When The Wrong One Loves You Right 3: Forever And Always

Chapter 21: Listen

I woke up sweating and breathing heavy.
"Dante!" I said trying to sit up. "Ow."
"Ana, whoa, stop." Leo said coming to my side. "It's okay."
"Where is Dante?" I ask as I lay back down.
"He's downstairs with Sandro and Vince."
"Can you go get him?" I asked.
"Not yet. I wanted to talk to you."
"Can it wait? I really need to talk to Dante."
"Is it about the babies? Is that why you want to talk to him?"
I nodded knowing Leo must already know what's going on.
"You're fucking stupid Ana. What were you thinking?"
"I don't know. I said no at first but then I was persuaded otherwise."
"If Sandro does a paternity test, Dante is a dead man. You know that right?"
"Yes. I was going to terminate the pregnancy. I didn't like the idea but I didn't want to lose Dante or anyone else."
"I would have stood with you if it came to a fight. No matter your position you will always have my support and my brothers'. The Benedettis are not a sure thing, they could go either way. Even without them you could always ask your mother's family for help. It would be good to keep communication open with them regardless. To have the Irish on your side could be a good thing."
"Sandro wouldn't have made a scene Leo. He would have made it look like an accident." I sighed. "He still could if he finds out. I was already talking to my mother's family before I hit my head. They said they would stand with me. "
"I know Sandro's methods. I wanted to ask you to leave with Dante and not Vince, beg possibly. If you go together then Sandro would be less likely to hurt him because he is keeping you safe. Sandro also won't know where you are. I want you to take the babies and leave. Just you, Dante, and your four children. You need to disappear with him Ana."
"I don't think that will work Leo. Sandro would do anything to find me. I couldn't just cut him out of my life. Whoever I leave with has to let me talk to Sandro, at least for a little while."
"You can discuss that with Dante when you leave with him tonight."
"What do you mean tonight? I am going to Sergio's to read my journals. I still don't remember everything Leo."
"You'll just have to remember in time Annie. If you don't go now you might not have another opportunity like this." My brother said standing and walking toward the door.
"But Leo." I say trying to make him stop.
"No buts Ana." He said turning back to me with a hand on the doorknob. "Please just do as I've asked. I will go get Dante. After you're done talking to him you need to say your goodbyes."
"But what if."
"No. Whatever it is can wait." Leo said shaking his head. "Ana you talk to much."
"Sorry." I said looking down at the sheet that I'd been twisting an in twisting  over and over.
"Five minutes, Dante will be here and you can ask whatever you want." With that my brother disappeared and closed the door.
I relaxed into the pillow a little more as I waited for Dante. I took a few deep breaths as I tried to suppress my emotions, ultimately failing and allowing tears to escape the corner of my eyes and drip down my cheeks. I laid staring at the ceiling and thinking about what I did remember.
What I remembered was I wasn't ready to have Aldo and Rosy. Dante had promised me I wouldn't have to do anything. He said I wouldn't be responsible for them. I would carry them to term and I would only have to be there when I wanted to see them. He wanted them when I wasn't ready. He let me watch them grow up but at a distance. He let me be a child when I had the chance. I trusted Dante would protect me. I hate going against Sandro, but I felt like I didn't have a choice.
I remembered being happy with Vince when I was seventeen. I remember living together until I freaked out after he proposed to me when I was 6 months pregnant. I felt overwhelmed. I wasn't ready to be a wife or a mother. That's why I tried to abort the baby. I wasn't ready. I didn't know that Vince knew that I didn't want the baby. I didn't know that he would find a way to keep the baby alive. He'd had me taking some type of steroids so that Luca's lungs would develop quicker. Then my baby was moved to an incubator. Vince knew what I was going to do before I even knew I was going to do it. I'm happy that he did. I'd felt so guilty for years about Luca never being born.
Then I went to see Franco Russo junior in the prison and that I don't want to get in to.
When I got pregnant with Matthias I didn't have a choice of aborting. I carried him to term and then he was taken from me. I still wasn't ready to be a mother at that point in my life but to have your baby ripped away from you moments after birth is something that is indescribable.
I remembered when I was seventeen. The second week I was living with Vincenzo and we were in New York City visiting his family from Italy in his father's home.
"Ana, what would you say to going shopping while I help my grandparents get settled in." He'd smiled at me and handed me a credit card from his wallet. "Don't max it out."
