“So you know me?” the guy sitting behind the desk asks casually. His heart obviously not pounding like mine.
I spin back around to face him. All I can do is nod. Luca would kill me if he knew I was here. If this guy doesn’t do it for him. “Why am I here?” I swallow hard.
“I think we can help each other,” he says, eyeing me up and down.
“I won’t help you,” I growl.
There’s only one thing this guy could want from me, and I refuse to give him any intel on Luca. Or maybe he wants to know about Mia. We did just go see her, and she informed me of how Nite wouldn’t give her up, and they took his tongue for it.
“What if I told you I know who your mother is? Your biological mother?”
His words make my heart stop. My mind races. “My mother?” I ask, blinking. All of a sudden, I’m interested in what he has to say.
Your mother gave you up. Abandoned you. It doesn’t matter who she is, she doesn’t want to know me. Or me know her. I shake my head. “I know who my mother is.” I’ve wondered why my biological mother gave me up, and the best I could come up with is that she knew my life was better off without her. Maybe she had an uncurable disease and couldn’t take care of me. Maybe she was an addict. Maybe she had been raped and couldn’t stand to look at me—a reminded of what had happened to her. Or maybe, she just didn’t want me. Either way, I came to live with her decision a long time ago. And I was at peace with it.
A slow and mischievous grin spreads across his face. Alberto Rossi doesn’t look anything like Luca’s father. He may be the leader of the second largest organized crime operation in Las Vegas, but he doesn’t have the large belly and sweat-covered forehead. He keeps himself in shape. He has been feuding with the Bianchis for years, and somehow, he knows my real mother? This has to be a trick.
It’s a lie, a trap to get me here, and I fell for it.
“That is correct. You do know your mother.” He tilts his head to the side, and his dark eyes run up and down my body. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “You look just like her.”
I blink. My legs want to turn and run, but my mind is not letting me leave. It’s as if I’m paralyzed where I stand. I’ve always wondered where she was and why she gave me up. If I looked like her, or if my voice sounded like hers. It was a thought that always sat in the back on my mind.
He stands from his chair and walks around his desk. My heart picks up as he nears me. But still, I can’t seem to find the will to leave. Instead, I wait, frozen in my spot, needing him to speak. To tell me everything he knows.
Reaching out, he pushes some brown strands behind my right ear, and I take in a shaky breath. “She’s lied to you all these years.” He sighs. “I wanted to tell you. I thought you deserved to know. And now …” He trails off as his jaw sets in a hard line. “It’s time,” he snaps, making me jump.
“For what?” I manage to get out.
“That you know everything.” He gives me a soft smile. “And don’t worry. We’ll take them down. They won’t even see us coming.”
LUCA
I sit in the office of Glass behind my desk while Bones sits across from me. He’s counting out the cash Marco delivered first thing this morning. It’s funny how much money a man can find when broken bones are involved. The door to the office swings open, hitting the interior wall. Bones has already pulled out his gun from the holster on his hip as I reach for mine under the desk when we see Haven burst into the room.
“What are you doing here?” I demand, jumping from my chair. I haven’t told her anything about this club, so how did she find me? Did she follow me this morning? Has she been following me?
Her wide eyes go from mine to Bones. He stays seated in his chair, but his brows are raised. He still holds his gun, but now it rests on his thigh.
She swallows nervously as the door shuts behind her. Her once olive skin tone is now white. It looks like she’s seen a ghost. I take a step toward her, rounding the desk. “Haven …”
“I didn’t know what to say.” She stumbles backward. Her back hitting the closed door. “I … He …”
“What?” I ask. “Who is he?”
She places her hand on her chest, and tears build in her brown eyes. “He wants you dead.”
I stiffen.
Her eyes move to Bones. “All of you.”
That brings him to his feet. “Who the fuck are you talking about?”
“Alberto Rossi.”
I fist my hands, and Bones’s brows pull together. “Although this isn’t news, I would like to know who told you this?” he demands.
“He did.”
“What?” I snap, making her jump.
She bows her head and sniffs, wrapping her arms around herself. “He told me who my mother is.”
I run a hand through my hair. What the fuck is she talking about?
“When did you see him?” Bones asks. He looks at me. “Was he at your house?”
I shake my head. Is he serious? “I haven’t seen him in years.” He rarely comes to Vegas. Just like my father, they run their operations from long distances. My father lives in New York and very rarely visits Vegas. Their crew does their dirty work.
“He called me last night from a blocked number. Told me he would cause a diversion this morning so I could talk to him. A car would be waiting. I didn’t know …”
What in the fuck? “You didn’t fucking go, did you?” I bark out.
She nods quickly. “I didn’t know it was him until I arrived at a wedding chapel.” She hiccups. “He told me he knew my real mother …” She trails off.
“And?” Bones coaxes her. “Who is she?”
Wedding chapel? Motherfucker! He knows I was there the other night. Getting her to go to him willingly? He’s sending me a warning.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
“My mother.”
