Hush 2: Slow Burn (6 page)

chapter Seven

False Charges

Uri

New York

After my little cousin’s confession, the tension on the plane evaporated a bit, thank bloody fuck. I could tell at the beginning of the flight that Nate was not comfortable with having Luca around his wife and newborn son. I can’t fault him. I would feel the same way if I knew the man sitting across from me had some type of history with my woman.

The scene was more intense than I would have liked with my little Vita on the plane. Both Pam and Valentina refused to leave the babies at home for this trip. It was hard enough on Pam to leave the twins behind. She had only done so because her parents were in town and wanted to spend time with the girls.

However, there was no way Pam was leaving her three-month-old son behind and Valentina felt the same about our seven-month-old, Vita. I did not disagree with either of them.

My wife has turned out to be a wonderful mother. I didn’t think it possible to love her anymore, but I fall in love with my Tina on a daily basis. Valentina and Vita have become the air I breathe and I would have it no other way.

Valentina is well suited to motherhood. It shows in every inch of her body and being. Her face just glows with her happiness these days and that is all I want.

My cock twitches in my pants just thinking about how I plan to lay her down and devour her as soon as we settle matters with Shannon. I chide myself for my wayward thoughts as I bring myself back to the reason we are rushing back here to New York. It is so unlike Shannon to be irresponsible. I would never imagine that she would drink and drive.

Nate had voiced those exact same thoughts before we took off from London. I was a bit relieved when he called his cousin Jasper to go to the hospital. Nico is at an away game and Michael has been getting a few details in order for the upcoming events that will formally name me the successor of the Caprisi family.

Annabella will be in Italy for a few more weeks with my mother so there is no one from the family available to be there. I will forever be grateful for the bond that has been steadily growing between my family and the Mairettie and Briggs families.

I see why Grandpa Donati had such a tight relationship with the Briggs. I believe their friendship has been good for both Valentina and Shannon. Well, at least, I thought Shannon was taking to having the other woman in her life.

I frown as I think again about how out of character this is for Shannon. It has been a bit too quiet. If my instincts are right, something is very off about what happen during Shannon’s call to Luca.

I hope my instincts are off because if not my trigger finger has been a bit twitchy lately and I would love to give it some relief. The family hasn’t been calling on me much.

I have a feeling it is because of the new role I will be taking up shortly, that and the fact that like I said it has just been too quiet. You know that feeling you get right before something big is about to erupt, or when everyone is just extremely quiet as they watch something epic about to happen.

That is exactly how I feel like I am the wanker about to get caught with his pants down in front of a full stadium. Everyone else can see it coming but no one is saying a word. I don’t like the feeling and I plan to start looking into the silence to see what is staring at me.

“Mrs. Valentina Donati?” An ununiformed blonde haired officer asks, as who I assume to be his partner, a tall bald guy and three more uniformed officers stand beside him.

I take note of the female officer with the pinched face glaring in my wife’s direction. Her hand is resting on her gun and her eyes are narrowed as if she is ready to make a move. I move to place my body between my wife and the officers.

This is the last thing I expected to find on the tarmac as we disembark from the plane. I want to think this is about Shannon. They could very likely be here to escort us to the hospital, but I wouldn’t be Uri Donati if I believe that crap for one single minute.

It looks like my pants are indeed going to come down before I reveal the hidden threat. I fold my arms over my chest as I remain a shield for my wife and my daughter that is sleeping in her arms.

“What is this about,” I ask firmly.

“We are here for Mrs. Donati, Sir,” the bald cop speaks.

Valentina steps from around me handing Vita to the nanny that traveled with us. I tighten my jaw and pull her into my side. I don’t like the vibe I am getting off of this bunch.

The female officer steps forward reaching for Valentina’s wrist. The blonde cop starts to read her the Miranda. “Valentina Donati, you are being charged with the murder of Patrick Mims,” the blonde cop states.

I hear nothing else as my blood boils over. I set my jaw and see Nate doing the same out of the corner of my eye. He pulls his mobile from his pocket and starts placing calls.

