“You’re desperate and sad,” Mia breathes. “Why all of this, hiding and stalking of Massimo and Pippa?”
Erin grins. “I did that for fun, the real target has and always will be Mia. I even have pictures of your times with Gavino. Video, too. We fuck to the videos.”
“You’re screwed in the head,” Pippa exhales. “Completely fucked up.”
Erin’s gaze flies to meet mine. “Do you think that your wounds will cause you pain for the rest of your life, bitch? I think they might. Do you still have nightmares? How are all your painkillers and booze treating you?”
“You cunt,” Pippa screams.
My arms tighten around her, I keep her in front of me, holding her to my front as I imagine all of the ways that I’m going to tear this bitch and Roman apart. Piece by fucking piece and I will. Neither one of them will live to see the light of day if I have anything to do or say about it.
Erin giggles, her head flying back as she does. Then she straightens and looks directly in Pippa’s eyes. “We fucked the night you were shot, it was one of the best nights of my life. All of you needed to learn a lesson. You have to leave these businesses alone. They don’t owe you anything,” she cries.
“And yet, nobody has taken anything from you. In fact, you’ve been treated fairly, paid well for your services, even by the Made Men who come to see you. Nobody has hurt you, not a single client has left as much as a bruise. So please tell us why you’re so insistent that we’ve all done you wrong?” Gavino asks, sounding far too fucking reasonable for my taste.
This bitch and her man fucked with my wife, shot her, stalked her and did the same to Mia. Enough is enough. They need to die, and slowly.
“Massimo had Roman’s bakery burned to the ground. You don’t think that’s cause enough?”
“Not for all of this,” Gavino says. “Not when I know that Roman received insurance money and rebuilt the bakery just months later in a different district.”
“It’s principal,” she snaps.
“It’s not,” Gavino murmurs. “It’s an obsession and you’re playing a part. When he gets what he wants, you will cease to exist to him, Erin.”
“I don’t believe you,” she whispers.
Shaking my head, I take a step forward, shifting Pippa to the side and behind me. “It’s the principle.” She grins. “Massimo deserves to have what’s coming to him for fucking with the bakery. Pippa as his wife has been forced to bear the brunt, that’s how it rolls.” She shrugs.
“And Mia?” Arlo asks.
“Mia will be kidnapped and held hostage?” Brando asks. “He’s obsessed with her, that’s what will happen, right?”
Erin shrugs. “If that’s what he wants.”
“What happens with his wife and kids? He’s still married, very married, and his wife owns half of everything now, so he’s not going to walk away, not from her.”
“I’ll kill her myself.” Erin sneers. “She’ll die and I’ll fuck him in her blood.”
“When did she get so batshit crazy?” Gavino asks, flicking his gaze around the room.
There’s a moment of silence before everyone starts to laugh softly, including the batshit crazy Erin. Lifting my hand, I run my fingers through my hair, wondering how in the fuck all of this happened.
How in the actual goddamn fuck?
And then I wonder, how in the fuck are we going to deal with this?
I know that all I want to do is end the whole thing, permanently. And I will. Soon. Once we get all of the information that we need from her.
Erin is too lost to her own obsession with Roman. One that I have no doubt at all whatsoever is completely unhealthy and has been for far longer than any one of us could even imagine.
She can’t see what’s really happening, that Roman is using her, though I’m not sure what exactly for yet. Before both of them die, I will find out what his main goal is in all of this and where the fuck he’s been hiding for five years.
PIPPA
I stand to the side, quietly, as I think about everything that’s been going on the past hour or so. Erin and Massimo fucked, something he paid her for many times. Erin and Roman were neighbors, they fucked and she fell in love with him, even if that love is completely manipulated and fake.
Roman used to hang out with the older group of Made Men, maybe as an errand boy? He raped Mia and she felt as though he ruined her chances of finding a man and becoming a wife, but she’s a freaking badass woman now, so I hate that it happened to her, but look at her now.
Massimo was taking protection money from Roman’s bakery, something Roman decided he didn’t want to pay anymore once his father died.
His bakery was forced to close after Massimo had it burned to the ground for what he did, for ratting him out to the feds. Massimo went to prison and Roman had me stalked by Erin and possibly shot me himself.
“I’m confused,” I mumble to myself.
A cool hand wraps around my forearm and I turn my head, tilting it back to see that Mia is looking down at me. She has a small smile playing on her lips and it’s clear that she wants to hear my question.
“Why?” I ask.
“Why?”
Nodding, I lick my lips. “Why didn’t Roman stalk me himself? Why did Erin pretend to be in love with Massimo, why was she the one running around and emailing him all these years? If Roman is stupid enough to try and kill a Street Boss’ wife in daylight, in the middle of the street, why did he hide for five years? Why?”
“It’s a good question,” Gavino mumbles.
“And why is Erin so freely giving us all of this information?” Mia asks.
