by Shanna Bell
“I made my way back to Franco. I told him about the girl, but he didn’t care. Said that I was losing it. But for a second there, I could see the fear in his eyes. The next day, I called the police, but they never found anything.” Franco, however, had found something. He’d found out about her anonymous tip, and made her pay for it.
Tess reached out her hand to her. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Car Car, but why did you stay with that abusive douchebag?”
She’d known this question was coming.
“You don’t have to answer that.” Tess made a face. “So much for working on my people skills instead of blabbing everything out.”
“I like your blabbermouth. It’s refreshing.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t think my story is all that different from those of other women in an abusive relationship. Franco simply threatened to murder me and my sister if I ever left him. I didn’t care about him threatening to hurt me. Every day with him was like dying, after all, but I couldn’t let him hurt Jazzy. So, I hid my pain from her. I knew she would figure out why I put up with him if she ever saw my bruises. It wasn’t until she met Gio that I felt like my sister was safe from Franco’s reach.”
“And now you want to locate this girl.”
“Yes.” She wondered if the spirited little girl was even still alive. “She might be someone’s sister too. Someone’s daughter. I couldn’t find her back then, but I’m hoping with your help, I will now.”
Tess gave a salute, determination set in her eyes. “Consider it done.”
***
After saying goodbye to Tess, she left the market, feeling much better. There wasn’t anything she could do about Dwight, or the pictures, but she could try her best to find Marni.
She was still thinking of the girl, and if there was anything else she could remember to help find her, when screeching tires drew her attention.
A man dashed out of a black minivan, while another one stayed at the wheel. Carmen froze. Then, she ran. Her fingers trembled as she pulled her can of spray out of her bag. She ran as if her life depended on it. Unfortunately, she hadn’t paid attention to where she headed off to, because she ended in a dead-end alley, without anyone in sight. Something caught her hair and flung her against a wall.
When she crawled back up, she stared into a pimpled face, as pink as a pig’s. “Don’t you run now, little rabbit,” he said with an Irish brogue. “Too late for that.”
“Let go of me!”
“No can do. See, the boss wants to see you. Now.”
“I still have a few hours before Keegan’s deadline,” she reminded him.
“That was before Morelli paid you a visit. The boss figured that he needs to protect his investment.”
“Of course he did,” she said through gritted teeth.
His greedy, little eyes roamed over her, making her ill in the stomach.
“Your choice, Mrs. Caruso. Either you become Mrs. Keegan or you become dealer’s choice. If you get what I’m saying.”
Sadly, she did. “Fine. I will go with you.”
“I thought you might.” He let go of her throat and stepped back. There was a confident strut in his step as he turned to head back toward the van, expecting her to follow after him as if she were an obedient dog. Like all men, he underestimated her.
The second he looked back at her, she sprayed him in the face.
Porky’s hands flew to his eyes. “You damn bitch!”
She grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on. A broken umbrella stuck out of a garbage container. She smacked him in the face with it. Her stomach turned when she saw a spike had entered his cheek. There was no time to think about that though.
Her flight mode kicked in once again, making her run for her life. Not until she was back in the Ferry building, surrounded by a sea of people, did she feel safe. The adrenaline left her body and she slumped against the wall behind a food stall.
As much as she hated to admit it, Vince was right. Her time was up, her back against the proverbial wall.
She sent Tess a message, explaining what she needed from her, and waited until she got the location she’d asked for. Then she took a cab, contemplating her bleak future.
Once again, she was left to the mercy of a man. No, not a man, two men. One of them had already betrayed her once. The other? She didn’t know a single thing about him other than he had a cold gaze. A coldness that could surely turn into a raging madness in a split-second. Just as it had with Franco.
She was doomed.
CHAPTER 6
SY
Sy entered Kristoff’s headquarters, or “the War room” as they had dubbed the place, at the wharf. From the outside, it looked like a simple brownstone, not exactly a hideout of San Francisco’s kingpin, the biggest arms dealer in the west.
The inner circle of the Bloody Ones—Kristoff, Viking, and the twins—were already inside. His brother had told him how the four had met. Over the years, their story had taken myth-like proportions. One thing Sy had remembered though was that there had to flow blood before a new, unlikely alliance could form. The four had bled for each other, taken an oath, and had been together in the business ever since. Their life was a hard one at times. What people forgot was that anyone with enough determination could conquer a throne. The hardest part was keeping it. Every day was a fight. And no one fought harder or more vicious than the Bloody Ones.
Damon pushed a chair toward him and handed him a beer.
“You came.”
Sy shrugged. Of course he came. Where else would he be on this day?
He greeted his brother sitting across from him. Judging by Viking’s mean look, he was already halfway to being shit-faced. In the background, Etta James’ “All I could do was Cry” played. Sy knew the song was on repeat and would stay that way until his brother passed out.
“What do you boys know about love?” Viking slurred.
Here we go. Sy sighed, uncapped his beer bottle, and took a pull.