“What are you talking about?” I demand. I’m pissed at her and confused as fuck. How did he get her number? Why did he reach out to her at all? It must be because of me. And how stupid could she be to fall for it? I never wanted to make her a prisoner in our home, but maybe that is what it’s going to come down to in order to keep her alive.
“My adopted mother is my biological mother.”
“I don’t understand …”
“My mother had an affair. Got pregnant with me.”
“So who is your father?” Bones asks because I can’t speak. I’m afraid I’ll yell at her. Even in her fragile state, I want to rip her apart.
She takes in a deep breath. “Alberto Rossi.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
HAVEN
A SILENCE FALLS over the large room. Both men stare at me with murderous eyes and fisted hands. I feel I may get sick. Again. I managed to hold my stomach while I stood in Rossi’s … my father’s office at the wedding chapel/funeral home, but the moment I left and took a breath of fresh air, I lost everything I had eaten yesterday in the parking lot.
“He’s lying.” Bones shakes his head.
“He said there was a DNA test. That my mother has it.” I didn’t want to believe him, but the way he spoke about me. About my mother. As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t.
“That doesn’t mean shit,” Bones argues.
“Why in the fuck would you go and see him without telling me?” Luca finally finds his voice, yelling at me. “Do you have any idea what he could have done to you?”
“He doesn’t want to hurt me.”
“Bullshit!” he shouts.
I flinch but shake my head. “He wants to hurt you. He thinks I can help with that.”
“How so?” Bones inquires.
“He thinks you’re forcing me to marry you.”
Like a rubber band, something snaps in Luca, and he comes for me. But Bones jumps between us and places his hands up to stop him. “It’s believable. Have you seen the pictures circulating in the media of your engagement party? Haven looks every bit pissed off at
you. As if she even loathes you. He could be buying it because it did come out of nowhere. For two years, the media has been talking about your absence, then you show up, and poof, you’re engaged.”
I don’t state the obvious—that I did hate him at that point. That this is a contract. Luca may love me, but I’m still just a pawn in a game.
“What else did he say?” Bones goes on, keeping his back to me. He’s so tall that I can’t even see over him. So I stare at the bloody skull that covers up the entire back of his Kingdom T-shirt.
“He made a deal with my father. And he informed me that all I had to do was show up at the wedding, and he would take care of everyone there. It was going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. And I wouldn’t be married off to a Bianchi.”
I can’t let him kill Luca. I love him. But the Kings? They have nothing to do with this feud the Bianchi family has with the Rossi family. Not that I know of. Yes, they’re hated by most because of how powerful they are in this city, but that doesn’t mean they should die. I grew up with them. I don’t want their dead bodies on my conscience.
“And what did you tell him?” Bones goes on.
“What do you mean?” My voice shakes.
He turns around, and his blue eyes glare down at me. “I mean what did you tell him?”
“I told him what he wanted to hear,” I admit, and my shoulders fall. “That I would do as he said. I thought if I lied, I could buy you all time. A plan.”
He nods and then steps away from me. My eyes now staring at Luca standing before me.
“Anything else he said that we can use?” Bones asks.
I look at him instead of Luca. “Yeah, he said he has eyes and ears everywhere. Even at Kingdom.”
Bones doesn’t waste a second; he pulls out his cell, dials up a number, and puts it to his ear. “Flush the system.” Then he hangs up after giving whoever it was an order. Without another word, he exits, shutting me and Luca in the large room that seems to shrink by the second.
“I’m sorry,” I say, hating the silence.
I take a step toward him, but when he steps back, tears fill my eyes. “I can’t help who I am,” I croak out.
His brows pull together. “You think I’m mad at you because he’s filled your head with lies?” He shakes his head. “I’m pissed at you because you went behind my back. To a man who hates me and my family. My fucking name alone could get you killed! I’m a dead man to most in this city.” He runs his hand through his hair aggressively. “Fuck! I thought you were smarter than this.”
“I needed to know,” I cry.
“Know what?” he screams. “About your biological mother? Since when do you fucking care about that?”
“About you!” I shout back, fisting my hands. “He started our conversation about you. How you owned Glass. How you were keeping secrets from me. He promised me answers. They just weren’t what I wanted.”
Giving me his back, he lets out a long breath, trying to calm his anger. He begins to pace back and forth. “He said he and your father have a deal?”
I don’t miss how he avoids talking about him and this club. “Yes.”
Pulling out his cell, he types out a quick message and then places it back in his pocket. “Did he say he would see you again?” he asks through clenched teeth.
“Not until the wedding.”
He nods once. “Is he planning on keeping in contact?”
I shake my head. “He didn’t say.”
He comes over to me and taking my upper arm, he ushers me out of the room and locks the office door behind us.
LUCA
She stays silent while I drive her back to our house. As soon as the car comes to a stop, I pull out my cell and send a text.
Me: Get your ass home. Now!
Nite reads it immediately and responds.
Nite: Yes, sir.
“Go straight to our room and do not leave,” I tell her.
She stops and turns to face me. “Luca—”
“For the love of God, Haven, do as you’re told. Just this once!” I shout.
