Lullabye (Rockstar #6) (9 page)

When we reach them, all expressions are grim.

“Jana?” Sera asks.

Damian nods.

“Where did you find her?” I ask.

“In a warehouse much like this one,” Ernesto tells me.

“Was she dead?” Sera asks.

“No,” Damian replies, meeting her gaze.

“Then, how?”

“I gave her my gun,” Ernesto tells us.

“What?” she asks in surprise.

Ernesto sighs. “She’d have done it eventually if I hadn’t let her do it there. What they did to her, Sera.” He shakes his head. “They’re on a whole other level than we are.”

“They’re sick! Depraved!” she shouts. “And I’m one of them. I
hate
that I have their filthy blood flowing through my veins.”

“Serafina,” Giovanni begins. “Your father was
nothing
like them. The blood you have is clean. Just as I came to see Tommy as a Russo, so are you. You know this.”

“Fee. Don’t doubt who you are. Not now. Not because of this. They don’t get to do that to you again,” I tell her. She looks up at me, searching, and I give it to her. The man who won’t allow her to be anything less than the Fee she’s come to be.

“I’m good,” she says. “I’m good.”

“We need to talk to the Kingstons,” Giovanni announces.

“I’ll do it,” Sera volunteers. “Not that it’ll make it any easier for them, but I’m close to them.”

“All right,” Gio agrees.

“What are we going to do about those motherfuckers?” Damian asks.

I step forward, resting my hand on Sera’s back. “Here’s the plan we’ve been working on.”

W
E JUST GET
the babies laid down when Sera and Cage arrive. I’m so grateful she’s started calling ahead. If she’d come ten minutes earlier, I’d be wearing puke-covered clothes and Jesse would have the stain from Kaid’s pee stream going up his chest. I snicker inside. That was hilarious. I warned him he needed to cover up the boys’ penises when it was this cold in the house, but he didn’t listen. Thinking he knows better because he has a penis of his own. Ha!

I whip my hair up into a bun. God, I need a shower. I smell like baby powder and baby puke. Not a great combination.

“Hey,” I greet when they enter the living room. Both have serious looks on their face and Sera’s carrying sadness in her eyes. I grab Jesse’s hand but he already knows. I can tell by the rigidity of his stance.

“You found her,” he says before Sera and Cage even say hello.

“We did,” Cage replies.

“How bad was it?” I ask.

“Bad.
Really
bad,” Sera answers.

“Is she dead?” Jesse asks.

Sera glances at me, then nods. “Yes.”

She’s hiding something. I don’t know what and I don’t think I want to. It’s probably better if none of us ever find out.

Ben walks in late with Coley and Jeni and they all pause in the doorway.

“I knew it,” Jeni cries. “I knew. I don’t know how, but I just knew.”

“I’m so sorry,” Sera says.

“You didn’t do anything to be sorry for,” Ben replies. “It wasn’t you. It was them. Tell me you’ve got something planned.”

Cage nods. “I can’t tell you what, but a plan is being formulated and put into action.”

“It won’t bring her back, but those fuckers need to get some pain. This has been going on long enough. Think of all the
bullshit
they’ve put us through in the last year,” Jesse bites out.

“Babe,” I soothe.

“I’m okay, Cupcake. I figured this would be what happened. I just don’t like to think of them getting away with all this shit. If they keep getting away with it, they’re going to keep doing it and each time will get worse and worse. I want them to be afraid, Cage. I don’t want to have to be afraid they’re going to hurt my kids or Luce,” Jesse rages.

“They’ll get theirs, Jesse. I can promise you this,” Cage replies. I startle a bit because Cage never promises unless he knows he can carry through.

“I don’t want to know what you’re going to do, but I want you to do it,” I confess.

Jeni’s silently weeping in the corner.

“Do you know how they got her?” Ben asks.

Sera nods. “Apparently one of the younger Manzinis met Jana on campus. They hit it off. When the Manzinis discovered who the girl was their boy was infatuated with, they told him to end it. He didn’t. They tried to see each other on the sly, but that’s impossible within any ‘family’.”

“So then…” I prod.

“Yeah.”

“Oh God,” I reply and Ben looks at me confused.

