I run into him, using my shoulder like a battering ram. I feel a slight resistance as the strap of his apron rips free from the hook. I slam him into the corner of a metal table, bending him backwards. He tries to swing one of the cleavers at me, but I catch his forearm, using his momentum to slam the blade down on his chest. His eyes widen and he gasps, breath bubbling as his lungs fill with blood.
I leave him to die, turning my back on him and finding Roman, who looks like he’s just laying down for a nap. I pick him up, cradling him against my chest and hugging him tight. My chest swells with emotion. My son. He’s okay. He made it. I still don’t know if Julia and I will be able to work things out, but whether she accepts me or not, I’m going to make sure my son never has to worry about getting food on his plate, and I’m going to make sure his grandma lives a long, long time.
I’m about to leave when I hear a groan. I turn, still holding Roman and looking toward the source of the sound. It is coming from the sheets of plastic. I turn slightly, putting my body between Roman and the plastic sheets, in case someone is waiting for me. I move one aside and have to do a double take when I see Ted. He’s bruised, bloody, and missing a finger. One of his eyes is swollen shut and his nose is crooked and bloody.
There’s a man who looks very dead in the chair next to him, bleeding on the concrete floor. I notice a long hose attached to the wall and a drain in the middle of the floor.
“Please,” says Ted, voice muffled through his swollen lips. “Help me.”
I step toward him, thinking about how much this asshole has impacted Julia’s life, how long he’s blackmailed her, and how much he deserves to be left here to die. A few months ago, I would’ve killed him myself, and I would’ve taken special pleasure in it. Now, I just feel the weight of my son in my arms and the soft movements of his chest. I look down at his face, marveling at how peaceful it is.
I’ve had enough killing. I’ve killed enough for a hundred lifetimes, and now I’m ready to be done. I don’t know if Julia would make an exception to her no violence rule for this prick, but I’m not going to. No more exceptions. No more violence. Well, at least less violence. I’ll still crack anybody’s jaw who threatens my family, but I’m going to find a line of work that lets me keep it to that. I’m going to do it for Julia and for Roman. My son. I still can’t get used to how good that thought feels. He’s my son, and I’m going to raise him to be a better man than I am.
I pull my phone from my pocket and dial 911. “You’re going to need an ambulance at 8860 Linwood, fast.” I kneel in front of Ted.
“Today’s your lucky day, Ted. I’m turning over a new leaf. But you owe me now. And you can bet your ass I will take personal offense if you make me break my new rules to find you and kill you.”
Ted stares, his one eye wide and watering.
“In fact, I think you need to go ahead and sign over the practice to Julia. You can file for bankruptcy after you do and move out of town to get away from the Morettis. They might not follow you.” I lower my voice, leaning closer. “But I will, if you make me. You have one week.”
He nods, whimpering.
“Good talk,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder and making him wince in pain.
61
Julia
I tap my fingers on the glass table in Vince’s living room. Everyone is here. Callie and her husband Damian, Aubriella and her husband Vince. All of their children are with their grandparents, which is good, given the colorful language that flows from the two Citrione men. Being around both of them is intimidating to say the least. Vince has a streak of grey in his hair, but he carries himself with the poise and grace of a man who doesn’t back down from anything. The possessive way he guards Aubriella is cute, never situating himself in a position within the room where he can’t see her, never failing to touch her or speak softly to her when they are within arm’s length.
I can see that Damian is Vince’s brother from his eyes alone. Apparently, all the Citrione men have the distinctive dark eyes that carry so much weight they could knock a woman to her knees with a glance. But the two men are marked by subtle differences. Where Vince wears his power openly, proudly, and without apology, Damian carries a quieter sort of force about him. He isn’t shy about taking appreciative looks at Callie, either. I never knew Vince, except from what Callie told me about him, but I knew Damian. I used to work for him, technically at least. In practice, he was more like the mysterious owner everyone knew was part of the mafia. Now he’s a family man. It’s hard to believe, but looking at these hard men who have softened, at least slightly, gives me hope for what my future could be like with Leo.
Just thinking about him brings my mind to Roman, and thinking of Roman twists my heart. I’ve replayed the image of that car driving away with my baby inside at least a hundred times already, and I’ve relived the guilt of knowing that I couldn’t protect him. I can’t stop thinking of all the things I could have done differently to keep them from taking him. Why did I drive us out of the cornfield the same way we came in? Why didn’t I try yelling for the man chasing Roman to stop or I’d shoot Carlo? The questions swirl in my mind, threatening to drive me crazy with grief.
The only thing keeping me from absolutely losing it is Leo. He’s out there, right now, and he’s trying to save our son. A stranger could look into Leo’s dark, intense eyes and know in an instant that he’s a man who could move a mountain to get what he wants, and he wants nothing more than to save our son. I just hope he can do it.
“Can’t we do anything?” I ask, wincing as I bite my fingernail off too close to the skin.
“I called in a favor from Benny,” says Damian. “He’s got every available man heading to those two addresses, and I called my sniffer, Franklin. If there’s any more information on this guy who has Roman, Franklin will find it. He’s the best there is.”
I nod, still feeling like it’s not enough. Seeing Vince and Damian still here with me irritates me, but I know they both likely wish they could be out there looking, too, and they would if Leo hadn’t asked them to stay with me.
Callie sits beside me on the couch, squeezing my thigh and giving me a serious look. “He’s going to be okay, Jules. We’re going to—”
She trails off when my phone rings. It sits on the armrest of the couch and everyone is standing close enough to see who’s calling.
Leo.
I grab the phone, picking up immediately. “Is he okay?”
“I’ve got him. He’s safe, Julia.”
All the tension I’ve been holding melts out of me. I sink into the couch, clutching the phone tight, but letting my head fall back as I sigh. Tears well in my eyes. Roman is okay. He’s okay. I make a silent promise to myself that I’ll never let a day go by where I don’t tell Roman how much I love him or kiss his little forehead. I’ll never take him for granted. I’ll cherish every moment with him from now on. “Thank you, Leo. Thank you so much.”
The others in the room share a collective moment of relief, squeezing shoulders and hugging quietly.
“If you hadn’t got that plate number, I never would have found him in time. Anyone could have taken him. You saved him. Do you understand me?”