“They will be home with you soon, Marnie. I've been with this family a very long time, and I know that nothing is impossible when you believe in them. Do you believe in the man you are to marry?”
“More than anything.”
“Then keep the faith, Marnie.” Alessia sits back in her chair. “If only Allegra were here to see her brother marry the woman he loves.”
Alessia eyes wonder to the framed photograph of her daughter that sits on the small table beside her. Marnie looks at me curiously, and I shake my head.
“Keep your daughter's close.” She strokes the picture with her fingertip. “Make sure you tell them every day how much you love them, and never ever let a man hurt them.” She turns to look at us. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Marnie. You are going to be much loved within this family. I can see it now. Take care of her, Draven.”
“I plan to.”
“Such a good boy.” She mumbles and closes her eyes. I watch her for a moment as she falls to sleep.
I get out of my seat and kiss her head. I take Marnie's hand and lead her out of the room. I need to find Tony. I know this is his day, and nothing should be more important than that, but something is not right with Alessia, and I need to know what. This cannot wait.
“Draven, is everything okay?”
I stop walking and turn to look at Marnie. “I don't know, Marnie. Something doesn't feel right with Alessia. I've never seen her like that before. I need to speak with Tony.” I cup Marnie's face, and she leans into my touch. “Will you be okay with Maria for a short while?”
“Of course. You do what you need to do. I'll be here when you're done. Try not to worry too much. It could be that she's missing her daughter and what might have been. I'm guessing she never got to see Allegra get married?”
If only that were true. “Alessia saw her daughter marry; she also buried her a week later.”
“What happened to her?”
I lean my forehead against Marnie's for a moment. Thinking about what happened to Allegra makes me think of what could have happened to Marnie if she'd stayed with Paul any longer. It honestly gives me nightmares sometimes.
I take her face in my hands and kiss her lips softly. “Allegra was murdered by her husband three days after they got married.” Marnie sucks in a deep breath. “Allegra had kept from everyone the fact Christoph was violent towards her. She loved him and thought she could change him. No one knew anything was wrong because she was good at hiding the truth of their relationship.
“The motherfucker thought marrying Allegra would put him in my good graces and I'd make him a wiseguy. There was never any chance of that because I couldn't stand him. Tony wanted the man dead long before Allegra married him, but she begged Tony not to take him from her.”
“When did this happen?”
“Six years ago. It almost destroyed Tony. He blamed himself because he could have stopped it.”
I watch Marnie's throat move up and down as she swallows. “What did he do to her?”
I take a deep breath and let out a sigh. “He battered her to death. If that wasn't enough, he set fire to her body to destroy the evidence.” Marnie let's go of a sob. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you.”
“Why would somebody do such a thing to the person they're supposed to love the most?” I shake my head because I don't know the answer. “I hope Alessia is okay.”
“Tony and I will speak with her.” I just hope she opens up and tells us the truth.
Chapter Nineteen
Tony
Do you think we'll always be this happy?”
I wrap my arms tighter around Amy's waist as she leans back against me. We're sitting under the oak tree next to the lake beside my mother’s house. The party is in full swing, and no one has noticed that Amy and I have slipped away.
Seeing Amy walking down the aisle today took my breath away. She was a vision from a dream I once had, and I'm man enough to admit that I cried when I saw her. I won't lie, I never thought we'd be here, I honestly thought the Boss would put an end to us before we began.
I fought what I felt for this woman because I'm loyal to Draven. His rule is not something I take lightly, but luckily for me, he saw things my way and allowed Amy and me to be together.
This woman in my arms is the strongest, mentally and physically, I have ever known. Amy is afraid of nothing, and she's fiercely loyal, and I fell in love with her so quickly. Put my little infatuation with Maria to shame.
“I know we will.” I rest my hands on the bump in her belly. My son is in there. I'm overwhelmed with love for the two of them. I kiss Amy's head. “You've completed me, Amy.”
“Ditto, handsome. All of this made your stalking of me worth it.”
I laugh loudly. I did not stalk her, well, not in a bad way. I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Amy could always handle herself against any foe, but I felt this strong urge to protect her. It pissed her off if I tried to save her life, and she'd yell at me that she didn't need my help. I knew she was capable of taking on a man twice her size and coming out on top, but it didn't stop me wanting to protect her.
When I first asked her out, Amy told me she would never date me unless I learned to back off and stop treating her like a weak woman. She called me a sexist pig and told me that just because she was a woman it didn't mean she needed a knight in shining armor.
I did back off, and I don't interfere in Amy's work, but deep down, I don't think I'll ever back off completely. I will always be there to back her up if she needs me, just as I know she will for me. We're one in everything, a team, and we always will be.
I kiss Amy's head. “I love you, beautiful.”
“I love you, too. It looks like our quiet time is over.”
What the fuck does Lorenzo want?
“Boss wants to see you. Now.” With that, he walks away. Lorenzo is not a man of many words.
I help my pregnant wife to her feet and kiss her softly. “I'm sorry about this. I'll try to be quick.”
She chuckles. “Baby, whatever the boss wants you for must be important. You know he promised no business today unless he had no choice. Just make sure you come back to me before people think you ran out on me.” She laughs and kisses me.
I find Draven outside my mother’s study. I'm curious to know what's going on. “Everything okay, Boss?”
“I'm not your boss right now, Tony, I'm your friend. Is everything okay with your mother? She doesn't seem herself.”
I rub the back of my neck and take a deep breath. This is neither the time nor the place to talk about this. I probably should have spoken to Draven before now, but my mother didn't want anyone to know anything just yet.
“Something is wrong, isn't it?”
I lean back against the wall and tip my head back. “Yes, something is wrong.” I stand straight and look at him.
“What's going on, Tony?”
“Mom has the onset of Alzheimer’s.”
“Oh, Tony,” I shake my head as he clutches my shoulder in sympathy. “I'm so sorry. Jesus, she's too young! Is there anything I can do?”
I shake my head again. There's nothing anyone can do. “It's not too bad yet. She's a little forgetful, and it's starting to frighten her. It's why she doesn't leave the house so much these days. You know, she asked me not to let things get too bad.”
“I don't think you have much choice in the matter, Tony. This illness is very progressive.”
“She wants me to help her die, Draven.” He grabs my arm and drags me into the room opposite, slamming the door behind him. I'm not sure two big fuckers like us being locked in a closet together will look good if anyone finds us here.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Mom asked me last week not to let things get so bad that she didn't recognize me. She said that once things got to that point, she won't know what's going on from one minute to the next, and she may as well be dead.” I rub my hands over my wea
ry face. I've kept this to myself since the moment my mother asked it of me. I've done nothing but think about it, but I can't bring myself to say that I'll help her.