Chasing His Brother's Bride

Moving Indefinitely

She twitched her in seat and looked to him pleadingly. “May I?”

“Go,” he waved his hand but as she stepped past him, he grabbed her hand. “Don’t do anything stupid, Jolie. I’m watching.”

She nodded and moved to Pia and cradled her in her arms on the sofa.

“Mommy, my ear hurts,” she sniffled as she snuggled into her mom’s chest and rubbed her ear.

“I know baby. Mommy picked up your medicine but it’s in the car.” She looked over Pia’s shoulder and Brixton nodded and sent a text message on his phone. “How about Mommy gets your hot water stuffy and you can snuggle on it?”

“Yes please,” she whimpered as she clung to Jolie who rose from the sofa and moved to the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove to heat up.

She looked to Brixton, “her stuffy has a hot water bottle insert. She gets earaches pretty frequently and it helps her. Can I go down the hall and get it from the bathroom closet?”

“I’ll go,” Malik said as he stepped back into the house and tossed a bag from the pharmacy to Brix who had risen from the table.

Pia suddenly noticed the two men in her house and clutched her mom tighter, her legs wrapped tight around her mother and she shook with terror. “Who is that?”

Jolie brushed her hair off her flushed cheeks, “this is mommy’s new boss, well, Mordecai’s new boss. His name is Mr. Beckwith.”

“He’s not Mr. Solomon.”

“No,” she gave a smile she hoped fooled the child and made big eyes, “Mr. Solomon gave his company to Mr. Beckwith and now mommy works for Mr. Beckwith.”

Pia pointed past Brixton to Malik, “he’s big. Like Felicity’s daddy.”

“Yeah. He is,” she accepted the plush item from his fingers.

“Pia, how old are you?” Brixton asked her.

“I’m five. My birthday is Movember.”

“November,” Jolie corrected her automatically.

“Come here,” he reached his hands out to her and Jolie instinctively held her close but Brixton pried the child from her grip. He touched her forehead. “You are hot, child.”

“She needs her prescription,” Jolie’s fingers itched to take her child back.

“Prepare it,” he motioned to the bag. He swept the child’s hair, “you look very much like your father, little one.” He sat back on the seat and stared her right in the face. He held his phone up. “Can I take a selfie?”

Jolie felt her heart thundering as he held the child near him and took the picture.

“My daddy died. Like my goldfish,” the little girl pouted and rubbed her ear.

Malik’s phone made a pinging noise and he grinned at the photo and the words of the child. “Like her goldfish,” he chuckled loudly. “Ha! Oh wow, she’s funny. This is a cute photo.” He was still muttering the word goldfish as his phone rang and he took the call, turning his back to them.

Her tummy grumbled and Brixton made big eyes at her, “are you hungry little one?”

“Yes,” she nodded vigorously. “Mommy said she would make me soup but,” she leaned closer and stared at him with big eyes, “I wanted pizza.”

“You’re sick baby. No pizza.” She took a can of chicken noodle soup out of the cupboard and heard the annoyed hiss of the man behind her. “What?”

“You’re giving my blood soup from a can?”

“I’m giving my child, mine, the same chicken noodle soup she has eaten since she was old enough to chew solids. She likes it fine.” She set the can on the counter and then reached for the medicines and made a face.

“It’s full of sodium, chicken by-products and saturated fat.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers. She is notoriously difficult to feed.” She waved the can. “We have tried many varieties of soup but this is the only one she will eat.” She was fighting with herself to not rip her daughter who had without any question, snuggled into her uncle as if she had been born to be on his lap.

Malik spoke up, “Jolie. I have a question for you. Do you happen to remember the combination to the safe?”

“They found it?” Brixton looked up in surprise. “Interesting.” When she glared at him, he shrugged one shoulder, “I’m not the trusting sort, Jolie. Now, you are a very observant person, according to Macey in HR. Did you happen to catch the combination?”

She swallowed, “and remember it for six years?”

“Jolie,” he stroked Pia’s hair gently, “don’t be stupid.”

“Three, nine, five, eight, six, one.” She put a shaking hand with the medication out for Jolie to drink the medication. “I have to put drops in her ears. Can I take her to the sofa to lie her down? She really doesn’t like this part and sometimes I have to hold her –"

“Pia, lay your head on the table so mommy can put drops in your ears.”

The child obeyed Brixton as if God himself commanded her to and Jolie dripped the three drops into her ears and told her to stay still while she made her soup.

“Don’t bother making her soup. We’ll take her to get food which is actually healthy for her body. She’s not eating such sodium infused shit.”

Pia made wide eyes at him, “you swore.”

