Jake’s Angel (King’s Of Fury MC #2)

Chapter 42

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

JAKE

We roll into Devil’s Canyon and make our way through the back roads to the Oasis Hotel, where Parisi’s men meet us in the underground garage, telling us where to park the cages and our bikes. Gabe decided to bring two cages. One for the women, one for the guns. Ghost rode shotgun with Hawk, and Caleb rode with Pop.

I’m so wound up I can’t hardly see straight. The whole ride here I was thinking up ways I could punish Avery’s ass for doing something so dangerous and stupid. She has no idea who she’s trusting. Vincenzo is not some kind neighbor-next-door that you ask for a ride. Favors are not free with him.

She doesn’t know the danger she’s put herself in. Who’s out here. I know she’s not familiar with club rules and MC etiquette, but she’s going to need to learn fast if she’s going to stay around. And she is going to stay around. Now that I’ve got her, I’m not letting her out of my sight again.

Vincenzo exits his SUV and guides us all to the elevator. After a series of security checks, we all cram into the metal box. It’s not small by any means, but our large bodies are crammed in here, filling it from corner to corner with no room to spare.

“What do you think the weight limit is on this thing?” Hawk whispers.

“Eight bikers and three thugs,” Caleb snickers back.

“It’s pretty tight in here. No way for anyone to move or run away, huh?”

“I swear to Christ, Hawk if you fart in here, I’ll pull out my Karambit and slice your fucking throat where you stand,” Pop threatens. Vincenzo and Matteo are muttering in Italian to one another, but I catch Santiago smirking.

The door chimes and we all flood out into the penthouse with Hawk bent over, laughing his ass off behind us.

Asshole.

“Here are your room keys. You may stay as long as you like, though I would suggest not overstaying your welcome.” He looks pointedly at Gabe with one arched brow. “Though I own the town, there are others who would see our mutual friendship as a threat and could incite a war.”

“Where are the girls?” Gabe asks.

“Upstairs. Perhaps we should chat in my office first before we bring them down.” Vincenzo doesn’t wait for a response. He’s already on the move toward his office.

“Papa!” a small voice shouts and a little dark-haired boy sprints toward Vincenzo. He squats down, lifting him in a hug and begins speaking in Italian to the boy. They talk for a minute, then Vincenzo kisses the boy’s head and sends him toward an older woman. She reaches her hand out and the young kid grabs it and follows her down the hall.

“You have a kid?” Hawk asks.

“Antonio is my son, yes. And none of you ever saw him.” Vincenzo’s appearance has morphed into the mafia kingpin his reputation speaks about. He’s always intimidating in his own right, but this is different. This Vincenzo is deadly. Matteo and Santiago appear on each side of him, looking just as serious and intent.

“Understood,” Gabe says, a questioning tone to his words, but he doesn’t ask what we’re all thinking.

How did no one know?

Vincenzo walks to the bar and pours himself two fingers of whiskey and drinks it down. Pouring himself another, he turns and tips the bottle, offering us a drink. I pass, while a few of the others take him up on the offer, pouring themselves a glass.

Vincenzo sits behind his desk, relaxing back in his chair, one ankle resting on the other knee. “Do you know why Avery wanted to come to Devil’s Canyon?”

The office is nearly as large as his living room .

Gabe sits in the chair across from the desk with Caleb in the seat beside him. Vincenzo’s men have taken up their place at either side of him. I’m standing near the doorway with Hawk to my left. The rest are filtered throughout the room.

“I thought you said they had a connection to whoever murdered George, so you brought her here. But I’ve been thinking about it, and we already know who killed George. He’s no longer breathing.”

“True. Mr. Matthews was the one who pulled the trigger, but he was not the one who gave the order. He was simply the messenger,” Vincenzo says. “And though I brought the girls here, it wasn’t for my own purpose at first. They were planning on coming before I intervened.”

“How do you know this?” Pop asks. “Why?”

“It seems your brother, Thomas, has contacted your daughter, Avery, and has asked her to meet him here to discuss your wife’s murder. To plead his case, as it were.”

Gabe’s on his feet quick. “What the hell? How did he know about her? How’d he find her?” He looks at Caleb, who shrugs. Pop shakes his head. He has no clue.

Vincenzo nods then takes a drink of whiskey. Rolling his finger around the rim of the glass. “Do you know what information he may have for her?”

“I don’t have a clue. Unless he’s looking to finish the job.”

“I don’t believe he intends to harm her. He seems to be trying to protect her. Perhaps he has information he wants her to pass along to the club to help with this,” Vincenzo says, rounding the top of his glass with his finger.

“Why would he want her to tell us? Why not come tell us himself?” Ethan asks from his spot on the couch.

“Because he would be shot on sight—the fucking traitor,” Jameson snaps.

Vincenzo tips his head as if to agree. “Exactly. So, maybe he thinks by telling Miss West his side of the story, you’ll listen. Hear him out.”

