Forbidden Temptations (Tempted Series Book 2) (35 page)

I took her face in my hands and silenced her as my mouth crashed down onto hers. I kissed her because she had rendered me speechless, her words burning a permanent imprint on my heart and soul. I wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, all the while never breaking our kiss. Lifting us both off the floor, I stood up holding her against me and stepped out of the shower. We were drenched, but we were too wrapped up in one another to even notice. I set her down on the counter breaking the kiss, I pulled back to look at her.

“I love you Adrianna. I’m sorry I didn’t fight hard enough but I swear to you I will from this point forward and not just for your safety but for your heart too.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but I shook my head and continued. “I may already have your heart but I’ll fight with everything in me to keep it.”

The harsh sound of knuckles rapping against the door woke me from the restless sleep I had succumbed to. I groggily listened again for the door, making sure my ears weren’t playing tricks on me and glanced down at Adrianna who was fast asleep in my arms. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally, the last thing she needed right now was to be woken up only to relive the nightmare she was featuring in. I unraveled my arms from her body and reached for the pillow behind my head. I gently lifted her head from my chest and laid it upon the pillow, carefully slipping my legs from under her. She curled onto her side, clutching the soft blanket to her body and continued to sleep.

I stood up and grabbed my pants, which were laid out by the fire so they could dry and stepped into them. Another hasty knock came from the door as I zipped the front of my pants. I reached for my gun that was on the coffee table and padded barefoot across the wooden floor to the door.

I kept my gun cocked, aimed it at the door and peeked out the side window to see who it was. The first person my eyes zeroed in on was the man holding Luca in his arms, a young guy in his mid-twenties, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. He wore a baseball hat backwards and the ends of his dark hair curled under the hat. I had never met the man before but he was just as Jack had described Riggs would be. He looked over his shoulder at the woman behind him. My eyes widened when I saw my mother, her hands tied together in front of her, and bandana tied around her mouth. I tucked my gun into the back of my pants and pulled opened the door furiously.

“Why the fuck is my mother gagged?” I barked at the man who held Luca out like he was a foreign object the moment I opened the door.

“First, hello to you too,” he said, depositing Luca into my arms.

“Ant-nee!” Luca exclaimed, clapping his chubby little hands the second he was in my arms. My anger disappeared as I looked down at the little boy and smiled.

“Hey buddy.” I kissed the top of his head before looking back at Riggs, treating him to a deadly glare.

Riggs turned around, took my mother by her wrist, and pulled her forward shoving her towards me. “I believe this one belongs to you too,” he said, snarling at my mother before he rubbed his eye. I peered at him noticing the purple bruise that surrounded his eye.

“Next time you mob folk ask for help, remind Madea over here that we’re the good guys.”

“Who the fuck is Madea?” I asked.

Riggs looked at me as if I had asked him what color the sky was. “Madea, Tyler Perry Madea. Oh come on man, there’s more to life than Goodfella’s and Scarface.” He rolled his eyes, reaching for my mother’s hand and started to untie her but paused when she mumbled something.

“Listen here lady, if I untie you … you have to promise you’ll behave,” he gave her a warning glance before looking at me. “She’s got some swing,” he lifted his hand to his black eye.
     
“Hit me with a frying pan.”

I looked at my mother who rolled her eyes and started shouting something inaudible.

“Relax ma,” I said calmly, adjusting Luca in my arms as I looked at Riggs. “Would you untie her and take the fucking gag out of my mother’s mouth?”

“Sure, she’s all yours man but I should warn you she’s not a happy camper.” He untied her wrists and the second she became free she lunged at Riggs, wrapping her hands around his throat.

“Ma!” I shouted, holding Luca with one hand and reaching for her with the other, pulling her off Jack’s prospect before she choked him. I pried her off Riggs and turned her around by her shoulder, pulling the bandana down from her mouth so it hung around her chin.

“You son of a bitch!” She wailed.

