Untamed (Omertà Book 2)

by Anna Widzisz

  "Let’s say that you are telling the truth for a minute. How come we saw her get shot by your own fucking father?" Drew didn’t let it go that easily.

  The Capo rolled his eyes. "Lynette was born into this world and over the years she picked up on a couple of things. One of them was to always have an escape plan. That’s why she made a deal with her uncle. He was to shoot her and then make it look like she’d died. Everyone needed to see her die to avoid any suspicion. However, Emilio didn’t get there in time to do the actual shooting and somehow my father took advantage of his last opportunity, not knowing he was, in reality, doing her a favor. Well, as much of a favor as that could be, seeing as the wound was really bad," he explained before continuing. "I didn’t know about the deal at the time. And quite frankly, I wasn’t supposed to ever find out. But Emilio wasn’t able to provide her with everything she needed to get away. The FBI was still looking at their Famiglia because of Severo’s arrest. So, he had no other choice but to tell me and we both did all we could to help Lynette. For the last four years, we were the only ones who knew. Until now, that is."

  The words were ringing in Drew’s head. It was too much for him to process at once. One second he thought that Lynette was dead, the next she appeared in his mind all smiling, happy, and far away from the underworld. And from him as well. He didn’t know what to think anymore.

  "Wait, so why are you telling us this now? I thought the fewer people knew, the safer Lynette was," Inéz asked, trying to figure out Noah’s true intentions, especially when he’d been so cautious with the information before. Truthfully speaking, she’d rather not know than make it harder for the girl. She’d suffered enough.

  "Well, I believe that more dangerous people have found out. Bratva. I’m praying I’m wrong, but she might be in huge trouble and I need to find her. However, I can’t trust any of my soldiers to help me with this one. And I thought Isaac could aid me in tracking her down."

  "But you gave her a new passport. Can’t you use it to find her? I mean how hard can it be for you to search for her name through some databases? Aren’t you used to doing such things?"

  Henderson was done with illegal stuff because it was what had got him into this mess in the first place. After Lynette’s supposed death, he didn’t dare to make as much as a fake ID for his friends for money.

  Noah rolled his eyes, tired of being senselessly questioned. It wasn’t getting them anywhere. They were treating him like he was a fool, who was not able to work with the resources that came with being Capo dei capi. As if he hadn’t thought of every other possible alternative to find Lynette before coming to them. There were many things he would rather do, but he was out of options.

  He growled. "For fuck’s sake do you really think I would be standing here telling you all this if I could find her on my own? The passport was temporary so she could leave without problems, but as soon as she was in Europe, she had to ditch it and find a way to get a new one. She contacted me a few times, however, she couldn’t say anything about her whereabouts or personal information. And it’s been over eight months since the last time I spoke to her. Way too long. I got a letter that might concern her, and if so, I’m afraid she is in huge trouble."

  Falcone reached for his briefcase, put it on the table and opened it for all three to see what was inside. There was a small red box. Inéz took it only to see a diamond ring. It wasn’t what she’d expected.

  "It’s the ring I gave Lynette at our engagement party. She must have taken it with her for God knows what reason," he explained.

  Beside it, there was a piece of paper saying.

  ES1D-MC2W-AT1W-HU2M-PL6M-NL1Y-BE6M-GB1.5Y

  конец

  "I tried to figure out what those letters and numbers meant for a long time until I finally cracked it. If I’m not mistaken it is Spain - one day, Monaco - two weeks, Austria - one week, Hungary - two months, Poland - six months, Netherlands - one year, Belgium - six months and Great Britain - one and a half year. Those might have been the locations where Lynette stayed and how long she was there. But if I am correct, it means she has been followed since she came to Europe, and the last three months are unaccounted for."

  "What does this word at the bottom mean?" asked Drew, slowly coming to terms with the fact that maybe Noah wasn’t lying after all. However, he had mixed feelings about it, not sure whether to be happy or not. Lynette was alive, but she was missing.