Once a year, Viking put on this song, the music of pain, and got wasted. His normally highly controlled brother, lost it on the first of November. And all over a woman: his childhood sweetheart, Elena Morelli. The woman who had betrayed him sixteen years ago. Ever since, on Elena’s wedding day, they gathered together.
“You guys know nothing,” Viking lisped. “You ever saw your woman walk around town with another man? Heard her promise him ‘till death do us part’? Held a gun pointed at her treacherous heart when leaving the church dressed in white? Wanted to pull that trigger with every fiber of your being? Then stopped because you’ve promised a punk ass kid that you wouldn’t end up in jail.”
The last part was new to Sy.
“I think he means you,” Angel mock whispered to Kristoff, saluting him with his Corona.
Their fearless leader had his eyes narrowed on his brother. He didn’t speak a word though.
Viking slammed his empty glass on the table. “I should’ve ended them right there and then. Should’ve thrown bullets over their heads instead of rice.”
“Women. What can you do?” Angel chimed in. “We’ve got one who’s fled us after losing a bet. Fickle, wicked creatures.”
“Fucking fickle,” Damon added.
Sy had heard of the twins’ trouble with some hacker who’d promised to spend the night with them if they helped her out. Of course, like all women, she’d broken her promise and fled before they could get their hands on her. Lord have mercy on her when they did, ’cause they sure wouldn’t.
“You two know fucking shit,” Viking growled. “Every time I see her, I die a little more. Every fucking year, I hate her more and more. It’s endless. An endless hate. I dream about it,” he whispered. “Riding to that fucker’s house, killin’ everyone, going out with a bang.” He made an exploding sound.
Sy knew Viking wouldn’t remember a word of this the next day. For some reason, that made him even more sad for his brother.
“I hate her,” Viking continued. “I
hate her so fucking much.”
Damon refilled his glass. “If only that were true, big guy.”
“I hate you, Elena. I hate you!” Viking threw his glass against the wall.
“And there goes glass number three,” Angel said with a sigh.
This went on for another hour. And another one. And another. It was close to midnight when Angel’s phone went off.
“Well, look at that,” he said as he watched the screen. “Looks like we got a visitor. The lovely Carmen Caruso.”
Hell. Just hearing her name made him want to do filthy things to her. He knew what Vince had proposed to her. He also knew she’d shoved it right back at his face, as expected.
Angel got up, sporting a big ass smile. “Come pretty, little fly, right into my…”
Sy shook his head. “Not happening. She’s here for me.”
This had all eyes turn to him. Angel cocked a bow. “You’re claiming her?”
“For now.”
Damon looked at Viking, who was slouched over in his chair. “Good thinking. You’d be crazy to claim one for life.”
“Don’t I know it,” Sy agreed and walked toward the door. Now what would sweet, little Carmen have for business here?
Vince was adamant about protecting her. He’d stated she was supposed to be their guest, not their sub, which Sy found a stupid arrangement. He knew himself. There was no way he was living underneath one roof with that bouncy ass and not tapping it. And what he wanted, he always got.
Same went for Vince, and he didn’t get why his friend was pussyfooting around this one. Women were all the same, with the exception of Katya, of course. No woman was like the niece of his heart. Other than her, they basically served one purpose—to cook, clean, and get fucked.
On his way through the hallway, his phone rang. When he saw it was his mother, he let it go to voicemail. Not today, of all days.
As Angel had said, Carmen stood on their doorstep. Her face was pale, making her dark curls look even darker.
“How did you find this place?”
A blush appeared on her cheeks. “I… um, had some help from a friend. She located your phone.”
Of course. Tessa Gibson. Who else would dare to hack into systems to determine his whereabouts. Carmen must be really desperate if she’d gone to these measures to track him down.
He went back inside, toward a room where they could talk in private. On their way over, they passed the round table. His brother was on his ninth drink and threw another glass against the wall.
“Is he okay?” she asked, watching Viking from the corner of her eye.
He was about to tell her Viking would be fine, that it was just a phase, when he reconsidered. It was the perfect story. This way, if she accepted their proposal after all, she would know exactly what she was getting herself into. He had to toughen her up, because she reminded him of this abused pup he’d once saved. The little ball of fur had been terrified of any human contact at first. So much so that it would have rather starved than take food from his hand.
Little by little, he’d drawn him out though. Patience was the key. It was his best, and perhaps only, redeeming quality. No one could out-patience him. He could wait for his mark for days, no matter the circumstances. He’d wait for Carmen too. Until she was used to his presence. Until her body yielded to him. Then, and only when he got his fill, he’d let her go.
“No, Carmen, my brother’s not okay.”
She blinked, then connected the dots. “Of course. I should have seen the resemblance.”
Yeah, they were both tall, bulky, and had blond, almost white shoulder-length hair. “That’s only skin deep, doll. See, one day a year, my brother wallows in misery for the woman who betrayed him. Elena fucking Morelli.”
Her eyes grew. “I assume she’s related to the same Morelli that has been pestering me about my casinos.”
