CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

RITCHIE

THE RETURN TO WORK

A fter arriving in New Jersey this morning, instead of going to my downtown condo in Jersey City, I decided to go straight to the new house I had bought for me and Tori. My plan was to pick up my cat, Mr. Chaos, from my neighbor in a few days when my wife joined me.

Hopefully, Tori would see Gloria wasn’t a threat.

As I straightened my navy tie, I made my way into my boss’s home. The atmosphere was somber without Lexis’ presence. I ran my fingers over the crisp white sheets draped over the furniture.

“Luca?” I called out.

“In my office,” he replied.

I strolled down the hallway and paused at his doorway. “Good morning, boss.”

He looked up at me. “Ritchie, how are you managing?”

I entered the office and took a closer look at Luca. He had let his beard grow out, something he would never have done if Lexis were still here. It would have been neatly trimmed. His hair was longer too, dark curls slicked back. He seemed thinner than usual. Luca was a big guy, and it saddened me to see him like this. Broken because Lexis had left him.

In all honesty, Luca was supposed to send someone to find Lexis and kill her. There was no walking away from the mafia. Perhaps a small part of him believed she would come back to him.

“I’m doing alright, boss. But you need to take care of yourself,” I reminded him.

“I need you to gather information from some men who might know why she left,” Luca changed the subject. “Tex knows who they are. Bring him along.”

Catch had warned me not to mention Lexis’s name anymore. It was a difficult situation. I had found love while my boss had lost the love of his life. I felt guilty for finding happiness when he was still grieving.

“Not a problem, Luca.”

At some point I’d have to talk to Lexis. But right now, I’d continue to watch her for my boss.

“Luca,” Marco called in the distance.

Marco Esposito was Luca’s brother. He was the other Esposito mafia boss. They split their territory in half. Marco and Luca oversaw the casinos in Atlantic City. Marco ran all the strip clubs. Luca’s specialty was managing and opening businesses along the waterfront in the warehouse district.

The waterfront was highly sought after by both underworld and businessmen, but one businessman made poor gambling choices and lost a significant portion of it to the Espositos when Luca’s grandfather Beniamino was the mafia boss.

“Hey, Marco, Luca’s in his office,” I stated as I halted in the center of the living room.

A half smile lifted Marco’s lips. He smacked my cheek twice. “You’re back. I hope the time a way helped.”

I shrugged. “The best it could.”

He gripped my shoulder, peering into my eyes. “Listen, my brother doesn’t blame you for what happened with Lexis.”

“How could he not?” I asked, remorse churning in my gut.

“Because you’d taken Lexis to her father’s house so many times. You always performed a thorough search. This also wasn’t the first time you’d waited outside after checking out the house. She left on her own free will. Lexis walked right out the front door. No one held her at gunpoint. No one was lurking in the bushes. She walked away from this life. I don’t have to tell you what’s supposed to be done about that.”

I could feel my throat tighten with concern. “No, you don’t.” My heart was pounding in my chest. If Luca decided to eliminate her, he’d most likely send a hit woman.

“Listen, Luca and I are the bosses of this family. We wouldn’t kill her.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”

He gruffly ran a tatted hand over his clean-shaven face. “Now, let me go and try to convince my brother to eat something. If I can’t get him to eat, Ma will be furious with me.”

I pulled him into a bro hug. “Thanks for looking out for him.”

“Ritchie, thanks for being loyal and the best bodyguard my brother could have,” Marco said as he stepped back.

A smile formed on my face, but it hadn’t quite met my eyes. “You’re welcome.”

Marco darted down the hallway toward Luca’s office.

I strolled into the kitchen.

“Ritchie, good to see you,” Milo greeted as I entered the room. He was stationed at the coffee machine. A cup of freshly brewed coffee sat in front of him, steaming and smelling rich. He sealed it with a lid before taking a sip.

I mustered a smirk. “Milo, how’s it going around here?”

Milo was Luca’s best friend. Despite not being Italian, he held the esteemed position of being Luca’s right-hand man as well as head of security for his team.

As the head of security for Luca, he was responsible for keeping everyone safe, and that included driving Lexis around when needed. During my absence due to the war with Mykel, Milo drove Lexis to her catering business. That same day, an attempt was made on her life.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

In a brave act of protection that day, Milo pushed Lexis aside, taking a bullet for her.

“My wound has healed.”

Luckily, he was wearing a bulletproof vest. I knew firsthand how those rounds burned into your skin, still causing pain days later.

“Are you hanging out with us tonight? Milo asked. “I’ll make sure there are plenty of women at our table.”

“I’ll be on duty tonight,” I replied.