  "It’s a Russian word that translates to end."

  "That’s why you think it’s the Bratva that has something to do with her disappearance?"

  Noah nodded. "Exactly. There’s no one else with the means to track Lynette besides someone in the mafia and there isn’t another mafia that would use Russian. Surprisingly, I would have thought it was going to be the Triad to go after her. The Seattle Famiglia has always had problems with them. And as the daughter of a former Capo dei capi, and a niece of the current one, she could easily become their target."

  "Then why the Bratva?"

  "Your guess is as good as mine. All Cosa Nostra struggles with them. Ever since I moved half of my organization to Las Vegas, so have I. They want to be the only ones holding the power, and they don’t care about making alliances with anyone. I tried to reason with them, but all they know and respond to is war."

  Isaac didn’t have to be told twice. He took his laptop, ready to somehow try tracking Lynette down before it was too late. If Noah Falcone, one of the most dangerous Capos in the world, said that the Bratva was bad news, then it had to be true.

  "Slow down. You can’t search for her right now," said Noah, taking the computer from Henderson.

  "Why not? The sooner he starts, the better." Drew backed his best friend up.

  If there was a possibility to find the girl he loved, he couldn’t bear to wait any longer. Every precious second counted.

  "Because as soon as you type in anything remotely connected with Lynette, it will be known to others that she might be alive. You knew her so that means you are probably being monitored. We will never find her then," he explained. "Besides, you cannot possibly think it’s that easy to work with me. I would be all kinds of stupid to just waltz in here, tell you all this and start working with you to find Lynette as if I trusted you. Fuck no."

  There were certain rules to follow in the underworld if their dealings were supposed to be in any way successful. Noah wouldn’t be in his position if he weren’t careful. He couldn’t ignore the slight possibility of being watched, especially when so many people hated him. They wouldn’t hesitate to cause him trouble, or even worse, kill him. People waited for him to fail. They expected it. But he was nowhere near willing to give them the satisfaction of being right.

  CHAPTER 3

  He was sitting behind the table, playing with a lighter, growing impatient with the lack of punctuality. Noah had never been one to be kept waiting for anything. And standing beside him was his younger brother, Flavio, who’d come to Seattle for a couple of days, and knew that perfectly well. He was watching his brother cautiously as if he was about to snap at any moment. His back was leaning against the wall, face showing no emotions, unlike his Capo’s.

  He sighed loudly, shaking his head. "Fuck, this is one hell of a bad idea. You do realize that, right?" Flavio asked, checking the time once more.

  "It’s not like I have any other choice. I can hardly call up all my captains and tell them to watch the Bratva, and see whether they have Lynette or not. One wrong move and she will be as good as dead."

  "So? Let her. It’s not like she deserves anything more from you." He growled, rolling his eyes.

  Flavio was pissing him off with his disapproval. Normally, he was more agreeable and supportive. But not when it came to Lynette. The lack of empathy towards the girl was no surprise. He didn’t know her well enough, as they’d met when he was still a kid, uninterested in the mafia business. So to him, Lynette only meant trouble for the Famiglia. He didn’t find it logical to look for her. It was enough that Noah had g
iven her money and a new identity so she could disappear. She didn’t deserve more. If he were honest, she hadn’t even deserved that.

  But for some reason, his older brother felt some unexplainable sense of responsibility towards Lynette. Whatever that actually was, it was enough to decide to ensure her safety. He had a plan which, for the very first time, his Underboss was not a part of. No matter how many times he had asked, no answer had been given.

  "You are getting on my nerves, brother."

  "It’s not that hard. After all, you’re anything but an oasis of calm," he murmured, pushing away from the wall, getting closer to the table.

  There was a hard knock on the door. Drew, Isaac, and Inéz came into the room. They looked uneasy, which was nothing new for the Falcone men to see. This wasn’t a visit to enjoy a cup of tea and make small talk. What was more, they had actually walked into the lion’s den.

