49. Chapter 49

Jade

It's true what they say about a calm coming before storms.

Pressure surrounds my arms, a slight but easily noticed sensation despite my drowsy state. I'm bathing in darkness, too far from a waking reality to recognize what's happening. Until his voice floats into my ear, a gentle but firm sound.

"Jade," Dmitri's concerned voice wakes me from a deep sleep.

"No," I groan, pouting. As my body starts to rouse, I realize it's his hands that are on my arms, slightly shaking me to wake me up. Trying to pull me out of bed before my eyes are open is a Matteo thing, so I'm slightly alarmed that Dmitri is trying to do it.

Large hands cup the sides of my face, and Dmitri's tone deepens. "You need to get up, I'm putting you in the safe room."

Any grogginess from being woken up so suddenly vanishes, and I let my husband pull me out of bed. "What's happening?" I ask, automatically moving to cradle my stomach as a rush of anxiety spills over me.

"Karina is here," he growls quietly, helping me put on my sneakers. It feels so strange without socks, but I don't think there's time to grab any.

"S-she is?" Terror crawls up my back, icy and unwelcome.

I shouldn't be scared of her. I should know Dmitri and my family will keep me safe, but the kind of fear that Karina and Bruce instilled in me doesn't just disappear. It lingers and festers, only growing stronger the longer you're away from it. I might never feel entirely safe, not while they're still alive.

Dmitri's reply is swift. "Yes, she was found on the outskirts of the property, we have her bound downstairs, but we don't know if this is a trap?—"

"Wait," I rush out before he can take me into Apollo's room and toss me into safety. "I have to see her."

"No," he responds immediately. "That's exactly what she wants, Jade."

"I have to," I croak, voice breaking. "My mom?—"

"Jade, you're going to be a mom," he states firmly, eyes blazing at my hands covering my bump. "She's dangerous, and I don't want her anywhere near you."

I don't want her anywhere near me either, but will I ever get the answers I need if I run away and hide? Will I ever truly know what happened to my real mom?

"You won't let her touch me," I insist, trying to steady my breathing. If my husband thinks I'm panicking too much, he won't listen to me at all. For my own good and for his sanity. "I'll have you and Ivan, and if things go south, you can put me in the safe room. I won't fight it, I swear." It's a genuine promise. I may have learned to lie, but I won't use any of my deception skills on the man I love more than life itself.

Dmitri hesitates, and I get it, I really do. There's a huge part of me that wants to run and hide, making sure that nothing can get to me or our babies. The broken girl inside of me deserves closure, and if I can't even give her a chance at it, I'm betraying a piece of myself.

"At the first sign of trouble, I'm picking you up and running you to safety," he warns, voice hard with caution. "The first sign."

"Of course," I agree, squeezing his hand in mine. "Thank you, you don't know how much it means to me that you take what I want into consideration, I?—"

"Never. You never need to thank me," he finishes. "You're my wife, Jade. My person."

Despite the urge to rush down to where the conflict is, I hug him, crushing my body against his to show him how much he means to me. His embrace fuels me, giving me a boost of confidence that I couldn't possess without him. It's fast, but it makes all of the difference. Straightening my spine, we pull apart and meet each other's eyes.

Without another word needed, we're off, hurrying down the stairs.

The first thing I see is bodies.

All of my brothers, save for Leon and Emilio, who are with their families far away, are surrounding a tied-up Karina, watching her like hawks. She looks just like I remembered but skinnier. Her cheeks are hollowed in, and her eyes look red-rimmed, maybe even bloodshot. Life on the run hasn't been kind to Karina Donovan.

Good.

Apollo notices us first, striding over to our side with large steps while shaking his head. "I told you she'd want to be here," he tells Dmitri, sounding angry about it.

My eldest brother knows me too well.

"I had to try," my husband shoots back, equally as angry.

Faster than I can process, Ivan is gluing himself at my side.

"You listen to every word I say, do you hear me?" he asks, his words practically snapping from between his teeth. "Every fucking word, Jade." Best friend mode is officially off, I think I'm getting my first look at Ivan as a true guard. "Every. Word."

"I got it," I reply, keeping my voice steady so he knows I'm listening.

