Untamed (Omertà Book 2)

by Anna Widzisz

  "What made your dumb ass come to Las Vegas, Ivo?"

  That was an important question since the man could have easily found out that the Famiglia was looking for him. After four years spent in hiding, he’d decided to come out and none of them knew why exactly.

  Ivo slowly rose to a sitting position, grunting from the pain of the broken ribs and bleeding cuts peppering his entire body. He looked straight out of a horror movie. Inéz held her breath, paralyzed. She stayed in the back of the room, near the door, prepared to go out if it ever became too much for her. And she could see herself doing just that soon enough.

  Pitiful sobs filled the room. Even the life-long mobster was afraid of Noah. "I have something to offer you in exchange for my freedom."

  The Capo laughed loudly at the words. He wasn’t the forgiving type, and someone who had known him for years, as Ivo had, should know that by now. Even Inéz hadn’t needed a lot of time to find out.

  "You have nothing that could make me pardon you. So, I ask again why did you come here? I thought that I would be flying out to the Maldives or some exotic paradise to get you by now. Shame. I wouldn’t mind a holiday." he sighed, but the satisfaction on his face was still there. He was imagining ripping the man inside-out with his knife.

  "I know something about the attack on your restaurant in Seattle. It’s crucial for you to know it, believe me."

  The man raised his eyebrow, watching Ivo carefully. "Believe you? What makes you think I will believe anything you say?"

  Another sob came out of the man’s lips. "Because you’re a man of reason and honor. Just as your father raised you to be."

  That was the last straw for Noah. He pulled out his knife, throwing it in the man’s arm earning a blood-curling scream. Swiftly, he grabbed the handle but didn’t take it out, as Inéz believed he would. It would make Ivo suffer less before dying. And Noah had no intention of allowing that to happen. But he would lull the man into a safe sense of security that the information he had would let him leave the building alive. Playing with his prey’s mind. One of his favorites.

  "You might torture me, but it won’t change what I know. I have spent a lot of time in New York and I am familiar with their business." He squealed with agony.

  It made Noah look at Nicodemo. The Enforcer thinned his lips. It was the first time Ivo had said anything about being in New York and having important information. Falcone was at war with their boss because of the attack and couldn’t afford not to hear him out. No matter how much he desired to kill him.

  "What do you know, Ivo? And make it worth my time." He grunted pulling man’s head back by the handful of strands he still had.

  A whimper echoed in the room. "I need your word first. I want your pardon."

  "Well, I can give you one thing and one thing only, a transfusion every time I spill more of your blood so you don’t die too quickly on me. How does that sound?" he asked, smirking.

  Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled out the car keys and threw them to Nicodemo. The enforcer nodded slightly and slipped out of the bedroom to bring the transfusion bags. The night had just prolonged itself.

  Inéz shifted making the floor squeal under her weight. Noah looked at her curiously and mentioned for the girl to come closer.

  "New toy for a day, Noah?" asked Ivo, taking in the sight of the girl. Desire flashed in his eyes and it didn’t slip Noah’s attention.

  "Actually, I’m thinking of giving her a go at torturing you," he explained and shock made its way to Ivo’s eyes at that. Inéz hadn’t been expecting it either.

  It made no sense to let the girl not only see someone being tortured but also allowing her to become a torturer.

  "You were always too fascinated by women’s presence in the mafia. That’s why Marco never even considered making you a part of the Selvaggio girl’s destruction. You would have probably introduced this Lynette whore to the business if you were to marry her. If she wasn’t already dead," he spat out with disgust.

  For men like Ivo, a woman’s place was either in bed or in the kitchen. Far away from the mafia’s business.

  Another knife landed in the man’s other arm. The agony was too real to be a dream. However, Boveri certainly hoped for it.

  Inéz wondered whether the boss’s move was because of the words against Lynette or against his own way of leading the mafia. It was most likely the second one. Too proud to allow someone to question his leadership.