“Sorry,” he winked at her no remorse on his face. “I’m going to take you and get you some delicious dinner.”

Jolie’s heart skipped a beat and felt panic cause her to freeze in her spot. He was taking her. He was going to take Pia from her.

“Mommy said we can’t go out to eat.”

“Why?”

“It’s spendsive.”

“Expensive,” Jolie corrected in a breathy voice as terror stole the air from her lungs.

“Got it,” Malik interrupted. “Your father is there in the condo and he has confirmed Jolie’s words. It’s a huge safe and it has all the missing gold.”

“Great!” Brixton stood up and motioned to Jolie, “get your coat back on. My niece needs something other than soup in a can in her tummy.”

“What’s a niece?” Pia asked him curiously.

“It means we are family,” he tapped her nose as he stood back up, reached for the warm stuffy and put her head against his shoulder, holding the warm bottle to her ear. “You are my family. I am your Uncle Brix. Now, no more questions until we get back to the hotel.” He motioned to Malik, “please help Jolie pack up a couple of bags for her and Pia as they will be staying with us indefinitely.”

“Indefinitely?”

“Do you think a Cacciola is going to grow up in a rental house?” he looked to Jolie with disdain. “I could buy this house with what is in my billfold right now and have change to spare. It’s a dump and my flesh and blood will not be living in squalor on canned soup.”

“We don’t live in squalor,” Jolie hissed at him.

“What do you spend your paycheque on?” he looked around. “You have thrift shop chic going on here so I know it’s not the furnishings and I saw the car out front. It’s a death trap.”

“You are a pompous,” she started furiously as glared at him.

He interrupted with a wave of his hand, “I’m asking nicely but you do not want me to ask a second time. You will find with each request my patience lessens. Jolie, go pack your bags or Malik will pack them for you and do you really want him going through your cotton underpants?” He looked her up and down, “I’m betting they’re white with little pink flowers on them bought at a bargain basement store in packs of twelve.”

Pia spoke up, “mommy likes her panties to be pretty. Flowers are nice!”

Brixton’s mocking laugh followed her down the hall as she stomped towards the bedrooms. She felt Malik’s presence immediately behind her as she pulled open the small closet and took out the suitcase. He took it from her and set it on the bed, opened it and felt around in it.

He pointed to the black bag on the top shelf of her closet, “what is in there?”

She was quiet as she followed his direction with her eyes and when she didn’t answer, he went and grabbed the bag and dumped it on the bed, emptying its contents. He waved a stack of bills tied with elastic bands, her and Pia’s passports and a handful of prepaid credit cards.

“You have a go bag?” he gave her an appreciative nod. “Very smart!”

“Thanks,” she said with a frown.

“You won’t be needing it though. Elio wants to have a sit-down conversation with you himself and now he knows of his granddaughter’s existence there is no chance in hell you will ever evade us again.”

“I’m not going back to Vegas.”

“Pretty sure Brix said you were going to his hotel. He has a company to run and manage here and according to his conversations with multiple staff members today, you,” he shoved her things, minus the passports, back into her go bag and shoved it back on its shelf, “are vital to the organization. We are needed here.”

“What are you doing with those?” she watched as he pushed them into the inside pocket of his jacket.

“Brix will take care of them.”

“You could leave them there,” she suddenly pleaded with him. “Please put them back and forget you saw them.” She swallowed as she reached out and gripped his forearm. “Please. I will never say anything to anyone. I only want for me and Pia to be,”

He cut her off with a hand over her mouth, “Jolie, I like you. I like your spunk and your tenacity. I like how you have kept your mouth shut and how you managed to survive the biggest f*****g piece of s**t known to man in Valentin Cacciola but, never, don’t ever, think for a moment me liking you and thinking you are amazing for being so smart and brave will ever make me betray my family.”

She dropped her hand from his arm at the cold tone. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded and motioned across the hall. “I noticed Pia’s bed doesn’t look like it was ever slept in. She sleeps here with you?”

She twisted her lips. “How can you tell?”

“Because her bed has a hundred stuffed animals on it. There’s no way you put them on and off her bed every single day. My sister has four girls. Every one of them has a bunch of teddy bears and stuffed animals and my sister bitches constantly about having to pick them up.”

“She likes her bedroom to play in but she hates the bed. Has hated it since the day we changed from her toddler bed to her big girl bed. Said it’s too lonely for a princess to sleep in.”

“Princess?” he chuckled as he followed her across the hall to the child’s closet.