"Sure. What's the limit on your card?" I asked.
"Fifty thousand dollars." He said taking me in his arms.
"Are you serious?" I asked shocked that he'd trust me with so much.
"Yes. Don't spend it all." He smiled.
"Vinny, that's a lot of money. I probably won't spend more than five hundred."
"It is a lot but not in New York. So like I said, don't max it out but you can buy whatever you'd like Piccola. I want you to have whatever makes you happy." Vince said before he leaned in and kissed me. "Go have some fun. I'll have one of our security guards drive you."
Vince had been right. New York was expensive. I didn't max the card out but I did spend ten times more than I'd planned on spending.
The three security guards Vince had sent me with had their hands full of bags and boxes. I was leaving the last store after hours of shopping. We were walking back to the car and passed a coffee shop with small bistro tables outside.
"Ana!" I'd heard a man say. "Anabeth Gianna De' Marco is that really you."
I knew that voice, though it was a little deeper now. I was only 14 the last time I'd seen him. I turned to look at the man.
"Grayson?" I asked.
"Ay, love. I didn't think you'd remember me." He said, his thick Irish accent coming out.
It was my Grayson. He was only a couple years older than I was. He was taller and not as scrawny as I remembered. I could see the lines of his muscles through his black tee shirt. He ran a hand through his light brown hair and winked at me as he moved closer to pull me in to a hug.
"How have you been love. I haven't seen you since we were kids." He asked holding me tight.
"Aren't we still considered kids? It's only been 3 years Gray." I said pulling away.
"A long 3 years. Got time to sit and chat for a bit?" He asked smiling.
"Of course, I always have time to sit and talk about myself." I joked.
"Good luck, I was going to tell you how perfect my life has been and after I start talking you may not get a word in." He smiled. "Come have a cup of coffee with me."
We talked for hours telling each other about the last few years and reminiscing about time we spent together when we were children.
It wasn't until I heard one of the Benedetti's security guard's phone ring that I realized how late it was. It had gotten dark.
"Is that Vincenzo?" I asked the guard as he answered his phone.
"Capelli." He said nodding to answer my question. He began walking away as he spoke in Italian to Vince.
"What time is it?" I asked Grayson.
"Ten after seven."
"It's seven already?" I turned and looked over at the guard, who was now standing outside the coffee shop. "I bet he's mad at me."
"Who?" Grayson asked.
"Vincenzo Benedetti. We've kind of been living together..." I said.
"Have you been fucking that cocky Marinera vampire?" Gray asked cutting me off.
"It's none of your business who I'm fucking." I said picking up a sudden tension in the air.
"Did he force you into this?"
"No, I'm with him because I want to be."
"Ana this is a bad idea. You shouldn't be with him."
"And what would you know about it? You don't know Vince."
"Ana, the people you love aren't who you think. They are Mafia."
"You think I don't know? I've spent my life mixed in where I didn't want to be. You really don't have room to talk because you live the same life."
"If you want out I can help you. Just say the word love."
"It's the only life I know Gray. I don't know if I could live any other way."
"He is an arrogant asshole Ana."
"So are you." I said scowling at him.
"I can't believe you're defending him."
We stared at each other silently. The guard that was speaking to Vince grabbed a hold of my bicep gently and leaned in to speak to me. "Time to go Ana."
I stood without saying another word to Grayson and let the guard walk me out. Just as I was slipping in the back seat of the car the door of the coffee shop opened and Gray ran outside.
"Ana! Ana wait!"
"We are done talking Gray."
"Ana please." He said grabbing my arm to pull me against him and whispered "Keep this phone hidden. If anything goes wrong, you call me." He placed a small flip phone in my hand. "I don't care if it's twenty years from now. If you have a problem you can't solve give me a chance to help you I don't want you to get hurt."
"Let go boy." The guard said pulling Gray back and pushing me in the car.

***

I'd kept the phone. I had hidden it, taped it to the back of a desk drawer in my grandpa's office.
I wondered if anyone had ever found it? I wondered if Grayson meant what he said.
"Ian!" I yelled once and listened.
Nothing.
I yelled again but louder than before. "Ian! I need you!"
Nothing again. Not a sound. How had no one heard me? Shouldn't there be guards in the hall?
"Ian!" I screamed.
