“Who was she?” I ask, not believing a damn word he says.
“Ava.”
“What?” I ask. That name makes my heart skip a beat. He must be mistaken.
“Ava,” he repeats, still holding the barrel to Haven’s temple. “I was in love with her. We had been sleeping together when your father took her from me.”
He was sleeping with my aunt? “I don’t understand …”
“Your uncle Marco … He was a conniving little bitch!” he screams. Shaking his head, he yanks Haven’s head back even farther, and she whimpers. “And now I’ll take a Bianchi …”
Just then, a light shines on all of us. When he takes the second to look over his shoulder, I pounce, running at him. My shoulder hits his chest, knocking all three of us to the ground. His gun falls to the dirt, and I pick it up, pointing it at Donatello running toward us and fire. He drops dead.
Then I punch Rossi in the face, knocking his ass out cold.
I hear car doors open and close. I ignore them, knowing they’re my backup, and storm over to Haven. I rip off the tape that covers her mouth.
“Luca—”
“You okay?” I ask, interrupting her. Gripping her face softly, I look over her bruises and busted lip. It’ll all heal. She’ll just need some rest and pain meds for a few days. “Does anything feel broken?”
“No,” she chokes out, shaking her head.
“Here.” I look up to see Titan come over to us. He kneels and cuts her bound wrists with his knife.
“Thank you,” she cries, rubbing them. “My mother …”
“Bones is helping her out of the limo,” Titan answers her.
We help her stand, and I push her into him. “Take them both to my car,” I say when Bones rounds the back of the limo with a crying Misty. She doesn’t have a scratch on her, though.
“No, Luca …”
I kiss her gently so I don’t hurt her busted lip. “It’s going to be fine. I promise you. We’re almost done.”
She nods, letting Titan guide them to my car and get them settled inside. Then he comes to stand next to me.
“Get him ready, Kings,” I order.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ROSSI
Sixteen years ago
“WHAT HAPPENED?” I ask, entering the house.
I find Ava sitting at the kitchen table in her underwear. She holds her face in her hands. “Ava! What in the fuck happened?” I demand, yanking her hands away.
Her brown eyes look up at me with tears running down her face. Makeup smeared all over.
“I didn’t know … what to do …” She sobs. “Who to call …”
“I’m here. You did the right thing. What is it?” I ask, pushing her hair back off her face and behind her ear.
“He’s in the living room.” She bows her head.
I stand and walk into the living room. I see her husband and my best friend, Marco Bianchi, lying in a pool of his own blood. He was shot between his eyes. One bullet. Instant death.
Placing my hand over my mouth, I suck in a deep breath. What in the fuck? Did she kill him? Is she wanting me to get rid of him? Turning around and rushing back to the kitchen, I find her in the same position I left her.
I grip her hair and yank her head back. “Who the fuck did this?” I demand. She wouldn’t have the balls. She also doesn’t know much about guns. There’s no way she’d be that good of a shot, even if she was standing right in front of him.
She’s sobbing uncontrollably. Her bottom lip quivering and body shaking. I don’t have time for it. “Who?” I shout, making her flinch.
“John Bianchi. He and Luca showed up …”
I let go of her and run a hand through my hair. “What did you say?” I growl.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit!” I snap. “You ran your mouth. You had to have. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shot his brother.”
Italians are big on family and loyalty. But if they fear someone has stepped out on them, then they put a bullet in your head. They take their code of silence very seriously.
Case in point.
Something more happened tonight that she hasn’t told me.
“Tell me,” I order.
She looks up at me. Dark eyes wide and red from crying. “I told you I would leave him …”
“I told you that wasn’t an option,” I bark out. We’ve been fucking for over a year now, and she’s wanted to leave him for most of that time. But the mafioso doesn’t allow divorce. The only way out is death.
She wipes her tear-streaked face, and whispers, “I went to the cops …”
“Motherfucker!” I hiss.
