Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

Frankie

"Have you been able to contact Damien?"

Gabe's question took Sebastian by surprise, and the man froze in the doorway.

"I managed to get a call through to him on that secure phone Lily gave us," Sebastian said, once he overcame his shock enough to maneuver his crutch through the doorway.

Gabe and I handled the luggage, which wasn't much, so Newt was free to help Sebastian into our temporary apartment.

Sebastian and Damien's apartment and office had blown up, and now Newt and I had lost our apartment after disappearing for so long without a word. Apparently even the FBI couldn't contend with the greed of a stingy landlord.

At least Newt and I hadn't lost all our stuff. It was being held in a storage locker for us, just waiting to be collected once we figured out where we were staying.

After everything that happened on Honey Island, there was a lot to figure out.

All of the children we rescued had been placed in emergency foster care while their families were located, and the information we'd stolen from the computers had been delivered to the correct people.

Meaning it had been given to Lily, and she determined who the correct people were. At that point, I agreed with Gabe. Lily was the only one in the FBI that I trusted. She may only be a secretary on paper, but in practice she basically ran things.

Hopefully, whoever they promoted to be the new FBI director would be willing to fall in line with this arrangement, or else they may not be the director for long.

Once inside the apartment, Sebastian collapsed onto one of the many soft looking couches. He was getting around much better than before, but using his crutch still left him tired.

Newt and I both agreed that Sebastian would probably always walk with a limp but based on the progress that he'd made so far, we could probably get him to the point where he would only need a basic leg brace and maybe a cane for support, rather than the bulky crutch. He'd probably even be able to return to his private investigator work, if he wanted. Although, at the moment, all talk of the future was vague at best. We'd all been so focused on surviving, that none of us had given much thought to what we wanted to do after the whole ordeal was over.

Luckily, we had time to figure it out.

The FBI had provided us compensation, as well as a temporary place to stay. They'd actually offered us multiple apartments, but after living in hiding for so long, we all felt more comfortable staying together for now.

Newt took a seat at Sebastian's side, instinctively checking his leg, though it wasn't as necessary now.

"Will your brother be coming back? I know you want to see him."

With a sigh, Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose while at the same time leaning into Newt's touch.

"I don't know. I told him about what happened, and that we're all alive. He was happy to hear it, but he couldn't talk for long. I think something must be happening with… whatever he's doing because he seemed distracted."

I took a seat on the other couch and pulled Gabe down with me so I could tuck myself under his arm. "I wouldn't be surprised if Damien is even busier now. We burned down the pedophile ring, and Ozias has agreed to go into witness protection to testify against them, but there's nothing stopping the Mariano family from just funding another operation somewhere else."

"That won't happen."

All four of us jumped to our feet at the sound of the unexpected voice.

A man I'd never seen before stood in the doorway, just a few feet away. He was well built, in a lean way, with dark hair and even darker eyes. A silver ring glinted on one eyebrow, complimenting his dark olive complexion.

Just behind him stood the largest man I'd ever seen. He wasn't much taller than Gabe or Sebastian, but his shoulders seemed to go on forever, and he maintained a wide, sturdy stance that seemed specifically designed to take up as much space as possible.

"How did you get in here?" I demanded, while at the same time wondering why no one else was talking. Gabe was usually the silent type, but even he would speak up when needed, and Sebastian was never known for holding his tongue. Yet the two of them stood there in complete silence.

We hadn't even heard the two strangers enter the apartment.

How had they snuck up on us so easily?

As usual, when I was nervous, my attitude made itself known.

"We aren't entertaining guests right now. You'll have to come back later."

I approached them, although I had no idea what I intended to do. However, before I could take more than a single step, Gabe grabbed my arm and pushed me behind him.

Usually, Gabe was careful with his strength, but he gripped me so tight that I could already feel bruises forming.

Any protest I would have made died when I noticed the look on his face. It was a mix of terror and fury that instantly stole my voice.

"Alex Mariano," he said through clenched teeth, as though that single name should answer any questions.

In a way it did. The name Alex wasn't familiar to me, but Mariano definitely was. This man had some connection to the Mafia Boss, and here he was standing in our living room as if he had every right to be there.

"Well, I guess that means introductions aren't necessary," Alex said as he took a seat in the room's only remaining chair.

