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“It’s not what he did. It’s the fact that he left us. We needed him, and he left.”
“You can’t hold on to that resentment. It’s not good for anyone. Try to forgive him, Holly.” I can’t fathom what she went through when her father was sent away. I’ve seen plenty of men get sentenced to hard time, but no one I really gave a damn about. Of course, the Feds are always waiting for one of us to fuck up, so they can stick us with some bullshit charges. But I don’t plan on ever being stupid enough to let that happen. I wonder if Holly would resent me if it did though? Would I expect her to wait around for me, like the other wives in the family? I’m not sure. What I am sure of is the fact that I’d slaughter any fucker she tried to move on with, anyone who thought they could touch what’s mine. I’d make certain the whole fucking world gotthatmessage and knew exactly who she belonged to.
I pull into the parking lot at the prison. It’s a shitty-looking building with an unkempt landscape. I always get chills whenever I walk into these places. I check my phone to see if Neo was able to make the arrangements for today.
Neo: All set, boss.
Me: Thanks. Have the jet ready to leave tonight at six.
Neo: What about your mum?
Shit, I forgot about her. I can’t leave her behind when I’m taking every man we have for Holly’s protection.
Me:Tell her to pack lightly.
Neo:I’ll just tell her to pack. I don’t have a death wish, boss.
I roll my eyes. My mother wouldn’t know how to pack lightly if her life depended on it.
“T, you don’t have to come in with me, you know. I get it if you don’t want to.”
“Dolcezza, under no circumstances would I ever let you walk into that building alone. Come on. Let’s do this.” Holly’s palm grips mine tightly as I lead her into the reception area.
“Name?” Some burley guy sitting behind the counter spits out the question, without even looking up from the phone in his hand.
“Ah, Holly Reynolds. Here to see Steven Reynolds.” I pause at Holly’s use of her maiden name. What the fuck is she doing? The guard looks up at her, his eyes roaming over her chest. My body’s pulsating with the need to gouge his fucking eyes out.
“You’ll have to step into that room for a search.” He nods his head to the side, and Holly stiffens behind me.
“Like fuck she will. Any of you filthy motherfuckers even think about touching my wife, and I’ll cut your damn fingers off and shove them up your asses,” I growl. Who the fuck does this prick think he is, telling Holly she needs to be searched? “Let’s try this again. Theo and Holly Valentino, here to see Steven Reynolds.” I smirk as the guard pales and his eyes widen.
Yeah, that’s what I thought, fucker.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Ican feel Theo’s body vibrating with anger; the heat radiating off him is palpable. I glance from him to the guard, who now looks like he’s seen a ghost. Oh my God, what was I thinking? I shouldn’t have brought T here. He’s a bloody criminal. And not just any criminal. No, he’s the head criminal—the boss! “Ah, sure, straight through that door, sir. Your appointment is ready.” The guard swallows loudly and points behind us.
I turn to follow the man’s directions. However, Theo is a brick wall. Unyielding. His dark gaze is locked on the guard’s. “T, come on. It’s okay.” I try to force him to look at me, to move, so we can get this visit over with and leave. But he doesn’t budge. “Theo, let’s go!” He looks down at me, his lips twitching. Yep, I’m sure he’s trying not to laugh at the fact I just pulled out my well-practicedteacher voiceon him.
“Sure thing.” He drapes an arm over my shoulder, kissing my forehead as we walk towards the open door. As soon as I step into the room, I can’t stop the tears from streaming down my cheeks. I run, freezing just short of my father. I want nothing more than to wrap myself around him and have him hold me. But that’s not allowed. I don’t want to cause any trouble, so I stand in front of where he sits. The door clicks loudly behind me, but I don’t move. Not until T comes up next to me and leans down to whisper in my ear. “You can hug your father, Holly. No one’s gonna stop you.”
I look over to him and then around the room. The guard left. They just left us in here. That’s never happened before. I want to question it, but I honestly don’t care what strings T had to pull to make this happen. “Dad, I’ve missed you so much. I’m sorry.” I throw myself at my father as he stands to catch me.
Being in his arms feels like home. “Shh, Hol. It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay.” He holds me tighter, neither one of us wanting to let go. After a few minutes, my dad pulls back and kisses me on the forehead. “I’m glad you’re here. You look good.” He runs his eyes up and down my smaller frame. I’m not sure what he’s searching for, but he does this every time I see him.
“Thanks. You do too.”
“Come on. Sit down. Tell me everything. What’s been happening?” My dad glances from Theo to me, the questions written all over his face. I lower myself to the chair, and Theo sits next to me. He’s silent. He hasn’t said a word yet. He does, however, put his hand on my thigh and squeeze.
“Ah, well, I kind of… I got married. This is Theo. My husband,” I say quickly.
My dad looks between us before he offers a sad smile. “I wish I could have been there. I’m sorry I missed it.” He drops his eyes to his hands, now resting on the table.
“Oh, don’t worry! We’re having a real big wedding in a few months. You’ll be able to make it and walk me down the aisle. Right? You’re getting out in a couple of days.”
“Why are you having another wedding?” my dad asks.
I’m not sure how to answer that. I can’t really say that it’s because we only signed papers, in order to avoid a huge shit fight with a mob boss of another family—oh, and my husband’s previously arranged marriage. Theo saves me from having to respond. “That’s my fault, sir. Sorry, though it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. You see, I couldn’t wait to make Holly my wife. We eloped, but we are planning a big ceremony when everyone can be there. I do apologize for not asking you for your daughter’s hand in marriage first.”And cue the swoon moment. He always knows the right thing to say.
