by LC Taylor
“Fuck you.” Enrico pressed his lips together, holding my stare.
“You heard him, Donny, he said finger.”
Donny gripped the pliers, forcing them closed around his digit. Blood spurted out, spraying crimson droplets across Donny’s shirt. Enrico screamed as the metal blades of the tool bit into his flesh, snapping the bone clean. The finger dropped to the floor as blood oozed out across the cement.
“I’ll ask you again.” I grabbed his hair, yanking his head back. “Where is Juan?”
“I can’t tell you,” he moaned.
“Drew,” I called out to one of my guys leaning against the wall. “Bring in his wife.”
“What?” His eyes widened. “No...”
He gasped when Drew came back through the door dragging his wife beside him. She was crying and fighting against Drew’s hold.
“I told you I’d do anything. Now, tell me where I can find Juan, or the next finger that comes off will be hers.”
Drew shoved her into a chair across from him and strapped her down with zip ties. The plastic bit into her flesh, splitting the skin open. He held her arm in his, stretching her fingers out in front of him. Donny moved in front of them and wrapped the plier’s blades around her finger.
“Enrico,” she sobbed, “please, don’t do this. I know nothing.”
“Last chance, Enrico. Where. Is. Juan. Carlos?”
He stayed still, refusing to speak and forcing my hand. I hated to inflict violence on women, but I was desperate. Juan had fucked with my family in more ways than one, and I needed to find and kill him. “Donny.” I nodded toward her hand.
Enrico’s wife screamed out as Donny snipped off her finger, causing Enrico to yell out as his wife’s screams filled the room.
“Stop! Please! No more. I’m so sorry, baby.” Her sobs echoed off the walls as she pleaded for her life. “I’ll tell you, but please leave her alone.”
He began giving us the information we sought. Even places and times Juan was known to show up. Once he’d provided what we needed, I glanced to Donny and nodded.
“Enrico, know your daughter will be taken care of. She’ll be taken to a good foster home.”
“What? Please... I told you everything you asked for.”
Donny pulled out his gun and pressed it to Enrico’s wife’s head. “Your boss shouldn’t have fucked with us, Enrico. You’re a means to an end, I’m afraid.”
The muffled sound of Donny’s bullet caused Enrico to jump. He cried out as his wife’s brain splattered across the cement wall. Her lifeless body slumped to the floor, the chair tipping over with her. Her vacant eyes stared at him, mocking his poor decision. He cried out, turning his head toward me to scream obscenities, seconds before the final bullet took his life.
“Take their bodies and dump them on Juan’s doorstep. I want him to know I’m coming for him.”
Donny nodded toward Drew and the two men began moving Enrico and his wife’s body. I walked out of the room and leaned against the closed door. Even though this was a common part of overseeing the family business, it didn’t get any easier. Taking a life was hard, no matter who you were.
Dusting my hands down my pants, I took a deep breath and climbed the stairs to the main floor. It’s been two weeks since I’d sent Madison to my parents in Italy and she still wouldn’t take my calls. Antonio assured me she was getting better, but I needed to hear her voice to know for myself.
My brother spoke highly of her, making me jealous of their relationship. He’d spent more time with her than I had, making me angrier at Juan Carlos and his gang of assholes. He ensured me she seemed happier. Spending time with him and my sisters seemed to ease some of her worry.
“Boss,” Carlisle greeted me at the bar. “Need a drink?”
“Whiskey. A double.”
He eyed me. “Still haven’t talked to Madison?”
“No.” I threw back the drink he set in front of me. “Antonio assures me he’s been taking care of her, but I won’t believe it until I hear from her own lips.”
“I’m sure Antonio has it under control.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“What do you mean?” Carlisle leaned against the bar. “You don’t think something will happen between them, do you?”
“I don’t know.” I pressed my face into my hands, “No. I know Antonio wouldn’t do that to me. I’m just being stupid.”