“She’s the wife of the one and only bastard. Back in the day, Morelli and Viking were upcoming in the game, both making a name for themselves. Then, one day, the day after my brother was released from custody, Elena marries Morelli. See, I would have killed them both. Expected my brother to do the same. We went up to this little church and took a place on the rooftop across the street.” He didn’t tell her that for a sniper with his set of skills, it was hardly a challenge. “She betrayed my brother, so I was going to snipe her. Simple. But Viking called the hit off.” To this day, Sy still didn’t understand.
“He showed mercy,” she said softly.
His brother hadn’t shown mercy to anyone, ever before. When Sy had kept his rifle pointed at Elena—figuring his brother would come to his senses—Viking almost broke his face. Sheer. Fucking. Madness.
He pointed toward the room where his brother sat. “That man over there is the strongest man I know. Yet, that one day, he showed mercy, which is a sign of weakness.” He looked her dead in the eye. “Never mistake me for my brother. I got a feeling that I know why you’re here. So, I’m gonna tell you how it is. Vince is the nice one. Me? I will take you out if you ever betray me.”
A faint smile colored her lips. “Funny. How you think you are so different from your brother. Sometimes killing someone is an act of mercy. Over the years, I’ve wished many times that Franco would just get it over with. See, I’m too weak, or too strong—depends on how you see it—to end my life. I figured that God has a plan with me, like he does with everyone. It’s up to me to make something of my life despite of the people I have to deal with. The night Franco died, I vowed I will never surrender to a man again.” She pricked a dainty finger in his chest, surprising him. “So, let me tell you how it is as well. Just because I’m desperate enough to accept your protection doesn’t mean I’m going to knuckle under.”
And just like that, she gained his respect. Maybe she wasn’t a scared little ankle biter after all. Didn’t mean he wasn’t right on the reason for her being here part though.
“Why are you here?”
“Keegan’s men almost abducted me in broad daylight.” Her eyes cast down, looking a tad ashamed. “I’ve put my friend in danger. I can’t stop thinking about what might have happened if they tried to do that while Tess was there…”
Touching Luca Detta’s woman would have started a war.
“You came to me instead of going to Vince. Why?” They both knew why. He just wanted her to admit it.
“Does it really matter?”
He hated it when his question got answered with a damn question. “Let’s get something straight. I’m not Vince. I don’t do the nice talk, trying to get you all comfortable. I say it as I see and don’t like you being all evasive on me.”
“And what is it that you see?”
Trying to hold her ground. Nice. Futile, but still a nice effort.
He stepped into her space, until she had her back against the wall. Her pupils widened and he could see a vein pulsing in her neck. He wanted to suck on it, make it go even faster. It wasn’t the only place he wanted to wet with his tongue.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“Yes.” Her voice was soft. He had expected her to lie, but she surprised him.
“Then why are you here? When Vince isn’t here as a buffer? ’Cause that’s the way he sold it to you, didn’t he? That you would be ours, but he’d be there all the time. That he’d make sure you’d be safe. I bet he didn’t mention me, but I’m sure you saw it as being safe from me as well.” Whenever Vince found a sub to share, their roles were clear, as if painted on them. The women sought comfort with Vince. Sy was just the stud who liked to fuck hard. Carmen coming to him first was unusual.
She looked into his eyes for the longest time. It made him feel oddly unsettled.
“Vince said no such thing,” she said. “He told me that you would be on board with this and made it clear that it was a two-for-one deal. I refused. Obviously, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Why are you here, Carmen? Why not go to the apartment where Vince wants to stash you?”
A
frown marred her face. “I need to understand why you agree to this. Why you would make yourself a target for a woman you barely know. It feels as if I’m missing something. I can’t live waiting for the proverbial ax to drop. I need to know what you get out of this.”
“Ain’t it obvious? I get to fuck you.”
She hastily stepped back. “No. Vince said I don’t have to do anything I—”
“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes and tightened his biceps. “But can you resist this? I doubt it. See, the question isn’t if we’re gonna fuck but when.” His thumb brushed over her bottom lip, making her quiver. He couldn’t help but grin.
“That doesn’t mean anything. It’s just cold in here.”
“Really? Is that why your nipples are so hard?”
When she felt at a loss for words, he took pity on her. “I want your casinos,” he said.
She looked visibly relieved, and he knew he’d made the right choice. He didn’t give a shit about the casinos, other than sticking it to Morelli, but he told her what she needed to hear. Anything to get her where he wanted her—underneath him, on top, before him and behind, and, of course, between him and Vince.
“Won’t you get in trouble for taking over my casinos?”
She sounded worried. Even when trying to save her hide, she was worried about others. About a perfect stranger who had nearly choked her. Which was exactly why this world would chew her up and spit her out.
“I’m not going to be the one operating them.” The casinos were going to be a target. They needed a strong man to take them over. Viking was just the man for the job. Unlike him, his brother didn’t operate in the shadows, he was the fucking shadow. Carmen nibbled on her bottom lip, still looking uneasy. Then, for some reason, he added, “They’ll be handed over to someone who can handle both Morelli and Keegan. Someone who's been looking for an excuse to destroy them.”
She looked past his shoulder, into the adjoining room. “Your brother,” she guessed.
“That’s right. My brother, Viking.”