The other unnamed man stood just behind him, probably acting as a bodyguard. With a better look, I could see a bit of gray at the man's temples, marking him as the oldest person in the room, but I wasn't fooled into thinking that a few more years made him less dangerous. The man carried himself the same as Gabe, like he was a walking weapon just waiting to be aimed at someone.

Alex looked at us expectantly, one leg crossed over the other in a relaxed pose. When no one moved, he gestured toward the couches. "Sit. Let's talk."

Sebastian took a stumbling step forward, nearly tripping on his crutch. "I'm not sitting until you explain what the hell David Russo's son is doing in our apartment. How did you even find us?"

Well, that explained Alex's connection all right. The head of the Italian mafia was so intertwined with Sebastian and Gabe's lives, yet he'd always seemed like more of a myth than a man. I'd never pictured him having a family. Yet, here sat his son, just as flesh and blood as anyone else.

I wasn't sure if that made the Mafia Boss more or less intimidating.

Alex chuckled under his breath. "Finding you wasn't actually that hard."

Gripping his crutch tighter, Sebastian stood a little taller. "Your father has been trying to find my brother and I for years without success."

With a surprisingly playful expression, Alex tipped his head to the side as he looked Sebastian up and down. "My father is… was set in his ways. He preferred to rely on his old allies rather than forging new ones. It created certain… blind spots in his influence, which you and your brother have navigated expertly. Well done. I, however, do not have those same blind spots. Now, sit. We have a lot to talk about."

Still, nobody moved, until Gabe unexpectedly spoke up.

"Reyes."

He pointed at the man standing behind Alex, eyes narrowed and mind obviously spinning.

The man stared back.

"Long? Right? You were the medic."

"Garrison?" Alex leaned over to address his bodyguard with an inquisitive raised eyebrow. "You two know each other."

"We served together. Different units, but we went on a few joint missions."

Gabe flinched like he'd just remembered something. "The mission with the camels."

"Those fucking camels," the bodyguard, Garrison, agreed.

The two studied each other for another moment, though this time there was less hostility. Eventually, Gabe nodded and gestured for me to take a seat on the couch.

"All right. We'll hear you out."

"What?" Sebastian started to protest, but Gabe cut him off.

"It won't hurt to talk. They've already found us, so running now wouldn't do us much good."

With some grumbling, and help from Newt to navigate his crutch, Sebastian also took a seat.

"Great." Alex clapped his hands together like this was a brunch meetup with friends and he was about to spill the latest gossip. "First, a show of good faith. I'm here to provide you with Tansie Bell's true identity."

That information would really help with the case against the pedophile ring, and I could tell Gabe was eager to hear it from the way he shifted forward slightly.

Alex seemed to sense the eager atmosphere in the room, for he grinned like a satisfied cat. "Tansie Bell does seem to be her real name, not that it means much. She was sold into human trafficking at a young age and managed to work her way up into a position of power. We think she did it mainly through blackmail. You'd be surprised what secrets people are willing to admit during pillow talk."

He consulted something on his phone, scrolling through information with a scowl before continuing. "A few years ago, she got pregnant, and that seems to have been the catalyst for her to start her own operation."

"Why…" Newt started to speak, then stopped himself. However, when all eyes turned toward him, he plucked up his courage and kept talking. "Why would getting pregnant inspire her to start her own pedophile ring? That seems… unnatural."

Alex just shrugged. "Perhaps she realized she had easy access to new product? I'm not going to pretend I understand the mindset of these kinds of people. I've always had more… mature preferences." As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward his bodyguard. The heat in his gaze practically undressed the man in front of all of us.

There was no mistaking the nature of their relationship.

"Anyway..." Alex cleared his throat and tore his gaze away from his bodyguard with obvious reluctance. "Do with that information what you will. It's just a peace offering, and not really why I'm here."

"So, what is your purpose here," Gabe demanded. He draped his arm around my shoulder in a protective position, like he was ready to drag me out of the room at a moment's notice. "If you've had the ability to find us whenever you want, why approach us now? Does your father know you're here, or are you going behind his back?"

I flinched when Alex suddenly started laughing. It was a light and mirthful sound, as though he were truly delighted. Such a genuine expression was unexpected coming from a man in his position.

"At this point, if I wanted to go behind my father's back, I'd need a shovel. He's already dead and buried."

Sebastian shot to his feet, but tripped over his crutch and would have face planted in the carpet if Newt hadn't caught him. "What? How? When?"