Ivan's eyes hold mine, and a deep understanding passes between us. I know he doesn't want me here, and he knows I have to be. He'll do whatever it takes to keep me safe and happy, no matter what, and I love him for it.

"I need you with me," Apollo tells my husband, causing my head to spin back to the two of them. The thought of Dmitri leaving my side makes my stomach churn, but if Apollo needs him, he has to go. Ivan's got my back.

Explaining himself, Apollo continues, "I don't trust that this cunt is alone, and this property is too vast to cover every inch."

Dmitri looks like he'd rather cut his own stomach open and eat his organs than leave my side, but Cassio comes over, stepping in to take his place. "We've got her. Your skills are needed elsewhere." Cassio is a strong man, but his skill set lies outside of brute force. He's a fixer and a strategist. Dmitri… he's an annihilator.

"Fuck," he grits out. "Fine, let's go." Kissing me hard on top of the head, he nods at Ivan. "You know what to do."

Of course he does, he was born for it.

Apollo forces Armani and Remo with him, leaving Elio, Matteo, and Nico with us, guarding the exits with trained eyes and extreme caution. They're all armed and on edge. From across the room, I can practically feel Matteo's desire to be at my side too. Since he's likely been instructed to, he stays in his zone, but continues to flick his eyes to me every few seconds.

Cassio and Ivan flank my sides as Dmitri and Apollo disappear, making sure that I'm surrounded before bringing me closer to where all of the commotion is going on. Uncle Cesar is nearby, watching my father's back as he approaches our prisoner. Only she's not looking back at him, she's watching me over his shoulder, having just noticed my presence. Merely looking at her makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Karina cackles, tossing her head back for full effect. "Oh, goodie, look what we have here." Her eyes feel like hot coals on my skin. Karina looks at me like I'm dirt, and she practically always has.

Refusing to let her see me flinch, I keep my face neutral.

"The whore is pregnant at eighteen," she sneers. "What a shock?—"

"Shut. The Fuck. Up," Dad demands, his tone the only warning he's willing to give. "My daughter is none of your concern."

My father flicks open a large knife threateningly. The blade is razor sharp, silver flashing underneath the lights. It's thick and daunting in his capable hands.

"Where is Kim, Karina?"

His voice has a cold calm that sounds more lethal than any yelling I've ever heard. He's perfectly in control right now, using the upper hand to let her know that she's beneath him. This is his home, and she's an uninvited guest.

She bubbles with another high-pitched, demented laugh. "Oh, you've figured out that I'm not your precious Kimberly, have you?"

The way she says her own sister's name sends prickles of discomfort up the back of my neck. What Dad said before is true. Karina hates Kim.

How do you hate your own twin?

Any delusions I created that Kim gave me to Karina have entirely evaporated. Theirs is not a sibling relationship built with any sort of trust, admiration, or love. I doubt they'd share pleasantries over tea, let alone a child.

So the question remains, where is my mom?

"Was it the name that gave it away? I mean, I literally named her after the color green. Kimberly fucking hated the color green?—"

She named me Jade just to spite Kim even further?

"No, you think she hated green," Dad snaps, cutting her off. "It's just a fucking color, she couldn't care less about picking one to dislike."

I have no idea if he's telling the truth, but I'm going to choose to believe it. I can't live the rest of my life thinking my mom would hate my name.

"You barely even knew her," Karina spits. "If you actually knew her, you'd have never stuck your cock in her, you stupid fuck!"

Unsettling imagery I refuse to think about, but Dad isn't fazed.

"You got away for as long as your luck would allow," my father warns. "You won't escape this, the time for coming clean is now. Talk, before you lose the ability to."

Her haunting eyes flare, and her amusement dies. "And then what?" she asks bitterly. "What will you do when I can't speak and give you what you want? You've already lost, Dante. An unfamiliar concept for you, I'm sure."

Dad's grip on his knife tightens, and he brings it to her neck, twirling it to poke the tip just hard enough under her chin to nick her. She hisses as a small trail of crimson red rolls down her throat, the blood oozing and oxidizing instantly.

I can feel Ivan and Cassio on guard, scanning our surroundings, but I can't look away from this horror show. Karina's disdain for me is to the bone. How can someone hate me so much? What did I ever do?