“Who,” Valentina asks with furrowed brows. “What is this about?”

“NOT. A. WORD,” I growl at Valentina.

The look of shock on her face is genuine. Valentina is a professional. I bet she could tell you the name of every mark she has ever had. The name Patrick Mims means nothing to her because he was my mark, my favor.

He was the bastard that promised me he would have reach beyond the grave. Patrick Mims was the animal that threatened my friend and her unborn children. I would kill him again if I could. Even in death, he isn’t man enough to come after me a man, directly. He is going after my woman; like the weak man he was in life.

Valentina clamps her mouth shut as they cuff her. We communicate without words that I will take care of this. There is no way I am letting her take the wrap for a murder I committed.

I would take her place now but I have a feeling that is what someone wants. There is no murder without a body and after what I did to that man. Trust me, I know there is not a trace of him to be found or identified. They are shooting in the dark.

My Val is strong. They will not break her before I get some answers. I move forward and kiss her on her forehead, glaring at the officer in a dare to stop me. I peck her lips and murmur in Italian. “Ti amo. Si occupera di questo.”

“Lo so. Ti voglio bene anch’io,” Valentina responds with her head held high.

My heart swells with pride because I see in her eyes she believes my words. She knows I will take care of this and there is no doubt that I love her more than life itself.

I turn to Luca because right now there is no way I will be going with him to the hospital. I have always been there for him but this time, my Bella Donna needs me. Luca clamps a hand on my shoulder.

He nods toward the officers placing my wife in a car for something she didn’t do. “This is your family now. Go with your wife. I love you, Brother. You have been more than a cousin to me. I have already asked too much in this life. Valentina needs you and Shannon needs me. Thank you,” Luca turns pulling his mobile from his pocket.

“Take the car in the rear,” Nate says to Luca. “Pam will go with you. I will be with Uri.”

I lift a brow but say nothing. Nate is a bigger man than I. I don’t care about Luca’s love confession. There is no way in hell Valentina would be getting in a car with him.

“Get in the car. I will explain,” Nate mutters just low enough for me to hear.

I climb in the SUV swiftly as we follow after my wife. Nate sends off rapid texts as I wait impatiently for him to give me some answers. He growls at his mobile before looking back at me.

“Where the fuck should I start,” Nate rumbles. “I sent Pam with Luca because that is where she is safest right now. Someone is targeting our women. Shannon was not driving just as we thought. She was with Rita. Someone rammed their car while they were parked on the side of the road.

“My sister wasn’t in the car at the time, but Shannon and my sister’s driver are pretty banged up. They are both lucky. If they were in any other type of car we probably would be having a different conversation.

“Add to that, Wyatt Black called Jas. Someone is trying to pin a murder on his wife, just like yours. No body, no evidence, just some bogus anonymous tip. Somehow Mims’s family and the family of some prick that put his hands on Wyatt’s wife got wind of the tips and they have put pressure on the police to follow through. Money talks so they are talking pretty loudly right now.

“I called Bobby to handle this mess, but he and Paige are with Wyatt getting this shit thrown out in California. Marcus and James will be meeting us at the station to handle this instead. Valentina will still be in good hands. We should have this squashed within the hour. The chief owes me a favor.

“But it doesn’t stop there. Rita said that the passenger of the SUV that rammed her car got out with a gun to finish the job. My tech is cleaning up a video of the incident as we speak. The best part is my father and Wyatt received calls that confirmed all this shit is linked together.

“The call to Wyatt mentioned us both by name. They also mentioned Vanessa. I don’t believe in coincidences. I just don’t get why they are bringing the Blacks into this,” Nate runs a hand over his head in thought.

“We are more connected than you know,” I rumble.

“What,” Nate narrows his eyes at me.

“It is not my place, but I will say this. There is a connection,” I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. “I have yet to take over the family and I have a feeling it is coming for me. I don’t know how it connects to Mims or Black’s wife. They could just be involving them to get to what they want, but there is a deeper connection between us all.”

