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My mind filled with images of our small hometown finally shaking off the mafia. I knew that wasn’t a done deal. The image Storm had shown Chester of his dead don was a fake, one Diego Russo had come up with for his own amusement before realizing it could be used for a misinformation campaign once the Russo brothers had learned that Aprilia had been abducted. With any luck, eleven days from now we’d snare Don Diavonte in our carefully laid trap. Only when he was disposed of would our town be rid of his vile influence for good.
Chapter 22
Aprilia
The next eleven days flew by. Days of lounging around the clubhouse, getting to know the club wives and learning that just because the Dark Slayers was an MC didn’t mean the men were rough, uneducated, and uncouth.
The best part of the last eleven days was spending day and night with Mason. I loved everything about him, from his slow Southern drawl to his protective streak and brash sense of humor. Mason was hot, sexy, and gave as good as he got in bed. He was unlike any man I’d ever met, and I wanted a chance with this man. I’d already decided that I wasn’t going anywhere. As long as this man would have me, I planned to stay at his side.
My hand reached for the chain around my neck, and I smiled. Mason had gotten it mended—he had offered to see if he could switch it for something else in case I associated it with bad memories, but I loved it, and if he hadn’t found it lying outside the restaurant then it might have taken him longer to realize I’d been abducted.
I looked up when Mason came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was all bulging muscles, sexy smiles, and practically preening as I watched him get dressed. “I ain’t never had a woman eat me up with her eyes the way you do, Rilia. I gotta say, it feels good to be admired.”
“You’re more than just admired. I can’t get enough of you, babe. If today weren’t the big day, I would show you just how much I love that body of yours.”
“And I’d take you up on an offer like that in a fuckin’ heartbeat, cher. Unfortunately, I have to stay focused on the task at hand. Today is the day we run the mobsters out of our town once and for all.”
I sighed, if the past couple of weeks had shown me anything, it was how naive I had been about what my family was really involved in. I thought I knew all about the shady dealings thanks to my father being open with me. But now I think he had only shown me the tip of the iceberg—a sanitized version—and had hidden the true depths from me. I was part and parcel of the mafia, it ran through my veins, and it was people like my family who ultimately caused all the shit that was happening in towns like Griffinsford.
The Russo brothers might not have been squeaky clean—in fact, I knew for sure they weren’t, but compared to the old guard they were trying to change how the organization ran, and stuff like protection rackets didn’t sit well with them. I looked up at him. “You’re actually running the mobsters out of town with the assistance and support of other mobsters that you happen to be on better terms with. Technically, I’m a mobster as well, remember I’ve carried messages for Don Diavonte and his men? Sometimes it feels like it’s all too much, this never-ending circle of violence.”
Mason came to sit beside me on the bed. “I apologize, Rilia. I never thought you saw yourself as a mobster.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for, I was born into a family of mobsters, Mason. No matter whether I see myself as a mobster or not, I’m mobbed up by virtue of my father being in the mafia.”
“Yeah, I get that. Only, I thought the one thing we agreed on was not being wild about crime.”
I looked up at him, feeling more at odds on this issue than I could ever remember feeling in my whole life. “You’re right, Mason. I know you are. I guess I’m just feeling conflicted about the whole mess. I loved my dad even though he was a member of the mafia. Same with the Russo brothers. Even Don Diavonte, he was like a grandfather to me growing up.” I shook my head in disbelief that I’d held such fondness for that cold-blooded killer. “There are varying degrees of bad. When it comes to being raised in the business, you learn to appreciate distinctions, like how deep each person is embedded into the mob and where they draw the line.”
He stared at me for a minute before responding. “I get what you’re saying, cher. We all have our own moral compass, while I don’t necessarily agree with the shit the Russo brothers are involved in, they are our allies. It’s like the Slayers and Twisted Metal, we had to put our differences aside and come together to clean up the town.”
I slid forward, wrapped my arms around his neck, and hugged him. Mason had a smart brain and a kind heart. He didn’t deserve me dumping all my insecurities on him. “I’m sorry to spew all that at you like that.”
“No, never be afraid of telling me what’s on your mind, cher. If I can help I will or if you just want to vent, I’ll listen. Always. That’s my promise to you.”
“Thanks, babe. We should probably get going before Storm sends Rob to pound on our door again.”
***
As we headed downstairs, I asked, “Do you really think Don Diavonte will show up today?”
Mason grinned. “I’d be very surprised if he didn’t. This is his big opportunity for what he thinks is a sneak attack. My best guess is the old buzzard will show up to oversee the attack and then stroll around town to inspect his new holdings. He’s in for a rude awakening.”
It was four in the morning and all the brothers were gearing up for the coming battle. Mason walked over to the closet the club used as an armory and came back with a bullet proof vest. Before I could ask what he was doing, he slid it onto my body and began tightening the Velcro straps.
When he was finished, he pulled something from his waistband and handed it to me. It was my Smith & Wesson snub nosed semi-automatic that had been taken into safekeeping when I’d arrived at the clubhouse. I wrapped my hand around the handle and felt the familiar weight of it in my hand. My father had made sure I could shoot, but until today, I hadn’t considered it was a real possibility.
Mason murmured, “Since you insist on coming, I want you not only wearing body armor, but I want a weapon in your hand. Do you actually know how to use it?”
I slid the clip out, checked to make sure it was full, and clicked it back into place, which I guess answered his question. “My father had enemies, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise, so he wanted to make sure I could defend myself if I had to.” I tucked the gun into my belt holster and felt the comforting weight at the small of my back. I’d never fired it outside of a range, and I hoped to God that wasn’t going to change today. “I know I was only supposed to go to lure Chester out into the open, and since he’s safely under lock and key my presence isn’t required. But I’m not the kind of woman who can sit quietly at home and wait for my hero to come running back to me. Plus, we don’t know how it’s going to go yet, Don Diavonte thinks he’s gatecrashing a meeting of the local business owners, if he’s got eyes on the building then he might be suspicious if it’s just men coming and going. But if they see me wheeling a twenty-liter coffee dispenser out one of the panel vans and carrying in supplies, it’ll just look like we’re setting up, and you’ve got the women sorting out refreshments.”
Mason sighed, clearly still not approving of my decision. “Yeah, I know. But it doesn’t thrill me that you’re gonna be there when all hell breaks loose. I’m doing my best to come to grips with that fact.”
I closed my mouth while I was ahead on this issue and watched him put together his sniper rifle with deft precision. My real reason for going was that I wanted to cover his back. No one cared more about Mason than me, and I wasn’t about to sit around twiddling my thumbs at the clubhouse while he put his life on the line not only to keep his town safe, but to get me out from under Don Diavonte’s thumb. No, I’d be there to look out for him, whether he realized that was my motivation or not.
***
The next several hours were a whirlwind of activity. After everyone was armed to the teeth, Storm went over their plan one more time and verified that every brother knew where he was supposed to be and what his job was. It only took us about forty minutes to reach the remote location, where Steel and about thirty members of his Twisted Metal MC were already waiting. They’d brought cars instead of bikes because Don Diavonte would be expecting townspeople to be present. The Slayers weren’t quite foolish enough to invite innocent people to a shootout with Don Diavonte’s crew.
