Hidden Love

Nicolette's idea

“Almost two hours now. She’s due to wake up at any time. What did you discover?” he asked me.

“I know who is behind this. I am so sorry. I have called a meeting. Have you ever heard of an Irish mobster named Mclintoc?” I asked.

Michael nodded. By now, Sebastian had joined us, so I continued. “Many years ago when dad was still in charge, there was a big meeting called. The Irish, the Italians, and the Yakuza all got together. There was enough evidence brought to this meeting that showed Mclintoc was at fault for a lot of crimes. He was ejected from the meeting and Dad was told to handle it, but he saw fit. I beat this man within an inch of his life. Never killed him. He can’t use three of his fingers on his right hand. The Irish took him to some hole. I thought he was dead.”

Sebastian grabbed my arm, “So how do you know it’s him?”

I sat down in a chair with my head in my hands. I looked down at the floor. “The mark behind her ear. It’s how he marked the women that he was trafficking and prostituting. This is all my fault. I should have put a bullet in this asshole years ago. The last one that he marked was 32. So he marked sorellina as 33. It was a calling card for me…. For us.”

“So go get him.” came her soft voice.

We all turned and looked at her. “How much of that did you hear?” I asked.

“Enough. Enough to know that you are beating yourself up for something that you have no control over.” Nicolette carefully crawled over to me. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders tenderly. I whispered into her hair, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. All of this happened because of me. Forgive me. I’m so sorry.” I carefully picked her up and put her on my lap. This was one of the few times I could break down and show the fear and concern I actually felt. She curled up into me. I just took in her scent. My sweet baby sister was comforting me. It should have been the other way around.

“Bella. You are so sweet and kind. How, after everything, do you manage to make it so that you comfort me. It should be the other way around.” I whispered in her hair.

“I love you. You're my family. Now you say you made a mistake and go, and now you get to fix it. Don’t just call a meeting for the Italians. Call in the Irish and the Yakuza. Hold those responsible accountable. Also, Donny, I want to be there. They need to see the damage. They need to see what was done.” She said, looking at me.

I searched her face. For so long, my brothers and I have kept her safe and far from our other world. She is now requesting to come to a meeting of the minds. She carefully held my face in her hands. “Please, Adonis. Please.”

She never calls me Adonis unless she’s mad or wants something really bad. I knew I could never deny her. I kissed each cheek and held her close. She smelled good. I looked at Sebastian and Michael. They both nodded in agreement. If that is what she wanted, that is what she was going to get. We will give this to her. I quickly informed Tony of whom to call. Given that most of these people had to come from across the pond, it would give her more time to heal.

“Did you ever set up an in-home nurse for me?” She asked timidly.

“No honey. I’m sorry. We’ve been busy. None of us trust anyone to take care of you. Are you upset with how things are?” I asked hesitantly.

“No. I like this. I’m not in the mood to be around anyone. When is my next doctor appointment?” She asks.

I looked at Sebastian over her head. “Two days, baby sister. Is there something that you're concerned about?”

She looks at all of us and then down. “My feet. As much as you guys have been awesome about carrying me to wherever I need to go. I would like to be able to walk again. I know you guys are about to be busy with this super meeting, but can we all watch a movie together tonight? I promise that I will stay awake for it.”

Michael looks at her and smiles, “Promise little one? Because so far you have fallen asleep during every movie we have watched.”

I kissed the side of her head. “Yes, we can do that.”

SEBASTIAN POV

Holy s**t. I’ve never seen Adonis go this crazy. He beat and then killed the x-ray tech guy so fast I didn’t have time to process it. He figured out who it was that went after our sister. He left the room so fast I knew he was going to find Nic. She’s the only one that would be able to calm him. I had to leave instructions with Tony about what to do with the body.

I caught up with everyone in the TV room. Adonis was just telling about how he knew who it was that had taken and branded Nic. I’ve never seen him fall apart like that before. He was a mess. Of course, our girl knew what to do. She literally crawled to him. I was shocked by what he had told us. I was definitely not prepared for it. I at least now had a name to target.

Baby sis wants to get into the game of the darker variety. She even managed to convince Adonis to do a group meeting. Our little queen bee has wormed her way into our hearts. We are so wrapped around her fingers. I called Applebees and ordered some food for all of us. Now I have dinner set up for all of us. It was nice to see her come out of her shell.

While I was ordering food for us, I trolled the internet for Mclintoc. I came up with all kinds of stocks and bonds that were Irish. I was going through certain articles on the web when I found one with a picture. It was an older article. I screen shot the picture. I ran an aging program to see if maybe I could find the man. I also had a running program in the background to try and find pictures of our sister. I walked away to get some more coffee. I came back to my computer with a bell going off. Pictures of my sister were hitting the dark net. It had started. “Shit.”