Chapter 18

Savina~

When I'd gotten a call from my father, claiming that he wanted to talk because he felt bad for the way that things had ended between us the last that we'd spoken, I'd been a shaking mess. I'd seen that phone call as a way out, and I would have been stupid to hold onto old hurts. In fact, my father's change of heart wasn't even the most important fact of the matter at this point. There was finally some hope, and I had grabbed onto it with both hands.

The tricky part had been getting Ashton to allow me to go to dinner with my parents. When I'd told him about the phone call, he had immediately gone off the rails, ranting about how he couldn't be seen consorting with active members of the Sartori Crime Family. He'd gone on to point out how my disassociation from my parents was the only reason that it'd been acceptable for us to be together. Honestly, he hadn't shut up for almost half an hour, going on and on about my reputation and how I'd be jeopardizing everything by reconnecting with my parents.

When I had first started dating Ashton, I had glossed over the reasons why I'd no longer had a close relationship with my family, and he had accepted my story at face value. He hadn't pried, nor had he mentioned a possible reconciliation. After a few months, he'd come to terms with my solitary lifestyle, and that had ended up working out in his favor. With no friends, no family, and no one checking on my wellbeing, Ashton had been able to take over in no time.

Nevertheless, I'd had an ace to play, and I had played it, even though I might end up the loser after it was all said and done. After Ashton had finished his rant, I had made him a deal, agreeing to ‘escort' Cooper Donaldson whenever he was in town, and I had promised to do it without complaint and for as long as Ashton wanted me to do it.

Of course, I'd gotten a lecture about telling my parents anything, and Ashton had been clear about not being seen out in public and about coming right back home after dinner. Honestly, his stipulations had gone in one ear and right out the other. Not being able to afford any pride at this point, the plan was to tell my parents everything, then pray that they were willing to help me.

As I pulled up to the curb of my parents' house, I could feel my heart pounding dangerously. It hurt to hope, and it was actually a cruel irony if you thought about it. After having a taste of true hopelessness, I'd been able to recognize the peace that came with having no way out. That resignation was actually a lot less painful than continuously having your hopes dashed.

Grabbing my purse, I got out of the car, and the blood rushing through my ears was making me practically deaf. The house looked the same, but everything felt so different now. Since I'd grown up here, the house should feel warm and welcoming, but it didn't. I felt like a stranger as I made my way up the walkway, and panic started to settle in my chest a bit. If they refused to help me, then I was going to be right back where I'd started.

Still, I had to try.

Knocking on the door, I felt myself begin to fidget with my purse strap, then immediately stopped. Aurelio's words were still living inside my head, and if my father opened the door to a scared, timid, unsure woman, then he'd probably slam the door back in my face. Weakness was a sin in the Sartori family, and I knew it just as well as anyone that'd been raised in Port Townsend.

When the door opened, the concern in my mother's eyes was the only thing that I noticed. She didn't look happy, surprised, or thankful to see me. She looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and that hope from earlier had begun to quickly fade.

However, before I could say anything, she was stepping back, and my chest caved in painfully as I saw Aurelio Provenza take her place, my father nowhere to be seen.

I wanted to cry.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to just give up already.

"What…what is this?" I asked when I finally found my voice.

"Nero wants to speak with you," Aurelio replied, and that one sentence explained the concern in my mother's eyes. This had all been a ruse to get me back in Sartori territory because Nero Sartori wanted an audience with me.

My parents hadn't ever wanted to reconcile.

I let out a broken laugh because I couldn't believe what a fool I'd been, and that was saying something when you thought about it.

"Show some respect, Savina," my mother chided, her frame hidden only partially by the door.

Before I could say anything to that or lose my shit, Aurelio was saying, "Give me your purse."

I automatically held onto it tighter. "For what?"

"Because you and I both know that your locations are on," he replied coolly. "So, give me your fucking phone, Savina."

Because he was right, I knew that I didn't have any choice. Only a person on a suicide mission would lead anyone to Nero Sartori's house. Though it wasn't a huge secret, it also wasn't common knowledge outside his territory.

However, instead of handing Aurelio my purse, I pulled my phone out of the side pocket. He didn't need my entire purse to turn off my locations. "I can turn off-"

"I said to give me your fucking purse, Savina," he snapped, making my head jerk up. "I didn't ask for your goddam phone."

Though it was hard, I had to remember that I was here at Nero's request, not Aurelio's. If I defied Aurelio's orders, then I might as well be defying Nero's, and all that would get me was a bullet to the head, which wasn't as sad as it sounded, considering what my life was like right now.

Nonetheless, I handed Aurelio my purse, then watched warily as he grabbed my phone and my car keys. "What do you need my keys for?"

Instead of answering, he said, "Your phone doesn't have a lock screen."

"It needs to be…uhm, accessible at all times," I answered, letting him read between the lines.

"Oh, for fuck's sakes," he growled before grabbing my arm, then leading me to a car that I'd been too nervous to notice until now.

When we reached the black SUV, another man got out, and whatever could be said about the Sartori Crime Family, it couldn't be said that they weren't a good-looking bunch. The final piece of the puzzle had also finally come together when Aurelio handed the man my phone and keys.

"The locations have been turned off, though it'll be clear that she did make it to her parents' house. Power down the phone, tear it apart, then get rid of it," Aurelio instructed, making my stomach wretch. "Drive the car south until it runs out of gas, then do the same with the car."

What in the hell?

Just then, another black car showed up, and I could only stare in unknown horror as the man got in my car, drove off, the second car following behind.

"Get in the car, Savina."

It was then that I noticed how Aurelio had opened the SUV door for me. "What…what's going on, Aurelio," I asked, even though I knew that he wasn't going to tell me.

"You'll find out when we meet with Nero," he answered, and when I turned back over to my parents' house, the door was shut, and no curtains were opened out of curiosity.

I was alone again.

Left with no choice, I got in the car, and when Aurelio shut the door to make his way to the other side, I wondered which was worse: marrying Ashton or having an audience with Nero Sartori. Though I'd been gone for three years, I hadn't left Maryland, so news of the entire Schulz organization disappearing had reached even my ears. Granted, it could have been the Russians or the Irish that had wiped them out, but the Italian's numbers had always been higher than any of the other families in the city.

No words were spoken as Aurelio drove us to where I was expected to meet Nero, and I was actually grateful for the silence. I needed to think, and since I was being summoned to one of the most powerful men in the state-if not the most-then maybe it was time to come clean about everything. After all, if anyone could help me, it'd be him, right? Of course, he might not have any interest in helping me, but what did I have to lose at this point? I'd left whatever had been left of my pride at the house on Rattenberger Street, so what did it matter if I humiliated myself in front of Nero?

I wasn't sure how long I stared out the window, the scenery a familiar one, though so foreign after being gone for so long, but when we finally came upon a ten-story brick building, my hands started to sweat. I had no idea why Nero Sartori had asked to meet here, but I knew enough to know that this was not where the Sartori heir lived. Though the building looked sound, Nero would never live here. Before I'd left to go find myself, Nero had lived on the outskirts of town, his home protected like Fort Knox.

As Aurelio parked in the underground parking garage, it finally dawned on me that I was here to be questioned about the Olivers. I had opened that door when I'd gone looking for Aurelio, and now Nero Sartori was making me walk through it.