16. Zeke

16

ZEKE

S o much had happened in the last day that my head was spinning. I felt the need to pinch myself and make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Had Vito gotten on his knees and given me the best blow job of my life? And then he’d come on me? And I’d begged for it? This was insane.

I wanted him to tell me everything he knew about Benito. I might not love the idea of Vito enacting revenge on anyone who threatened me, but Benito deserved whatever he got. I was sure Vito knew more about him than he’d told me.

How long would it be until Vito returned? This was all so overwhelming that part of me wanted to run before he got back, but I had a feeling I’d never get past the guards he’d stationed here, especially not with one of them across the room. Even if I could elude them, where the fuck was I going to go? I had a game the next day. I had to show up for that unless I was going to run from everything, which would be incredibly stupid. Especially when I had no idea where Benito was or what he was planning for me next.

Also, I really wanted to see what else Vito would do to me, with me. I couldn’t imagine ever getting bored with him. He might be a fucking criminal, but so were the people who were after me. I might not be sure of much, but I knew I was safer with Vito than with some raging psycho.

I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath. Then I remembered there was a stranger sitting in my apartment. “I’m going to be in my room.”

He nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll be right here.”

I walked away, closed the door, and flopped face down on the bed. I wished I’d never set foot in a casino.

Then you wouldn’t know Vito.

But I’d have a solid career ahead of me instead of being afraid that I’ll be beaten or killed or fail so badly on the ice that I get fired. Vito was obsessed with me now, but I didn’t know why, and he could change his mind any time.

Are you sure about that?

The way Vito looked at me, the way he’d worshipped me in on the couch, could easily make me think there was more between us than lust and my need for protection, but I couldn’t fool myself. We weren’t in a relationship, and we weren’t going to be. He was a loan shark, and I needed a squeaky-clean reputation.

I reached for the drawer of my nightstand and pulled out a small photo album filled with pictures of my mom and me as a child. I’d lost her when I was fourteen, and I’d gone to stay with my grandparents. I was thankful they’d taken me in and that they let me continue to play hockey. The expense and the time it took was a burden on them, but they made sure I got where I needed to go and had all the proper equipment. I couldn’t really complain, except they were distant and cold, clearly not wanting a teenager in their home. They’d met my all my material needs, but they hadn’t given me affection like my mom had.

I flipped to my favorite picture of my mother, which was taken when I was one and a half or two years old. She was sitting on a camping chair in our tiny square of backyard next to the garden she had taken such good care of.

I wondered what she’d say about the position I was in now. She’d worked full time and went to school to keep me out of a mess like I’d gotten myself into. If I still had her support, would I have been so stupid? Who knew. But one thing I was certain of was that she would have still cared for me no matter how badly I’d screwed up. She would’ve scolded me and told me I was an idiot, but she would’ve loved me and done anything she could to help.

Maybe if I’d been sending money back to her I would’ve been more careful with what I had.

Mama, what would you think of Vito? Would you see past his family ties, his profession?

If anyone could, she would have. She’d been one of the least judgmental people I’d ever been around, but she wouldn’t want me in danger. Vito swore he would protect me, but could he protect me from himself, from his own family, from what would happen if word got out that I was with a man like him?

I wished Mama was here so I could ask her. I didn’t have anyone else. I’d made some friends on the team, like Johnson, but I wasn’t going to tell them how bad my situation had gotten in Vegas, and I wasn’t going to tell them about Vito.

Johnson knew a little bit, but he wasn’t the type of guy a person confessed deep shit to. Even if he would understand, I couldn’t let out any more of my secrets.

I pulled the photo album to my heart, curled around it, and finally let the tears I’d been holding back fall. How did I still miss my mom so much all these years later?

I woke up thinking it was still the middle of the night, but when I found my phone on the floor by the side of the bed, the clock said 6 a.m.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. How the fuck had I been asleep that long, and where was Vito?

I jumped when a hand touched my shoulder. “You sleep good?”

“Fuck, you scared me.”

“I told you I was coming back.”

I wanted to protest, but he spooned around me, and his warmth had me scooting back against him. My apartment was always cold in the morning.