“Uri, what are you not telling me. Someone has called my father and threatened all the women in our families. It is my job to protect them so I need to know what you are not telling me,” Nate says firmly.

“Don’t get your knickers in a bunch, Nathan. It would just be better if this came from your family and those you protect. You know I would let no harm come to Pam or the children. It is just not my place to connect the dots on this one,” I turn to look him in his eyes. “I think it is time you ask your father and uncles what you have truly inherited.”

chapter Eight

Black Out

Wyatt

California

I am fucking fuming. My wife has been locked up for eight hours now for a murder she didn’t commit. I wish I knew where Barry’s bitch ass was buried. I would dig him up and kill that pussy all over again.

I know for a fact Steve handled this so there would be no blowback from making that piece of shit disappear. Steve was black ops right alongside my dad. Not to mention the fact that my dad and Rob were with Steve to make sure things went exactly the way they should.

They don’t have shit. Yet, here we are, me with a little three-month-old, who was starving for her mama’s milk much longer than necessary and my wife in an interrogation room. I glare at the detective that has been a complete dick as his partner exits the interrogation room holding the bag I handed her half an hour ago.

“Here you go. Plenty of milk for this little beauties stomach,” she says as she smiles at my little Nora.

I rip my eyes away from the death glare I have been giving to her partner. He is a certified asshat. How many ways can you ask nicely for someone to let your wife pump to feed her baby? I couldn’t have been happier to see Mairettie and his wife.

Jennings, the female detective, was more than understanding and would have let Nellie feed our daughter hours ago. Hastings, the asshat, just wanted to be a dick. Paige chews their asses out, but Hastings still griped about letting Nellie feed Nora and then pump some more.

I take the bag from Jennings and then shoot Hastings a shit eating grin. “Thank you,” I say turning back to Jennings and giving her a smile as well.

I see the moment her green eyes fill with lust as she looks up at me. I want to roll my eyes, but fight the urge until my wife is out of here and by my side again. I place the cooling bag over my shoulder and shift Nora in my arms, kissing the top of her head.

I feel her sigh as she snuggles into my chest. I swear I love this little girl with all my heart. I thought I loved her mother more than I could love anyone, but the day she was born and opened her eyes for the first time to look up at me I was a goner.

She is the spitting image of her mother with my golden eyes. My little girl has soft pecan colored skin that for the life of me, I can’t figure out how it always glows. Adorable, just like her mother, she is just a sweet angel. Even when she is hungry, she just lets it be known briefly and then she patiently waits for you to attend to her needs.

The only time she gives a real fuss is when her little butt is covered in shit. Yeah, Nora is not a fan of having a dirty diaper. I swear she hands out dirty looks if you don’t change her fast enough. Just like her mother, sweet as can be until she’s not.

“How much longer,” I grumble to Paige Mairettie as she hangs up her phone while Bobby is a few paces away still on his.

“They are stalling. I have no clue for what, but if I have it my way, we’ll be out of here in the next thirty minutes. They have broken so many protocols and laws with this one. I plan to have them in so much litigation they won’t be able to sharpen a pencil around here without asking permission and shivering just from the thought of your name,” Paige growls.

“We’ll have her out in five minutes,” Bobby says as he walks over ending his call and wrapping an arm around Paige’s waist. He lowers his voice. “We need to talk.”

From the look in his eyes, I know this is not going to be something I like. I curse in my head for the millionth time. My father is owed some favors around here, but right now he and my mother are on their way back home from Ireland with Toby and his little family.

It seems we solve one problem around here only to run into another. Like Nate and Uri, I haven’t been able to get in touch with my dad because he is still on his flight. I can’t wait to find out who this Vanessa is and what the hell she has to do with my wife being cuffed and dragged from our home.

We’d been taking Nora for a swim in the pool when the cops arrived. Nellie is determined to lose her baby weight, so we have been taking Nora into the pool while Nellie walks laps while singing to her. To tell you that I was thrown by the detectives showing up for my wife and then informing me that she was being charged with the murder of Barry Coleman, is a huge understatement.

