Chapter ten

Alice

I sat in stunned silence staring at my mother's back as she busied herself with the box in front of her, as I felt the rage inside me build. "Where did you meet him?" I was gritting my teeth desperate not to let the venom I felt seep into my words.

"It was a long time ago, sweetheart. I'm not sure I think maybe a bar. Why do you ask?"

"Did you love him?" I ignored her question needing the answer to mine.

"No. I didn't know him long enough. He was nice so we went on a few dates. We slept together and he went back to his wife shortly after. I never saw him after that."

"When did he die?" I waited while my mother chewed on her nail and I fought the urge to shout at her because I knew that she was thinking up a lie.

"I don't know. I just know that he died."

"Right." I walked over to the sofa and sat down trying to calm myself down before I lost it.

"Why are you so interested in all of this all of a sudden, sweetheart?"

"Well, I was at work yesterday and I met someone who looked just like me. So much so, that he made me think about my father."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. I wish I had more information for you. I'm sorry that I don't." My mother smiled and was just about to carry the now empty box out of the room but my next words stopped her just as she reached out of the door handle.

"His name was Cian." I watched as my mother dropped the box on the floor but stayed facing away from me. "He lives near here with his wife. He had a daughter but she died recently. He has the same hair and eye colour as mine. Isn't that an odd coincidence? That I should meet a man who lives close to your family home who looks just like me and even has the same name as my father?"

I stood from the sofa and walked over to my mum spinning her around so that she was now staring at me, though she never once made eye contact. "Would you like to tell me the truth about my father, mother? Or should I ask him?"

"No! Look it's not that simple. You don't know him. I had to tell you that he died. I had to keep you away from him. He is dangerous. I wanted to keep you safe. If he knew about you, he would have taken you from me and I would have lost."

"How would you have lost? Grandmother would never have let that happen she would have done everything to fight him."

"We don't have the money or power that he has."

"What are you talking about? Grandmother is rich she would have made sure you had the best lawyers. You could have fought him instead of lying to me." I was shaking with rage but I calmed a little when I saw my mothers' tears hit the wooden floor.

"We may have money but not like him. We had nowhere near the wealth he possessed back then and it's likely much higher now."

"You could have told me when I got a bit older. Why did you never tell me the truth?" I was much calmer now as I walked away to sit back down.

"I was scared that if I told you, you would want to find him."

"Would that have been so bad?"

"Yes. You don't understand. He is dangerous. I had heard rumours when I first met him about what he did but I was naïve. I didn't believe the rumours until…" My mother's shoulders slumped and she walked over to sit beside me and reached for my hand and when I didn't object, she held it in hers stroking it over and over.

"I went to meet your father because we were supposed to be going for dinner. Normally he would pick me up but this night he had been busy with work and was running late so I told him I would meet him at the bar we often went to." I could feel my mother trembling and I hated it.

"I was early that night and I was standing outside the bar. It was quiet and I remember thinking it was eerie because it was usually so busy but it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. That was until I heard a scream coming from the ally beside the bar. I walked around to see what was going on thinking someone might need my help and what I saw shocked and terrified me." My mother's tears flowed freely now as she stared off into the distance as though she was there in that ally way again.

"There was a woman on the floor trying desperately to get away from the men standing in front of her and just as I was about to run to the woman and try to help her someone stepped forward. Someone I hadn't noticed until now. I watched terrified as he lifted a gun and shot the woman cowering on the floor and all I could do was hold my hands over my mouth so that they didn't hear me scream. I watched in shock as the other men lifted the woman and took her into the back entrance of the bar and it was then that it hit me who the man was."

My mother's grip on my hand tightened as she turned to face me and looked into my eyes breaking my heart when I saw the fear in hers. "The man who shot that poor woman was your father. It was then that I realised that all the stories I had heard were true." I wanted my mother to be wrong so badly because my whole life I had always wanted a father but knowing what I knew, I knew every word she spoke was true.

"I had to get away from there so I ran. I ran as fast as I could and any time, he called I made an excuse not to see him or I had my mother tell him I wasn't home. Eventually, he gave up and then I found out I was pregnant and I knew I had to move away. I couldn't risk him getting custody of you or even visitations. He is dangerous, sweetheart. I had to protect you. Please, baby. You have to believe me. I would never have kept him from you if I thought he was a good man. I have lived with the guilt of lying to you every day since you were born but I would never take back that lie because it kept you safe."

