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  His sister was murdered just like Marshall, my best friend. Someone killed her and we didn’t know who did it. Then six months ago all was revealed.

  Marshall was killed two years after Dante’s sister had been murdered.

  I returned to Chicago that summer a broken man, but my friend was there for me, understanding my pain.

  Understanding it all and willing to share his support.

  They were all there for me, all of them.

  Claudius: the new Chicago mafia boss and one of my closest friends, Dante, Alex, and Jude.

  Jude the traitor, as vindictive as he’d been, he was there for me too.

  Dante glanced over to me and set his guns down on the table.

  “Baby, I’m gonna have to call you back.” Dante now held the phone as he spoke into it. “Give Flynn a hug for me and tell him not to feed that hamster too much. Love you baby.”

  A few seconds later he hung up and focused on me.

  “If you wanted me to leave all you had to do was ask.” I tried to joke.

  Dante chuckled. “Nah, those types a phone calls work best if you’re not in the house at all, or asleep.” He gave me one of his cocky smiles.

  Fucking asshole was so loved up it made me sick sometimes.

  He and Maria had been married for just over a month. Flynn was Maria’s son from a previous relationship who Dante had welcomed as his own. And, Dante had a baby on the way.

  He practically had a new life, all set up in the last few months—newlyweds, new kids, new life.

  I was more than grateful to him for coming with me.

  “I’m happy for you.”

  He smirked, got up and came over to sit on the sofa opposite me. It creaked and he shook his head. Everything in this house was old. Just like my Uncle Rory, old, and purposefully tacky. It looked like he was setting up for a yard sale with all the boxes stacked here and there, but really that was just how the house looked.

  It was his place. He was away on some fishing expedition, as he called it, and had loaned me the house. It definitely came in handy for our stay.

  “Thanks man.”

  “Where’s Gibbs?”

  “Out, he’ll be back soon. Left just after you did. Did you find anything?” He switched from his jovial manner to serious. “Or see anything?”

  Now how did I answer that question?

  Not with a lie, because Dante would be the first person to see through my bullshit if I even tried it.

  “I saw someone.”

  “Yeah? Who?”

  “The one person I shouldn’t see.” The minute I said that he raised his brows looking utterly surprised and pleased.

  “You went to see Lyssa? How did it go?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing like that bro. Nothing like that. It’s like the fucking universe is out to get me. I was there and she was there. We didn’t see each other. I just saw her, getting into her car and driving away.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Driving away. You sure she didn’t see you?”

  “No, I don’t think … I don’t know. I just …”

  I just felt off balance from the whole thing. I clasped my hands together and rested my chin on them.

  Fuck, this was all such a mess.

  “Gio, why don’t you go see her?” he asked.

  “No, I shouldn’t.” He knew my story with Lyssa all too well. He knew all of it and even how I felt. Apart from the shame I felt for not being there for Marshall I just couldn’t face her. Not after last time.

  “Shouldn’t? Gio, fuck that shit about shouldn’t. Why the fuck shouldn’t you? You’re here. In Philly and she’s here too. I know she must have crossed your mind more than once prior to getting here.”

  I sighed. “Dante, the doll never left my fucking mind. All these years I wanted to forget her. I can’t.”

  “Okay, Gio so you basically just provided the answer to this whole thing. Go see her.”

  “I’m staying away.” I replied with more determination. “There are just some people you should stay away from. She’s one of them. I messed up her brother’s life and I’m here, because I have hope that I can get justice for what clearly was some kind of set up. His family deserve answers. I deserve answers too. I want to lay my friend to rest properly and do what I should have done in the first place by leaving his sister alone. Fuck, Dante. He asked me. He asked me to go with him to that fucking place and I didn’t go. If I had he’d still be alive today and she’d just … she’d just hate me. So that part would have been the same. I made the wrong choice.”

  Dante’s sighed and shook his head. “Can’t blame yourself man. Nobody knows that more than me. You can’t blame yourself.”

  “I do. What happened with Christina is different. We have a lot of similarities Dante, but there’s some major differences. You never had a chance to save your sister. I had a chance and didn’t take it. I knew where he was going. Knew he was heading to hell, to the fucking devil himself, and I let him go. I allowed him to go without me. It was selfish.” Coming back here made all of my guilt flood back in on me. It all came back just like fucking nightmares, ghosts haunting me.

  “Gio, making a choice based on what your heart wants isn’t something you can be blamed for. Also, we know there was more to what you think happened that night man. There’s more to what happened to Marshall. It’s what we’re here to find out and work on. We know that different shit happened than what was reported. So, in my opinion something else went down that was beyond your control.”

  I was selfish to hope for something to excuse my guilt. Sometimes I just felt so bad for the whole thing and I wanted that pain to go away. Bad enough to lose my best friend, even worse to blame myself.

  The door opened and Gibbs came in carrying one of Rory’s rucksacks he used to take fishing.

  “Hey guys,” he said, walking into the living room. He smiled running a hand over his salt and pepper beard.

