CLASS ACT (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE) (46 page)

I wanted to be with Kelly.

“Kelly!”

I heard the voice of a man. “He’s up! How is he?”

Another voice, that of a woman, made me open my eyes. The man was a mystery but I knew this woman. “His vitals look good. He’s going to be fine!”

The light blinded me before I could focus. I saw the ceiling of what seemed like a well-furnished room. There was an IV feed filling my veins with something. I hadn’t been this bedridden since a mortar shell-shocked me back during the war.

Wherever I was, this place didn’t look like any hospital that I knew of. It looked like mid-scale room you’d rent from a hotel. It wasn’t a fancy hospital but it was much nicer than a triage tent in the middle of the desert.

“He’s coming to,” the woman said again. Her voice was enough to force me to wake myself. “Give him some space.”

Finally, my vision came back. I awoke on an unfamiliar bed with bandages covering much of my body. I saw the woman I loved standing over me. “Kelly! Are you-”

“Shhhh,” she said, silencing me. “You need your rest. I will explain what happened. Just sit back and take it easy.”

Her eyes were almost as weary as mine. She must have barely slept for however long I was unconscious. “Kelly… how long was I out?”

“A week and a half,” she said sighing in relief. “After the battle, we needed to get you help. The hospital was too far away. So we took you and the other wounded men to a nearby veterinarian who lived near the docks.”

I would’ve laughed but the pain in my chest didn’t agree with me. I caught a reflection of myself in the metallic casing of the medical equipment. I looked like a mummy. “That’s the downside of having a fight in the middle of nowhere.”

“What were you thinking?” Kelly said, her look of relief turning into a glare. “Fighting Petrov when you had him cornered…”

“That’s why I have you, Kelly,” I said with a smile. “You do the thinking for me so I don’t end up doing something stupid.”

She didn’t return my smile. “You actually died for a moment. We thought you gone. I thought I lost you after all we’ve been through.”

Even raising an eyebrow hurt. “Died?”

“Your heart gave out when we took you to the veterinarian,” she answered, holding back tears. “We gave the man some hush money so he’d operate on human and keep it a secret. When he first saw you, he was ready to declare you dead, Jackie. I took some chest paddles from nearby and tried to resuscitate you. After five minutes, I managed to revive you. Don’t ever do that to me again!”

“I’m sorry for putting you through that, Kelly,” I said. Tilting my head, I saw an elderly Asian man in the room with us. He wore a look so unassuming I would’ve ignored him if it wasn’t for the unusual circumstances. “Who is he? And where am I?”

The strange man smiled. “We’ve been in contact before. However, this is the first time we’ve actually met face to face.”

“I’ve heard your voice before,” I mused, trying to jog my memory. “Are you one of Mr. Lee’s men? We’ve talked about missions before over the phone.”

“I am Mr. Lee,” he said to my shock. He didn’t look anything like I expected. Then again, that was a virtue in his line of work. “Not too many people have the pleasure of hearing my voice. You’re one of the few men I can count on to trust. It would be a pity to lose you, especially after ridding me of a man like Seymon Gregori. He was bad for business.”

“We went to Mr. Lee to get you and the other severely wounded men proper medical attention,” Kelly said. “I thought of the idea once we stabilized you at the veterinarian. Mr. Lee had the resources to nurse you back to health. We couldn’t transport you to a hospital without all of you ending up questioned by the police. Half of you are wanted by the FBI. Besides, we needed a place to hide you. We were afraid any Black Fang survivors would take revenge.”

“That was smart of you,” I replied, before turning my gaze to Mr. Lee. “A man like you doesn’t give charity. What’s the catch?”

“It’s free of charge,” he said with a smile that made me feel uncomfortable. “I might need a favor from the new Don of the Pastore family.”

My heart skipped a beat. “New Don?”

Kelly looked down at the floor. “Your grandfather didn’t make it. He died trying to protect me. I’m so sorry, Jackie.”

There was no point in shedding tears. My grandfather was a man living on borrowed time. He died on his own terms. “He always wanted to go out in the blaze of glory…”

I was now the last of my line.

“You are now the leader of the most powerful Italian mafia family in this country,” Mr. Lee said. He knew I would make a powerful ally. “Your father’s second in command, Frank Pesci, is holding a regency council until you return to full health. Afterwards, you will take control of the family.”

It was a lot to process. Frank was a good and honest man as far as underbosses went. He’d make a much better leader than a hitman like me. “What about the Black Fang?”

“The Black Fang is dead,” Mr. Lee answered. “Both figuratively and quite literally. There were only a handful of straggler from the battle. The rest of the organization is being tracked down.”

“Most of the underworld thinks that you died in that battle, Jackie,” Kelly elaborated. “Except for Frank, not even the Pastore family knows if you’re alive or not. We had to lie in order to keep you safe from any revenge plots while you recovered.”

