then leans down to hug me.

“You okay?” she whispers.

“Yeah.  I’m really tired. You?”

“I was so scared,” she says.

“Me too.”  Clarissa rubs my back. “Is everyone all right?”

“Yeah.”  She pauses and adds.  “Brice is gone.”  Her eyes glisten with tears and hurt.  “Why didn’t you tell us? It has to do with that night you disappeared. Am I right?” 

“I faced it myself. I thought I took care of it.”

“But look what happened!” she says, emotionally.  “Don’t you trust us?”

I think about it.  I had to know that I could face something like what Brice did at the club without anyone’s help.  I fought him off, but the aftermath of that just shows how much more I need to learn about people and their sick intentions. And how much more I need to accept help from my friends.

“I do. I’m sorry.”

“Come back to school with me.  It’ll be you, me, and Joey again.  Brice is long gone.  He won’t bother you.”

“I don’t think I can,” I say softly.  Clarissa looks upset again.  “Palmetto is my home.  No matter what’s there or what’s waiting for me, I want to face it.  Staying in California feels like running away to me.”

“You sure it’s not because of….” She points to Vito next to me.

“No… well partly. Mostly it’s because of me.”

“I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“I’ll miss you too. We’ll have to see each other more often.  We can meet at your dad’s casino in Chicago.  We’ll go bother him,” I suggest.

“I think he would love that.”

I lay with my eyes closed, not wanting to get up because that means I’ll have to let go of Erin. I listen to her conversation with Clarissa. 
She’s coming home!
I want her to come home with me to my apartment.  I’m so fuckin’ stupid for acting like an asshole, for not going after her and apologizing.  I tighten my arms around her and open my eyes.

“He’s awake,” Clarissa says.  “I’ll talk to you later.  I’m glad you’re okay.”

In my life, I’ve apologized very few times.  I don’t make excuses for myself, but I don’t feel bad about a lot of the things I do either.  But in this case, I was totally fucking wrong. I hurt someone I care about.

“I’m sorry.”

Erin turns her head towards me. She shifts her body up and towards the pillows to meet my gaze.

“What?”

“I’m sorry for the shit I said.  It’s your life.  I’m didn’t mean to judge you.  I was just taken by surprise.”

“It’s okay.”

“No. It’s not.  I was an asshole.”

She waits a moment, and then rolls her eyes slightly. “Yup.”
“I can’t guarantee I won’t be an asshole again but I will try to control my response.  I was way out of line.”

“Yup.”

“Is that all you’re gonna say?”

“Yup,” she repeats, laughing.

“I’ve been through a lot of shitty things, but losing you is not going to be one of them.”

She looks away from me.  I take her face in my hands and turn it back towards me.

“I love you.  And I want to be with you. Do you still want that?”

She smiles playfully. “Yup.””  I roll my eyes and ruffle her hair.

She snuggles closer to me, and I hold her tightly.  I kiss the top of her head.  Hints of red color her roots.  I remember her in high school - laughing, jumping around, so full of wonder and life.  Then I remember last year, the numbness, the nightmares, and the pain.  My girl has conquered so much.

“My leg?” she asks into my shirt. “Is it broken?” 

“You’re gonna have to wear a cast for a little while, angel.  The bullet nicked the bone.”

“Oh.”

“Does it hurt?” I ask, worried that the medication might be wearing off.

“No.”

*****

“Walking on crutches is going to exhaust her.  I think she should be carried,” Megan says as we get out of the limo Senator Talbot sent to us for the ride to the airport.

I help Erin out of the car and a porter comes out of the terminal with a wheel chair.

“I can carry you, A
ngel, or you can ride in the wheel chair,” I comment, giving her options.

“The wheel chair is fine.  You don’t have to carry me.”

“You know I will if you want me to,” I add.

“I know you would, but you don’t need to,” she responds sassily. 

Antonio rolls his eyes and tips the limo driver.  It wasn’t Daniel. Daniel probably quit.  I grab Erin’s crutches out of the trunk and Megan carries her purse.  I ain’t fucking doin’ that. 

Erin sleeps for most of the flight.  Her head leans on my shoulder.  I massage the top of her leg above her cast every once in a while.  I do it absently, just out of a need to touch her in some way.

This airplane ride goes by way faster than the one we took to get here.  But that just means I’m closer to dropping Erin off at home. 

I’m not ready to.

If it’s possible, my mother is doting and livid all at once.  She helps me get ready for bed, cooks my favorite meals, all the while slamming everything with way too much force.  She hasn’t spoken to Megan or my dad for two days straight.