If I could spit nails, I would have. I had to stand there with a static look on my face. I knew it was all bullshit. They had nothing. Jennings looked like she wanted to be anywhere else from the time they cuffed Nellie. If anything, her only reason for wanting to arrest my wife was to be able to stop eye fucking me and actually physically do it.

Pretty woman but the only woman I want wrapped around me is the one they have detained. I need my arms wrapped around my wife. Nora wakes and squirms in my arms. When I look down into her golden eyes, she looks as if she is reassuring me that everything will be okay. She gives a lazy yawn and then smiles at me.

In. Love. With. This. Kid. I nuzzle her little nose with mine. Hearing Hastings nasty voice, I turn to see Nellie emerging from the interrogation room, finally. My feet are moving before my brain can process what is going on.

I have my badass in my arms as she shudders against me. I know this has been a long day for her. I just want to get my family home. I have never felt more helpless. I wanted to tell them I killed that bastard, but that wouldn’t have done us any good. This case is bogus and it needs to go away as fast as Mairettie can make it happen.

“Let’s go, Baby,” I whisper in Nellie’s ear.

She nods into my chest and takes Nora from me to hold her tight. Nellie is already an amazing mother and I can’t wait to have more beautiful babies with her. The sooner we bury this shit, the sooner we can get to it.

As we step outside Bobby and Paige, turn to us. “I will come by your place in the morning,” Bobby says. “Paige needs to get back to our girls. Like Nora, they are breastfeeding.”

“I left a good amount with the nanny, but those two are greedy,” Paige giggles and runs her hand over Nora’s dark curls.

“We understand. Thank you so much,” Nellie says softly. “I hate we had to meet this way.”

“Think nothing of it. We will get to know each other the right way. I’m just happy we were in town to help out.”

“Next time don’t wait so long to call,” Bobby says to me.

“I didn’t want to drag you here, Bro,” I sigh.

Bobby shrugs. “That’s bull and you know it, man, anytime, anyplace, even if you can’t reach Sam. You call when you need and I will be there,” Bobby says patting my shoulder.

“See you in the morning,” I say pulling him into a one arm hug and then bending to hug his wife. She is short like Nellie.

I have dealt with Paige a few times in the past. Let’s just say she used to be the buffer between the Mairettie and Black name before she married Bobby. They have been sending a Camille something or the other in the last few months. It looks like we weren’t as careful as we thought.

“First thing,” Bobby says.

~B
~

Nellie

I can’t believe I was cuffed and dragged down to the police station. I thought Wyatt was going to be arrested right along with me when they slapped the cuffs on me. He got right in Detective Hastings’s face and called him a fat fuck.

The way Wyatt towered over the other man made me cringe. The only thing that kept Wyatt from exploding was Nora being in his arms. I hate that all this happened around my baby. Our family happens to be scattered around on assignments and other important matters right now.

I know if they weren’t they would all be here to support us. I can’t believe that after all we have been through Barry is still wreaking havoc in my life. I can see by the look on Wyatt’s face he feels like this is his own fault. I don’t blame him. Someone is out to mess with our lives, but this is not on him.

I lift my head from his chest and stare at the tight expression on his face. He is such a beautiful man no matter his expression. I hate that he is taking this on himself.

He hasn’t let me out of his sight once. He stood in the doorway to Nora’s room while I dressed her for bed and placed her in her crib. Once she was down, he came in to kiss her tiny head. I was in his arms instantly as he lifted me to carry me to our room.

I knew he was deep in his thoughts when he drew us a bath, but did nothing but bath me. Not one single sensual caress was exchanged. When he toweled me off, it was more like a reverent act than his usual strokes of promise.

“Wy,” I whisper.

“Yeah Baby,” he moves his eyes from the ceiling to look down at me. His large hand comes up and he pushes my hair from my face.

“This isn’t your fault,” I say softly.

“Yeah, it is. I should have handled this differently. I promised you he would never bother you again. I didn’t keep that promise,” Wy says with pain in his voice.

