Chapter Twenty-Seven

 

Faith

 

Three days have passed and it’d been nonstop training in the pit. There was no communication from Cadoc which I was happy about, but also nervous. I hadn’t heard anything about Philip selling out his half of the firm to him. I’d closed it down until further notice, giving all employees paid leave.

Dominic, Micah, Connor, Reed, Luca, Marco, and Isaiah were by the bar, strategizing their plans like they’d done all week. Once Taylor and Darius decided to show up, they’d all be back to work.

The press still lingered outside, but it had slowed down just a bit. Dominic and I had everything we needed inside the hotel. There was, however, some good news. His estate had sold and the papers had been signed. Dominic had already wired Layla her half of the money.

She and Bryce had no clue about the fight, but they did know about everything going on with the FBI and police trying to convict Cadoc with murder. If Layla knew about the fight, her pregnant ass would’ve hopped on a plane to smack Dominic upside the head if she did. Since it was quiet in the pit, I decided to call her.

“What’s going on, girlie?” Layla announced, her voice excited. “You packed and ready to move out here yet?”

I wished. “Almost,” I replied. Dominic had been so busy with Taylor and the guys that we haven’t really looked for a place to live. “If you find a good deal on a ranch out there, let me know. I’m trying to find something on the internet.”

She squealed. “I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Even if you don’t find something just yet, Ian’s wife, Grace, owns a hotel out here. They’d be happy to have you.” Ian was Reed’s brother and Bryce’s twin.

Thinking about it, staying at Grace’s hotel might not be a bad idea. Dominic and I could take our time and find the perfect house instead of settling. “I like that,” I said. “Takes the pressure off a bit.”

“Great. I’ll talk to Grace today. Just let me know when you’re headed this way.” She squealed again and sighed. “I’ve been on air ever since you and Dom told me you were moving out here. And who knows, you might become my sister-in-law one day.”

I giggled. “It’s too soon for that. We’re already moving too fast by living together.”

She snorted. “Not too fast when it’s meant to be. You two have always had eyes for each other. You can blame it on all those years of denying yourselves. Those impulses just decided to come out all at once.”

“There you go,” I said, laughing. “I can live with that.” I looked over at the guys and they seemed tense. Dominic paced the floor, his fingers moving ninety miles an hour over his phone screen. “Layla, I hate to cut this short, but I think Dominic’s ready to eat lunch.” It was a lie, but I didn’t know what else to say.

“Okay. Eat some for me,” she teased. “I’ll talk to you later.”

We said our goodbyes and I hung up, but I stayed right where I was. Judging by the looks on their faces, something was wrong. My phone rang and I figured it’d be a reporter since I’d seemed to get a lot of those phone calls the past few days, but when I looked down at my screen, my stomach clenched. An overwhelming feeling of sickness took over and it felt like I was going to puke. I didn’t have Cadoc’s number programmed into my phone, but I recognized his number. It’d been engrained in my mind since the first time he’d called me.

I didn’t know what to do. Did I shout for Dominic or answer it on my own? Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slow and answered it.

“What the hell do you want?” I growled low.

Cadoc chuckled. “It’s been a while, my dear. Thought I’d call and see how my partner’s doing.” The blood froze in my veins. I had a sinking feeling that Cadoc had gotten what he wanted. I knew Philip would sell. The dumb bastard didn’t realize he was going to die either way. At least, I had my answer. “No comment, Ms. Hilliard?” Cadoc taunted.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Might want to rethink that. You see, with the Cartwrights owning half of your firm, we’re going to be working together a lot. William tried visiting you at the hotel to go over the logistics, but apparently, none of my people have seen you in a few days.”

The thought of him keeping a watch out for me made me shudder. “Creepy, much? You need psychiatric help.”

“That I do,” he agreed, bursting out with laughter, “but unfortunately, no one wants to help someone like me.”

“Gee, I can’t imagine why,” I snapped. “You’re a murderer. Philip might not have been innocent, but he didn’t deserve to die the way he did.” It was strange to think that I could ever talk to the man who’d mutilated and murdered someone I used to love. The world was a fucked up place and I was right in the dead center of it. “Now tell me what you really want,” I demanded. “If it’s about the firm, you can forget it. I’m not working with you or anyone else in your family. I’ll lay everyone off and leave you with an empty building. I don’t want to be anywhere near you.” It’d kill me to get rid of everyone, but I had to look out for them.

Cadoc sighed. “That pains me to hear, my dear. You could’ve prevented everything if you had said yes. All I wanted was for you to help William. If you would’ve agreed, this fight and everything else wouldn’t have happened.”

