Page 63 of Angelic Acts
The Rizzoli Mafia is infamous for its cruelty and filth. There’s no line they won’t cross. From brothels to hard drugs, they do it all. They have no connection with Lorenzo’s Boston Mafia, unfortunately. Lorenzo has been a close ally for years, but he won’t be of any help.
Roman comes storming back in. The hard expression on his face is all the confirmation I need. Dom’s ordered him to keep this fucker alive. I drop my hammer on the table as I make my way to Roman.
“What’d he say?” I demand.
“We can’t kill him. Dom wants to interrogate him and find out more about their operation. We’ll get more info about their intentions with your woman too.” The look of regret on his face mirrors my own.
Logically, we need to keep him alive to find Vincent. He won’t be easy to track down. I’m pissed that I didn’t catch on sooner that the Rizzoli Mafia has been in Boston for so long. But I never considered it a possibility, so I didn’t set up any precautions.
For the first time, I regret not looking into Lizzy’s past. If I had known who she was dating, I would’ve prepared properly. If I had known her abuser wasn’t dead, I’d have gonedown and finished the job myself. I’d do it in a way that’d ensure it’d never lead back to the Syndicate.
My phone beeps, letting me know that Lizzy is leaving the zoo. “I need to go. Lizzy will be home soon, and she deserves to know the truth.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yeah. I’m building my relationship on honesty, not deceit. Something you should be a proponent of considering how close you came to losing Cecilia because of your secrets.”
Even if it scares her, she deserves to know. She’ll have to trust that I can protect her, but she should also be conscious about the risks out there.
“Good luck, brother,” Roman tells me with a slap on the back.
Chapter 34
Lizzy
Bash has been acting strangely all evening. I can tell he knows something, but he’s nervous to tell me. As much as I know he’s trying to protect me, my curiosity overcomes me.
“Bash, you can tell me what’s going on,” I assure him from my spot on the couch next to him. There’s something comforting about this spot. Maybe it’s that despite all the bad these past twenty-four hours, this couch has been a place of good.
“Lizzy, there’s something you need to know. I don’t want to scare you, but I refuse to keep secrets from you.” He pulls off his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose. Placing a hand on his thigh, I try to calm him.
“Bash, I trust you. Ignorance may be bliss, but that bliss doesn’t protect me from the reality of danger. I need you to tell me,” I beg him. He searches my eyes, then nods.
“Vincent is alive.” With those words, my world tilts on its axis. Every truth I’ve known is in question. As if he can sense my inner turmoil, Bash drags me into his lap. “It’s going to be okay. I promise I’ll keep you safe.”
I nod absentmindedly at his words. He’s going to keep me safe. I know he will. Vincent can’t get to me through Bash. Bash won’t let him. He won’t, right?
He brushes my overgrown bangs aside, clearing my view of him. Cupping my face between his palms, he leans over and kisses my forehead. I lean into his lips, basking in their comfort. In the comfort only he can provide.
“Are you sure?” I know he is. He wouldn’t tell me this if he wasn’t positive.
“I interrogated the men from the break-in today. Vincent sent them to get you. He’s here, in Boston.”
The air is heavy with words I know to be true. Words I wish weren’t being spoken, that I’d refuse to believe if I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes.
“I know,” I whisper, succumbing to reality. “He’s been watching me at the zoo. I saw him again today.”
Bash tenses, his arms wrapping around me, cocooning me. “When? Where? What happened?”
“He was in the parking lot as I was leaving. I convinced myself it wasn’t him, but I knew deep down. I just don’t understand how this is possible. I watched him die.” The jarring juxtaposition in my mind of his body on our living room floor versus the man in the parking lot haunts me.
“You watched him bleed out. He sought medical attention and survived. They were able to save him.” He sighs, then his expression softens. “But angel, this means you never killed anyone. You can let go of all this guilt.”
“But I’m trading guilt for fear. The safety I’ve felt knowing he was gone has just been ripped from me.” I hate how my tears well in my eyes. He doesn’t deserve my tears, and yet, he still elicits them.
“I know. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling. But trust in me, angel. Trust that I’ll take care of you. You’re not leaving my sight until this is settled. My brothers and the Syndicate are involved.”
“I don’t want you to leave me alone,” I whisper against his neck that I’m tucked into.