“We already know his side .” Gabe hisses. “ The Devil’s Order set up the hit and Thomas was working with them. He went after my wife and my daughter. You don’t think I was next? He didn’t have plans to take my seat at the table and drive this club into the fucking ground,” Gabe scoffs. “When Maggie died, Thomas went off the grid. He knew he earned what’s coming for him. We hadn’t heard from him in years until now.”

“We always assumed the DO had killed Thomas because he brought a war to them they didn’t want,” Caleb adds.

Vincenzo leans forward on his desk. “I have reason to believe it was not the Devil’s Order who was ultimately behind your wife’s death.” The atmosphere in the room changes. Hawk and I both push off the wall at the same time. There are a lot of twitchy trigger fingers in this room and we’re standing next to the only exit.

Gabe slams his hands down on the desk in front of him. Both Matteo and Santiago pull their weapons.

Ah shit.

Everyone is on their feet. Pop and Declan lean in closer, but don’t draw their weapons. Parisi’s words drew us all in like a magnet. Vincenzo puts his hand up, signaling his men to put away their weapons. Our guys all relax their stance but stay mindful and alert.

“What the fuck do you mean?” Gabe is visibly fighting to control his temper. The vein in his temple is throbbing, his jaw clenched.

“Devil’s Order executed the kill, but they were not the ones who issued the hit on your wife.” Parisi reaches into his desk drawer and pulls out a manilla envelope, passing it across the desk to Gabe. He takes it and sits back down in his chair as he pulls everything out.

“What is it, Pres?” Hawk inquires.

“It’s a birth certificate, legal papers, and some photos.” Gabe flips through the pages.

“Maggie has a brother. No father is listed. But Eleanor was the mother.” Gabe looks up expectantly, waiting for Parisi to fill in the blanks.

“The father was not Russell. The birth of the boy is dated at the time Russell was overseas with his platoon.”

“Does Russell know?” Caleb asks.

“He does. And his response to finding out was to write Eleanor out of everything.” Vincenzo takes another sip of his whiskey. “Originally, Eleanor was the beneficiary of Russell’s fortune, with a few exceptions set aside for Maggie. When Russell discovered Eleanor’s deception, he put everything in Maggie’s name, leaving her mother with only her country club and their summer home in Florida.”

“And Eleanor discovered this,” Pop states.

Vincenzo nods. “She did. She questioned Russell about it and was told his finances were not of her concern. Eleanor became enraged. But she didn’t know where to find Maggie to manipulate her into signing everything over. Nor did she know about your child. So, she called in a favor from someone who owed her a debt.”

“Who?” Gabe asks, his voice strained.

“Marco Cusenza. The father of her illegitimate son.”

“Son of a bitch!” Gabe snatches Vincenzo’s glass and throws it against the wall between me and Hawk. The glass shatters and falls to the carpet.

“There’s more, Gabriel. Please. Sit.” Vincenzo’s voice is now strained as well. “Before Maggie died, she and Russell signed everything they had in the trust over to Avery. If anything happens to Russell and Maggie, Avery is to inherit everything .”

“That’s why she and Chuck have been punishing Avery all this time,” Pop suggests.

“Why did she keep her alive, though? Wouldn’t it be easier to fake the accidental death of a child?” Hawk asks, looking at Pres. Hawk throws his hands up. “I mean no disrespect, Pres. I just meant she could have finished the job, and it would’ve left everything between her and Russell without an heir to give everything to.”

“Yes, but then Eleanor couldn’t punish Avery for her mother’s sins,” Declan suggests.

“It’s my understanding, Eleanor sold Avery with the intention of marrying her off, and then having her murdered.”

“Wouldn’t her husband then inherit Avery’s share?” Caleb asks.

I have to take a deep breath to keep my temper in check. No one is going to buy or sell my Angel. If she gets married, it will be to me and I don’t give a flying fuck about Russell’s fortune or his companies.

“Not if Eleanor convinces Cusenza to kill him as well. She would be the last living relative.”

“But wouldn’t it then go to probate? That shit can take years to sort out,” Ethan says. “It’s why George had all his shit sorted. He knew his chance of survival was slim, so he had everything handled for Skyler beforehand.”

“He didn’t want Skyler to have to fight any more. He wanted her to have the life she always dreamed of, and not have to worry about how she would take care of herself,” Ghost adds. “I helped him get things done faster than his lawyer’s office could.”

“You mean you hacked into his lawyer’s office and changed shit to the way he wanted it,” Hawk says, smirking. “So, if Eleanor has a hacker on payroll, she could do the same right before she kills off her grandson in law.”

“How did you learn about all this shit? And how are we going to stop it?” Gabe asks Vincenzo.

“Thomas brought me what you see there. He’s been working to redeem himself, it seems.”

Gabe goes completely still. The air in the room is electrically charged.