"That's where you're wrong, Karina," Dad replies, voice dripping with malice. "I already have everything I need and everyone I love. I'd like to give my daughter closure for her mother, but at the end of the day, I'll survive without her. I'll sleep soundly at night with only the memory of your death keeping me warm. I don't need you, and so you see, I can never lose."

I don't know if he means it, but his tone is more than believable. I can see the moment his declaration sinks in for her and the immediate realization when she's been convinced. Dante can see it too.

Moving in closer, he lowers his voice into a menacing threat. "Did you think secrets would keep you safe? I didn't love the mother of nine of my children, and you think I hold a candle for Kim?"

I don't think that's true. I know that he loved Alina, even if they weren't in love. My dad isn't the kind of man who could feel anything other than love for someone who gave him the children he absolutely cherishes.

But his lie, oh, it gets under Karina's skin.

"I fucking know you do," she seethes, holding on to hope and hatred.

"The woman is stunning," he allows, pulling the knife from her chin to wave it flippantly in her face as a casual taunt as he continues to speak. "Funny, kind, and generally better than you in every imaginable way. I enjoyed my time with her, but I don't love her. I certainly don't put her above my desire to kill you where you stand. Let that sink in, inferior twin. Understand that when I steal the last breath from your lungs, you'll be leaving this earth as pathetically as you existed in it. You. Don't. Win."

A new sort of evil flashes behind her eyes, and before my father can shift his knife, she hits us all without lifting a finger.

"Inferior twin?" she drawls, tasting the insult on her tongue. "How can I be the inferior one when I took everything from her?" Bile burns the back of my throat, but Karina isn't done. "I stole her name, her baby girl, and her fucking life."

"You're lying." I don't mean for the words to come out, but they do.

Ivan stiffens, lightly squeezing my arm in a reprimand. He doesn't want me to interact with her at all, but how could I have stopped myself? Did he hear what she just said? Karina is saying that my mother is dead, and she's the person responsible for it.

A smirk widens her lips as her eyes laser in on me. "You're right," Karina agrees, nodding with a fake sympathy. "I did leave her with one thing. I'll admit to it being an accident. I never would have given something so important to her intentionally."

A cold sweep of dread blankets me, and I watch as Cesar moves in, approaching my father's side. He feels it, too, the awful sense that something bad is going to happen.

"Twins really are so much trouble, aren't they?" She lets out a long sigh, shaking her head while only looking at me. "Your brother was too close to the outside of Kim's stomach. Slit his throat right as I was cutting her open to get the two of you out. Such a shame. He would have been worth ten of you to me. Do you know how much one of Dante's enemies would pay for a Moretti son? God, I would be fucking swimming in gold."

I'm going to throw up.

There's no…

No, she's making all of this up to hurt me.

She can't be so callous that she would gut her own sister, could she? Sweat makes my hands clam up as her words replay on a poisonous loop in my head. Your brother was too close to the outside of Kim's stomach.

If she isn't lying, she's sicker than I could have ever imagined. She blames him for his own death. Not the fact that she performed a forced and unlicensed cesarean section on Kim, but the fact that he wasn't positionedproperly for her?

Dante's previously stern and cold demeanor has cracked, and I know he believes her. I wish he wouldn't, because the thought is too much to bear. If it's true… oh god.

"Aww," she coos patronizingly at him. "Do I win now, Dante? Don't worry, I'm not entirely heartless, I buried them together."

Cold sweat breaks out, and nausea consumes my stomach.

It's true.

I had another brother.

I had a twin.

I had a twin brother, and Karina killed him.

Dmitri prepared me for the idea that my mother may be dead, but a twin? I could never have prepped for the possibility of that being stolen from me.

I look at the demented woman in front of me, and I can't understand how we share the same DNA.

"In hindsight, it's a good thing the little thing died," she muses, suddenly even more satisfied at our speechlessness. "Taking a woman from Dante Moretti is nothing compared to taking a son from him. I can live with the fact that you love Jade; I hadn't expected it, that's true. But you're not just living everyday without her mother, you're going to have to live everyday without her other half."

Nononono.

"Stop talking," Dad barks, the order slipping through his collected facade.

