Sinful Secrets (Savannah Sharks Hockey and Mafia #2)

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

SPENCER

The taxi driver pulls up outside of the church. I’m still feeling a tad hungover from the excessive drinking last night. That wasn’t the wisest decision the three of us have made.

Especially since today is Jax Rossi’s funeral, and we are going to be severely outnumbered.

It was fun meeting Francesca’s cousin, Angelica, though.

Rhett and Francesca get out of the taxi before I do. I follow them up the historic stone steps to the front door of the church. The priest welcomes us and gestures for us to head inside before giving us a double take.

I lean closer to Rhett and whisper, “Do we stand out that bad?”

Francesca looks around. “What do you mean? We are dressed just as nice as everyone else here.”

“Even the priest had to do a double take. We clearly stick out like a sore thumb.”

Rhett wraps his arm around Francesca and pulls her closer to his side. “They are probably wondering why a Marino is back in New York and why she’s attending a Rossi funeral.”

Yeah, because if they knew Rhett was the one that killed Jax, there would be an all out war.

She glances at Rhett for a second. “Let’s take our seats so we can blend in more.”

“Too late for that.” I mumble as I see several people whisper and point at us.

Maybe they don’t know who we are. Maybe it’s because Francesca came to the funeral with two men.

I suppress a chuckle.

I’m not saying she’s a prude, but she wouldn’t date two men at the same time.

We walk along the back wall of the church and sit down in the last mahogany pew. It creaks as we all sit down with Francesca sitting between the two of us.

More guests walk into the church whispering their condolences and dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs.

At this rate, it’s definitely going to be a full house.

Rhett leans forward and looks at me. “It’s a damn good thing we are in the back corner. It’s about to be packed out of our ass and standing room only.”

“Let’s just hope none of the Rossi men stand behind us. It’s bad enough that we are sitting ducks, but I at least want to see the attack coming head on.”

My phone vibrates in my pocket. Digging it out, I see a text from Gage. My stomach flips as my heart sinks into my stomach.

He’s going to wonder why Rhett and I aren’t at practice. He’s going to ask what we are keeping from him.

And I can’t tell him anything.

Joey and Rhett have made it clear Gage is not ready to be in the family, and I am not allowed to tell him anything.

Where were you this morning? You and half of the starting line missed practice… again.

I show my phone to Rhett, who sighs in response. “You can tell him you’re up here with us, but he’s getting to be a real pain in my ass.”

I’m in NY with Rhett and Francesca for a couple of days.

His reply is almost immediate.

A fucking vacation? I’m not the only player to notice the unexcused absences. People are talking and we’re not happy.

My fingers pound on my phone screen as I type my message.

Not a fucking vacation. A funeral. Arturo and Joey wanted Rhett and me to escort Francesca to keep her safe. You know how protective they are of her.

That is the truth. She’s the only girl and the youngest, so of course they are protective of her.

And it’s not a vacation. I’d much rather be lounging on a beach somewhere, or better yet, a yacht.

Anger fills my veins as I pound out another message.

And let people talk. All of my absences have been approved. I’m not out fucking around.

I place my phone in my lap and take a deep breath. I can’t deal with Gage and his drama right now.

I shouldn’t have responded to his text. I should have turned my phone off and not turn it back on until we were back in Savannah.

My phone vibrates with another message.

Yeah, okay. I know when I’m being lied to and when I’m being placated.

I lean over and whisper, “Gage is hurt and likely to catch an attitude with snide remarks when we return.”

Rhett shrugs. “Let him. I’ll pull the captain card and let him know he can either drop it and move on with his life, or we’re going to have problems.”

There have been several times where I had to come between Rhett and Joey or Rhett and Gage, but this time, I’m bowing out.

The two of them can hash things out. I have other things to worry about.

Like getting back home to the woman I love and trying to figure out how to tell her who I really am and what I do for work.

Francesca stands abruptly. The people sitting in front of us complain she bumps into the back of them. “I’ll see you two after the funeral service.”

Rhett lifts his arm to block her from leaving our pew. “Francesca, where do you think you’re going?”

His tone is serious and deep, with a hint of a warning laced in it.

She rolls her eyes and says, “To sit with Giuseppe. It would be rude of me to refuse his offer.”

Rhett’s hand reaches out and wraps around Francesca’s waist. “The hell you are. Look around. They have men everywhere.”

