Page 69 of Angelic Acts
Before I’m out of her reach, Mom snatches my arm, stopping me. “If she so much as has a hair out of place, I’ll… I’ll…” She huffs out a breath. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but you won’t like it.”
Her threat wraps around my ribs in a warm embrace because Lizzy has someone taking care of her. Someone other than me. My mom already sees her as one of her own, and she won’t allow anything to happen to her.
“I swear nothing will ever happen to her. I won’t let it.” While the words are directed at my mother, my eyes don’t waver from Lizzy’s as I vow to protect her. She nods slightly, accepting my oath.
I round the table and pull my woman in for a hug. Katerina leads the way to our father’s old office. These days, she leads the Syndicate more than Dom does. He’s too preoccupied with his wife. A feeling I understand all too well.
Dom’s leaning against the desk when we enter the room. “So, when did we get involved with the Rizzoli Mafia?”
Roman and I exchange a look. Mine questioning why Dom isn’t totally caught up. Whereas Roman’s is a look of guilt. He shrugs and mouths, “Busy with kids,” as if that’s a reasonable excuse.
“Should I be here for this?” Lizzy murmurs under her breath.
I silently curse myself. How could I have forgotten to tell her such an important detail? Vincent’s mafia connection surprised me, but it’s also my world. I operate here, underground. Since it’s my norm, it slipped my mind.
A sliver of doubt enters my mind, that maybe Iforgotto tell her because it would only highlight a similarity between him and me. She can never think I’m anything like him. I would never hurt her.
“I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. It truly slipped my mind,” I face Lizzy as I apologize. My voice is low, my tone serious. Her confusion is evident. “We need to tell them about the attack and your past. They can help. And I’ve already inadvertently involved them.”
She looks around the room, a haunted look in her eyes. Her pallor is ghostly, her skin akin to snow. My stomach clenches at the sight.
“You can trust us. We’re here to help you.” Katerina’s encouraging words are firm, a promise. She’s not uttering soft words of comfort; she’s vowing to protect her.
Lizzy finally nods, then turns to me. “Can you do it?”
My fists tighten at her timid tone, the need to make her abuser pay overwhelms me. I take a calming breath, then begin. The words pour from me like molasses, with great resistance. But finally, I get them out in as little detail as possible.
My brothers are notably angry about her past, but my sister-in-law, the fearless leader of the Syndicate, is infuriated. Her cheeks redden, and a fire burns in her eyes. Her reaction is expected after her past with the Bratva.
When I finish, Katerina crosses the room and grabs Lizzy’s hands. “You are so strong and brave for what you did. You fought for your freedom, something many are too scared to do.I’ll tell you my story once we figure this out. It’s similar to yours.” She pauses, waiting until Lizzy’s eyes clear. “He will not touch you. I’ll make sure of it. Anyone who crosses my family experiences my wrath.”
At the wordfamily, Lizzy sucks in a sharp breath. Her fingers tighten around mine, and I recognize the expression she wears as longing. I’ve longed for her for years the same way she’s longed for a family.
I reach over and pull her to my front, wrapping my arms around her, anchoring her to me. She immediately curls into my touch, forming against me. I hold my breath momentarily, just enough so when I release it, our inhales match, breathing in unison, as one.
My sweet angel stares blankly ahead as we cultivate a plan. Matthias extricates himself from the conversation, not one to be involved in Syndicate matters. The four of us decide on Roman being on call as needed to interrogate. He refuses to be away from his pregnant wife and daughters for long. Dom and Katerina are going to send out men to scope out areas at night to attempt to find his hideout. They’re also going to reach out to our allies to warn them and ask for their help. Pyotr and his Bratva will surely be on our side, but we’ll have to tread carefully with Lorenzo’s Mafia.
And I am on computer duty and am responsible for guarding Lizzy. While I’m not letting her out of my sight, and I’ve implanted the subdermal tracker in her, I’m not taking any chances. She’ll have a Syndicate guard on her at all times as well. Katerina graciously offered up Nikolai, her most trusted guard, to protect Lizzy. Despite myawkwardencounter with him, I take her up on it.
When all is settled, we return to the others in the sitting room. Mom beckons me over to where she’s holding Isabel. Ifollow, parting ways with Lizzy as Margot ensnares her in conversation.
“I really like her,” Mom whispers to me as she grabs my hand. The hope in her eyes causes an ache inside me. Has she really been so worried about me being alone? All of my brothers were older than I am now when they met their wives.
“I do too. I love her, Mom. She’s my perfect match. Lizzy’s clever and caring. Knowledgeable on topics I’m not. We have so much we can learn from each other and learn together. Her ideal Friday night is a puzzle and a documentary. I couldn’t have built a woman more suited for me.” My love for Lizzy pours into each word, filling the air with my passion. I may have many interests, but nothing excites me like my Lizzy.
Mom’s shoulders sag in relief, and to my horror, tears brim in her eyes. I stumble back a step and look around for my dad. If he sees I made Mom cry, he’s likely to attack. He loves his wife fiercely. And God-forbid anyone hurts her.
To my luck, Dad has his knife collection out and is showing it to Katerina.Perfect. Now he’s armed for when he comes after me. I turn my body slightly, shielding Mom from Dad.
“Please don’t cry,” I beg her.
“I’m sorry, honey,” she says as she dabs her eyes. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you so happy. As a mother, all I can hope for is for each of my children to be happy. I was so worried about you as you watched longingly as all your brothers found love and started families. But to see my baby boy so in love…” She smiles at me through her tears.
I glance over my shoulder to ensure Dad is still distracted by Katerina. I also notice the grin Margot’s wearing as she talks animatedly to Lizzy. The things that woman could betelling her make my pulse spike. I make a mental list of everything I need to do.
One. I need to get Mom to stop crying.
Two. I need to get Lizzy away from Margot.