Mr. Lee chimed in. “You were an urban legend before. Now, you’re just the legend who took down the Black Fang.”

“What about the other Russian gangs?” I asked. “Are they moving into protect what remains of Gregori’s empire? They can be tightknit to a fault.”

“Quite the opposite,” Mr. Lee said gleefully. “They’re leaking information about the last Black Fang holdouts. It gives the impression the Russians have solitary when they’re quite happy to see that Gregori is gone for good. They’d carve out the man’s empire for themselves if they didn’t have to keep up appearances.”

I nodded. “I’d imagine the Irish and the Armenians are eating what’s left over. Those two only liked Gregori for his money.”

Kelly sighed. “So it’s over…”

I rose up and the bed with what strength I had. “It’s not that simple. Someone will come after us, Kelly.”

“What do you mean Jackie?” she asked, fear in her eyes. “The Black Fang is dead. Who else could be after us?”

“It could be some it was a Black Fang survivor from the battle,” I replied. “Maybe it’s someone who worked with Krause. Or maybe it’s the next Gregori. Twenty years ago, he was a small fry who felt slighted by the Sicilian mafia. He’s dead now but it he spent the next two decades of his life hurting as many people as possible. Maybe that survivor will spend the rest of his life trying to make us miserable. Who knows what kind of enemy we’ll face tomorrow.”

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “You’re right. I can’t take that risk. I still have family and friends they could go after.”

“You have to disappear,” I sighed, sinking back into the bed. “A new name and a new identity. It’s the only way you can be safe. Mr. Lee can arrange this.”

Kelly held back tears. “I know this day would come. Even if we made it against all odds… I’d still have to leave you.”

“Whoever said anything about leaving?” I said with a smirk. It hurt like hell to smile but she deserved one. “We’ll disappear together.”

My lover looked stunned. “We?”

Even Mr. Lee was surprised at that idea as well. “You plan on leaving as well?”

“I’m coming with you,” I revealed to Kelly’s shock. Soon, it turned into delight as she gave me a gentle hug. “Like you said, most people think I’m dead. I’d prefer that it stayed that way. Let Jackie Baccalieri the hitman die. Maybe a better man will live on in his place.”

Kelly broke away and asked. “What about your role as the new Don? Who will lead the Pastore family?”

“What’s good being a Don when it’ll just place you in danger?” I said. Kelly would never be at peace if I took the mantle of Don. My enemies would target her to get to me. No amount of power was worth losing the woman I loved. I turned to Mr. Lee. “Transfer my tab to Frank. He’ll be in charge of the family. The men respect him and he’s always been my grandfather’s right-hand man for decades. Let him run the show from now on. That’s a direct order from me. No, consider it my dying wish.”

“I could always use a hitman, Jackie,” Mr. Lee offered. “I could arrange another identity for you to use as my personal assassin.”

I locked eyes with Kelly. She wasn’t up to the idea. That made two of us. “I can’t be a hitman anymore. I’ve lost it.”

The love of my life stared back at me. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve lost it,” I repeated. “I’ve lost my killer instinct. I can’t be a killer without it. I don’t want to hurt or kill anymore.”

Kelly bit on her lower lip. “Did killing Petrov do it?”

“No, it was protecting you for these past weeks,” I whispered. “Using my skills for a good cause instead of winning some turf war I didn’t even care about. After avenging my mother and saving you… I just don’t have it in me anymore.”

Kelly didn’t say anything. Instead, she brought me in for a sensual kiss. My body still hurt my moving so much but I held back my discomfort to kiss her.

“I’ll handle the details,” Mr. Lee said, carefully digesting the idea. As far as I could tell, he seemed satisfied with my decision. “I shall leave you two alone for the time being. Arrangements will be made for your disappearance. Only Frank will know the truth. When you’re feeling better, I will just need to know where your plan on moving to.”

“Thank you Mr. Lee,” I said, watching him leave the room. I spoke again when I was sure he was out of earshot. “Not what I imagined a criminal mastermind to look like.”

“He can be strange at times but he’s been solid for us,” Kelly giggled. “Rest up Jackie. You’ve been through hell.”

“I certainly look the part,” I joked. “I wouldn’t mind going through hell a few more times as long as you’re with me.”

She rested her head against my shoulder. “Where will we go now, Jackie?”

I reached out to grab her hand. “It’s up to you as well, partner.”

“How about somewhere we don’t have to worry about shootouts?” she joked before turning serious. “I want somewhere we could settle down and… maybe even start a family…”

The two of us could do with rebuilding the families we had lost. In the military, all I did was destroy and kill. When I got back home, I did the same as a hitman. It was time I started to build something for a change.

I thought back to my childhood. Those were some of my happiest memories. I recalled living a simple life with my mother. I could build something like that with Kelly’s help.

I smiled and kissed her. “I can think of a good place.”