Page 11 of Lucky Shot

“Where in the world are you?” A pretty pink blush begins to rise up the column of her neck and meets her high cheekbones, painting them acaptivating pink. Her fingers clench on the edge of the sheet, as if the question is causing her anxiety. Does she suspect it’s me, or is she just curious? I mull over my answer, knowing I have to be careful here. “I’m in the United States, California, to be exact.” I’m not lying. That’s where I am, so I don’t feel any guilt about deceiving her.

“Oh!” The charming squeak that leaves her lips has me remembering when she was a girl, and she used to get so excited over little things, like seeing butterflies, and rainbows after a storm. A part of me wishes we could go back to that innocent time. I would have done so many things differently. I should have taken her and run from our families when she was sixteen, and our fathers started talking about marrying her off to create alliances with other families. It was then that I realized she would never be mine, no matter how quickly I rose withinour family dynamic, and how many men I killed for the Irish mafia. I would never be good enough for Phoebe Murphy.

“Are you married?” The question looks like it pains her to ask, and I know exactly why, and it makes my heart ache in my chest. Betrayal is an ugly thing that leaves merciless scars on your heart. “No, I’m not with anyone at the moment.” More like I haven’t been with anyone in years, pathetically pining for a woman I know I can never have and, up until a few days ago, didn’t have confirmation was even still alive. Even though my heart insisted that she was, that I would feel it in my soul if Phoebe Murphy ceased to exist.

Phoebe nods her head, seemingly content with my answers. She can’t be naive. She knows I could be lying to her, and feeding her what she wants to hear to soothe her soul, and convince her that what she’s doing isn’t harming anyone. In this case, between just us two, she’s not, but I am sure some of the assholes that were watching her earlier have wives or girlfriends. “If you want to see me again, I would be happy to do another private chat with you. Send me some options for dates and times, and I’ll confirm with you.” My heart pounds roughly in my chest, knowing she’s going to end our chat now, and I won’t get to see her again until the next time she’s on here, or Nicolo and I find her.Run, Phoebe, I want to yell, knowing full well we are going to hurt her once more when we find her.

“How much for you not to do the lives anymore, and keep it exclusive to just the two of us?” I ramble off, and immediately want to take back my words, as a look of shock crosses her expression. I don’t want strangers to watch her, but I also don’t want Nicolo to either. I know I am being a fucker, but I don’t care. “Um, that’s not how this works. I don’t do exclusivity, and I’m not like a sugar baby or an escort. I have to go, Irish, if you want another private chat, send me a message.” She blows me a kiss, and the screen goes blank. I rapidly jump to my feet, forgetting all about my cum coating my fingers and stomach, as I punch a hole in the nearest wall in frustration. “FUCK!!”

If I have just lost her again, I will set this whole fucking world on fire to find her. I refuse to let her go, and I won’t allow Nicolo, or anyone else, to take her from me. Fuck all of them. For once, I am going to do what’s right for me and Phoebe.

Chapter thirteen

Phoebe

“Maybe I can try to negotiate with Nicolo. He’s not his brother or father, Aiden. He knows this is not right.” I stare with hope into Aiden’s scowling features. His jaw is locked so tight that a twitch is jumping on his roughened, whiskered cheek. There’s a black and purple bruise forming already below his swelling eye socket, from the fistfight he had with my brother last night when he tried to talk some sense into him, to stop the horror that is happening. It pains me to know that I am causing two sets of best friends to argue: Aiden with my brother, Tadhg, and Aiden with Nicolo Amato, friendships that have lasted since we were children, despite our different family dynamics and alliances. The only one that seems to be on my side is the man standing transfixed in front of me, ready to defend me to his last breath. I drag my shaking hands down my face and wipe away my futile tears. The desire to tear at my swollen flesh is almost overwhelming. I fight back the choking sobs that threaten to render me useless, and have me wailing in the fetal position.

