Owned: A Mafia Menage Romance(69)

“He shot you?” Stosh asks, his eyebrows going up. “That's terrible, Roman. Has that ever happened before? Has anyone ever shot the invisible man before?”

Clearly this guy does not know how close he is to the end of his own life. He wants to spend his last few minutes teasing me? What a waste.

“I believe there was a reward for Marco, yes?”

Stosh winces. He knows that the reward for Marco's death was advancement. But there's nowhere for me to advance except into Stosh’s position, and he's not likely to give that up just yet. It doesn't really matter in the long run, since Alek and I will replace the Pakhan when his time is up. And then Stosh will work for me, assuming he makes it to the end of today.

“What does a man like you need with reward, Roman? Don't you have everything a man could ask for? A beautiful bride… A lovely home… A career that so many would kill for?”

I nod slowly. Yes, that must be it. A career that anyone would kill for. Does he think would be that easy, to simply kill me and take my place in line for the role of Pakhan? Did he really think it could happen like that?

But before I take him out, I need to know for sure. I need confirmation.

“I suppose I do have everything a man could ask for,” I admit. And in saying it, I realize just how true it is. “And I think that you know what I will do to defend what's mine.”

Stosh nods, but I see his eyes flicker toward his wristwatch and the gesture stops me cold. How long have I been here? Why am I here at all?

My mind flips through the last few months. Leaving Atlanta for Chicago, the botched first hit, moving me and Alek into a home with cameras and bugs in every room, tying me to the Don's daughter as though assuring that I would be distracted, weak. That's it. I was drawn into this just to choreograph my ending, but for what?

That's easy. For power.

“Tell me again, Roman. I'm sorry, I'm old and the story so confusing. How did you know it was Marco?”

“Who was here before me?” I interrupt.

Stosh cocks his head sideways as though he doesn't understand the question. “If you’ll just finish the report, Roman…”

But it's too late. I'm out of my chair. Why did he look at his watch just now? Because he knows I'm not home, but Marie is. Alek is.

“Who was here before me?”

“Roman, Roman…”

No. Wrong answer. He's keeping me here so that I can't protect her. Before I know what's happening, the gun appears in my palm like it was meant to be there. My arm goes out in one smooth, fluid motion and I can watch it like I'm not even doing it. It's completely natural.

Pop, pop.

Stosh’s face freezes in an expression of understanding and alarm. In the half a second that he has left, I see it. He knows what's happening. He knows that he's failed. I'm glad that he knows.

Footsteps in the hallway. I open the door to see Don Lauro’s furious face. I suppose I’ve broken some rule about not killing people in his cigar club. It was a stupid fucking rule.

“Marie!” is all I say. That's all I have time for before I’m out the door, running.





CHAPTER 20


MARIE

I should buy myself a present. Maybe a piece of big, stupid jewelry. Something completely silly. Or maybe some furniture. Something that I pick out myself. Daddy would probably be so sad if I changed anything in the house, but it would be nice to pick out something just for me, just for us.

That's right, us. Every time that thought gets into my head I get a little thrill. It's absurd, it's obscene for sure, but it's true. There's something about my monsters that just finishes me. It's like I'm a puzzle piece that had just the right shape for them to snap into. And now I feel somehow complete.

Yes, I know how weird that sounds. But it's true, absolutely true.

I push all my hangers to the side, making a big empty space in the middle of the closet rod. There's room for probably another thirty or forty dresses in here if I try hard enough. But really, what I need with more clothes? I have everything. Daddy made sure that I had one of every top designer’s collection, and I don't even like most of the stuff, to be honest.

But when I started cleaning my closet today, I picked up my handbag and remembered it still had $12,000 in it. That just struck me as so funny, like it was a million miles away. Just a few weeks ago I was trying to escape to another country. For years that's always been in the back of my mind, and then suddenly it's like I forgot all about it. I absolutely stepped out of that lane and into a new one, like I just changed lives. I swapped that life for this life and that one seems like something that was in a dream a million years ago.

Balancing the purse strap on my fingers, I swing it back and forth. Maybe a tiara? No, that's just silly. How about a boobjob? No, that's even sillier. Besides, I wouldn't want to do anything to change the way Roman and Alek look at me.