"I know you would do anything to keep me safe, Mum, and I love you so much for that. I'm sorry you went through that." I didn't know what to say because even though I knew Cian was dangerous I felt safe around him and I had no idea how to explain that to my mother when I knew that she had spent my whole life terrified of him.

"How does your boss know him?" I didn't want to tell her that they were in the same line of work because no doubt that would tell her that my boss and boyfriend were just as dangerous as my father.

"I don't know. I don't get involved in my boss's business I am there to do my job."

"But isn't your boyfriend your boss's brother?"

"Yeah, but I don't talk to Alesso about his brother's work."

"But they work together. It's a family business. Isn't that what you said?"

"Yes, but I have only known him a while besides I didn't think anything of Cian until now." That seemed to calm my mother down a little, or so I thought until she spoke again.

"Right, well, now that Cian has met you, we are going to have to leave. I will talk to your grandmother and we can make arrangements for us all to move as far away from here as possible. I will have to tell your grandmother everything and you are going to have to quit your job. I'm so sorry sweetheart but you will have to end things with Alesso its too dangerous to be around them or for us to say."

My mother jumped up from the sofa and was about to walk out of the room when I spoke, stopping her in her tracks once more. "I'm not leaving, Mum! And I'm not quitting my job or breaking up with Alesso." My mother spun around; horror written all over her face.

"Did you not hear what I just said? We can stay here it's too dangerous. We have to leave!"

I stood from the sofa and walked over to my mother holding onto her arms and staring into her eyes that were glassy with unshed tears. "I'm in no danger, mum. I can't explain it but I know that Alesso and his family would die to keep me safe. I won't run. I believe everything you told me and I know that you must have been terrified but I'm not a child, Mum. You can't just demand that I pack up, quit my job, break up with the man I am in love with, and run away. Plus, we can't move grandmother, you know that."

My mother tried to pull away from me but I wouldn't let her go because I needed her to hear me. "Grandmother is unwell. She is scared to leave the house and this has been her home her whole life. She grew up in this house. She would never leave it and…"

"She would to protect you."

"We can't ask her to do that, mum. I won't let you ask her to do that. I'm not in any danger, mum. I am perfectly safe. I promise you."

"And what about me? What do you think your father will do if he finds out who you are and what I did? Do you think I will be safe?" I had to be honest that thought had crossed my mind but I was sure that I would be able to keep her safe.

"Mum, I will never let anything happen to you, you know that."

"And you think you can protect me against that man? The stories I heard about him are terrifying. His family apparently is a high-up mafia family. They are dangerous people, Alison. Why aren't you getting that?"

"I understand that and I will talk to my boss and Alesso but I am not leaving, Mum. I will make sure you and grandmother are safe but I will not go on the run. I'm sorry, mum."

It was my turn this time to walk away and thankfully my mother did nothing to stop me because I needed to speak with Alesso right away.

I stepped outside allowing the cool air to calm me down before pulling out my phone and dialling Alesso's number. It rang once before Alesso answered and just the sound of his deep, smooth voice made my heart melt. I loved him so much that it terrified me sometimes.

"Piccolo, are you ready for me to pick you up?"

"Yes, please but can we go somewhere that we can talk?"

"Of course. Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure. I need your help with something." I heard a car door slam and a car speed off and I knew that he would be within minutes.

"I will be there in a minute, baby. Don't move." I know he would be worried by what I had just said but to be honest I wasn't sure if there was cause for concern or not. I walked down the driveway to the main gate and sat down on a wall while I waited for Alesso but I didn't have long to wait because almost straight away Alesso pulled up in a black Range Rover.

Alesso jumped out of the car before I could reach for my door and opened it for me and I had to smile about the fact that someone I knew to be incredibly dangerous was so sweet at the same time.

Once Alesso was in the car he drove away from my grandmother's house and when I looked back, I saw my mother staring through the window and her expression broke my heart. She looked so sad and scared.

We drove in silence for about half an hour when Alesso pulled into a car park in front of a gorgeous park. Come, piccolo we can find somewhere to sit and talk." I climbed out of the car and took Alesso's outstretched hand allowing him to take us somewhere we could sit in private.