How could this be happening to me? How could the brother I have always loved, and admired, be proceeding with the archaic patriarchal foolishness my father set in motion before his death? How could Nicolo Amato have agreed to this marriage, knowing full well I didn’t want to be married to him, or anyone else, and that I would be forced into compliance against my will? Do I really mean nothing to all the men in my life? Am I really just a pretty piece of expensive jewelry to be passed from one man to another, regardless of my feelings, dreams, and aspirations for my life? How can this be the world I am living in, where someone can steal my future, just because I am a female, and they are a male? We are not in the eighteen hundreds where a woman can be forced to marry anyone she doesn’t want to, except, I guess, if you’re a mafia princess like me. Then your choices don’t exist, and your opinion doesn’t matter.

I stare at the man before me, the one I have always had a special connection with. The yin to my yang, the missing part of my soul. He’s just as devastated as I am. He knows that, if this is allowed to proceed, things will never be the same, and our friendship will be at an end. No Italian mafia wife will be allowed to have an Irish mafia lieutenant as a friend and confidant. As it is, it’s only been permitted because of Aiden’s family’s connection to mine, and I know my father never truly accepted it, but he didn’t want to risk offending Aiden’s father. Now, both men are gone, and my unsensible, power-hungry brother is in charge, and pushing ahead with anything that will give him an advantage, and allow him to gain power. “He won’t listen, anam cara. He’s as power-hungry and eager to please his father and brother as Tadhg is.” Aiden raises his fingers and strokes away a tear from my cheek, his touch instantly causing a soothing reaction in my body. “If I were a smarter man, I would have seen this coming. If I were a braver and better man, I would tell you to run, Phoebe. I am, unfortunately, none of those things, because the thought of losing you forever tears me apart, and I can’t breathe when I think of not seeing you every day.”

“Oh, Aiden, don’t you understand that ship has sailed?” I angrily pull away from him, as I go over Nicolo’s snide words in my head, from yesterday’s argument, at the dinner I was forced to attend. “Nicolo, for all his promises of love and devotion, will treat me like any other mafia wife. I will be locked in an ivory tower, and only allowed out when it suits his needs. He doesn’t want a partner, and he’s made that very clear. I am to be seen and not heard, and expected to keep his home and bear his children, as if that could be my only purpose in life upon this godforsaken earth.” My legs feel like they are made of wobbly jelly, and won’t hold me up, as my head spins from my lack of food consumption. I grab onto the back of an accent chair, refusing to allow myself to appear even weaker than I already do. “Jesus fucking Christ, Phebes!” Aiden reaches out to steady me, but I shrink away from his touch.

My appetite disappeared weeks ago, when reality started to intrude inwards like a bulldozer, that I would not be getting out of this situation. “Phoebe... I...” He stops himself, pain marring his features. I can’t allow him to finish what I think he’s about to say. It won’t help my situation, and will only cause further pain, and confusion, to my already bruised and battered heart. I turn my back on Aiden, and my glance goes to the beautiful, white, lace wedding dress hanging before me, awaiting a virginal bride or a sacrificial lamb, in this case, probably both. When I refused to select a dress, my mother picked one for me, chastising me for fighting against my fate, as if that was unreasonable, given the circumstances. Seething rage rises within me, and I reach up, yank it harshly off the hanger, and throw it across the room, until it lands in a white, puffy heap on the hardwood floor of my room.

“I’m going to talk to him. He’s going to listen to me, or I’ll strangle him, and beat him to a pulp!” I don’t wait for Aiden’s protest, before I walk out of my bedroom door and race for the garage door. My hope is to escape this house before one of my brother’s men tries to stop me. I manage to make it inside of my brother’s copper Aston Martin Vantage, and floor it down the driveway, tires shrieking, and aiming for the open gate of our mansion. I can hear yelling, and out of the rearview mirror, I see men scrambling, and Aiden running for his BMW. Nope, I refuse to cower, and just await my fate. If my future is to be taken from me, I intend to fight to the very end with everything inside of me. I will not go meekly into my fate, and all the men who believed I would are in for a surprise.

I pull up Nicolo’s social media on my phone, and glimpse his last update, as I drive at high speed down the highway back toward the city. The jerk is out enjoying his freedom, at one of his family’s restaurants, with all his mafia buddies. The video plays over, and I can hear him laughing that it’s his last few days as a single man, as everyone cheers in the background, and he takes a shot. If he’s not careful, I’ll ensure I’m a widow right after the wedding.