The guilt felt like poison as it made its way through my body. I’d tried not to think it wasn’t my fault Philip was dead, that maybe he’d brought it on himself, but the truth stared at me right in the face. It was my fault. All I had to do was say yes. Tears fell down my face and I turned away so Dominic and the others couldn’t see me.

“Why are you doing this?” My voice shook and I hated that he could hear my fear.

“Oh, Faith,” he replied, talking to me as if I was a little girl. “I do many things for many different reasons. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to discuss them right now. What I’m expecting from you is a call back with your answer.”

That made no sense. “Answer for what?” The feeling of doom settled into the pit of my stomach.

“The answer I’ve been waiting for since all of this started. I don’t expect your reply right now, but I will after you open the back door to the pit. More people will get hurt if you don’t, maybe even a certain older couple in Belle Haven, Virginia.”

The second I heard those words, I broke down and terror filled my body. I dropped my phone and could hear Cadoc’s laugh before the line disconnected.

“Faith!” Dominic shouted, rushing over to me. “What’s wrong?”

I burst out crying and flung my arms around him. By now, everyone had rushed over, but all I could focus on was the back door. “It’s Cadoc,” I cried, pointing to the wall. “He told me to open the back door.”

Reed, Micah, Isaiah and Marco pulled out their guns and rushed over to the door. Dominic cupped my face and tilted my chin up. “Stay here with Luca and Connor.” With his gun drawn, he ran over to join the others.

Connor grunted. “Cartwright’s a fucking cunt messing with a bloody woman. I’d like to rip off his wee dick and shove it up his arse.”

Luca stood in front of me, blocking me from the action. My breaths came out so fast I thought I’d hyperventilate. Everything moved in slow motion and I jumped when I heard the boom of the back door being kicked open. I knew Cadoc wouldn’t have mentioned it if he hadn’t had already done something bad.

“Fuck!” Dominic shouted. “Call an ambulance, now! We need help!” The sound of his scream gutted me. Someone was hurt, and again, it was all my fault.

Luca pulled out his phone. “On it,” he shouted back. With tears rushing down my cheeks, I ran past Luca and over to the back door. “Faith, stop!” Luca yelled.

Connor chased after me and grabbed me around the waist. “Whatever’s going on, you can’t go out there.”

And just then, Dominic and Micah pulled two bodies in from outside, both men unrecognizable by their mangled, bloody faces. Bile rose up the back of my throat and I rushed over to the trash can, puking up everything I had in my stomach. I looked over at the two men on the floor, and through the blood, I could see a familiar tattoo on one of them.

“Oh my God,” I cried, falling down to my knees. It was Taylor and Darius, the only two fighters who fought for the Corsino name.

Covered in blood, Dominic looked over at me and I barely recognized the man behind those gray eyes. It was war time and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

 

***

 

I’d cried so much I could barely see out the window. Everything on the bustling streets below was nothing but a huge blur. My body hurt from crying so much. Taylor was dead and Darius was barely hanging on.

Connor and Luca had escorted me up to Dominic’s suite before the ambulances and the police showed up. Reed and Micah stayed behind so they could talk to them. I was scared for my parents, and I didn’t know how to tell them they could possibly be in danger. I didn’t want them exposed to the kind of world I lived in, but there was no choice. Cadoc made it abundantly clear that he could do whatever the hell he wanted with no remorse. Hurting my parents would certainly not bother him in the least.

I didn’t want to give in to Cadoc, but I had no choice. He wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted. I just had to pray like hell the police could take him down before the fight. While Connor and Luca talked in the kitchen, I snuck away to the bedroom and shut the door.

I found Cadoc’s number in my phone and pressed the call button, clenching my hands into tight fists to keep them from shaking. It felt like all the energy had been zapped out of my body. Sitting down on the bed, I closed my eyes and waited for him to pick up.

Cadoc answered on the third ring. “I always knew you were a smart woman, Ms. Hilliard.”

“Obviously not. A smart woman would’ve figured out how to take you down.”

He chuckled. “No need to be harsh on yourself. Have you come to a decision?”

I swallowed hard. “Yes. I’ll work with you and your nephew. We can meet at the firm on Monday morning.”

The sound of his sinister laugh sent chills up my spine. “Oh, Faith, I love how innocent you are. That’s not how this is going to work. I call the shots. After the fight next Saturday, you’re going to have a late dinner with me and William. We’ll discuss everything then.”

“Dominic will never let me go,” I snapped.

He sighed. “I suggest you figure out a way. I may not have direct access to your parents at the moment, but I do see a certain friend of yours on occasion. What’s his name again? Oh yeah, Sam Hill. His girlfriend’s pregnant too. I’d hate to see something bad happen to them.”