  "Lynette was too weak for it. She would never manage to become more than a dutiful wife," he said and looked at Inéz with a wide grin. When he came up to her, the girl shivered not knowing what his intentions were at the moment. She wished she could read his mind for the second time that night. "But there’s something dark in Inéz, so it’s not the same fucking thing. Don’t underestimate my skills to recognize potential when it is staring back at me."

  His fingers touched the skin on the back of her neck lightly. The fascination was clear in Noah’s eyes. It answered all the brunette’s previous questions. He saw her faulty thoughts and desires through and through. He read through her mask and saw her darkest side. The one she kept hidden from everyone, even herself.

  The door opened and Nico came back with a few blood bags in his hands. Noah took out another knife standing behind the girl and showed it to her with an open palm. He gave her the choice to be the one to make the man talk. But all she could think of was that it was one of his tests whether she would become a part of the Famiglia after all.

  She felt Nicodemo’s curious eyes on her. He, too, was wondering if she would do it or not. But didn’t dare say anything. It was his boss’s choice if he wanted Inéz to do the honors.

  The girl swallowed once more. Before they came into the room, Noah had warned her not to lose it and now he was pushing her even farther, asking her to actually hurt someone. It was too much and she could feel the panic attack clawing its way out. But could she refuse the task? Or would she die because of it?

  She took the knife. Her grip was barely there and it felt as if she was to drop it any second. Her eyes were set on the weapon. Sharp, metallic and still clean, but she could see blood. On her hands, on her hoodie. There was no fear, and she saw herself coming up to the man on the bed and slashing his throat with one, smooth movement. The drops went everywhere; the wall, bed, floor. Her face. She licked her lower lip and felt the familiar taste of it. Why was it so familiar?

  Her thoughts moved back to her childhood. Yes, there were times she’d got hurt. More than once. But that wasn’t it. The familiarity was something completely different, and the darkest part of her thoughts took over, reminding her. It almost felt like Noah had invited them all in. Just when she hoped to forget and put it all behind her.

  It wasn’t her. It couldn’t be.

  Noah shifted, seeing that the girl wasn’t prepared for it yet. She might be able to watch it but not do it. He took the knife back, making her snap out of it.

  He turned his eyes towards Ivo again. "You see, Ivo? She actually gives you the pleasure of not meeting her dark side. That’s more than I can offer, unfortunately." He mocked, gripping the knife harder and circled Inéz, walking up to the bed once again.

  The night was a long one. The screams of the man were heard for a few hours straight. Noah got off on them because he refused to shut him up when Nico complained that they were annoying him after a while. Inéz watched everything, feeling her heart skip a beat with every different type of torture that Capo came up with. He was a creative monster. The slashes all over the body were so deep that the blood flowing out coated the entire body. No one would be able to recognize the man anymore, even if they tried. Under the impact of Noah’s rough, hard hands, the sound of ribs breaking could be heard. He crushed his chest as if it was made of brittle plastic. He could hardly breathe, but his suffering body wasn’t ready to surrender just yet. The smirk on Capo’s face remained plastered there through it all. His excitement didn’t abandon him even after all the time spent
making man bleed.

  Transfusion bags were handled by Nico, but he didn’t interrupt Falcone’s wrath. He observed everything, standing on the other side of the room and sometimes gazed towards Inéz to see if she was still able to watch it. See if she could stomach this side of their world. Respect flashed in his eyes every time.

  Noah saw the last bag coming to an end and stopped the torture at once.

  "Now I can pardon you if you tell me whatever information you have," he said shocking the girl. After those hours she wouldn’t think that the man would do anything else but kill Ivo.

  The man was less than a pale shadow of a ghost at this point, but hope showed in him. He nodded slightly, the painful small movement all he could manage.

  "Filippo hired an assassin for the job. There was one more person in the restaurant and they fled before your people came." His voice was quiet. There was no energy in him to sound even a little confident. But he was telling the truth. That much was obvious.