I make it to La Piccola Cucina Italiana in record time, and swerve the car into the parking lot, giving the attendant a mini heart attack, as he dashes out of the way of the front bumper. I throw him the keys, and march past the mafiosos hanging around outside, without even acknowledging them. I see one pulling out his phone, probably to give Nicolo a heads up that I’m here, and I rip it right out of his grubby hands and throw it into the water fountain of the Virgin Mary. “Don’t you fucking dare!” I growl as he goes to move past me. “I know your wife, asshole, and I have no qualms about calling her and telling her the name of your mistress, and where she can find her, and I am sure your daughter won’t be too impressed that it’s one of her friends. Don’t mess with me.” He raises his hands, his eyes wide with shock, but makes no further attempt to stop me, and the rest standing around pretend they don’t see me. Fucking good. I know it’s only a matter of time before either Aiden or my brother arrive here, or Nicolo hears that I’m in the building. I want the upper hand in this situation. I need to make him see reason, and why all of this needs to stop. It has to stop. I can’t allow my plans for my future to become particles of sand blowing in the wind.

I search the main restaurant area, filled with people celebrating my upcoming captivity, but don’t spy him amongst the masses. I move from section to section, staring into dark corners and even barge into the back area, where the food prep is happening, but I don’t catch a glimpse of him. I’m running out of time here, where the hell is that asshole? I’m getting ready to go into the men’s room looking for him when one of the pretty waitresses approaches me. “Signorina, you are seeking your betrothed, Nicolo?” Her lip curls in a sneer at Nicolo’s name, and I witness anger across her features. This woman doesn’t seem to like Amato’s golden boy very much, and it instantly makes me wonder what he’s done to her to deserve her displeasure. “Yes, do you know where he is? I need to speak with him urgently.” I look behind me to see if anyone has caught up with me, just as she grabs my forearm and pulls me down a long, darkened hallway. “Si, signorina, come with me.”

She stops before a partially closed door and nods her head toward it, with one last sympathetic look, before disappearing in the other direction. What the hell was that? I lean my head toward the door when I catch the sound of voices I recognize, and animalistic grunting from within the space. I use the toe of my sneaker to push the door open wider, so I can get a glimpse of what’s happening in the room.

“You feel so good wrapped around my cock, baby. What a perfect dirty slut you are, taking me balls deep in this tight cunt,” Nicolo groans, and I catch a glimpse of his naked body pistoning against a naked woman, draped across a large metal desk. “You’ll be sorry... you have to stop fucking me when you marry that... frigid bitch, Phoebe,” the woman moans. The sound of my name, being uttered with such venom, makes me clench my fingers, until my nails bite into my palm. Why would this woman hate me, when I don’t even know her?

“Who says I’ll have to stop fucking you, baby? This dirty pussy is mine to do with as I please,” Nicolo grunts and slaps her asscheek hard, the sound radiating across the room. I push the door open wider and step quietly into the space, and neither of them seems to be aware of my presence. The smell of sweat, sex, and bad decisions is cloying in the warm air. I know I’m in a large office space, but my vision is tunneled only to the two people taking hedonistic pleasure in each other’s bodies, and I’m instantly feeling claustrophobic. “But... she’ll be your... wife, don’t you care... about her?” The girl moans, over the sound of flesh smacking into flesh, and the desk legs scraping across the floor with the impact of Nicolo’s movements. It dawns on me that this is the first time I have ever seen him naked. His muscled, hard body ripples with his thrusts, as one of his hands grips harshly on her hip, and the other tangles in her dark hair, forcing her head backward toward him, where he spits in her open mouth like a deviant. “I’ll own her like one does a prized fucking horse, and breed her... so she has my babies, but I’ll still... fuck who I want. There’s nothing she can do about it. Marriage is until... death, and I have no intentions of dying, or allowing her to, until she’s... pumped out a few brats for me.”