“What?”

“They made him watch them torture and rape her,” I whisper.

“They also made him participate,” Cage says.

I look up. “What?”

“Jesus Christ,” Jesse growls. “It was innocent. They were just two people dating.”

“But the Manzinis turned it into something else completely,” Jeni adds.

“They did,” Cage agrees. “And they will pay the price.”

We all sit there in silence. Xander comes walking down the stairs with one baby strapped to his chest and another to his back.

Sera bursts into laughter. “
What
is going on here?”

“Uncle Xan Man is taking care of Kaid and Konnor and I got thirsty,” he tells her with a grin.

“Oh God, this is great,” she says, laughing. “I didn’t think I could laugh today, but this…” She grabs her stomach. “Someone, take a picture. This needs to go up on Facebook, Instagram, and sent to the press!”

Jeni’s snickering through her tears, Ben and Cage are both just shaking their heads.

“You trust him with your kids?” Ben asks.

“I trust him with my life,” Jesse replies.

“But your kids—”

“He burps Kierah better than I do. He has a crib in his room. He’s got a Diaper Genie! I didn’t even know what a Diaper Genie was!” I exclaim.

Ben’s grinning now.

“Uncle Xan Man is awesome,” Xander says, walking into the kitchen.

“That…” Cage breaks off. “I got photos.”

Sera stands on tiptoe and kisses his cheek. “You’re so good to me.”

“Oh, Fee, these aren’t for you. These are for
me
to share. There’s never been something I’ve wanted to share more than I want to share this,” Cage explains, his lips twitching.

Sera narrows her eyes. “You got a video!”

Cage smirks and winks at her.

She laughs some more. “This is too good.”

“I’m so glad we have him,” I tell everyone. “He gave us a reason to smile when we all wanted to cry.”

Jesse nods and pulls me into his side.

“I’m so fucking mad about Jana. It tears me apart inside. But then I think of our babies and how life goes on even when yours stops. I’ll never forget her. Never,” Jesse vows.

“We’ll get her justice,” Cage replies.

Xander comes dancing into the room, Justin Bieber on his iPod. He starts to sing about someone who needs to love themselves. I glance over at Cage and I see that sly smirk as he holds up his phone.

There’s never a dull moment around here.

Three days before Christmas…

“Luce.”

I turn to see Xander standing in the doorway, a bag over his shoulder.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“I’m going to be gone for two days. I’ll be back for Christmas.”

“Are you going to New York?” I ask.

He nods. “I am. This is part of my working my shit out. You’ll be all right with the babies?”

“Oh, Xander. We’ll be fine. You go and do what you need to do,” I whisper, walking to him and giving him a hug. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Me too, Luce. Me too.”

Continue reading for
A Very Xander Christmas 2, Rockstar #6.5
—A Rockstar Christmas—Told Xander Style… as well as the guest author chapters from some of my favorite authors!

©2015 Anne Mercier

“I
HOPPED OFF
the plane in NYC with a dream and a plan for love,” I sing softly, the hum the melody as I grab my bag from the back of the taxi. I pay the cabbie who drove like a fucking lunatic—just the way I like it in New York—and head toward the front steps of the building.

“Mr. Mackenzie. It’s nice to see you again,” the doorman greets.

“Thanks, Dan. Good to see you too.”

“Will you be staying a while?”

“Until tomorrow afternoon. Not nearly long enough.”

He gives me a wry grin. “Maybe someday.”

I shrug. “If that day ever comes, she’ll be coming to me.”

I walk through the lobby and head to the elevator. I’m glad she’s got such great security. It makes me feel better knowing she’s protected even when I’m not here. The thought also frustrates the hell out of me. She should be with
me
.

I step off the elevator and pause, straightening my clothes, running a hand through my hair, and readjusting the bag over my shoulder. I’m not nervous, just anxious. Yeah. Every time I see her, I get this way. Only her. Only she can do this to me.

I knock on the door to Tera’s loft. She opens the door a few minutes later, covered in paint—like always, her hair a mess up on top of her head, annoyance at being interrupted flashing in her eyes until she realizes it’s me. She drops the paintbrush and cloth she was using to wipe her hands and launches herself at me.