  Noah’s eyes moved immediately to the girl. She was right behind the guys, looking annoyed with something, which made the corners of his lips lift into a small smile. Inéz was one hell of a tough woman and judging by her reaction to seeing him again, she was the only one confident enough about what she was doing there.

  "You’re late. Haven’t they taught you to be on time in school?" asked Noah, however, he wasn’t as mad about it as he usually would be. Maybe it was because his brother had already pissed him off enough minutes ago.

  He pointed to the table he was sitting behind. It was a big mahogany one with twelve chairs around it. All three of them sat down at the other end of the table, not wanting to get closer to Noah. They didn’t trust him. All they saw was an arrogant mafia boss hiding behind a ruthless face and a confident act.

  Flavio grunted, shifting slightly when he saw his brother’s gaze linger too long on the girl. This only made the Capo more exasperated with his Underboss. As much as he cared about him, he would imagine ripping his head off from time to time, only to perhaps saw it back on after he’d calmed down.

  Isaac looked at the younger man, and judging by the terrified look on his face, he was on the verge of running away. Still far from accepting who the Falcone men were. To think that a couple of years ago he’d acted the same with Lynette. Being told time and time again about her possible mafia connections, he’d had no other way but to be cautious around her.

  "Don’t mind my brother. He is rarely in the mood to attend meetings."

  Noah’s voice was calm but radiated the dominance that Flavio was supposed to pick up on. He was the boss, not the other way around. And brother or not, he still had to respect him and follow the rules.

  His rules.

  "I would be if it wasn’t in the name of this stupid girl." He really did hate Lynette.

  Drew’s eyes froze on the man, mad at the way Flavio was speaking about her. The Capo stood up, turning his head to look at his brother. But there was no anger in his eyes. He sighed at the words that came out of his mouth. Noah had never had any real feelings towards Lynette and he couldn’t imagine what would have happened if the marriage had occurred. She was the last girl he would see as more than a one-night stand. It had always been strictly about business for him.

  Upon seeing the calm on his older brother’s face, the Underboss gave up on trying to reason with him. He leaned back against the wall once more, carefully observing the people in the room.

  "What are we doing here? What is so important that we needed to discuss it before searching for Lyn? She’s still out there, probably scared out of her mind."

  They heard a laugh escape Noah’s lips. "I can assure you that she’s anything but scared. She has seen too many horrifying things to let fear control her ever again."

  "You would know, wouldn’t you?"

  It was Inéz who bravely confronted him.

  Flavio thought of it as a foolish act which could have a steep price - her life - if Noah snapped.

  "Believe me, Inéz, that as much as I admire your dedication when it comes to your friends, it won’t save you if you use that tone with me one more fucking time," the Capo groaned.

  If it had been a man speaking to him like that, he would be crawling on the ground, begging and bleeding by now. But since she was a woman, he gave her the chance to reconsider her behavior. Some mafia families might go easy on women, but his wasn’t one to do that. Woman or not, they would pay for their wrongdoings if necessary. With either body or blood. It didn’t matter to Noah either way.

  Inéz must have realized how shaky the ground she was walking on was. Seeing Noah’s piercing eyes, imminent danger gleaming in them, she knew he wouldn’t hold back on her. Yet for some reason, his behavior turned her on more than terrified her. She bit her lower lip.

  "You can’t help me if you’re not among my people. No matter the cause." Noah said simply resting his hands against the table. "I’m usually not one to grant an outsider a position, but I am willing to make an exception."

  They didn’t know how to react to his words. They weren’t what they had been expecting.

  "You want us to become Made Men?" asked Drew carefully, unable to take his eyes off him. The shock on his face was clear as day.

  "Yes,"

  "Why?"

  "I can hardly show you my line of work, if you will go blab it out to your father, an FBI agent, nonetheless. And as it turns out, I need a new hacker to work for me. The last one got laid off," his eyes questioningly rested on Isaac.