  “Hey.” Dante and I said in unison.

  Gibbs was a P.I. Claudius had hired to investigate Christina’s murder.

  He hired him and damn the guy helped in a massive way by turning our attention to things we would never have seen. It was what he did in my case. There was no way in hell we would have gotten our hands on the shit he dug up—no way.

  He was an ex-navy man who’d taken on the job of P.I. when he was framed for his wife’s murder.

  Claudius brought him in at a time when it felt like he was needed. My decision, or rather mission back to Philly started out when his contact with the feds found the original coroner’s report archived in the evidence locker.

  It showed that Marshall died from poisoning a day before he was supposedly shot dead.

  Our analysis was this: whoever killed him had poisoned him then moved his body to the parking lot and then shot him up to make it look like he’d been in a gang shoot out. They even went as far as to shoot up the place to make it look legit.

  Police reports stated that he died from multiple gunshot wounds and so did the coroner’s report I’d seen eight years ago.

  It was all however a fucking bald-faced lie. Along with the files Gibson also found a note. The note was on Marshall’s body when he was brought in.

  The note said:

  Call me as soon as you see this. I saw something that I think you should know about. Only you have the power to sort this out.

  Marshall

  “I’m making headway.” Gibson declared setting the rucksack down near the coffee table. He came over and sat next to me.

  “What did you find?” I brightened up, maybe he had found something that would be amazing. We’d gotten here last night and he was already making headway.

  “I’m still theorizing, but I’m on to something. That note’s been on my mind. I’ve been trying to brainstorm and think about who it would have been meant for. I think that’s the angle we need to work.”

  “Really?” I was more geared toward the fact that the coroner’s report was found in the Fed’s a
rchives. I wanted to know how the shit it got there and who the fuck had put it there.

  It was shady as shit.

  “Yes, trust me on this.”

  “Gibbs, don’t you think we should be looking into why someone would want to hide the original coroner’s report. That part feels like the more obvious thing to do.” Dante chimed in.

  “I am, believe me I am. I think the person who arranged that is linked to the person the note was for. I’m not sure that the person who made the arrangements knew about the note.”

  I saw what he meant. “I got that impression too,” I agreed. “Like if they knew about it, they would have destroyed it.”

  “Exactly. I won’t waste time thinking about the ins and outs of it, but I think that’s the angle I should work. I got a meeting set up with one of the guys Marshall worked with. He’s finishing up, in a few hours I’m gonna meet with him and see what happens.”

  “Do you want us to come?”

  “No, I was hoping you’d go over that list of people Marshall knew. Write down what jobs they had. and anything in relation to what capacity he knew them. I’ve been thinking about the note in terms of what he meant by power.”

  I’d made a long list of people.

  Plan A was to start looking at people he knew and going from there.

  Someone had wanted him dead, because he saw something. Now we had to work backwards to get the answer.

  “Marshall would have only written something like that if it was necessary.”

  “I figured that once we have some ideas then we can do more exploration. Right now it’s all very fresh, but from the minute I have someone willing to meet with me and talk it’s a start.”

  “Thanks man.” I gave him a curt nod and he stood up.

  “No worries. I’m gonna grab some food. You guys want anything at the store? Your uncle seems to adore tinned food. I can’t live on it.” Gibbs chuckled and left us.

  Rory was Pa’s brother and nothing like him. He was cool and quirky. A little like the Godfather meets Stanford and Son. Pa was caviar and Rory was tinned sardines.

  Dante laughed.

  “We’re good,” I replied.

  “Well looks like the plans in motion, but there’s not much you can do right now.” Dante nodded with a mischievous smile I knew all too well. “Means there’s room do to other things.”

  “Other things?”

  “Other things like look up and possible hook up with an ex that you’re clearly still very hung up on.”

  I stared at him and considered it.

  Clearly very hung up on might not even begin to describe how I felt.

  Me, with these pussy emotions. No one would think it possible. By day and most nights I was Gio Bianchi, one of the capo’s to the Chicago mafia boss and a member of the infamous Four.

  Pretty certain people would have heard of us on this side, whereas back before I left, I was just Gio.

  Gio, the ruthless bad boy, who fell for a girl he should have left well alone.

  I fell for her and she was still the queen of my heart.

  My baby doll always had been.

  I still remembered those seconds before I went to her. The fear of losing her had gripped me.

  I never knew this was what our future held.

  Having a life without her.

  Chapter 4

  Gio

  * * *

  Eight years ago …

  Twelve minutes and counting …

  She could do better than me.

  Lyssa was beautiful, really beautiful. The days before we got together were spent with me beating up any guy who looked at her, and keeping her protected …

  Keeping her in what I thought was a glass house. I preempted it though. She was a cute kid when I first met her. At least that was what I’d thought at fourteen.

  Cute kid.

  A cute kid that always made eyes at me and it absolutely never occurred to me that same cute kid was crushing on me.

  Then one day it happened.

  I did my usual trip to Chicago for the summer and she got into this exchange program where she got to spend the fall semester in England.