Moments later I could hear the sound of footsteps coming toward me quickly and then the door opened.
"Ana, what's wrong?" Ian said coming to my side.
"Will you help me and not ask for reasoning behind what I'm doing."
"Is what you want me to do going to put you or I in danger?"
"No."
"Are you sure." He asked.
"Yes."
"Ana, is it going to hurt your family or someone else you care about?"
"Only emotionally." I responded.
"What do you need Ana?"
"I can't walk. At least not by myself. Can you help me get to my grandpa's office with no one seeing us?"
"Ana I don't think you should be moved. You need to rest and heal. You were just cut in half basically. Tell me what you need and I'll go get it." Ian said.
"No. I don't want to be left alone. I'm going to be moved tonight one way or another. So either you help me Ian or go find me someone who will."
Ian took a deep breath and shook his head.
"I can't, What if I hurt you?" Ian said looking at me concerned.
"If I get hurt it's my fault. Ian please, I need your help?" I said feeling hopeless. I hated begging but I felt it was necessary. "I can't do this alone. Ian, please."
Ian sighed.
"Please Ian?" I asked again and looked down at my hands as a single tear fell from my eyes.
Ian didn't say anything else.
He turned from me and walked in the hall, closing the door behind him. Tears began streaming from my face after the door closed. I hate being turned down when I'm desperate and have no other options. I growled out my frustration.
"Ugghhh!" I yelled.
I laid back and took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself.
"What now Ana?" I asked myself aloud.
I listen to the silence and tried to think but ultimately came up with nothing else. Dante would take me with him. Then Vince and Sandro would nearly killed themselves trying to find me. There was no way I could fight Dante off in my current state. If I told my husband he may hurt Dante. The same would be true if I told Vince.
I heard the door knob rattle and the door opened slowly. I was sure it was Dante. I sat up as Ian walked back in my room followed by Uri. I sighed relieved I was wrong.
"Don't ask questions, just do what I say." Ian told him as they walked to the bed. "I'm going to pick Ana up and carry her down to her grandpa's office. I need you to make sure there's nobody in the hallway because we don't want to be seen. Understand?"
"I understand." Uri said.
Ian slipped his arms under me and quickly lifted me. "Let's go."
"I thought you didn't want to help me." I said.
"I didn't want to hurt you. I never said I didn't want to help. If you get to a point where you can't stand the pain I need you to let me know."
I nodded and wrapped my arms around him. I closed my eyes and I leaned my head on his shoulder and slowly, Ian carried me to my grandpa's office.
"I need to sit at grandpa's desk Ian." I said quietly.
Ian set me and grandpa's office chair and took a couple steps back.
"What now Ana?" He asked me.
"Lock the door." I said.
Uri locked the door and came to stand by Ian. They both watched as I opened the top left drawer out of the desk. I tipped the drawer out without completely removing it and grabbed a Ziploc bag that I had taped to the back, pulling hard to remove it. I was astounded that nobody had found it in all this time. I took the phone from the bag. Hoping that it would turn on, I press the button on the side. The phone chimed and the screen lit up but immediately the low battery icon began to flash at me. I plugged the phone in to the USB port on the side of my grandpa's computer. Then I turned my eyes back to the screen quickly finding the contacts and opening them to find a single phone number under the name Superman.
I opened the screen to text messaging and quickly type out,
- I need help. Does your offer still stand?
"How long is that been there?" Ian asked.
"Thirteen years." I answered staring at the phone and waiting for a reply.
It came quickly.
~Absolutely where are you?
-I'm at my grandpa's house just outside the city.
~I know the place. I was on my way home. I can be there in twenty minutes to get you.
-Okay. I'll be waiting.
~Ana, are you in any danger? Are you safe where you are?"
-I'm in grandpa's office. The door is locked and I'm with two of the top guards our family has. I am safe.
~Sit tight. I'm on my way. Don't leave the office until I get there.
"Who are you messaging?" Ian asks
"Promise not to freak out?" I asked.
"I can't promise that."
"Grayson O'Callaghan."
"There's no way I'm letting you leave with him unless I go too."
"Ian." I whine
"Ana." He whines back. "I refuse to let you leave if I don't know you're safe. It's not up for discussion. This is the way it will be or I tell your husband what you're doing."
"Fine. I guess your coming with me." I sighed.