Karina doesn't listen, relishing every reaction she can pull out of him.

"You've got two sets of twins, don't you? How's it feel knowing you made three but will only ever know five of the six?"

"Dmitri!" a voice calls out from deeper within the house. It's like a cry for help or a worried yell, I can't decide which, but it causes my ears to whoosh with blood.

Fear licks up my spine, and I grab Ivan's arm. "You have to go check?—"

"No fucking way," he replies, voice shaking.

"I've got her," Cassio tells him quickly. When Ivan doesn't budge, he adds, "You'll lay down your life for her, but so will I. Go check on him."

He looks like he's going to refuse, but I cup his face, kissing the corners of his mouth. "Please, I can't live without him. Ivan, please?—"

"Take her to the safe room," he demands, kissing my face in return. "Go now," Ivan instructs. Pulling a gun from the back of his belt, he starts to rush off. But just as he flees the room, vanishing from our sight, Cassio can't get me out soon enough.

Unpredicted chaos breaks out as gunfire peppers through the air, and a scream crawls up my throat. The shots aren't coming from any of us, they're coming at us.

My hands cover the front of my stomach, and I curl in on myself, feeling hot zips of bullets far too close to me. I watch in horror as Cassio dives through the line of fire to push me. Before I can blink, he's tackling me to the floor, using his body to shield mine. But he's not the only one.

Uncle Cesar is on us in a second flat, crowded us with his body.

I can't see anything, but I can hear laughing. Horrible haunting laughter coming from Karina. Worse than that, I feel blood. Not my own, and not Cassio's.

When the ringing of bullets ends, my brother pulls our uncle off of us, hands trembling as he puts him on his back to check him over.

"Jade, tell me you're okay," he demands harshly.

I'm not okay.

"I'm not hit," I rush out. And more importantly, no one landed on my stomach.

I scramble to my knees, stupidly disregarding the room around us to help my brother tend to Uncle Cesar. I think my heart stops beating entirely when I see how bad it is. His previously white shirt is scarlet red, the bulk of the color stemming from his chest. He got hit, multiple times from the look of it, and he's not wearing kevlar.

"You stupid fuck," Cassio whispers, clutching him close. "Why would you do that? I could have—" He chokes on the words, struggling to speak. "I could have seen them again."

Cassio wasn't just willing to die to save me, he was willing to die to see Isobel and his son. An awful wave of emotion hits my gut, but Uncle Cesar smiles. Blood stains his grin, and he reaches to pat my distraught brother's hand.

"I'll say h-hello for you, nipote."

"Say hi all on your own," Karina suggests, aiming a gun right at Cassio's heart from above. I don't know how she got out of the chair or where my father is, but I can't think as I start screaming helplessly with fear for Cassio.

My horrified shrieking doesn't deter her, only hardens her features as she holds the pistol out straight, hands steady. "Two Moretti sons now," Karina boasts, licking her lips. "I'm so glad you're here to see this, Jade."

Before her finger can move for the trigger, the weapon is shot out of her hand, a bullet ripping right through her wrist.

Her scream curdles as the gun flies out of her grasp, and her pain is distracting enough to overthrow her previous advantage. Before I can blink, Karina is taken to the ground by a single punch, a fast strike to the side of her chin that lands with a hefty thud. A hit delivered by Nico that I hadn't seen coming.

Still conscious but hurt, she spits out a mouthful of blood and glares up at him. "What a surprise, a Moretti man that hits women."

"You're not a woman," my brother counters. "You're vermin."

Nico swings his leg back and swiftly thrusts it forward, kicking Karina's face like a soccer ball, hard enough that it snaps back with a sickening crack. She's out like a light, blood splattering the floor around her crumbled face.

My hands shake, slick with blood as I try to hold Uncle Cesar's chest together. "Y-you're okay," I tell him, but the tears streaming down my cheeks are less than convincing. "D-doc can fix you. I?—"

The gunfire has ceased, and Ivan's voice rings out from afar. "Bruce is down, but so is Anatoly. Shit, he's alive, though. Fuck! Get medical in here!"

Bruce was here, that's why someone yelled for Dmitri.