“You’re in love with her. It’s understandable.”
“I need this bullshit to end. Juan Carlos will pay for what he’s done.”
“Go call her, Boss.”
I glanced at my watch. “It’s nearly eleven at night there.”
“So, stop making excuses and do it.”
I pushed off the stool and tapped the wood, “You’re right. I’ll be in my office if someone needs me.”
Carlisle was right. I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and demand to talk to her. Antonio couldn’t keep allowing her to ignore me forever.
Chapter 35
Madison
The last two weeks hadn’t been so bad. Antonio had showed me places in Italy that were unimaginable, he even promised me a trip to Venice. Carmela and Celestina had also spent some time with me. I’d learned that they were nearly done with design school and planned on joining Massimo and his brothers in Vegas. They wanted to open their own clothing shop, selling their own designs.
Celestina asked me to come work for them when they got there. Since I would have a business degree, they felt I would be an asset to their master plan.
Glancing at the clock, I yawned. My body had finally adjusted to the time difference, but Antonio and I had spent the day exploring parts of Sicily. We even went swimming at one of the local beaches.
“Are you even watching this movie?” I pressed my toe into his side, causing him to flinch.
During our time together, Antonio and I had become close. He confided in me things only his grandfather knew, making me love him—but like a brother. I shared my past with him and even my feelings for Massimo. He knew I was struggling to accept that love could happen so quickly. I dug my foot into him harder, making him burst out in laughter.
“Oh no, you don’t.”
He lurched toward me, pinning me under the weight of his body. His fingers dug into my sides, causing me to writhe beneath him. I couldn’t control the laughter.
“Stop! Oh my God, Antonio... You're going to make me pee myself.”
His phone vibrating against my thigh caused us both to stop.
“I’ll get it.” I fished in his pocket and pulled it out.
“WHAT. THE. FUCK.”
His voice bellowed through the speaker. I inadvertently answered the call when I grabbed it out of his pants.
“Massimo.” Antonio bolted upright. “It’s not what it looks like.”
The screen went dead, leaving Antonio and I staring at his phone.
“Shit.” Antonio immediately pressed his contact. “He has the wrong idea. This is bad, Madison.”
“Give me the phone. I’ll talk to him.”
“He’s not answering.”
“Give. Me. The. Phone.” I held my hand out.
“It will be ok. I’ll take care of this.”
Standing, I walked to the window as ringing filled my ear. Massimo’s voicemail picked up, forcing me to leave a message.
“Massimo, it’s me. It’s not what you think. Please call me back. I miss you.” Disconnecting the call, I handed Antonio the phone. “He’ll call back. I know he will.” I folded my arms across my chest.
“You don’t know my brother like I do. This is bad. I need to call my father and tell him Massimo is going to be on a war path. Excuse me.”
Antonio left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I scurried over to the desk where my own phone sat charging. I avoided talking to Massimo since arriving in Italy, needing time to sort through my feelings. After hearing the hurt in his voice, I knew without a doubt, that I was in love w
ith him. My heart ached, needing to clear up this misconception.
Pressing the phone to my ear, I waited, hopeful he’d answer me, but it went to voicemail again.
“Please, Massimo. You need to let me explain. I know it looked bad, but it’s not like that with Antonio. He’s like my brother. We’ve gotten close. Don’t be mad. Answer the phone... please. I want to tell you how I feel, but not like this. I love you—I do. I’m sorry I’ve ignored you. I just needed some time. Massimo,” I sighed, “please call me.”
I sent him a text, pleading for him to call me. If I’d seen him like that with another woman, I’d be livid, so I understood his reaction. Sliding the phone into my pocket, I headed to my room. It was closing in on midnight and I had to write my final paper for college. Somehow Massimo had convinced the college to allow a final project submission instead of attending anymore classes. His status in Vegas seemed to pay off in more ways than I could comprehend.
