Untitled Book 2(88)

 

* * *

 

When Vinnie hands me an envelope addressed to me, I run my finger over my name, written in my father’s handwriting. He found it inside the box with the ledger. My father left a letter for me, and I don’t know what to think about it. Alone, I sit down on our bed and rip it open.

 

Shayla,

 

If you’re reading this, it means that things got out of hand. I’m sorry, my beautiful girl, that you were dragged into this, and that you will have to pay for my mistakes. Just know that I love you, and you are without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to me.

 

Stay strong,

 

Love, Dad.

 

I place the letter on the bed and close my eyes. He knew this would happen to me; he knew they would come after me, but I guess there’s nothing he could have done about it—or maybe there was, I don’t know. Either way, he’s gone now, and I need to remember him for the good things he did for me, not the bad. It’s hard to stay angry at the dead. Vinnie comes into the room, wraps me in his arms, and I know that I’m safe.

 

I don’t have to hide anymore.

 

* * *

 

The agent walks into the interview room, looking over at Vinnie, Sin, Faye, and me.

 

“Agent Higgs,” I say, nodding my head in welcome.

 

“Here’s a group of people I never thought I’d see in here,” she says in a dry tone, then looks to me. “Thank you all for coming. I hear you have something for me, Shayla.”

 

Faye shows her the ledger but doesn’t hand it over. “There are some things we want discussed and signed by you before we hand this over.”

 

The ledger contains a lot of information that any criminal could use to his or her advantage. Names. Dates. Information on members of the Mafia. Basically if you wanted to blackmail someone, everything you need is in these documents, along with enough evidence to put a lot of people behind bars. It’s like a little black book of criminal activity.

 

“Faye Black, your reputation precedes you,” the agent says, her dark eyes revealing nothing. “This is going to be painful, isn’t it?”

 

“You have no idea,” Faye says, placing a piece of paper down on the table. “Let’s begin.”

 

 

 

 

 

FORTY-SIX

 

 

Vinnie

 

 

Three months later

 

I LOOK at the SOLD sign on the two-story house and feel a sense of pride. Shay is going to love this house, I know it. It’s only a five-minute drive from the clubhouse and has four big rooms and two bathrooms. She never asked to move out of the clubhouse, and I know if I wanted to stay there, she would have without complaint. Just another reason that I love her. She never guilts me into anything, or tries to get her way—she just lets me make my own decisions and lets me know that she will be here by my side no matter what. After thinking it over for the last few months, I realized that a baby can’t grow up in the clubhouse. The baby needs their own home, a quiet place with just his or her mother and father. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll still be at the clubhouse a lot, just like everyone else, but this way we also have our own private sanctuary, a place that is ours and only ours. I ride back to the clubhouse, finding Shay outside with Colt.

 

“I have a surprise for you,” I tell her, smiling. “You have to come with me.”

 

“What is it?” she asks, glancing around. “Where is it?”

 

I simply smile and take her hand, leading her out the front, where I tie a blindfold around her eyes, then put her in the car. She asks me a million questions on the drive to the house, but I tell her nothing except that she needs to be patient. I park in our new driveway, walk around to her door, and help her out, making sure she can’t peek. I walk her to the front of the house, then stand in front of her. Just before I take the blindfold off, I say, “I’ve thought about this for a few months now, and this is what I want too. Okay? So don’t question it. I love you, Shay.”

 

She opens her eyes and looks at the huge house in front of her, and then the SOLD sign.

 

“Oh my god,” she whispers, tears filling her eyes. Everything makes her cry nowadays with all the hormones. “But, Vinnie, I thought—”

 

“Things change,” I say, resting my hand on her stomach. My tattooed knuckles look out of place against her pink floral dress.

 

“You bought this for us?” she asks, looking shocked. “Vinnie, I don’t even know what to say.”

 

I take her hand, palm up, and place the key in it. “Should we go have a look at our new house?”

 

She nods and kisses me, a tear dripping down her cheek.