  I didn’t see her for close to six months and when I did it was like she’d grown up in that time; completely.

  She’d just turned fifteen and I was an asshole for even looking at her.

  Back then she drove me wild and insane with her beauty, and that damn inner personality that caught me. It caught me and got me good, because that day when I realized I couldn’t resist her anymore was it. It was like something snapped and all I could do is give into my need for her.

  Now we were here. Me with only ten minutes to get to her if I wanted to defy her father.

  I was a man of almost thirty years old. No one should tell me what the hell to do.

  But Paul …

  Fucking hell, I had nine minutes left. I could just imagine her at the old house looking on counting the minutes. Her heart breaking with every second that passed.

  Her heart breaking …

  I brought my hand to my head. I was a real hard ass, but the one thing I could never do is break her heart. I couldn’t allow her to believe that I didn’t love her. I’d never said the words, but she knew how I felt. She knew I loved her, and I couldn’t stand here and make some choice based on Paul’s demands.

  Fuck it.

  Fuck him.

  Fuck him and all of his threats. I didn’t fucking care about the consequences.

  She was mine. Lyssa was mine and I wouldn’t allow him to take her from me.

  I jumped on my bike and like a demon out of hell tore down the road.

  The old house was one of those preserved buildings by the lake. Abandoned for years it was the perfect place to hide out in.

  It was the place where we first kissed.

  I rode hard over the greenery and into the woods, jumping over vines as I rode through the short cut that was mainly used for walking. It was obviously not made for riding a Harley like I had a fucking death wish.

  I could see the light from the house. She’d be in the little bedroom that overlooked the lake.

  I’d lost track of time, but I knew I probably had a minute left maybe two.

  Fuck, the light just went out. She was leaving.

  I pulled up outside the house and jumped off the bike, running across the lawn and up the steps leading to the door.

  I charged up the stairs and found her just as she was coming out of the bedroom. She stood there lit by the moonlight looking like the angel she was. Raven hair running down her slender arms in long graceful waves that called me to touch her, soft cream skin looking even softer under the kiss of the moon, her body perfect in that little dress.

  The shimmer of tears stained her cheeks. She sucked in a little breath when she saw me and gazed on in disbelief.

  “Baby doll,” that was what I called her. To me that was what she looked like, just like one of those porcelain dolls Ma used to collect and keep in a glass cabinet. The words fell from my lips as I stared at her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I said keeping my gaze trained on her. I hoped she could see how sorry I was for making her think I wasn’t coming.

  “You came.” She spoke barely above a whisper.

  I nodded.

  I came and that meant I was taking some kind of stand, although I didn’t have a plan. It spoke loud and clear that I wasn’t going to allow Paul to tell me what to do and now she knew that.

  I moved up to her and reached for her, lowering to claim her delicious lips. Those lips that blew my fucking mind every time I kissed her.

  A soft moan escaped her lips and fuck that was it. That little sound filled my need for her and my insanity.

  It fed my need to consume her body and claim her, make her my girl.

  Fucking hell, I could barely control myself.

  The kiss turned hungry and I moved with her back into the bedroom, over to where I pressed her against the wall, running my hands over her fully roun
ded breasts, squeezing the ample flesh.

  God help me. I was a lost cause when it came to her—a completely lost cause.

  This raw, primal need to consume her took control of me. I couldn’t hold back; neither did she. One tug at my shirt was all it took.

  Just one tug and I tore at her dress. In an instant the dress was gone, my shirt flung away and I ripped off her bra.

  Hungry fingers slid over the bulge of my cock pressing against my jeans. She tugged on the zipper while trying to undo my belt and kiss me at the same time.

  I thought I could break from feasting on her sexy mouth to help her out. She gave me that purely, erotic sexy smile while resting against the wall. Her perky tits bobbled with nipples so tight and taut, just begging to be sucked.

  “Baby doll, you are fucking perfect, you know that?” I told her as I undid my belt and unzipped my fly.

  “As long as you think so, I’m happy,” she giggled.

  I pressed my hand against the wall and stared at her long and hard, taking a moment to cup her face.

  “You’re mine, and no one is going to take you away from me.” I made sure it sounded like a promise, because it was.

  Her eyes sparkled looking lighter against the soft light.

  I stepped out of my jeans and boxers at the same time and my cock sprung mercifully free.

  Lyssa, the truly sexy goddess she was stepped forward and ran her hand over my shaft, licking her lips. I took the opportunity to bend down and suck her breasts. One then the other, tasting as much as I could of her. Tasting her and pulling her sexy panties down her legs. It was all I could do though, because her fingers fluttered over my cock when I stood up and that insane need came rushing back to me.

  I released her and grabbed my jeans to get a condom, but she stopped me.

  “No, I want to feel you inside me. You.” she smiled up at me, eyes brimming with desire.

  Skin to skin, me inside her, bare and inside her. We’d only done that once before and that was the night, I took her virginity. It was one of those wild sexual experiences I’d never forget. It just happened, we were both reckless and careless.