Page 85 of Dirty Heirs

“Drake,” Olivia shouted. “Oh, God.” She stole him from Arlo and hugged him hard, sobbing on his chest. “Where’s Tate?”

Too worried about Marcello and Drake, no one thought to tell her. Besides, it was Drake’s place to deliver the bad news.

“He’s dead,” Drake bit out.

Olivia shook her head, her entire body trembling. “No.” She sobbed. “No, he’s not dead.”

Drake held her and cried on her shoulder. “They killed him,” he repeated several times. “I’m so sorry, Liv. It’s all my fault.”

Her blood-curdling screams sent a shiver down my spine. We all respected Tate. He was a good man and an ally to The Devil’s Knights. But we didn’t know him that well. Not the way Drake did.

“Stop it, Drake,” she whimpered. “Just tell me the truth.”

“I am, Liv.” He held her at arm’s length, tears spilling down his cheeks. “They air lifted his body to the morgue in Beacon Bay. We can see him… if you want. But I don’t think you should. He’s unrecognizable.”

Cole and Grace Marshall inched toward them but kept their distance. Grace was carrying their newborn son, Hale, who slept soundly with all the noise. Drake and Cole were cousins and very close. He would need all of us to get him through the worst time in his life, but he needed Cole and Olivia the most.

Clutching Ella’s shoulder, I steered her away from their sad, intense conversation and over to the Salvatores. Aiden followed on her right, the three of us a unit. This was our public declaration that Ella was ours, and there was nothing anyone could do or say to stop us.

Marcello was so weak that his dad had to help him stand. Alex hugged him briefly, realizing it was too much weight to press against his fragile body, and stepped back.

She traced her fingers down his arms. “Marcello, are you okay?”

He stared as if he didn’t recognize her.

“Marcello.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her round stomach, right over the baby bump. “Please, say something.”

Alex was eight months pregnant and ready to have Luca’s twin boys any day. Aiden was excited to be an uncle again. Last year, she had Sofia with Damian and almost immediately got pregnant. She practically glowed, her skin radiant and healthy. Pregnancy suited her, and I wondered how Ella would look carrying my child.

The idea was crazy.

But it could work.

As Marcello’s eyes dropped to her bump, he must have felt the twins kick. His hand moved, and then he seemed to snap back to reality.

He expelled a breath of air and said, “I’m not okay.”

She kissed his lips. “I’m here for you, Marcello. Whatever you need.”

He kissed her back. “I need you. Always.”

Since high school, Marcello had been in love with Alex. She was the one. He refused to let her go when his brothers tried to claim her. He said he just knew. And as I glanced down at Ella and over to Aiden, I felt the same conviction. Our relationship was unconventional and would stir up controversy with our families, but I didn’t care.

They were mine.

After Marcello greeted his brothers, I pulled him into my arms and hugged him for five minutes, refusing to let him go. He needed my help standing. His entire body shook from a tremor rocking through him.

“The Lucaya Group will pay for this,” I said, staring into his watery blue eyes. “I don’t care what I have to do. I’m in.”

“Drake hasn’t come to terms with this yet,” he said in a hushed tone. “But it must be done. We have to stop them.”

I patted his back. “We won’t stop until they’re all dead.”

Chapter Forty

ELLA

We were invited for lunch at the Battle Fortress a few weeks after Tate’s funeral. It was a funny name for an estate, but it suited Drake’s mansion. It was made primarily of glass and reminded me of Tony Stark’s house in the Iron Man movies.

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