She jumps to her feet. “I did it for us. I thought if they could convict him, then I’d be free of him. Of this lie.”
I reach back and slap her across the face, knocking her back into her seat. She cups her cheek, crying out. I grip her hair and yank her head back. Getting in her face, I growl. “You were just a fuck to me,” I lie. “Do you understand that?” I shake her.
“I … love you,” she chokes out.
I can’t afford to love her. Not anymore. I understand this life very well. And she just fucked herself. “You are one very stupid woman.” She shakes. “You are also a very dead woman.” Letting her go, I take a step back.
“Wait,” she cries. “Please don’t go. I didn’t know that John would do this. He wasn’t supposed to find out …”
“You’ve done this to yourself,” I tell her, knowing there is nothing I can do for her. John Bianchi will have her taken out next. He won’t do it himself. If so, she’d be dead right now. No, he’ll pay someone to do it. And I hate him for it. I hate her for being so fucking stupid. This will ruin more than just her life. My ties to the Bianchi family will be severed. John won’t take the chance of getting caught now that she’s broken her silence. No wonder the feds are digging around. John will have to pay off the cops. It’ll cost him. It’ll cost all of us.
“Rossi, please …”
“They’ll come for you,” I tell her. “The best thing you can do is run.” Then I turn and leave her.
I walk down the steps to her house and get into my car. Pulling out my cell, I call up John.
“Hello?”
“You killed your brother?” I growl.
“Yes. I saved both of our asses,” he answers. “Whatever they have on me, they have on you as well.”
“And Ava?” I question, needing to hear him say it.
“It must be done,” he says.
“Bianchi …”
“You are the one who fell in love with a snitch, Rossi. Let Marco’s body be a warning of what happens to those who forget their place in this world.” Click.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LUCA
I WATCH ROSSI stir on the dirt. He lets out a moan and tries to move. “What …?” he questions, opening his eyes.
“What was your favorite game to play in school?” I ask the Kings.
“Tug of war,” Titan answers. “I always loved when a kid challenged me to rip his arms off. Literally.”
“What the fuck, Luca?” Rossi demands, now coherent. He fights the restraints around his arms and ankles.
I kneel beside him. “Thank you for digging that grave. It’s going to save me a lot of time.”
“Luca …”
I stand and place my fingers in my mouth, letting out a whistle, signaling Grave and Cross we’re ready to go.
The engine to the limo and Bones’s car come to life, and they place them both in drive. The chains wrapped around Rossi’s bound wrists and ankles pull tight.
He throws his head back, grinding his teeth as the Kings slowly begin to drive away from one another.
While he was passed out, we secured the chains around him and connected them to the bumpers of the cars. We are going to rip him in half.
“LUCA!” he screams as the seams of his shirt rip under his arms. His body pulled so taut it lifts it inches off the desert ground. “Argh,” he
grounds out. His face turns red, and his shirt rides up, showing off his stomach. You can see the skin pulled so tight it’s white as a ghost. Ready to split.
He tries to take a deep breath, but he can’t. The cars hold him at a standstill. Neither one moving any farther. I give a nod, and they hit the gas. It rips his body in half. Blood squirts everywhere, and his insides fall out. Both parts of his body being dragged away by the cars.
Titan hits me on the back, and I smile. One sorry bastard down. I don’t care who he was. He can’t hurt my wife anymore.
The cars come to a stop, and I walk over to his torso and head. I unhook the chain from the bumper and drag his ass over to the grave and kick it in. Bones repeats the process with his lower half. Grave, Cross, and I grab the extra shovels we brought and start throwing the dirt over his body parts, knowing he’ll never be found out here.
There has always been a misconception about the Nevada desert. Some say that it’s too hard to bury bodies out here. Those would be the people too lazy to dig. It’s doable. I’ve done it plenty of times. And I know this isn’t the Dark Kings’ first body they’ve thrown dirt on. Just depends on how hard you’re willing to work to hide your evidence.