  Noah made a face, knowing that the attack wouldn’t have ended that easily. He felt that there was something more to that. "Who was it?" he asked, grabbing the man by the throat. He pulled him up from the bed without breaking a sweat and drove him into the wall. Another scream left his lips.

  "I don’t know. But ask the girl that you have taken with you. She was there, so she might have seen something more."

  A smirk appeared on Noah's face. "Thank you. You are pardoned," he said and snapped his neck at once, making Inéz scream for the first time.

  Just when she was certain that she had figured out his moves, he did something like this. Noah caught her fright.

  "Why did you do it? You pardoned him," she said, not knowing what to make of the man’s behavior.

  The Capo agreed as he took in the scene he’d created. "He’s been pardoned. Doesn’t mean he gets to live. I never said anything about that," he answered, shrugging. Playing with words was Noah’s pastime. Games, lies were what he lived and thrived for. Nicodemo stepped up to him, knowing that it was his turn to take care of the body.

  "Find someone to clean the room and get rid of the fucker. I’m done with him," he ordered his Enforcer.

  Grabbing Inéz’s wrist, he pulled her out of the room towards the exit.

  "Don’t be afraid of your demons, cara. Greet them as your best friends. Get to know them. What matters is the power we choose to act on. Fear makes you blind and weak." She nodded, replaying his words in her head over and over again like a messed up, insane prayer.

  CHAPTER 10

  The elevator stopped on the highest floor and they stepped out of it as soon as the doors opened. It wasn’t long until Drew appeared in front of them. Disapproval burned in his expression, morphing into anxiety when his eyes rested on Noah’s red hands. Blood wasn’t that easy to wash off, and dried stains still clung to the man’s skin. Changing the dirty t-shirt had been simple as the man usually kept additional clothes in the trunk of his car. Talking from experience it was mostly necessary.

  Seeing the question written on Drew’s face, Inéz shrugged not able to explain to him the whole night. It was the most intense, disgusting and inhuman situation she had ever found herself in.

  But oh, so tantalizing.

  Which should be reason enough for her to turn on her heels and run away as far and fast as possible. Moreover, soon both her friends would be witnesses to such dealings every other day.

  Today Noah showed her what it meant to be a part of the Famiglia. The dark side of the deal. Since she was a little girl she’d believed in the clear delimitation between good and bad. Even after being forced to grow up way too fast. Faith in a higher existence guiding people towards what was right, keeping them safe from the wrong things, existed deep within her. Visible. But as she was coming to realize, there were no purely good people or bad ones. They were just people. Weak, fragile, uncertain human beings who acted under the influence of a moment, an emotion, an impulse.

  A plan.

  The underworld was a cruel place without the possibility of unrightfully accommodating feeble men. But the outside world was just as bad. If not more. Because even though Made Men murdered, fought, threatened and extorted, they didn’t hide it. Unlike others. They were proud enough to show their face, to state exactly what they were doing. Who they were. As dreadful as it could be, it was also admirable. Underneath the whole violence, there was a twisted logic.

  "Were you out all night?" he asked, looking at the clock that showed few minutes to six.

  They had been in the abandoned building for almost four hours, something which Inéz hasn’t realized before. She knew that a few hours had passed but it still came as a shock to see the sun rising.

  Noah disappeared upstairs to take a shower and get dressed. He was too wired to go to sleep. Even Inéz wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to go back to bed at this point. A wave of weariness washed over her, but she was certain that nightmares would possess her because of the torturing. She preferred not to drive her mind crazy with visions of it. Not yet.

  She moved towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone. Drew followed her instantly. His stubbornness was sometimes the most annoying quality he had. Valuable but irritating.

  "Inéz, please tell me what he is doing to you. You have been acting differently since the restaurant incident and I would like to know why," he begged, really worried about her.