“He is not working for me. He sent the packet to The Pearl. I agreed to pass it along to you in exchange for getting your daughter to Devil’s Canyon to meet with him.” Vincenzo speaks directly to Gabe, who has yet to move a muscle. “We will have our men and yours surrounding the perimeter while Thomas speaks to Avery. Once he’s said what he needs to say, we will remove Avery, and you may do as you wish with your brother. However,” Vincenzo pauses. “Thomas may be the link that we need to bring Eleanor and Cusenza down together.”

Gabe lets out a long sigh. “I don’t like this. You’re asking me to use my daughter as bait,” Gabe says through gritted teeth. “He had a hand in both my uncle’s murder and the killing of my wife. He betrayed our family and our club. Left his wife to rot in an institution and abandoned his little girl. I don’t know if there’s anything he could do to redeem himself. And I sure as fuck don’t believe he wouldn’t use her as collateral to save his own life if the situation came to that.”

He takes several deep breaths. Standing to his feet and turning to leave, he says, “I won’t let him hurt my daughter. She’s all I have left of Maggie.” He turns to me and Hawk and orders, “Get the girls. It’s time to call it a night. I’ll have an answer for you by morning. In the meantime, the girls stay with my men.”

When we exit the office, we’re greeted by giggling sounds coming from the living room. Avery is sitting on the floor with Vincenzo’s son playing while Sadie is cuddled up with her iPad in a chair nearby. She takes off for the stairs as soon as she sees us coming.

Antonio is smiling and laughing as he slams the wooden puzzle pieces together, making a banging sound echo through the room. The more Avery tries to shush him, the louder he bangs the pieces and laughs.

Avery redirects his attention to the board by placing a puzzle piece into its proper place. Antonio watches and mimics her actions. When he can’t seem to make the piece fit, Avery points to where it should go. “Here,” she directs. He follows her instructions and places the pieces one at a time, then claps emphatically for himself as Avery praises and hugs him for doing a good job.

I stand beside Vincenzo, in awe at the sight before me. She looks beautiful with a child on her lap. Her face glowing with pride at his accomplishments. The image has me thinking about what it would be like to see her holding our son . I’ve never given too much thought to having a family of my own, but now seeing Avery, my Angel, like this has me thinking about how right it feels to want to raise a family with her.

“No one has ever been able to keep his interest for very long. She’s a natural.”

Nora comes out of the kitchen speaking to Parisi in Italian. “She says Avery has been playing with him for a while now. Antonio got upset and threw tantrums a few times, but Avery did not back down. She waited him out and redirected him back to a new game. Perhaps she will be able to handle you after all.”

Did Vincenzo just crack a joke?

Vincenzo walks toward where they are playing and calls to his son. Antonio drops the puzzle pieces and runs into his father’s arms. Avery stands up, wiping her hands on her shorts, dusting herself off. Gabe is the first to approach her and pull her in for a hug and a kiss on the forehead. She stands stiff but doesn’t push him away.

I wait until he releases her, then step into her personal space, closing the gap until we are forehead to forehead. I hear the slight tremble in her breathing.

“We have some things to talk about.” She takes a step back, and I lift her chin, bringing her eyes back to me. There’s so much going on behind those beautiful green eyes. I know she fears what might happen, and at the moment she may even be a little scared of me, but she needs to learn to trust me. To know I would never hurt her or abandon her. I speak to her in a low tone where only she can hear me. “No more running, Angel. That shit ends tonight.” She pulls her chin from my hold.

“I’m not running.”

“Liar.” Even when her face is saying fuck you she’s beautiful. She’s scared and angry, but it’s too damn bad. I made a vow to protect what’s mine, and Avery is mine. Period.

“Where’s Sadie?” Hawk asks, coming up behind me.

“She went upstairs to one of the rooms. Said she wanted to read on her tablet and go take a nap. It’s been a long day,” she says, eyeing me from the side.

“I’m right here. When did the dipshit brigade get here?” She calls out from the stairs, making her way back down, her iPad held close to her chest.

“You will watch your mouth around my son,” Vincenzo scolds. Sadie throws her hands up in the air in concession to his request and continues walking toward the boy.

“Sorry Antonio. I apologize for using dirty words,” she says, leaning down and rubbing her hands through his hair. He swats her away, combing his hair down with his own hands. “Lighten up buddy. Girls like the disheveled look on a guy.” She winks at him, then plants her ass on the couch.

“I’ve got an idea how we can take care of that dirty mouth of yours,” Hawk says. His heated gaze locked on Sadie.

Oh shit.

“You won’t be doing anything with my dirty mouth or any other part of me. I can handle myself just fine, thank you. Isn’t that right, Aves?” Hawk’s eyes narrow at Sadie while she wiggles her fingers in the air at him. I watch as my woman’s face turns three shades of red and wonder what exactly they’ve been talking about. Though I can imagine. “Don’t worry Hawk, BOB and I have my needs covered. You stick with your groupies at the clubhouse.”

“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” Nora calls from the kitchen.

“Would you girls mind helping get Antonio washed up?” Vincenzo asks sweetly.

What the hell?