My head shakes, and I cry harder. This isn't happening. This is a sick nightmare, and I'm going to wake up, and everything will be fine.

My uncle's mouth sputters and splashes crimson from his lips. "Help your friend, Jade. I—I'm already gone."

I refuse to believe my ears.

"Daaaad!" I cry, voice cracking.

Cassio is staring down blankly at the man who helped raise him from birth, mentally checking out even as his hands continue to put pressure on fatal wounds.

Uncle Cesar starts to shut his eyes, and I panic. "Noooo, stop it! Dad!"

My father drops to his knees next to me, his head is bleeding on the side, and there's a bullet wound in his arm, but he doesn't seem to care.

"Cesar," he barks, shaking him. "Don't you fucking dare?—"

"Take care of them," his dying brother whispers in response, his eyes too heavy to keep open.

My sobs are blinding, tears filling my eyes faster than they can fall. I haven't had enough time with him yet. It can't be over.

Please, God, please, it can't be over.

"Don't," my father demands, water dripping down his cheeks.

"I l-lasted longer than I thought."

Horrible words that every man in this room understands. Being in the mafia, it's an accomplishment to live into your forties. I just never thought that with all the protection and power we possess as The Outfit, that any of this could happen to us.

Strong arms enclose around me from behind, and without even looking back, I know it's Dmitri. "Please tell me you're not hurt," I beg, sealing my eyes shut in case the worst has happened.

"I'm okay, baby," he murmurs against my ear. "Come on, give your father some space to mourn." Mourn, what a horrible word.

I turn into his hold, throwing my arms around him and allowing him to pull me off of the bloody floor.

How did this happen?

"My uncle," I cry, holding onto him for strength. "It's not fair."

"I know, baby, I know," he soothes, stroking my hair.

I can hear my dad pleading with his brother to keep breathing, but I'm afraid it's too late for that. There was so much blood.

"He's dead, isn't he?" I croak, barely whispering loud enough for him to hear.

"He's gone, Krasotka," he confirms. "I'm sorry, but he's gone."

I nod into his neck, smearing my tears into his skin. This has been the worst day of my life. Worse than all of Bruce's torture, worse than learning who I thought was my mother would never love me… worse than all of it.

I lost my uncle, the hope of my mother's life, and the twin I'll never know.

Lips wobbling, I plead for some good news. "My brothers are okay?"

"Nico, Elio, and Matteo took out most of the ambushed shooters in this room," he begins, filling me in on everything I couldn't possibly keep up with. "Elio has a busted lip, and his ribs might be bruised, but he's fine. Matteo probably has a concussion, but he's okay too. All of them are going to be just fine."

It should make me feel better, but the relief is fleeting.

"I h-hate today," I tell him, sobbing further.

"I know, my love." Dmitri rocks me, comforting me for as long as he can before handing me off to Ivan. There's a massive mess to clean up, and there's no way in hell he'll have me be a part of that.

"Shhh," Ivan coaxes, holding me close. "Let's get you cleaned up and go wait to hear how Anatoly is, okay? He's going to make it out of this, and he'll want to know you're alright."

"He killed Bruce?" I ask, trying to control my heart rate and shake off the deep-seated sadness cloaking my heart. I have to keep my babies safe, even if that means drying my eyes when I never want to stop crying.

"He did, sestra," he replies softly. "Anatoly had his gun shot out of his hand, and he was still able to beat him to death. He's got a few more wounds and a big-ass cut down his arm, but he put Bruce down for good."

"He killed my demon," I mumble, feeling guilty. "He could have died too."

"But he didn't," Ivan counters. "They had backup and a very calculated plan to get to you, and we still stopped them. It's okay, Jade. It's all over now. The demons are gone, and all your monsters are going to keep you safe."

My favorite monsters.

My family.

They'll be taking care of Karina, I'm sure. Stealing every bit of life remaining inside of her until she no longer exists. I don't know how long Nico will be able to drag out what he does to her.

Given the fact that she's responsible for our uncle's death, I assume he'll give her everything he's got and more. Especially if he heard the news of our brother.

Dante Moretti is meant to have eleven children, and he's going home with ten. Not only that, he's going to have to bury a brother of his own.

I don't know how I can ever make him feel better again.