Stripping my clothes off, I tugged on Massimo’s shirt. I wore it to bed every night. After all, it was the only thing I had of his, here in Italy. Antonio had taken me shopping the day after I arrived. That man had more fashion sense than any women I’d ever met.
I glanced at my screen, wishing for a response to appear. He needed to know it wasn’t what he thought. Antonio would never cross that line, not only because he didn’t see me like that, but his loyalty to his family was more important.
His withdrawal from the family and self-loathing attitude stemmed from his fear of acceptance. With his grandfather dying, Antonio felt like he had no one to lean on until me. He was the brother I never had. I just needed Massimo to see that.
By the time I finally closed my eyes, I’d sent nearly a dozen text messages and left almost as many messages. Curling up on myself, I let the tears fall. It wasn’t supposed to end like this, yet that’s how I was feeling.
Like this was over before it had even begun.
I clasped the phone against my chest and let sleep take over me. Morning would come sooner than I wanted, and I feared I would find myself broken-hearted and confused very soon.
Chapter 36
Massimo
I threw the phone across my desk and watched as it bounced off the wooden surface and scatter to the floor at Donny’s feet.
“Everything alright, Boss?” He closed the door behind him.
“No. Everything is not fucking alright. Tell me you’ve found Juan Carlos.”
Donny bent over and picked up my phone. He glanced at the screen, then to me, raising a brow in question.
“You have thirty missed calls.”
“I am aware of how many calls I’ve missed.”
Donny thumbed the screen, “And at least a dozen text messages from Madison. What’s going on, Massimo?”
Donny never called me by my first name, not unless he was playing friend instead of muscle.
Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair, “I called her earlier.”
“Ok, and?”
“It was almost eleven pm her time.”
“What does that have to do with your pissed off demeanor and the missed calls and texts?”
“She must have accidently answered my Facetime. Antonio was on top of her in a compromising position.”
“Antonio would never do anything to betray you. There must be an explanation. Did you ask her or him?”
“No. I hung up and have avoided both of their calls.”
“Massimo, you’re being stupid.”
“Look.” I pushed back from my desk. “I don’t want to talk about it, ok? I need to find Juan Carlos and end this so I can go to Italy. If Madison has fallen for my brother, who is there for her when I can’t be, I’ll have no one to blame but myself. I made her go.”
“Well, I can help you with that. Benito has Juan downstairs.”
“WHAT! How?”
“It looks like Juan is not liked by his followers. It didn’t take long for them to turn on him when they heard you were looking for him. In fact, Miguel Angel is outside to see you. He’s the one who brought him to us.”
I rushed around my desk, pushing past Donny into the hallway. Sitting at the bar was a Hispanic male. He was dressed in a business suit and had an air of class to him. He looked like he belonged in Discoteca. The club was starting to pick up, even though it was only four in the afternoon, he blended in fine.
“Miguel.” I approached him with my hand extended. “I understand you’ve brought me a gift.”
“Mr. Anastasi.” He shook my hand. “Is there somewhere we can speak?”
I led him back to my office. Donny closed the door, cutting us off from any prying ears.
“Why did you bring your boss here?”
“Sir, Juan Carlos has taken a once admired organization and turned it into nothing but thugs. I have stood by and watched the spiral as he turned the Sureños into a shit show. We didn’t agree with his tactics. We have to be able to work together; he didn’t see it that way.”
“Did he call the hit on my girl?”
“Yes. He wanted to teach you a lesson for poking around in our world.”
“And you want something different?”
“Don’t you?” Miguel watched me, waiting for my reaction.
“I do. What do you have in mind?”
“You take care of Juan Carlos and we will return your guns. In addition, I’d like to form an alliance of sorts.”
I scoffed. “An alliance?”
“Yes. We must coexist. There is no reason we can’t. I understand you own Vegas; I only ask for freedom to do business here. You’d get a cut, of course, but the biggest benefit is we’d keep others out of here. Your businesses would be protected.”
