Chapter 26

26

Creed

I n my office, I decide now is the time to meet with Lorenzo, Dre, and Tristan and tell them the whole truth before asking them to risk their lives.

“First off, Dre, I’ve got news for you. Emilio has picked out a venue, so we’re just waiting for a date.”

“Fuck,” he grumbles and scrubs his palm down his face, taking the news about as well as I expected.

“Now, I hope you three don’t have any plans tonight. I need your help pulling off something important. Tristan and Dre will need to come with me while Lorenzo stays here with Zara. That is, if you don’t walk out after you are all up to speed…”

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense. What’s the super-secret mission going on tonight?” Tristan asks.

“That’s what I’m wondering too,” Lorenzo replies. “And why do I have to stay here again and babysit? ”

“Because I said so,” I snap at him. “But, fine, I’ll start at the beginning. I didn’t give Zara any choice but to marry me. If she refused, I was going to kill her.”

“Huh?” Tristan mutters.

“You forced the woman to marry you by threatening her life?” Dre asks.

“Yes. And we didn’t date before the night you met her. I saw her for the first time the night Carmine died at The Vault. He encouraged me to talk to her, and he actually did tell me to toast him at our wedding…”

Lorenzo’s forehead wrinkles. “Why was Zara at The Vault that night? I don’t remember seeing her.”

Here we fucking go. “Zara was there at the club, giving Jasper a message — the warning for me.”

“Fucking hell,” Dre grumbles.

“And after the funeral, you tracked her down?” Lorenzo guesses. “Who put her up to that shit?”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I ask him, “Who do you think?”

“Izaiah isn’t really missing, is he?” Dre catches on quickly.

“In a sense, Izaiah is missing. I just might happen to know where he could potentially be found…”

“Jesus fuck, Creed!” Dre huffs.

“How?” Tristan remarks.

“I went to Zara’s apartment to confront her. While she was in the shower, I went through her phone and laptop. She really needs a better passcode. Anyway, I saw her texts about giving Jasper the message and even where I was standing in the club right before the raid. The texts were to and from Izaiah. They had a…relationship where he manipulated her into doing shit for him. So, I texted him to come over.”

“He showed up at her apartment, and you killed him, right then and there?” Lorenzo asks .

“I had to, for Carmine, and because he was going to slit Zara’s throat.”

“You mean he was going to slit the throat of a woman who set us up? Who got Carmine fucking killed?” Dre rages. “You went after her to kill her, right? And instead, you end up killing Emilio’s son and saving her life? No, not just saving her, but you strong-armed her into marrying you!”

“The only other choice I had was to let him kill her. But I…I couldn’t let him hurt her.”

“You love her,” Lorenzo declares, a statement not a question.

“I do,” I admit. “She holds the power to end me in her hands, and I love her. I have for a while now.”

“Why are you telling us all this now? It’s too late to ask our opinions, not that you would have heeded them,” Lorenzo remarks.

“I’ll still give you mine,” Dre grumbles. “She doesn’t deserve your forgiveness or ours.”

“I’m not asking you to forgive Zara. I’m coming clean with you three now because things are about to get worse with Emilio. I’m going to kill him too. Eventually.”

“Do you have proof he put Izaiah up to the raid?” Lorenzo asks.

“No, but I’m going to kill him either way.”

“Could you at least tell us why Emilio needs to die? Why you feel the need to potentially start a bloody war?” Lorenzo demands. “Just to prevent him from finding out you killed Izaiah?”

I nod my head. “That’s one reason.”

“What’s the other?” Tristan asks.

“He’s the father of Zara’s daughter.”

“Holy shit,” Dre whispers, burying his face in his palms.

“Emilio…and your Zara ? No fucking way! He’s old enough to be her grandfather!” Tristan shouts.

“She says it was consensual, but I don’t believe her. He manipulated her into coming to the city. He’s been taking advantage of her for seven years.”

“Do we need to point out the irony here?” Lorenzo asks.

“Right! You’re doing the same damn thing, Creed!” Dre agrees. “You manipulated the woman so she would marry you. You bought her silence with millions of dollars when you should’ve killed her for Carmine. Are you that pussy-whipped?”

“I haven’t fucked her.”

Lorenzo scoffs. “I find that incredibly hard to believe. She runs around half-naked most of the time!”

“I haven’t fucked her. We’ve fooled around but…”

“But you feel guilty?” the old man supplies.

“Yes. Like you pointed out, I forced her to marry me. She’s the reason Carmine was killed. I know that, but I can’t stop myself from wanting her.”

“Does she love you?” That’s an odd question, especially coming from Tristan of all people.

“I don’t know. I think so.” But I’m not sure, and it’s driving me fucking crazy. I can’t tell her how I feel. She holds enough power over me as it is. I don’t need to go and tell her that I would burn the world to the ground with myself in it for her.

“You’re talking about killing Emilio and going to war with the Rovinas, Creed. Are you sure about this? Do you really think she’s worth all the trouble?” Dre asks.

“Yes.”

“Then I hope you’re damn well prepared for the fucking consequences,” he replies.

“I’m not just doing this for Zara. I’m doing it for Carmine,” I explain. “And it doesn’t matter how I feel about Zara or if she returns those feelings. I’m going to send her away.”

“Good,” Dre replies.

“I don’t want to, but I don’t have a choice. Emilio suspects Zara had a hand in Izaiah’s disappearance. He wants her dead. I got the judge to hold off on filing the marriage license, but I can’t hide that she’s my wife forever, especially not after I get her daughter back for her. For all I know, Zara may even be…relieved to be rid of me.”

“If this woman has been manipulated by the Rovinas for years and forced into this marriage with you, then I would guess she only wants one thing — her freedom,” Lorenzo points out. “You’re doing the right thing.”

“I know that. I just fucking hate it.”

“Sometimes when you love someone, you have to make sacrifices to keep them safe. This is one of those times, Creed,” Lorenzo says.

“You think so? Even about Emilio?”

“You’re going to kill him anyway, right? It’s just a matter of when,” he replies.

“I will wait, play it smart, make his death look like an accident. That way shit won’t blow back on our family,” I assure them. “You know I don’t apologize very often, but on this, I’m sorry I was so damn reckless with Izaiah.”

“You know I’ll back you up on that decision anyway, no matter what.”

“Thank you,” I tell Lorenzo. “What about you two?” I ask Tristan and Dre, who have gone quiet. “Tonight, I need help getting Zara’s daughter away from Emilio’s guards. Are you with me or not?”

“Of course we’re in, for you and for Carmine,” Tristan says then looks at Dre. “Well, I’m in at least. You’re the boss. We follow your lead. Even when your plans are nuts. Right, Dre?”

“We follow your lead, even when you do some crazy fucking shit,” Dre agrees. “What do you need me to do tonight?” Dre asks, making me smile in relief that I’m forgiven for not only making mistakes but hiding them from my family.