Her gaze moves around the elegant church. “I’ll be protected.”

“You can’t be this na?ve, Chessie. They are the enemy, and the more we stand out, the more of a target we put on ourselves.”

She crosses her arms. “And you can’t stop me.”

Rhett’s lips press together in a thin line as he glances at me and then back to her. “Try me.”

Swearing under my breath, I say, “I think we have enough eyes on us already. Let’s not cause a scene.”

The two of them look around the room.

Rhett sighs. “Fine, but I don’t care if they are in the middle of praying or talking about the few good things Jax did in his life. If I think you are in danger, I will jump over every pew to get to you.”

She nods slightly. “Noted.”

Rhett glares at the nosy busy bodies that are eavesdropping on our conversation. I watch as Francesca walks up to the front and slides into the pew with Giuseppe.

He stands to give her a hug before whispering in her ear.

Rhett growls beside me.

I whisper, “Dude, what the fuck? Calm down. You’re like a rabid dog on the end of his leash. We need to keep our heads clear and our game faces on.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I, but we have to deal with it. We will be heading back home in an hour or two.”

His legs bounce as a hardened mafia-looking man sits down next to Francesca.

I glance past them at the casket. The top is covered in white roses and lilies. The area behind the casket houses dozens of flower arrangements, ranging from roses to lilies, carnations, and even orchids.

The church fills with people as the priest walks up to the front to give his condolences to the family.

Spencer scoots closer and asks, “What’s been going on with you lately? You have been very distant over the past few weeks.”

Why is he bringing this up now at a funeral?

Why does it matter that I’ve been a little distant? I’ve been keeping up with my patrols and whatever jobs that are thrown my way.

Everyone is allowed to take a step back from work for their personal lives. Besides, he’s been busy planning his future with Francesca.

“Look, I know you mean well, but you don’t really want to hear about my concerns. I get it. I’m low on the totem pole. I do what I’m told and when I’m told to do it. I’m not marrying into the family, so my opinion means jack shit.”

“Is that how you really feel?” His eyes narrow as he gazes at me.

“I never thought that until a few weeks ago.”

Why is it so hard for me to talk to Rhett? We’re best friends and have been for years.

He lowers his voice. “Then what’s changed?”

“No one wants to talk about bringing Gage into operations, but we need him. That night was a huge eye opener for me. We’re not prepared to take on two enemies at the same time, and with the way things are going, it doesn’t look well for Arturo.”

I glance around to make sure no one is listening before continuing.

“Look at things with an unbiased perception. Tony and AJ split from Arturo, and they are running a very successful operation. Arturo’s side is still struggling years later. Sure, most people think things are good, but I know what’s really going on.”

“How do you know?”

“I listen, and I watch. Everyone thinks I’m the quiet, reserved guy, but I play it to my advantage.”

“Arturo and Joey are working on some things on the side that even Francesca and I don’t know about. I wouldn’t worry about not having a strong operation.”

“But I do. I put my neck on the line every day for the family. I run into danger without hesitating. I don’t want to keep doing this if we don’t have adequate personnel that can pull their weight.”

He sighs. “I know you want Gage in on things, but I can’t go against Joey and Arturo.”

“I understand that, and I know there’s a hierarchy to the mafia that we have to follow, but Gage is tough, built, and can handle his own. Plus, he already knows we are keeping him from things. It’s only a matter of time before he snoops like Francesca did.”

“I’ll see what I can do after things settle down.”

“That’s all I can ask for.”

The priest stands behind the podium and begins the funeral service with a prayer.

My eyes dart around the room, checking for any imminent threat. Standing against the opposite wall of us are a dozen Rossi men who are concealing guns.

Rhett, Francesca, and I are outnumbered…by a lot. We wouldn’t be able to get out of the church alive.

Thankfully, their attention is on the priest and not on me.

Not seeing anything threatening, I listen to the priest talk about Jax Rossi’s life, how he was beloved by many, and a friend to all.

The priest talks about how Jax was a man of God and even though he sinned, God still loved him like a child.

He talks about Christ’s suffering, his death, and his resurrection and how even the worst of sinners are still loved and accepted into Heaven because they are a child of God.

“Let us not judge him for every sin he made, as we are all sinners. Instead, let us pray that others can open their hearts to accept Christ and relish in the promise of supreme happiness in Heaven.”