Vito laid his hand on the photo album. I’d slept the whole night with it held against me. “What’s this?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

“Come on. Tell me about it.”

“It obviously means a lot to you, or you wouldn’t have had your arms around it when I came to bed.”

“You being in bed with me is what we should talk about.”

“You didn’t seem to mind. You just snuggled back against me.”

I huffed. “I was asleep.”

“I don’t want to argue with you. I told you I’d be back, and I told you I was going to protect you.”

I let out a long breath. It wasn’t going to do me any good to argue because I wasn’t sad that he was in my bed. If he’d gone anywhere else, I would’ve been disappointed.

I shifted position, pulled the photo album out from under me, and handed it to him. Then I turned over and watched him as he flipped through the pages. When he got to my favorite picture of my mother, he looked up at me. “That’s your mom?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she now?”

I closed my eyes. “Heaven.”

“I’m sorry. How long ago did she pass?”

“Eight years. I was fourteen.”

“Really? I was fourteen when my mom died.”

I turned to look at him. “You were? I’m sorry.”

He flipped to the next page. “Aww, this is a really good one.”

It was a picture of me and my mom eating dripping cones of ice cream. “She took me out for ice cream every Saturday. She always got strawberry, and I got cookie dough.”

“My brother doesn’t really like ice cream. Isn’t that crazy? I used to beg him to take me so I could get mint chocolate chip. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No, it was just me. I ended up with my grandparents, but they were…cold. They paid for hockey and gave me everything I needed, but they weren’t… They didn’t….”

“Love you like your mom did.”

“Right.” I hadn’t talked to anyone about my mom in years, but somehow talking to Vito was easier than it was with most people. Maybe that was because he’d experienced loss too.

“I had my brother, Valentino,” Vito said. “He was great. He was basically mom and dad for me for years before she died.”

“What happened?”

Vito rubbed a hand across his eyes, and I realized they were wet with tears. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

He shook his head. “She had a drinking problem all my life and then she started using. Hard shit. It got bad. She passed away from an overdose.”

I wiped the tears from his cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

He closed his eyes and just breathed for a moment. “It’s been a long time since I talked about her.”

“Yeah, me too.”

He squeezed my hand. “What happened to your mom?”

“She got so weak she could barely get out of bed. She’d always been healthy, so no one knew what was wrong. After months of one doctor after another, she was finally diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She was so young, no one expected it. The doctors said it was probably a genetic predisposition. They tried their best, and she lived a few more years, but then her heart gave out.”

“Where was your father?”

“I never knew him. My mom was everything I ever needed. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. She encouraged my love of hockey from the time I was a little kid.”

“I’m so glad you had her.” Vito pulled me against him so I could rest my head on his chest. I snuggled in and held him tight.

We lay there in silence, comforting each other, and I realized how easy it was to just be with him. It felt right. Maybe there was something in this idea that we were meant to be. I could hope, couldn’t I? Just like I could hope to find a way out of the shithole I’d dug myself into.

“If you want to tell me more about your mom, you can,” I said.

“Thanks, baby. Mom had a rough life. She fell in love with my dad, and they were together off and on for years, but he never stayed with her long. His lifestyle didn’t allow for commitment.”

“Seriously?”

Vito chuckled. “My dad was a killer for hire. Sometimes he worked for the family, but he took other jobs too, so there was a lot of traveling and?—”

“Stalking? Is that where you learned your techniques?”

“Fuck no. I’m nowhere near as slick as my father. You would never have known he was after you until it was too late.”

I shivered thinking about someone that skilled.

“My mom didn’t tell him about us until she was dying. She’d left town to have Val, and she made sure he wasn’t around when she got to see Pops. A few times, she just pretended he was a friend’s child. How our father could have not noticed the resemblance between them is beyond me. By the time she had me, Pops rarely came around anymore.