“Is that anyway to talk to the guy who helped you and Dennis the Menace over there get to safety? A thank you Riggs, I appreciate you risking your ass for us would be nice!” He shrugged his shoulders, crossing his arms against his chest. “I’m just saying …”

I turned to my mother. “Why did you hit him a frying pan?”

Her eyes widened with fury causing me to take a step back from her.

“Why did I hit him with a frying pan?” She asked incredulously. “I’m sorry what should I have done when a man looking the way he looks, kicks in my door and orders me to pack a bag for me and the kid because he’s taking us away? Should I have put on a pot of coffee and asked him if he liked it black or with a fucking spot of cream?” She reached forward and smacked me upside my head, just like she used to when I was a kid that refused to listen.

“I take my coffee light and sweet,” Riggs added.

I looked over my mother’s shoulder toward Riggs and shook my head. “You better quit while you’re ahead.”

“And you, Anthony Joseph Bianci, better start explaining!” My mother said, causing me to cringe at the use of my full name. She took Luca from my arms and positioned the toddler on her hip. “This poor boy had to be woken in middle of the night by the leather clad joker!”

“I don’t think she likes me very much,” Riggs said, scratching the top of his hat.

“That’s the first intelligent thing you’ve said since you barged into my home!” She spat.

“Can you please keep your voice down?” I said. “Adrianna’s sleeping, and she’s had a rough night.”

I watched my mother’s eyes scan the length of me.

“Yeah, I bet,” she said, her eyes working their way back to my face as they traveled up my bare chest. “Button your fly Anthony.” She rolled her eyes as she walked passed me.

I looked back at Riggs. “Did you bring us clothes?”

“Yeah, I threw whatever I saw lying around into a bag.” He bent down, picked up the duffel bag, and handed it to me. “Well, aren’t you going to invite me in? I could use a cup of coffee and a place to hang my hat.” He questioned, pulling off his baseball hat and shoving it against my chest.

“Thanks, but I’ve got it from here,” I responded, taking the hat and wondering why he was still here to begin with.

“Yeah, I’m sure you do but the Bulldog told me to stay here and keep an eye out until he could come here himself. I’m not looking for another black eye so … how about that cup of coffee?”

I sighed. “Fine, the kitchen is to the left, just go in there, and stay out of my mother’s way.”

“Shit man you don’t have to tell me twice,” he agreed, closing the door behind him and headed towards the kitchen mumbling under his breath. “Crazy ass mobsters and their mama’s, yet bikers are the ones that get a bad rap.”

“I heard that,” I called out to him but he didn’t acknowledge me, instead finding his way to the kitchen. I huffed out a breath stepped into the living room. Adrianna was sitting up, holding Luca tightly to her chest showering his face with kisses.

“Someone missed his mama,” My mom said smiling. The crazy gleam in her eyes seemed to have disappeared as she sat on the couch watching Adrianna interact with her son.

“I missed you so much my boy,” Adrianna murmured against Luca’s forehead. “Was he a good boy?”

“An angel,” she said, staring at Adrianna then diverting her eyes. “You want to tell me what the hell is going on?”

My eyes wandered to Adrianna’s looking for some sort of approval. She nodded her head, giving me permission to enlighten my mother on why she and Luca were here. She slowly stood with the baby in her arms. “I’m going to bring him into one of the bedrooms and put him down.”

“Good idea, he’s exhausted,” my mother agreed.

Adrianna nodded before walking towards me, rising on her tiptoes to press her lips to mine.
     
“I love you,” she whispered. “Say night, night to Anthony,” she told her son.

“Night!” Luca said, extending his hands to me. I leaned forward and he wrapped his arms around my neck giving me the best hug I had ever received.

“Sleep tight kid,” I whispered, ruffling the top of his head. “When you get up from your nap I’ll play with you.” I promised with a smile before diverting my eyes back to his mother.
     
“You okay?”

She nodded, tightening her hold on her baby. “I’m better now.”