I’ve never considered myself a very religious man, and definitely not Catholic, so I know I don’t have a right to judge Jax, but after all the shit he did, he shouldn’t be considered a good man.

For fuck’s sake, he tried to kidnap and kill Francesca.

The priest’s voice drifts away as I let my mind wander to religion, God, and death.

Growing up, religion wasn’t really spoken about in my house. Hell, I didn’t even know so many religions existed until high school.

I was taught right from wrong, and good from evil, but it was never in a religious way. Heaven and Hell were just two terms to describe my parent’s day.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

I wonder if Savannah is religious? She’s never said anything about it before, but I never asked, either.

Would she want to get married in a church? Or on a beach? In a foreign country?

Would she raise her children to believe in God? Would she take them to church every Sunday?

I can see her being pregnant with my child. God, I bet she’ll look sexy as hell.

Commotion brings me out of my thoughts. People stand and head toward the front doors of the church.

Is the funeral already over?

It’s probably a good thing my thoughts were interrupted when they were. I don’t need to be sporting a boner at a funeral.

Rhett stands and moves away from the front doors toward the side wall. “I’m not letting Francesca get out of eyesight. If you want, you can wait for us outside.”

I join him by the side wall. “Nah, I’m good. I’ll wait here with you.”

“So, is Gage the only reason you’ve been distant?”

“I’ve just been busy with patrols, shipyard work, and hockey.”

“And?”

I try to shrug it off and get him to drop it, but he just stares at me, waiting for me to spill my secrets.

Ah, what the hell. If anyone understands what I’m going through, it’s him.

“I met someone. You know, the one I brought onboard to sell some of the ecstasy at the club. She’s better than Emily- selling everything in under three days as soon as she gets it.”

Rhett’s eyes widen. “Wow, so it wasn’t a one time fluke.”

“Things are different when I’m around her. I feel like I have a bigger purpose in life.”

Rhett whispers, “Does your heart pound when you see her?”

“Every time.”

And that’s the truth.

“Do you want to shield her and your relationship from everyone? Including your friends and co-workers?”

I don’t know where he’s going with this interrogation, but I frown and say, “Yes.”

“Do you want to stay up all night being with her? Physically? Mentally? Emotionally?”

I roll my eyes, which earns me a chuckle.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Have you acted irrationally, aggressive, or extremely protective of her?”

“Yes, but-”

“No buts man. You’re in love.” He smiles and laughs. “I’ll be damned, but Spencer Reed is head over heels in love.”

Of course, I know that. I’ve already told Savannah I love her.

Rhett prods some more. “So who is she?”

“Who is who?” I ask, pretending to not know who he is asking about.

“The mystery woman. The woman you love.”

Francesca walks back over to us and gushes. “Who is he in love with?”

Rhett leans down to kiss her cheek before saying, “A mystery woman, who he’s protecting.”

Francesca gives me a side hug. “Well, I think it’s great he’s in love. When do we get to meet her?”

“Preferably after I tell her my true identity.”

Francesca’s eyes widen as her mouth falls open. “You lied to her?”

“No, I just told her I was in customer service.”

“She’s going to faint when she finds out you’re a professional NHL hockey player.”

I sigh. “Let’s hope not. Come on, I’m ready to get home.”

“To the woman you loooovvvvveeeee.” Francesca teases in a sing-song voice.

“Yeah, yeah, tease me all you want, but I wasn’t the first Shark to fall in love, and I won’t be the last.”

As we are filing out of the church, a man runs at us yelling, “You let that bitch in here? After everything her family has done? Jax would roll over in his grave, but he’s not even there yet!”

Giuseppe snaps his fingers, and two Rossi men intervene and restrain the man.

Francesca gasps and apologizes to Giuseppe. “I’m only here to pay my respects. I never intended any drama or outbursts.”

He nods at her before turning his attention to his men. His look is murderous, and his tone sends chills down my spine. “Carry him to the side of the church. I need to have a word with him.”

Yikes, I wouldn’t want to be that man.

We stand still until Giuseppe, his men, and the stranger round the corner.

I blow my breath out of my mouth. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before word spreads that Francesca Marino attended a Rossi funeral.”

Francesca scoffs. “Or worse, we run into my mother.”