Vito picks me up for school on Thursday.  I can’t stay in bed anymore, and I want to go back to school.  I enjoy it.  He carries my bag to the car while I hobble down our steps on crutches. Megan walks beside me, just in case I lose my balance.

“Are you going to be okay?” she asks.

“Yeah.  I need to get out,” I say, moving slowly so I don’t face plant on the cement at the bottom of the stairs.

Vito comes back up.  He takes my crutches and hands them to Megan.  He then scoops me up in his arms.

“What are you doing?  I can walk by myself.”

“Do you want to do it yourself or be late?” he asks.

“Fine,” I agree reluctantly.  “You just want to hold me,” I tease.

“Always.”

*****

Since the whole episode with Brice and Jacko, my relationship with Vito has become stronger.  We seem to really understand each other, and we are together almost everyday, except when Vito has “mob stuff” to do.  I’ve become suspicious of his work, but I keep my mouth shut.  It’s something I don’t need to know just yet.

We’ve gone on a few double dates with Megan and Antonio, and a few with Ronnie and Joanna.  Vito is surprised that she’s still around and the Ronnie hasn’t moved on to someone new.  I don’t know.  I like her.  They make a cute couple. He bought her the biggest stuffed snowman I have ever seen.  It sat in their apartment until Christmas.  You had to shuffle around it to get to the kitchen.  Vito bought me a matching diamond necklace for the earrings he gave me for my birthday.  He spoils me.

I ended all my college classes with A’s, even with the drama that transpired.  Kirk and I are planning on taking classes together again in the spring.   His fear of Vito and Ronnie is slowly dissipating.

“Erin, how did this happen?”  Ronnie complains, studying his first college report card.

“I gave Professor Elden a couple of hundreds from my purse.”

“You did?” Ronnie asks bewildered.  He totally believes me.

Vito bursts out laughing.  He’s in the kitchen making gravy.  I’ve been chastised when I’ve called it sauce.

“It would take more than a couple of hundreds,” he murmurs.

“Of course not!” I say, annoyed.  “You earned it.  With my help,” I add.

“The only B I ever got in my life was in gym.”

“A B?” Vito chuckles.  “You didn’t get an A?”

“Nah, they said I fooled around too much. I’m taking this over to Joanna’s.  She won’t believe it unless she sees it.”  Ronnie grabs his coat. It’s brutally cold outside, even for January. He heads out the door.

“Bye,” I call after him.

We finish the dinner I made and Erin says she’s tired. 

“Go lay down.  Take a nap,” I order, clearing the dishes off the table.  She shuffles down the hallway to my room.  I clean up and follow after her.

I’m
crawl into bed with Erin, and it’s not to chase away bad dreams or to keep her from hurting herself while nightmares wreak havoc on her subconscious mind.  I’m with her because she wants me here.  She trails her hands over my chest.  She lifts my shirt up and kisses me.

“I thought you were tired?”

“I was,” she says seductively.  That’s it.  I can’t control myself.

I rub my hands all over her, needing to touch
her.  I kiss her with a feverish intensity.

I bravely reach between her legs and she lets me. She spreads her legs
, welcoming me.  Short erotic pants come from her mouth and I can’t help but ravage her.  I cover her body with mine.  My hardness moves, pumping, wanting in.

“Take my pants off,” she whispers. 

This is fucking surreal.  I help her shrug out of them. They reveal a lacy pink thong. 
Holy shit!
  She’s beautiful.  I slip my hand underneath her to squeeze her ass.  She flips around so that I’m beneath her and she straddles me, taking control.  I let her and am rewarded with her stripping off her top.  Her pink lace bra holds her tits up at attention.  I sit up and suck one into my mouth. I’m already ready to come.  Erin’s back arches, giving me more of her.  She lowers her hand and grabs hold of my dick through my jeans. I growl into her breast like an animal.  This is fuckin’ ecstasy. 

“Are you ready for me?” I question heatedly, and she nods through passionate breaths.  I trail my hands around her nipples and down her hips.  “If I take you, that’s it. You’re mine. No running away.  It’s you and me.”  She leans down and I kiss her, trailing my tongue in her sweet mouth.  “Understand?”

“No,” she says, unbuttoning my jeans.  “You’re mine.”

I reach into the drawer of my bedside table and grab a condom.  Erin pulls my jeans down my legs.  I watch her. She’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.

She runs her finger along my tattoo, mesmerized.  She traces it and looks up at me. 

“An E?”

“Yeah.”  The question of
why
is in her eyes.  “This isn’t the beginning for me.  You’ve been on my mind for years.  I know it was wrong, but shit… I couldn’t help it.  I was coming out of my skin after South Bend, so I got a tat.”  I can’t tell if she is in awe or ready to freak the fuck out.