Something isn’t sitting right with me. Oni went into the house to meet me upstairs. That cute little dress had my thoughts on last night.
I wanted to get a little time to hold her in my arms, maybe get a little taste if we have time. However, that guy is now out of sight as well. No one should have gone into the house, but Emilia has gone overboard with the number of people she’s invited over.
“I had my eyes on him and then some guy intercepted me, asking me if I saw his girl or some shit and I lost him,” Mario says as he runs to join me in the house.
“Oni was on her way to my office. Let’s start with finding her. Then we can look for him. I want to make sure she’s safe.”
We jog up to the third floor without another word. As soon as we hit the landing, the sounds of a commotion can be heard coming from my office. I take off running without a single thought.
Just before we get to the door, a loud thump sounds, causing my heart to pound harder than I’ve ever felt. Mario and I burst through the door at the same time. The first thing I see is Oni’s reflection in the mirror. Her tearstained face grips my heart, causing my feet to move me to her before I can take the entire room in.
I get around the desk, ready to draw her into my arms, but freeze as I see the body lying on the floor. We won’t need to gosearching for that asshole. He’s lying on my office floor with his brains blown out.
Rage fills me. This motherfucker came into my father’s home and violated what’s mine. He forced my baby to take his life at only sixteen.
I may have made sure Oni could protect herself, but I never meant for something like this to be on her conscience so soon in her life. Maybe that’s the problem: bringing her into this life opens doors like this. This is my fault.
“Baby, are you okay?” I turn to Oni and ask as the strange sound of her sobs draws my attention.
It’s like she’s trying not to make a sound, but the sound is still breaking through. I think she’s in shock. Mario pries my gun from her hand, then rushes to lock the door.
I’m grateful to him as he snaps into action, calling for a cleaner and setting in motion the start of taking care of this mess. Seeing the front of Oni’s dress torn and her naked breast exposed, I tear my shirt off and pull it over her head.
“Ashton Larkin,” Mario says, tossing the dude’s wallet on top of his lifeless chest.
“Irish? Who the fuck invited him here?”
I cup the back of Oni’s head and pull her into my chest. She’s still sobbing. I don’t want to think about what happened before she dropped this piece of shit. I failed her.
I promised this wouldn’t happen. I feel like such a fuckup. I didn’t deserve her in the first place; now I really don’t.
“No fucking clue, but I’m starting to have a lot of questions. I saw him talking to Juliana earlier. Oni said she saw him at the club that night. Neither one of us believes in coincidences.
“I wonder when your uncle invited Juliana out. He’s playing a game, but what if he’s being played as well?”
I snort and shake my head. “Bro, the eyes in the back of his head have eyes. If Juliana is up to something, he knows.Fuck, that would make so much sense.
“I’m going to kill him. New plan, I need you to find out what the Abatos have been up to in the last year. Who they’ve been connected to, who they owe, what they owe. See if any of that connects back to the shit you found in New York.
“I want to know if this is a me problem or a family problem. Then I want it shut down and everyone who allowed any part of it can be wiped off the map with the source. And I mean everyone,” I snarl.
“I’m on it.”
I look down and cup the sides of Oni’s face. She looks up at me through tear-filled eyes as her lips tremble. My heart breaks a million times over.
“Oni, baby. I need to get you to a hospital. Someone needs to check you out,” I say softly.
She shakes her head frantically. I open my mouth to convince her that this needs to be done. If not at a hospital, I need to bring someone in.
However, my mind is blown as she cuts me off. Holding her hand up, she takes a deep, calming breath. I watch as she goes from a sobbing, fragile, frightened bird to a phoenix right before my eyes.
“No. He didn’t … he didn’t get to hurt me. I need to stay here and help clean up my mess. Show me what you need me to do. Tell me what’s next,” she says.
“Oni, what the fuck?”
“If I fold now, if I can’t handle this, I can’t handle you. I’m okay.”
I look at her with wide eyes. She’s serious. It’s like she’s flipped a switched and turned the last fifteen minutes off.