"A few weeks ago," Alex said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Someone killed him, which isn't a surprise. Someone was going to kill him eventually. It was a lovely funeral."

The wicked twist to his grin told me that something had happened at that funeral, and based on the glint in his dark eyes, I probably didn't want to know the details.

"And you're here to…" Sebastian shook his head as he struggled to understand what was going on. "Settle his scores?"

Alex waved a hand in front of his face like he was warding off an offensive smell. "Oh, no. My father's grudges die with him. I'm just here to say… no hard feelings."

"No hard feelings?" Gabe repeated, his voice as cold as I'd ever heard it. "The Roth brothers helped put your father in prison. Your family killed my sister. And you expect us to not have any hard feelings?"

Tensions around the room grew tense, and the bodyguard standing behind Alex let one hand drift toward his gun. The man was on a hair trigger, and I didn't want to see what would happen if that trigger was pulled.

Yet, in contrast to everyone else, Alex still looked completely relaxed as he braced one elbow on the arm of his chair. "My father was foolish enough to get himself arrested. That's on him, and I don't care what role anyone else played in it. He's dead. I'm in charge of the family now, and I have no interest in things that happened a decade ago. As for your sister…"

He paused thinking for a moment as his fingers tapped against his lips. "I honestly know nothing about your sister. If my father had a hand in her death, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can tell you about it."

Although on the outside Gabe didn't seem to react, I could feel a change in the tension of his body. He didn't relax, but something inside him seemed to unravel.

I stopped paying much attention to what Alex was saying after that. Everything important had already been said. The next ten minutes were filled with repeat assurances that Alex had no intention of coming after any of us, and that the hit on Sebastian and Damien had been canceled.

All of this went right over my head as I focused on Gabe. His reaction worried me, mostly because I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I'd gotten a lot better at reading him since we'd first met, however, this time I was completely out of the loop.

Even a few hours later, after Alex and Garrison had left, and Gabe and I were alone in our new bedroom, I still had no idea what was going on in my lover's head.

We lay together in the king-size bed, still mostly clothed, just listening to the seconds ticking by in silence. It wasn't that long ago that I would have killed for my own bedroom. Yet now we finally had a place with enough space for everyone, and all I wanted to do was share a bed for the rest of my life.

"Hey, Gabe."

I threw a leg over his waist and straddled him, so I was looking down at his face. It was easier than trying to hold a conversation while looking up at him, which I usually ended up doing even when we were lying down.

"Come on, Gabe. Talk to me."

Gabe settled his hands on my hips. It wasn't a sexual move. Just a moment of contact, like Gabe was reminding himself that he wasn't alone.

"I think I need to give up."

That wasn't the reaction I expected, and a cold weight settled in my stomach.

"Give up on what?"

He sighed, and his gaze drifted sideways toward the room's only window. "On my sister. On finding her killer. I know the Mariano family was involved, but what's the point in pursuing it now? She died years ago. Alex Mariano would have only been a teenager then. Even if he was somehow involved, he wasn't the one calling the shots. The man responsible for her death is dead now, too. So, I think… I need to give up on getting justice for her."

I laid down so my head was on his chest. Then, using one finger, I turned his chin to make him look at me. "You know, letting something go isn't the same as giving up. There's already so much violence and abuse in the world. Hanging onto things too long doesn't help anyone. It just keeps the cycle going."

I thought back over everything we'd just learned. My brain was so full of information I could hear it buzzing, but a few key facts stood out.

"Like, look at Tansie Bell. She was a victim of human trafficking who eventually became a human trafficker. The cycle of victim and abuser can be endless if we never learn how to break it." With light fingers I traced the scar on the back of my head. "The person who attacked me will never really pay for it. Not in a way that will ever make up for what he did. It took me a few years, but I eventually learned to live with that and move on."

I held Gabe's gaze for a moment, reading the depth of emotion hidden within that gray color. "So that's the real question. Can you learn to live with it, even if you never get answers?"

Pulling my hand away from my head, Gabe brought it to his mouth and kissed the tips of my fingers. "I think I can learn to let go, so long as I have something new to hold on to."

I grinned and pulled my hand away so I could feel his kiss on my lips instead. "That is something I can provide."

We kissed until I couldn't breathe any more. Until every memory of swamps and blood had been chased from my mind. As our breath mingled, we kept repeating the same promises over and over until it felt like a mantra engraved on our souls.

"Hold onto me."

"Always."