Once we took our seats Alesso grabbed my hands in one of his and lifted my chin so that I was looking into his eyes. "What happened, Alice? You look like you are on the verge of tears are you mom and grandmother, okay?

"Yeah. Well, they're okay for now but I'm not sure what's going to happen when I tell you what I have to tell you." Alesso frowned and sat back a little but kept hold of my hands.

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember earlier when Cian was at the house and said that basically, he was just a call away if I needed him?"

"Yeah."

"There was something about him that was so familiar. I couldn't put my finger on what it was at first but then something hit me and when I got to my grandmother's I spoke to my mum."

"About what?

"About my father." Alesso sat back further as his frown deepened.

"My mum told me that my father died when I was a baby and I never thought anything of it until today. Until Cian." I could see Alesso's mind going a mile a minute as he tried to digest what I was saying.

"Okay. So, what are you saying?" I knew by the look of shock on his face that he knew where I was going with this conversation but he needed to hear it from me.

"I am pretty sure Cian is my father."

"Holy shit! Are you sure?"

"Not completely but my mum said my father's name is Cian and you have to admit we look just like each other."

"Well, yeah I saw that. Fuck! What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. My mum is terrified of him finding out. She wanted me and my grandmother to move away and hide. She is so scared of him."

"Why what the fuck did he do to her?" Alesso's shock was quickly replaced by anger.

"He never did anything to her but my mum had heard stories about who he is and what he does and for a while she didn't believe the stories. That was until she saw him shoot someone. She managed to avoid him and I guess he moved on and got back with his wife but then my mum found out she was pregnant and she was so scared of him being a danger to me that she moved us away and never told him about me."

"I can understand that. She must have been terrified. So, why is she scared now?"

"She is scared of Cian finding out and being angry with her for keeping me from him, and what he might do to her because of that." The tears I had been holding back had begun to fall down my cheeks.

"I won't let anything happen to your mom, piccolo. You know that, don't you?" The sincerity and determination in Alesso's voice released a fresh flood of tears.

"Of course, but Cian is powerful. If he tries to hurt my mum and you stop him this could start another war."

"I don't give a fuck. I will die to protect you and your family. You know that."

"I know but…" I never got to finish what I was saying because my phone began to ring, interrupting us. When I looked at the phone a number, I didn't recognise flashed on the screen and without thinking I answered.

"Hello."

"Alice?"

"Speaking. Who's this?"

"It's Cian. We need to talk." My heart sped up and I suddenly felt like I was going to scream or throw up or both.

"Why?"

"I think you know why. You can either meet me or I will come and find you either way we will talk. I don't think it's a good idea for me to show up at your grandmother's house right now with how I'm feeling so it's in your mum's best interest that you come to meet me."

I could hear the barely controlled anger in his voice and he was right. I needed to go to meet him if only to keep him away from my mother. "Fine. Where?"

"I will send you the address of where to meet me. I will see you in half an hour. Please don't keep me waiting I'm in an impatient mood. Oh, and Alice Alesso can drop you off but you come in alone." I didn't get to say anything because Cian hung up the phone and before I could explain to Alesso a text came through with an address for me to go to.

"Who was that?" I looked up from my phone to look into Alesso's worried eyes.

"It was Cian. He wants to meet."

"Okay. So, where are we meeting him?"

"It's just me meeting him, Alesso. He said that you can drop me off but I am to go in alone."

"Out of the question. Let's go back to the house and we can talk to my brother and come up with a plan."

"No, Alesso. I need to do this. Please. You can sit outside and wait for me and if there is any sign of trouble feel free to come in guns blazing, literally. Please don't fight me on this. Maybe I can talk to him and tell him why my mum did what she did and maybe keep her safe. Please!"

I could see that Alesso wanted to object but I was so thankful when he sighed and nodded his head. "Fine. Where are you meeting him?" I showed Alesso the address and he chuckled."

"What?"

"That's a fucking safe house. Let's fucking hope it lives up to its name."

Alesso led us back to the car and helped me in before setting off to meet Cian and all I could do was sit and think about the million ways this meeting could go and all I hoped was that at the end of it, my mother would be safe.