She lifts her chin, crosses her arms over her chest, and storms up the stairs to our bedroom. I go straight to my office and open my gun safe. Pulling out my silencer, I tighten it on the end of my barrel and sit down behind my desk just as my door opens. My two newest bodyguards enter, both laughing like hyenas as they sit down across from me.
“Hey, Boss, what do you think about …?”
I shoot him in the head, then the other next to him. They both sit there dead. Their necks bent back at an odd angel from the force of my bullets at such a close range and blood dripping from their wounds onto my carpet. I’ll have it ripped up tonight and replaced by tomorrow morning. Their arms hang down off the sides of the chairs.
They were rats.
They worked for Rossi. They had to be the ones. He told Haven he would create a diversion, and I never got a call that she was leaving the house. I never got a notification that my driver took her anywhere. They had set it all up. She never mentioned that she saw them, so they weren’t personally involved. He just made sure to put them in the right position to give him what he wanted. Her. And they knew that she went to see her mother yesterday. I had them follow her and bring her back. Maybe they informed him they overheard her talking to her mother, and he got spooked, needed to make a play. Add that to the fact I raided his chapel, and it’s all making sense.
I pull out my cell. It rings three times before the man answers. “Luca …”
“I flushed the system,” I tell Titan.
“Take their phones. I’m sure they have to check in. We don’t want to alert Rossi that they are no longer with us.” He hangs up.
Two men he thought he trusted had been moles set in place months ago to give Rossi intel. He always hated that the Kings had loyalty to the Bianchi family. Who knows how long ago he set his plan in motion? Maybe he was using them to fuck over the Kings and just so happened to catch a break when Titan loaned them to me. Well, whatever plan he was, we’re about to fuck it all up.
_______________
I bring my car to a stop outside her parents’ residence. Bones and I exit the car, and I grab the black bag from the back seat. I had messaged him before Haven and I ever left Glass and told him to be at my house at midnight tonight. I needed his help, and I knew he wouldn’t let me down. He has just as much right to be here as I do. We’re all on high alert.
We walk in like we own the place and climb the stairs. I know the bastard is here. And I also know he doesn’t have much security. He never was smart. He and his wife are always carrying, but he’s too cheap to hire men.
I open his office door without even knocking.
He looks up at me and Bones and smiles like the fucking fool he is. “Well hello, boys. It’s a little late for you all to be making house calls, isn’t it?” He chuckles. “What can I do for you?”
“You could sign these for me.” I toss a stack of papers onto the surface of his desk. I had my dear old friend Titan type me up some papers earlier while we figured out our plan.
He reaches for his glasses that sit on his desk and places them on, squinting down at the papers. “What is this?”
“This … is you signing over your shares to me.”
“What?” He removes his glasses confused, looking up at me.
I plop down in the seat across from him. “Bones.”
He walks behind the desk to stand behind him. I throw him the duffel bag.
“I don’t understand …”
Bones pulls the plastic bag out of the duffel and places it over his head, yanking it back.
I lean over the desk and grip his wrists, pulling them across the surface to keep him from puncturing a hole in the bag. That would defeat the purpose. “Did you know that a brain can survive six minutes after the heart stops?”
Jimmy fights Bones, but he’s not strong enough, not in this position. It would be a shitty way to die, actually, given how easy it would be to surviv
e. All you need to do is poke your finger through the plastic. It’s not like it’s Kevlar.
His head shakes back and forth, but it doesn’t do him any good. His fight is useless. “Sign the papers,” I order, letting go of his right hand to place a pen in his left. “And he’ll let you go.”
He aimlessly begins to write on his desk. I look up at Bones. “Let the man sign his name.”
He removes the bag from his head, and Jimmy sucks in a deep breath, coughing.
“Sign it.” I point at the yellow tab.
He scribbles his name down quickly, and I turn the page for him.
“Again.”
He doesn’t even question my reasons. I knew he wouldn’t. After he places his last signature on the final page, he shoves it across the desk to me.
I look from the stack of papers and then back up at him. “Don’t you even want to know why you signed your life away to me?” I ask.
He runs his hand down his face but doesn’t answer. His blue eyes have turned black, and his jaw is tight. Now that he’s not suffocating, he’s quite angry that I just forced his hand. What is a life worth to you, sort of thing?
I look up at Bones. “Wouldn’t you want to know why someone wanted you dead?”
“Absolutely,” he answers.
“The only reason you wouldn’t ask questions is if … you already knew.”
Still he says nothing.
“Rossi has called you.” I fish.
He flinches at the name. I smile. Yep. He’s very well aware of why I’m here and what I want.
“Well, too bad for you, I’m not as forgiving as he is.”
He goes to open his mouth, but I remove the knife from my pocket, flip it open, and stand, bringing it down on to the center of his hand, stabbing it to the desk.
He howls like a wolf as the blood instantly pools underneath it.
I toss the papers to the floor to keep them clean. “You made a deal with him. Before or after you made one with me?” I demand.
“Af … ter,” he cries out. His free hand grips the wrist of the hand pinned to his desk. “I didn’t have a choice,” he adds quickly.
“How much?” I demand, holding the pocketknife in place.
Code of Silence Page 15