EPILOGUE
HAVEN
SITTING AT THE bridal table in the front of the ballroom, I take a sip of my champagne as I gaze at everyone. I catch sight of my Luca sitting at a table over to the left. Forearms resting on the white tablecloth, he’s leaning forward, talking to Titan and Bones who sit across from him. Titan’s jaw clenches, and his hands fists at whatever my husband is saying.
I smile. Husband. We’re married. Well, technically we have been married, but now the world knows. It wasn’t the ceremony that Luca and his father had originally planned. It went from four hundred guests to fifty. And it was perfect. The Kings were nice enough to give us the ballroom on the fiftieth floor of Kingdom. And we chose an evening ceremony because I love the way the city lights up at night. It’s at the corner of the tower so you can see most of the Strip from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
I look away from them to the back of the room and see Jasmine step into the ballroom. She has her head down, and her red hair covers her face. She places one hand on the white column wrapped in red roses and her other hand on her heaving chest. She looks up, and her face is flushed. Her lips parted. She looks like she’s having a heart attack. I start to stand to go to her, but I stop when I see Nite walk up next to her. He places his hand on her back while taking her other hand in his. He helps her to the nearest table, pulls out a chair, and has her sit in it.
As if he feels my eyes on him, he looks up at me. I frown, looking from her to him. Then the corner on his lips curves up, and I realize what’s going on. They just had sex. At my wedding. I chuckle. Good for her.
Finishing my champagne, I look at the empty glass and smile to myself. For as much as it’s a great day, it’s also sad. Two very important people aren’t here.
Emilee and Mia.
I unzip my clutch and pull out my cell. I go to Mia’s number and send her a quick text.
Me: I wish you were here.
Mia: Me too. Maybe I’ll see you soon. Congratulations on the wedding. And welcome to the family. Sister.
I think about that message. Luca and I are supposed to be going to Fiji tomorrow morning, but I can’t see why we can’t stop in Italy first.
Everyone is still mingling and drinking. My husband is still in a heated discussion with Bones and Titan. Grave and Cross are nowhere to be seen, and Jasmine has disappeared again. Round two?
I get up from the table, slip through the back door that leads to the elevator, and walk down the hallway to the end. Looking out the window at Sin City, I hit call.
“You’ve reached Emilee. Sorry I missed your call …”
Straight to voicemail. I let out a sigh and listen to her recording until it beeps. “Hey, E. I’ve been trying to call you. I … I miss you. And wish you were here. Jasmine told me you’re moving back. You better call me as soon as you set foot off that plane. We need to have a girls’ night. Drink too much and eat more chicken wings than our stomachs can handle.” I laugh. “I just … I just wanted to tell you that I miss and love you.” I hang up and turn around to head back, but I pause when I see the door close softly. I frown. Was someone listening to my conversation?
LUCA
I watch as Haven re-enters the ballroom from the hallway. She places her phone down on the bridal table and walks over to the bar where her mother stands talking to Titan.
“Hello?” Bones answers his cell as he sits across from me at a table. He nods once to himself. “Titan and I will be there first thing in the morning, and we’ll discuss it then.” He hangs up.
“Problem?” I ask.
Leaning back in the chair, he laces his fingers behind his head. “Looks like someone doesn’t wanna pay us what they owe.”
“Who is it?” Las Vegas is small. It may be some big fancy city to a cowboy from Lawton, Oklahoma, but trust me, it’s not.
“George Wilton.”
My brows rise. “George Wilton as in York and Wilton Construction?”
He nods, putting his arms down, and begins to undo his tie like it’s choking him.
“As in Nick York?” I clarify, making sure I understand.
His jaw clenches.
That’s Emilee’s father. “They owe you money?”
“Not Nick. Only George.”
“Well … that’s—”
“Unfortunate for him,” he interrupts me.
I scratch the back of my head. “How much?”
“Five hundred thousand.”