I watched her walk down the narrow hallway into one of the bedrooms and close the door behind her.

“Anthony,” my mother commanded, causing me to turn around and look her in the eye. “Are you in trouble again?”

Frustrated, I blew out a breath, knowing there was no way around it, I had no choice but to explain our situation to my mother. I took a seat next to her trying to decide where to begin and how much I should divulge to her.

“Someone declared war on Victor last night,” I finally said.

“At the grand opening?”

I nodded, lifting my head and staring into my mother’s eyes. I never talked about the things I did, she knew what I was and hated it. I never thought she needed to hear me speak the words, knowing she didn’t want to hear them. After all, no mother wants to know her son is deeply involved with the mob. I’m sure she didn’t want to hear what I was about to tell her.

“Gunfire broke out all over the club, I don’t even know who survived and who didn’t,” I said honestly, watching as she brought her hand to her mouth to mask the gasp that sounded from her lips. “They were everywhere, probably there the whole night pretending to be patrons and none of us noticed.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“I was with Adrianna when it started and I left her hiding under a table to see what was going on. I got Mikey and Nikki out of the club and sent them with my friend Jack. He’s Rigg’s boss, the president of a motor cycle club that is an ally of Vic’s,” I explained. “Victor asked Satan’s Knights to be on call in case of any incidentals but I don’t think he ever expected a massacre at his doorstep.”

I sighed, running my fingers across the stubble that lined my jaw. “Anyway, by the time I got them out of Temptations and went back to get Adrianna she was in the middle of the dance floor searching for her sister. She didn’t know that I was getting Nikki and Mike out of Temptations and she was worried something had happened to her sister. She had taken a gun off one of the guys trying to shoot Vic and I told her to hang onto it. We were in the thick of the gunfire, Vic and Jimmy were going off against a bunch of guys ambushing them. I knew that if I was going to get her out of there it was best if she had protection.”

My mother looked at me horrified and I had to look away from her. “At least I thought it was for her own good. I should’ve taken the gun from her. She has never so much as held a gun before, let alone fire one,” I glanced down at my hands. “We were making our way through the club when Rico, Nikki’s boyfriend, stopped us.” I lifted my head, turning it slightly and stared at my mother. “I didn’t realize he was dirty, thought he was just a cocky kid who was passing time with Nikki. It never dawned on me he was playing, playing Vic, hell he played all of us. He aimed his gun at her, told me he was going to kill her if I didn’t put down my weapon. I was carrying two guns, I dropped them, told her to run, to leave me, and get the hell out of there.”

“She didn’t listen,” my mother said softly.

“No, she didn’t,” I replied swallowing hard. “She started to but then turned around and she snapped. She saw him holding a gun to my head, remembered that she had taken the gun off the dead guy and that it was still in her hand. She lifted it and shot Rico.”

“Oh my God, Anthony! Do you hear yourself? Are you listening to what you are saying? There was a man holding a gun to your head!” She leaned close, reached for my cheek, and turned my face, forcing me to meet her tearful gaze. “Adrianna shot someone. Is he dead?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

She shook her head as tears fell from her eyes. “Is this the life you want? When are you going to wake up for God’s sake? The woman you love just shot a man because he was going to kill you. What is it going to take you to realize you can’t keep living this life? You’re going to wind up dead and you are going to destroy that young woman,” she yelled shaking her head is disgust. “You could have such a beautiful life. That woman loves you so damn much and that boy…he’s so precious you should be counting your blessings not pissing them away.”

“Maria stop!” Adrianna shouted, making her way into the living room. I lifted my head and saw that Adrianna was staring at my mother. “Stop blaming him for what I did.”

“I’m not blaming him, Adrianna. I want him to wake up before it’s too late and I’m sure you want the same thing.” She looked back at me. “All I ever wanted for you is to be happy. I prayed every night you would come home and realize that you were so much better than this life you chose for yourself.”