“Stop being silly, Baby. If I am correct, he will never bother me again. This is someone else trying to hurt our family. They were probably hoping you would confess to free me,” I say as I cup his face in my palm. “Barry’s dad is an asshole. He is probably behind this.”

“I thought of that, but then I received a call that dismissed that theory. This is bigger than that asshole and his father,” Wyatt sighs heavily, his arm around my waist tightens.

“Wy, I don’t want to talk about what happened. I need you to make me forget and I will do the same for you. There is nothing we can do about it tonight so let’s forget about it until the morning,” I plea as I lift and straddle his hips.

Wyatt’s eyes finally come into focus as they land on the sheer teddy I slipped into before crawling under the covers. Another clue that Wyatt’s mind was elsewhere. Any other time he would have ripped the thin fabric from my body and devoured me on the spot.

As if just coming to the realization that I am in the room, his cock comes to life poking me in the ass through his pajama bottoms. Wyatt has gotten back into the habit of wearing, at least, pajama bottoms to bed since Nora was born. I swear he doesn’t sleep anymore. He is always in the nursery watching over our daughter.

If she so much as whimpers in her sleep he is up and out the bed flying to her side. It is the sweetest thing ever, to see this big man become mush for his little girl. Right now I want to be the responsible for him falling apart and forgetting his own name.

“Make love to me, Wy. I need you,” I whisper in his ear as I lean over him.

Wyatt’s hands shoot to my backside cupping my cheeks. He groans in my ear and I moan in his. I really do need this as much as he does. I turn my head to hover my lips over his. His breath fans across my lips, causing me to shiver. I grind my heat against his rock hard stomach, bumping his erection that is still poking at me from behind.

Wyatt hisses as his hands skim up my sides. His eyes watch mine as we still have yet to connect our lips. We are just breathing in each other for as long as we can stand it. I am nearly ready to break when his large warm hands cup my breasts.

I whimper, but it is lost in Wyatt’s mouth as he takes my lips and thrusts his tongue into my mouth. I grip his shoulders as it is all I can do not to tip over in a shivering mess. I have been married to this man for over two years and this never gets old.

Wyatt has the power to wreck me, mind, body, and soul. I do my best to give it right back. I rake my short nails down the front of his chest, causing him to growl and flip me onto my back. His hands are swift at pushing my teddy up over my belly.

Wyatt climbs down my body to plant soft kisses to the baby fat I am still trying to work off. I gasp and squirm away. I reach to push the fabric back down over my tummy, but Wyatt’s hands move lightning fast to grasp my wrists.

“I love every single inch of you. Don’t try to hide from me, Baby. I want to see all of you,” Wyatt rasps, lifting to pull the teddy up and off me.

I sit up to allow him to remove the garment. Wyatt tosses the teddy across the room and lunges for my lips like he needs to kiss me to breathe. I gasp at the sheer force of his assault on my lips.

He sucks, nibbles, and licks first my bottom lip then the top. I lift off the bed when I feel his fingers skim across my sex, only to make a second pass before thrusting inside me. His fingers plunge into my core to the rhythm of his tongue that is now evading my mouth seeking for what, I don’t know and don’t care.

All I know is that I want and need him. I use my feet and fingertips to push his pants down over his hips. Wyatt understands what I need without the exchange of words. His head dips so that he can flick my hardened tip with his tongue as he guided his huge cock into my opening.

I cry out and throw my head back into the mattress. Wyatt places his hand to the center of my arched back holding me to him. He starts with long slow strokes as I move with him savoring the feel of him filling me up. I widen my legs and lift them to wrap around the center of his back.

“Fuck,” Wyatt groans against my breast. He lifts his head to look me in the eyes. “You feel so good. I love you so much, Nellie. I would die if anything happened to you. You’re the air I breathe.”

“I love you, too. Nothing is going to happen to me. I’m right here. I will always be right here,” I purr as I hold his gaze.

Wyatt lifts his torso reaching for the headboard and grasping it. “Hold on, Baby. I need this,” he warns before he starts to pound into me.