Less than twenty minutes after we left the park Alesso pulled up to a house just a little smaller than his brothers and the gates opened almost straight away. As we drove up the driveway the nerves and fear in my stomach grew and I suddenly wanted to be as far away from this place as possible.

When the car stopped, I turned to face Alesso who was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white and his jaw was clenched I knew right now was not the right time to be thinking this but he looked not only incredibly deadly but he looked seriously fucking hot.

'Come on, Alice…focus'

I was pulled from my inappropriate thoughts when Alesso growled making me jump and when I turned to look, I found the cause of his growl standing in the doorway almost filling it with his arms folded across his massive chest.

Cian looked like a terrifying fucking giant.

Turning away from the Cian and placed my hand on Alesso's arm which seemed to calm him down a little because when he looked at me his face softened. "Alesso, I'm going to be fine. I promise." I leaned in and kissed him and hoped that he bought what I had said even though I wasn't entirely sure I believed it.

"I will be right here, Alice. If there is any sign of trouble you get out of there. Do you hear me?"

"Yes. I love you."

"I love you too, piccolo. Hurry back." After one more kiss, I opened the car door and with a deep breath I made my way to Cian who stood aside silently allowing me room to enter the house.

Cian

I watched Alice kissing Alesso and I had to fight the urge to storm over and punch Alesso for kissing my fucking daughter. I had never let Siobhan date because no man had ever been good enough for her and watching Alice, I was surprised those same feelings rose to the surface even though I had only just found out about her.

I felt the anger slip away when Alice closed the car door and made her way to me but the anger was quickly replaced by guilt when I saw the fear on her face. Surely, she would know that she was safe with me. I would never hurt her. I couldn't say the same for her mother though. I was fucking fuming that the bitch had kept my fucking daughter from me.

Once Alice was in the house, I closed the door and placed my hand on her back hating that she jumped at my touch. It killed me that she feared me.

'Can you fucking blame her? You just threatened her mother.'

I ignored my inner thoughts fully convinced that I had every right to threaten her after what she had done. Alice and I entered the front room and Alice took a seat on one of the sofas and waited for me to do the same.

"Can I get you anything?" I made a conscious effort to soften my voice in the hopes that it would help her relax a little.

Alice looked up at me and gave me a small smile and I wanted desperately to wrap her in my arms. "No, thank you." I took a seat on the sofa opposite Alice to give her some space even though I felt entirely too far away from her.

"What do you know, Alice?" I got straight to the point.

"I spoke with my mum today and she told me everything."

"What did she say?" I was dying to know what her mother could have possibly said to justify keeping my daughter away from me her whole life.

"She is scared of you?"

"Why? I never did anything to her to give her a reason to be scared of me. I treated her like a fucking princess." I cursed under my breath when Alice flinched and shrunk back into the sofa when I raised my voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout. You just have to understand we may not have a DNA test done but I would bet my life that you are my daughter and I am only just finding out about you now. I was kept from your life for twenty-five years and I have no idea why your mother would do that. I would have provided for both of you. I would have protected both of you. I would have…"

"She saw you shoot a woman." My jaw almost hit the floor at Alice's words but the shock was replaced quickly by confusion.

"When?"

"The last night you were supposed to meet for dinner. She showed up early and heard a noise from the alleyway. When she checked she saw you shooting a woman. She got scared and went home and avoided you until you lost interest and went back to your wife. Then when she found out she was pregnant with me she ran. She was scared that you would take me from her and that we would be in danger if you knew about us.

Suddenly any anger I felt toward her mother disappeared because if what Alice said was true could I really blame her for running? Alice must have noticed my change in mood because her body relaxed and it was then that I realised how tense she had been since arriving.

"I can understand why your mum did what she did. It doesn't mean that I am not still angry that I have missed out on your first twenty-five years of life but I will eventually come to terms with that. You are here now and that's what matters." I started to smile but the frown on Alice's face stopped my smile before it could form.

"Who was the woman you killed?" I had to think back because it was almost twenty-seven years ago and there had been many more kills since then. I frowned trying to think back to that night when it hit me and my heart sank because I knew telling Alice who she was wasn't going to help me build a relationship with her. It certainly wouldn't make her think that she was safe with me.

FUCK!

"She was my sister."