“She never got over it after he broke things off for good. She was already using at that point, and Pops couldn’t deal with anything that messy. Sometimes I still get angry about it, and sometimes…I don’t know, I guess I understand. She’d get clean for a little while and take better care of us, then things would go downhill again and finally, she spiraled. When she knew she wouldn’t last, she told him about us. We were on our own for a while on the streets. I don’t know why he waited. He never told us, but one day he decided to claim us, and we became Marchesis.”

“Oh my God. So you didn’t grow up in the mafia?”

“No. I grew up far worse. And now….”

I frowned. “Now what?”

“Now Val is married, and he’s not around all the time like he used to be. I’ve got this whole big family, but mostly I’m just…on my own.”

“You don’t hang out with your cousins or whatever?”

“Sometimes, but they have history together that I don’t have and….” He shrugged.

“I’ve got teammates I can hang out with, but I’d never talk to any of them like this. I haven’t even told them about the trouble I’m in. Sure, some of the guys in Vegas knew part of it, but not all of it. You’re the only one who does.” I shifted position so that I could look up at Vito. He lifted his hand and stroked the side of my face. “You’re not alone. I’m here for you, and I’m sure your family is too.”

“Thanks. My family is far from innocent, but they take care of each other, and believe it or not, they have a code of honor. There are things they won’t do.”

“But they will make sure they get paid back when someone borrows from them.”

“Yeah, that’s just good business.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You’ve got the family behind you now, so don’t worry, you’re safe.”

“As long as I pay you what I owe.”

“We’re going to take out the men you owe. If that happens, there’s no record of a loan to pay back.”

“What? I can’t be involved in multiple murders. I’m trying to keep a good, quiet reputation.”

“My family doesn’t do scandals. We keep all our actions quiet. The only people who know are those who need to.”

“Those who need to know so they’ll be afraid of you?”

“Yes, but you’re not one of them. You’re an ally now. I’ve given you my protection, and that means no one in my family is going to hurt you. It also means you can’t turn me away now.”

“I wasn’t going to—” I froze.

His smile said he knew exactly what I was going to say. “I knew you weren’t. Especially not after what happened earlier.” He ran his tongue over his lips. “I swear I can still taste you.”

“Fuck, Vito.” My stomach growled as he pulled me toward him, and he laughed as he kissed me.

“I guess I’ve got to feed you first.”

“Oh shit, it’s a game day. I definitely need to eat.”

“What are you supposed to have for breakfast?” he asked.

“I’ll handle it. You should get some more sleep.”

“No way. I’m wide awake now. Well, I’d be more awake if I got some coffee. Is coffee on the agenda?”

“Sure, give me a few minutes, and I’ll have coffee and breakfast ready.”

“I can help. I’m not a great cook or anything, but I’m not hopeless either.”

“No, really. I need a moment to process everything.”

“All right. Don’t stay away too long or I’ll come get you.”

When I brought Vito some oatmeal and an omelet, he was curled on his side, snoring. As soon as I took a step into the room, he sat up, gun in hand. He must’ve been sleeping with it under the pillow.

I gasped. “It’s me. Zeke.”

“Fuck, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“You don’t have to stay awake all night for me.”

He stretched and sat up. “Somebody needs to be aware of what’s going on.”

“You really think Benito would come here?”

He nodded. “I don’t doubt it for a second.”

“I know I owe them a lot of money, but how can it matter that much? Why would he follow me himself?”

“Come sit down. We need to talk.”

I narrowed my eyes. “There better not be more shit you’ve been hiding from me.”

“I was never holding anything back from you. You didn’t ask who I was. I didn’t ask if you needed money. Turns out we were useful to each other.”

“For more than fucking.”

“Obviously, but you happen to be top notch at that too.”

Heat rushed through me, but this wasn’t the time. I needed to know what he was hinting at. “Vito, tell me what’s going on.”

“So, I told you I knew Benito.”

“Yes.”

“He did some work for my family a few years ago and fucked us over. We…ran him out of town. He blustered about getting revenge on us, but we haven’t heard from him since. I didn’t know he’d ended up in Vegas, and I still don’t know the extent of his involvement there, but I suspect he’s back in Boston so he can work some revenge while extracting money from you.”

This was all too much. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“No, my family is as wrapped up in this as you are.”