When I thought things had hit rock bottom, I couldn’t have been more wrong. “You are such a bastard,” I growled. “I’ll leave with you and William after the fight.”

“Good girl. We’ll see you then.”

He hung up and I sat on the bed, unable to move. What the hell had I just done? There was no way Dominic would let me go. If the police couldn’t bring Cadoc down, I had no choice. I didn’t want anymore blood on my hands.

A knock came from the door and then Luca’s voice. “Faith, you okay? Dominic’s on his way up.”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be right out.”

Hurrying into the bathroom, I looked in the mirror at my red, swollen eyes. I barely recognized myself. The things I knew about the world had changed me. It wasn’t all cupcakes and rainbows like my parents wanted me to believe. After taking a few deep breaths, I left the bedroom and prayed to God I didn’t break down the first second I saw Dominic. Connor and Luca looked at me, but they didn’t say a word. Before I could sit on the couch, the door to the suite opened and Dominic stormed in. His hands were stained with blood and there were dark red stains all over his clothes. He marched over to Connor and Luca and said a few words to them before they walked out.

Not caring that he was covered in blood, I rushed over to him and he held me so tight I could barely breathe. “Are the guys going to be okay?”

His grip tightened. “No. They’re done fighting for a while.”

“What are you going to do? Who’s going to fight?”

With a heavy sigh, he let me go and looked right into my eyes. “One way or another we’ll have a fighter.” He glanced down at his bloody hands. “I need to take a shower. Reed and Micah should be up here soon. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Turning on his heel, he started toward the bedroom, but I grabbed his arm. “Wait. You need to hear this from me first.”

Dominic slowly turned back around. “First before what?” he asked, his voice dangerously low. I had to tell him before Cadoc did.

“Cadoc threatened to go after my parents,” I confessed. “And he also said he’d go after Sam and his pregnant girlfriend.” Tears filled my eyes. “You and I both know he’ll do it.”

His eyes blazed and it probably wasn’t the best time to tell him, but there was no other option. “When did you talk to him?” he demanded.

I swallowed hard. “Just a few minutes ago.”

It was clear Dominic only held on by a thread. “What does he want?” he growled, clenching his teeth so hard I could hear them grind together.

Deep down, I knew Cadoc wanted more than just my help with the firm. Threatening my parents was just the beginning. He’d keep threatening me until he had everything he wanted. I didn’t want to think of all the things he and his nephew wanted from me.

“Philip did give up his half,” I said. “Cadoc wants me to leave with him and William after the fight on Saturday to discuss business plans.”

Dominic fumed. “Over my dead fucking body,” he shouted. “You can forget that shit.”

“He’ll go after my friends and family,” I cried. “What else was I supposed to do?”

He ran his hands angrily through his hair and paced the floor. “I swear to fucking God, if the police don’t get him by then I’ll kill Cadoc and William myself.”

I threw my arms in the air. “That doesn’t do much good to me if you’re behind bars for the rest of your life.”

He stopped in front of me and grabbed my arms. “It’s better than the alternative, Faith. You and I both know what they want.” His eyes darkened. “You are not going with them. Understand?”

“Okay,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

He must’ve seen the terror in my eyes because his expression softened and he wrapped his arms around me. “Call your parents and get them to the airport. Say it’s a surprise trip we wanted to gift them. I’m going to have my private jet there in two hours to take them wherever they want to go.”

Relief washed through me. I wanted them as far away from danger as possible. “Thank you. What about Sam?”

“We’ll get him and his girlfriend out of town tomorrow.”

There was no one else Cadoc could use to threaten me with once they were gone. Well, other than Layla, but she was perfectly protected in Wyoming. A knock rapped on the door. “Make the calls, Faith. I promise we’ll keep them safe. I’ll be in the study with Reed and Micah if you need me.”

I nodded. “Go.”

Dominic opened the door and Reed and Micah walked in. They went straight down the hall to Dominic’s study. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and called my parents number. It turned out that both of their birthdays were coming up in a few weeks. I had the perfect reason to get them out of town.

“Hey, honey,” my mother answered. Hearing her voice made my eyes burn. The thought of Cadoc hurting her or my dad made me boil.

“Pack your bags,” I exclaimed. “You and dad are going on a birthday trip to wherever you want! The jet will be ready to pick you up in two hours. Dominic and I are paying for everything.”

She gasped. “Seriously? How am I supposed to pack in two hours?”

“I don’t know, but get it done,” I said, trying to sound happy. “You always wanted to go to Australia. Now’s the time to do it.” She squealed and hollered at my dad to tell him. It didn’t take long to convince them, but it made me feel a lot better to know they were going to be across the world from Cadoc. Now all I had to do was convince Sam to leave town.