Every one of his words is another knife wound to my soul. Who is this callous and brutal man before me, and what has he done with the boy who used to sneak me chocolates when no one was looking, and kiss my hair, and tell me that I smelled like rainbows and sunshine? The one that spent hours helping me find my cat, Snooks, when he escaped, and used to carry a spare umbrella, so I wouldn’t get wet on the playground. This is a stranger inhabiting the body of someone I have loved all my life. All hope for the possibility of a reasonable future together dies here, on the floor at my feet, as he continues fucking someone else, utterly unaware of my presence, and spewing hateful words. I catch the moment when the woman gets a glimpse of me behind them, watching them. Her red lips curve up into a cruel smile, and that’s when I get a good look at her, and realize I know who she is. She’s not some stranger, like I first believed. Not a whore he’s picked up here at the restaurant, or in one of his family’s clubs. I stare into the eyes of my cousin Shauna, and my heart breaks. How could she do this to me?

“So you don’t care what she thinks of you fucking me? You’ll break her little innocent heart. She’s my cousin, and I’m one of her bridesmaids at your... wedding.” All of her words are tinged with betrayal and mayhem. I know we haven’t always gotten along, and I know it has a lot to do with her crush on Aiden, and how he’s never returned her feelings. She’s actively trying to destroy, and cause me as much pain as possible. Mission fucking accomplished, stupid bitch. “She’s a means to an end, she won’t hold my attention for long, and I’ll need a warm, tight pussy to fuck,” Nicolo growls, as he leans over and bites her neck, and she moans in pleasure.

My stomach drops, and I have to force myself not to spew the bile that rises up the back of my throat. My hands clench at my sides with furious rage, the need to pummel him racing through my blood. Everyone in my life seems keen to hurt, use, and abuse me. Everyone but Aiden. He’s the only one who has stood by my side through all of this. He’s the only one who truly cares for me. Why couldn’t it have been him that I was supposed to marry?

I turn, and am almost to the door, when I hear Shauna utter a false squeak. “Oh my god!” I turn back around, and she winks at me before faking a fearful expression, and my eyes meet a pair of dark blue ones that stare at me with horror. “Phebes! Fuck!”

I pick up the nearest item, a bronze sculpture shaped like Michelangelo’s Renaissance David, and hurl it with fury toward Nicolo, and it hits him hard in the back with a loud bang. “ASSHOLE!” The fucker is still balls deep in my cousin, so how in hell is he going to talk his way out of this one? I don’t wait around to see what’s going to happen next, even though I hear scrambling behind me. I head for the door, and meet Aiden’s wrathful gaze, as he stands there like a sentinel, watching this all happen. The look on his face tells me all I need to know. He knew what Nicolo was up to, but tried to hide it from me. He thought he was doing me a favor by protecting me, but he wasn’t. My world is crumbling around me, and I no longer know which way is up, or who to trust. My throat threatens to close up with the tears I’m holding back.

“Get me out of here, Aiden, or I swear I’ll murder him,” I seethe, and he grabs my hand, and pulls me out of the room, rushing me toward the closest exit. “I’m so sorry, anam cara. That fucking asshole warrants a beating, and Shauna deserves to stop breathing for betraying you like that.”

“I don’t care anymore, Aiden. Nicolo has shown me exactly who he is. Now, I know.”

I wake with a start, pistoning to a sitting position. My body is covered in a cold sweat, the sheets tangled between my legs, and my hands rise to my face, wiping away the pitiful tears that are pouring down my cheeks. My body trembles with a combination of wrath, pain, and sorrow. Pain shoots through me, as if someone ripped right through the wall of my chest, and was squeezing my heart tightly in their fingers. A gasping sound of anguish leaves my lips, as I try to force oxygen into my lungs. It was just a dream, a fucking nightmare that I keep reliving. It was my horrid reality, until I was brave enough to take matters into my own hands. I will never allow myself to feel that kind of pain again. It would be better to rip my heart out for good.

That moment, watching Nicolo Amato callously and ignorantly betray me, broke something within me. It opened up my eyes to how sheltered, and naive, I was about the world I lived in. It taught me that only the strong survive, and the weak get trampled on by uncaring and unrepentant assholes. I was a pawn in everyone’s game. A broken piece that didn’t understand her value. I took myself right off the board, so they couldn’t play with me anymore, leaving everything and everyone behind, and reinventing myself. My eyes are wide open now. I know it’s only a matter of when they find me, not if. I’ll be ready, though.

They can try to take their lucky shot, but I won’t give them a still target to aim at. I refuse to ever go back home; there’s nothing but ruin and ashes there for me.

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