  No one in their right state of mind would actually believe that someone could be simply laid off in the underworld. It was simply the euphemism to getting killed, or, knowing Noah, slaughtered, for doing something wrong.

  Noah reached out for the file that lay on the shelf behind him. With one fluid movement, he sent the file across the table and into Isaac’s hands. He took it and looked through the papers. His face fell with every other word he read.

  "An impressive client portfolio. And an even more impressive rap sheet if you ask me. It’s just one call away from seeing the light of day," he smirked at Isaac, triumph written all over his face.

  "So you threaten us to get your way? What kind of person are you?" asked Inéz with disgust.

  She still didn’t understand what kind of organization the mafia was.

  "The worst one you will ever meet, cara," he winked at her. "And that was only for Isaac to see that I have reached all the people he has ever done a favor for. They were really forthcoming with information after a brief meeting with one of my Enforcers."

  "Yes, so Isaac might be in a shitty position right now, but you have nothing on me," she was once more annoying him.

  "Do I really need to start researching your whole life? Because I am fairly sure that there will be something for me to find. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to betray and abandon your friends. That’s enough for me. It’s not like I am going to make you one of my soldiers. Women have no place among my men."

  The words were mainly meant to heat things up. Noah was many things but a chauvinist wasn’t one, and he knew what kind of part many women played in his soldiers' lives. They pulled the strings from behind the curtains.

  Inéz opened her mouth with a gasp. Noah knew her better than she would ever admit. She was faithful, loved Drew and Isaac as much as she did her own brother and she would risk her life for them. She could thank God that the Capo still couldn’t read minds, because he would find out that the life he led excited her more than it should. It was her darkest secret.

  "I believe there’s no use explaining why Ryder will agree to become my man."

  As much as Drew hated the mafia, he would do anything for Lynette. Even if his father was chasing the very same organization he would become a part of. That was the most ironic part of the deal. Mark Ryder, as an FBI agent, was after criminals and Noah had every intention of making his son one as well. Putting to the test the father’s love for his child. Such situations were what the Capo lived for. He was getting off just by thinking about it.

  Twisted fucker, that’s who he was.r />
  Silence fell over them. Noah had won this round.

  "I will take that as an agreement. My brother will contact you with further information after we have arranged all the details. You will train with my men and become my soldiers soon after. I trust you will give it your all and learn as quickly as possible. We can’t wait forever, hoping the Bratva won’t kill Lynette. That is, of course, if they even have her, to begin with," he said, pushing his hands off the table. "Do you have any questions?"

  Inéz nodded her head.

  Noah had known from the start that she would have more than one question. She was too noisy for her own sake sometimes. He challengingly looked at her, waving for her to ask.

  "Why are you helping Lynette? Did you really care about her that much?" Noah couldn’t figure out if she asked out of curiosity or slight jealousy.

  "I don’t care about anyone, cara. Don’t mistake my actions for anything other than business. The Bratva has been stepping on my toes for years now. I have no intention of letting them get any farther than they already have."

  It was true but not entirely.

  Flavio knew that somehow, in his own way, his older brother had cared about Lynette. But he didn’t say anything.

  "So you plan on marrying her after that?" Inéz thought of his business as a marriage. He laughed.

  "No, cara. I am a possessive man, but Lynette was never mine, to begin with," his eyes focused on Drew once more. "She’s not my type anyway. If it wasn’t for my father, Lynette would have never been my choice. She got on my last nerves way more than I enjoyed."

  "Then what are you planning on doing with her?" Drew was getting impatient because the man played it nicely bouncing back the answers. They weren’t as straight as he’d like them to be.

  "That’s my business, Ryder. You must simply focus on becoming a great soldier. And perhaps Lynette will be yours afterwards."

  That was what Drew had wanted to hear all along. That there was a way for them to be together as he’d always dreamed of. Because of those words, he swore to himself that as much as he hated the mafia, he would become the best man Noah had ever had. If it meant he could have Lynette, there wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do.