  She turned her head from the fridge to look at him and send a small smile to reassure him. There was no use for her friends to worry about her. They had their own problems to take care of. She was just doing what she was supposed to. As much as she was shaking on the inside, there was something more to that. Something that she wasn’t ready to uncover yet.

  "I’m alright, Drew. These past few days were just a lot to take in. That’s all, I promise," she said half-truthfully.

  He didn’t appear halfway convinced but decided not to push her further. Inéz had never been one to speak her heart out and it took time for her to realize that she needed someone to listen. It was something that she had in common with Lynette. And to not push her away, he had to wait.

  "Will you tell me about your job?" he asked, taking out the plates, seeing as the girl was preparing toast for them.

  She shook her head. "I can’t. The fewer people know, the better," she repeated Noah’s words.

  Drew was intelligent. He understood the reason all too well. That’s why the girl knew that he would listen to her and stop the interrogation. At least for a while. Because he was still a person who cared for his friends and was always more than eager to help. Whenever it was needed.

  Then Isaac showed up in the kitchen. He wasn’t fully awake yet, which suggested that only Drew had noticed their absence. Well, at least someone was able to sleep through the night.

  She kindly greeted him.

  "Yes, I do know that. Make sure the girl is taken care of. She might be willing to say more then."

  They heard Noah’s voice. He was on the phone with someone. Judging by his usual tone, it was either Flavio or Nicodemo. With others, he made sure to sound rawer, more dominant which didn’t occur in the company of his closest men. Surprisingly, that was also true for the three of them. Sometimes yes, when they were talking business, but other than that he seemed relaxed. A boy next door at times.

  "I will text you when I leave. Has Nicodemo contacted you yet?" There was a longer pause while the man listened to the person on the other side of the phone. He nodded even though they wouldn’t be able to see it. The smirk showed up on his face yet again. "Perfetto."

  With that he hung up and walked towards the kitchen, taking one of the toasts from the plate that Inéz was preparing. She sent him an exasperated look.

  "Today you will start your training," he announced, taking a seat on the barstool. "First, you will learn how to fight properly. We will go to the Famiglia’s main gym later. My men will show you everything."

  Inéz yawned covering her mouth with her hand. Sh
e was extremely tired. Noah looked at her. "And you will go to sleep. I will wake you up when it’s time for your training," he said to her.

  She looked confused. "I won’t train with them as well?"

  "No, cara. You cannot be seen by my men any time soon. Nicodemo is supposed to train with you later in my private gym, which is on the floor below us."

  She nodded knowing that it was reasonable. Noah couldn’t be sure that his Capodecina hadn’t convinced someone else to join him on his crusade, so it was safer for as few people to know about her as possible.

  But Drew and Isaac didn’t share her view because they didn’t know anything about the job she was supposed to do.

  "The job requires me not to be seen with Noah. Or anyone else involved in the Famiglia," she explained, seeing as Falcone didn’t bother to do so.

  Instead, he walked up to the table and sat down in front of the laptop. They didn’t join him and ate at the counter.

  "Henderson, I need you to do two things before we leave," he said after they were done with breakfast. Isaac sat down next to him knowing that it would require computer skills.

  Noah turned the laptop towards him. "I need to recover the surveillance footage from the restaurant in Seattle." The brunet nodded. "And when you’re done make sure to secure all of your phones and other devices. We don’t want anyone to hack them or something," he added standing up.

  Inéz watched his every move. He pulled out his phone and texted someone, then his eyes clashed with hers. "Go to sleep, cara. You’ll need the energy. Cristian will be here in two minutes and he’ll keep you safe until I arrive. I have a couple of things to take care of."

  The girl didn’t want to sleep. She hadn’t felt safe before and that would only amplify with Noah’s soldier around her when she was at her most vulnerable, sleeping off the night. But she shouldn’t argue with him. With that in mind, she went up the stairs to her bedroom.