“How do I know you’ll honor this alliance?”
“You don’t. I can only give you my word.”
I mulled over his words, “And no one is going to dispute your rise in leadership? No others want his place?”
“His demise has been in the works behind the scenes for some time. You only made it happen faster.”
“Do you mind waiting at the bar? I need to call my brother. While I am the head of the family, I prefer to discuss matters with my siblings as it affects them, too. Donny will show you out. Have a drink or two on me.”
“No problem.”
Donny escorted him out the door and closed it behind them. This was huge. If we worked out an alliance with the Sureños, it could open more business for the family.
“Massimo,” Vincenzo’s voice filled the line.
“Vin...” I took a breath. “We have Juan Carlos.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He disconnected the call, causing me to smile. I knew he wouldn’t just leave me to deal with him alone. Staring at my phone, I knew I needed to call Antonio. It would be close to one in the morning in Italy, but he’d want to know the update.
“I thought you’d never call me.” His voice was rough, telling me I’d woken him. “Look Massimo, it’s not what you...”
“I didn’t call for that,” I cut him off. “We have Juan Carlos. It looks like he wasn’t liked by his own people and they’ve brought him to us. The thing is they want an alliance with us.”
“What?” I heard his bed squeak, making me wonder if Madison was with him.
“Are you alone?” I bit out.
“What the fuck? You seriously think I’d do something like that to you? That woman loves you, Brother. Get over yourself. If you think I’d be so low to fuck someone you love, you don’t need my opinion on anything.”
The line went dead, leaving me stunned. He was right. Blood was always thicker than water. He’d never turn his back on me or betray me like that. Tossing my phone to my desk, I rested my elbows on the wood and rested my head in my hands. I stayed like that until Vincenzo found me.
“Fuck, Brother.” He slammed the door. “I thought you’d be happier right now.”
“I fucked up.”
“Fucked up? I though you said you had Juan Carlos.”
“I do... it’s not that. I fucked up with Antonio, and Madison.”
“What? I’m lost.” He plopped down in the chair across from me. “Am I correct in assuming the well-dressed Hispanic at your bar is involved?”
“Yeah, that’s Miguel Angel. The upcoming leader of the Sureños. He brought us Juan in exchange for an alliance.”
“Alliance, huh?” Vincenzo leaned back in the chair.
“Yeah, what do you think?”
“Can we trust him?”
“No, not yet, but an alliance will open more doors for the family.”
“Then do it. Now, what did you fuck up with Antonio?”
“I called him earlier, wanting to talk to Madison. The phone was answered on accident and he was on top of her. I assumed the worst and hung up. When I just called him, he went off on me. He said if I thought that lowly of him, I didn’t need to involve him in family business.”
“Fuck, Massimo you know he is more sensitive that you and me. I don’t know why he has such low self-esteem, but whatever it is, it has him constantly battling to fit in. You know he wouldn’t do that!” Vincenzo’s voice rose an octave. “You need to go to Italy and fix this.”
“First, we deal with Juan Carlos and Miguel.”
“No.” Vincenzo stood up. “I’ll take care of Juan Carlos. You go and get the girl and fix this fuck-up with Antonio. His whole world is about to crash down when Grandfather goes. He needs us—both of us.”
I glanced at my watch. It would take me eleven hours if we didn’t make any stops, putting me there at about two in the afternoon.
“You sure?”
“Yes. Go. Madison keeps you calm. You need her just as much as she needs you. Antonio, too.”
I patted his shoulder and pulled the door open. “Let’s go tell Miguel we have a deal.”
Chapter 37
Massimo
I didn’t get to leave as soon as I wanted. Investigator Holden from the DA’s office showed up with more questions about Allison Stanley’s death in the alley near the club. He suspected it was a robbery gone wrong, but needed to see if we had seen her recently. Once we convinced him it had nothing to do with the club, I made an appearance where we were holding Juan Carlos.