“Ritchie, we haven’t talked in a while. I have to bring you up to speed. This woman I hooked up with recently had the sweetest pussy.” He closed his eyes briefly. “I can’t wait to link up with her again. I hope while you were away you got laid because you were cranky before she left.”

Milo wasn’t lying. Women just hadn’t been on my mind.

He sipped his coffee as he glanced at his watch.

I never cared to hear about all the women he fucked. But he loved to tell us all about it.

“I better get going. Luca’s going out tonight, so I have to speak to the club’s security team. I guess there’s no better way to get over a woman than to bury your dick deep in another woman’s pussy.” He flashed a rotten pretty boy grin.

My brows lowered. “Just because she left doesn’t mean he’s going to start fucking random women,” I growled.

His heavy hand landed on my shoulder. “You’ve been gone for a while. A lot has changed.”

Milo took another sip of his coffee as he stepped away, moving down the hallway. I respected Luca so I wouldn’t smash his best friends face in. But there were days I left work thinking about pounding Milo’s face into the pavement.

I WALKED OUT ONTO THE patio, taking a moment to absorb my surroundings. The sky was filled with thick clouds, and it was clear that rain would be pouring down soon. A gentle breeze brushed against my muscled body as I walked further into the lush green yard.

Catch leaned casually against the side of Marco’s Suburban; one ankle crossed over the other. His tailored suit hugged his frame. A confident smirk played on his lips while his eyes were hidden behind a pair of aviator sunglasses.

“Cousin, it’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

He was extra chipper this morning. This guy used to live for fucking random women who called him daddy. Now he was married. If you would’ve told me a few months ago Catch would get married, I would’ve told you that wouldn’t ever happen.

I glanced around again before approaching him. Didn’t want anyone to overhear our conversion. A few of Marco’s bodyguards conversed with Tex across the yard. Marco probably had more bodyguards than Luca. It had a lot to do with the strip clubs he owned. A few of Luca’s other guards walked the perimeter.

“I got a text from Ezra. He said Bianca never made it to Chicago. That you kidnapped her.” I arched a brow.

Catch waved his hands in front of him. “All I did was take my wife home,” he gritted out.

“Clearly, it can’t be kidnapping if she’s my wife,” he sneered.

I stepped closer. “They have a war going on. We need to give our wives the support they need.”

“That’s right. Bricks said you and Tori went to a wedding chapel to get married. I can’t believe you tied the knot. Congratulations cousin.” He pulled me into a hug.

I patted his back. “Thank you.”

We stepped apart.

Catch smirked. “If I hadn’t gone looking for you, I wouldn’t have met Bombshell.”

“With all that’s going on with the girls, Bianca can return at the end of this week. I need my wife.”

“Catch, I need mine too. Simone is in Jersey also. Tori and Asia will be here in a day or two. I’ll return next weekend because I need to check on that other situation.”

“We’ll assist you with that,” Catch said. “How’s the boss?”

“Catch, he’s in a very bad way. Asshole Milo said Luca’s going to the club tonight to look for a new woman. He wouldn’t do that. I mean, I know he’s upset...”

“...Milo’s a fucking dick,” he cut off my words.

“I bet he’s excited Luca’s going out tonight. Ritchie, I don’t think Luca’s going to hook up with another woman. But if he does, we have to respect his decision,” Catch added.

I gruffly ran my hand over my bearded jaw. “Yeah. I’ll continue to stand by his side for moral support. I better get going. I have to take care of something for Luca.”

“Talk to you later, Ritchie.” Catch waved.

“Later cousin.”

I waved Tex over. “Let’s go.” I stalked toward the black Suburban parked near the side of the house.

I hated not being able to tell my boss I had a wife. He allowed me to take time off to sort through my shit. Losing his woman was severe. I should be dead. If my family weren’t who they were I’d probably be dead. Although, I’d like to think Luca knew me well enough to know I’d never take my job lightly. Guarding his woman was an honor.

I was supposed to be getting through Lexis slipping through my fingers, not finding a woman, fighting her war, and marrying her. When time permitted itself, I’d tell Luca about my wife. For the time being, I would give Lexis space to reflect on her actions and hopefully she would return to Luca.

My main focus was protecting my boss and keeping a clear head. Thinking about my wife at the moment was not an option, even though I missed her terribly and hated being away from her. Every day while I was in Chicago, something terrible happened. But now that I was back in New Jersey, my wife was still in Chicago without me there to protect her. Before we left for Las Vegas, her ex-best friend had attempted to kill us. So far, she was still at large. Today, I had a bad feeling about what could happen in Chicago while I was away. As soon as possible, I would remind Tori to update me with calls or texts just so I knew she was safe. For now, I had to trust Ezra, my wife’s bodyguard, to keep her safe. As soon as I had a moment, I would check on her.