I snort. “That’s chump change to you.”
“It is. But if I let every piece of shit who owes Kingdom money get away with it, then Kingdom would be no more.”
“True.”
“Titan and I did some research before we loaned him the money to make sure he was good for it. And he was, but everything having to do with the company is in Nick’s name.”
“Well, that makes sense. Nick came from money.” His dad was a billionaire. So was his grandfather. That oil money goes a long way. “What about Wilton?” He was raised by a single mother and grew up in Section 8 housing. He got a scholarship for football, and that’s where he met Nick York. They became best friends, and after graduation, they started a company together. Of course, Nick backed the entire thing. “You could blackmail him … The company …”
“I don’t want that company.” He waves me off. “York’s a good man. From what I remember anyway. Wilton signed that he would repay what he borrowed, so I will hold him personally responsible to pay that back.”
“Am I interrupting?”
I look up to see my wife standing next to me. Her hands on her hips of her white wedding dress. It’s strapless and form fitting down to her knees where it flares out. I heard Jasmine call it a mermaid style dress. I don’t give a fuck what kind it is; she looks absolutely beautiful in it. And I can’t wait to get her out of it.
I scoot my chair back and pat my thigh, gesturing her to have a seat.
She plops down and looks across at Bones. “You don’t look happy.”
He shakes his head and throws back what’s in his glass before standing and walking over to the bar for more.
“Everything okay?” She looks down at me.
“Of course.” I wrap my arms around her small waist.
She lays her head on my shoulder, and I look across the ballroom to where Bones stands next to Titan. Haven’s mom has moved on to talk with Jasmine, who keeps running her hands through her hair like it’s tangled. My eyes go back to the Kings. Bones leans forward and says something to Titan, and he pulls away with a nod. Then they both start to head back over to our table with full drinks.
“Hey …” Haven sits up and turns to face me. “Can we go to Italy?” Her amber eyes dart around really quickly, and her voice drops. “To see Mia. I really want to spend some time with her. Get to know her be
tter. She is family now.”
I cup her face. “Whatever you want.” Then I lean forward, placing a soft kiss to her lips.
She pats my chest. “I love you.”
Gently gripping her chin, I lean in and kiss her painted red lips softly. “I love you too, Haven.”
“Gross. Take it to a room,” Titan says, sitting back down in his seat.
She looks over at him and smiles. “I can’t wait to watch a King fall.” Then she gets up and walks off.
He laughs at that like it was funny as Bones shakes his head. They start to fill me in on their current situation with George Wilton, but I tune them out.
Leaning back, I watch my wife sit down at the bridal table, and her mom takes my seat next to her. Jasmine leans over the table, and her mouth is running a mile a minute as she tells them a story about something that involves her boobs because she keeps gesturing to them.
I smile and take a drink from my glass. Haven Nicole Knowles belongs to me. Forever. Till death do us part. Which in the life I live, could very well be tomorrow.
THE END
Thank you for taking the time to read Code of Silence. Did you enjoy the Dark Kings? Their books will be releasing 2020. Make sure to add them to your TBR list. Links below. Read on for the prologue from Titan: Dark Kings Book #1
This story is subject to change. Titan is coming Spring 2020.
TITAN
I SIT BEHIND my desk, the dark curtains pulled closed to block out the early morning rays of Las Vegas. I take a sip of my black coffee and look up at the five women standing in my office. “Strip down to your bra and underwear,” I order.
Four of them begin undressing without hesitation. They do this for a living. Though it’s usually under flashing lights, fog machines, and thundering music, and don’t forget the money that comes with selling your body. But still, they’re not shy. The last one on the right watches the others. Her green eyes wide as she nibbles on her bottom lip.
“Problem?” I ask.
She looks at me and swallows. “I … uh, I didn’t know … I didn’t wear a bra—”
“You don’t have anything that I haven’t already seen,” I interrupt her rambling.
Code of Silence Page 20