“She is going through a phase where she thinks she is a Martian princess. Last night we ate spaghetti and asteroids in the space cave under my kitchen table,” she packed the bag for her daughter chatting as if it were the most natural thing in the world to talk to the mob enforcer who had been hunting her for years about her child. Perhaps it was normalness of talking about Pia which was keeping her calm in the current situation.

“My nieces are currently obsessed with watching videos on their tablets.”

“I like my tablet!” Pia’s sweet little voice rang out behind them.

“You were taking too long so we came to see what the hold up is.”

“Just making sure I have enough for an indefinite visit,” she gave Brixton a dirty look.

“Mommy, can we bring my goldfish and my tablet?”

“You can but you can’t use the tablet until Sunday.”

“It’s not fair!” She hissed furiously.

Jolie considered the medication and pain relievers must be working because her bright-eyed child was becoming defiant again.

“How come she can’t use her tablet?”

“She’s grounded.”

“Grounded?” Brixton tickled her ribs, “what could a sweet little Martian fairy princess like Pia have done to warrant being grounded?”

“She punched a boy in the face.”

“He called me names.”

“And I told you to use your words, not your fists.”

“I did use my words. I told him not to call me shorty or I’d punch him in the face. He called me shorty again so I punched him in the face.”

She saw the stunned expressions on the two men and she shook her head, “she’s not usually a violent child. I’m thinking she’s off-temper because of the ear infection. Usually she’s sweet, mild mannered and gentle.” She noted Malik had the fishbowl in his hand and her stomach sank. How long were they keeping them?

“Norman is a jerk.”

“I had a chat with his parents today. They will be discussing his behavior with him over the weekend but you,” she pointed at her child, “do not get to hit anyone. Hitting isn’t right.”

Pia folded her arms over her chest and glared at her and Malik huffed a breath behind her.

“Hello little Val,” Malik whispered.

Jolie turned furiously and glared at him, whispering with rage at Malik, shoving her finger into his far too firm chest “do not call her that. Not ever. He was an evil, vile beast and she is nothing like him!”

He held his hands up in defence with a smirk on his face, “sorry, mama bear!”

Brix watched the exchange with narrowed, curious eyes, shifting the child from one hip to the other. “Come on. Pia is hungry. We’ve agreed she needs a pepperoni pizza.”

“You just chewed me out for the sodium in canned soup and you want to give her pizza with pepperoni which has more salt than it does meat?” she scowled at him as she pushed toward him and pulled Pia into her arms.

He grinned at Jolie and tugged a loose strand of her hair, “relax Jolie. She promised to eat raw carrots and celery and drink a whole glass of milk, if I bought her pizza.”

“Fine, but no pizza until she eats the vegetables and drinks the milk.” She felt strangely aware of how he’d teasingly pulled her hair as if they were long time friends.

“Yay!” Pia slapped Brixton’s raised high-five with exuberance.

Jolie was surprised when they stepped outside and there were three cars waiting.

“Her car seat is in my car. Malik will take the car in front. I’ll drive us in the middle vehicle and security will be in the back. Moving forward there will be no more of either of you going anywhere without security, Jolie.”

“What? Why?”

As Malik took the child to buckle her into the car seat, Brixton spun her backwards and whispered in her ear.

“I’m being very patient but enough with the questions. There is a little girl present but the little girl is my niece who my family has been robbed of for five years while she’s lived like a pauper. She should have been spoiled and given everything deserving of a Cacciola and instead she goes to public school with bullies named Norman and drives in a car which has more miles on it than should be legal.”

“She has everything she needs.”

“She deserves the world. You kept her from us.”

“I hid her from monsters,” she felt tears of rage spilling down her cheeks unchecked now. “Organized criminals who operate in the shadows of a global legitimate enterprise. Your father turned your brother into a psychotic son of a b***h and I’m betting Val was a chip off the old block and a shadow of the greatness of his big brother. Valentin told me all the stories of your violence, the orgies you threw, and the drug and alcohol use. Bragged about you killing men at the dinner table with steak knives. He said you were more brutal than he and your father combined. I kept her safe and away from the brutality of your DNA. I protected my child!”

His eyes were dark, stormy, and angry as he listened to her spiel. “Get in the car, Jolie before I simply take the child and let the guys in the car take you straight to my father for him to deal with you directly.”

Something about the tone in his voice made her move with alacrity. As she buckled her own seatbelt, she felt everything she had hidden from for the last six years hadn’t only appeared on her doorstep but it had arrived and commandeered her life. As he slid behind the wheel in the driver’s seat, the glance of pure rage he shot her told her Val hadn’t been Satan. He had only been a demon, a minion for the devil himself and she was now trapped right next to the archangel from hell. She was screwed.