Honor (Made Book 1)

by Melissa Ellen

  I flung open the door of Leoni’s, rushing inside. My eyes flashed around the dining room as I searched for Mrs. Leoni and Gia, thankful the dinner rush hadn’t started and the place was mostly empty.

  Gia saw me first. Her face fell as she took me in from where she stood behind the bar. Mrs. Leoni sat on a stool in front of her. With one look at her daughter’s expression, she turned to face me.

  “We’re closed!” she hollered immediately, standing, and walking toward me. The few staff in earshot looked at her, confused, while the only customers eating grumbled their complaints. “You heard me. Get out. Your meal is on the house, but you need to leave. Now.”

  The couple eating grabbed their things and left with disgruntled faces and a few to-go boxes of what was left of the meal that a server had rushed over to them. Gia ran to the back, ordering the kitchen staff to leave, while Mrs. Leoni shooed the rest of her staff out the door, locking it behind them and turning the “open” sign off.

  She ushered me to the bar once we were all alone. Gia filled a glass with ice water and handed it to me. I held the cold glass in my heated palms, not able to drink.

  “Where’s my son?” Mrs. Leoni asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said, fighting back the tears threatening.

  “What happened?”

  I shook my head. “I’m not sure.”

  “Well you must know something!” She smacked her hand on the counter. “You don’t just come in here looking like someone’s died and have no answers.”

  “Ma,” Gia softly reprimanded Mrs. Leoni for her outburst. Gia reached for my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. I dropped my gaze to our connected hands, staring at the ring on my finger.

  “There was a gunshot,” I finally said, breaking out of my daze.

  Gia’s eyes widened, while Mrs. Leoni stayed calm. “Where?”

  “At my house. Mario wasn’t there,” I quickly added. “I think it was my father…or Lorenzo… I don’t know. I ran as soon as I heard it.”

  The sound of the gun replayed over and over in my mind. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure it had to be Lorenzo who pulled the trigger.

  “Ma…” Gia jutted her chin toward the window that faced the street. “We’ve got company.”

  Our heads turned to look through the opened blinds at the black Town Car rolling to a stop outside. The windows were tinted pitch black. I didn’t need to see through them to know who sat inside that car. My stomach rolled, my heart thumping harder as Mrs. Leoni squeezed my sweaty hand. I knew they’d be coming for me. I just hoped I’d be long gone by the time they did.

  “They’re looking for you,” Gia said quietly, her eyes full of concern.

  “I don’t think they’re here just for her,” Mrs. Leoni corrected.

  “No, they aren’t,” I confirmed. “I think they know Mario has been working with the feds.”

  Both of their heads snapped back to me, their eyes wide.

  “Shit,” Gia breathed, her body sagging against the backbar, using it to support her weak legs. She pressed her hands to her mouth as she processed the severity of our situation.

  “Mario always has a plan,” Mrs. Leoni said, bouncing her eyes between each of us. Her expression was confident, but she couldn’t hide the fear in her voice.

  I nodded, praying on everything that was holy his plan would work. Because in a few minutes, we could all very well be dead.

  The doors of the car opened. Luca stepped out with two more men, his eyes cold and hard. Their faces were murderous and for the first time, I questioned whether Mario knew what he was doing.

  “Come,” Mrs. Leoni ordered us both, dragging me from my seat and pushing us both toward the kitchen to the back of the restaurant.

  20

  Mario

  I unlocked the door to my apartment, rushing inside. I fired off a text to Eric, hoping he got it in time, before stripping from the shirt that was covered in Tommy’s blood and dropping them on the floor. I searched through my closet, finding the clothes I needed, and redressed as my phone rang in the distance.

  “It’s not a good time,” I answered, placing Agent Rhodes on speaker phone and tossing it on top of my dresser.

  “I have some bad news,” she responded, ignoring me.

  “Did you get the warrant?”

  “Yes, the judge is signing it now.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “There’s been some calls coming through …”

  “And? Spit it out, Rhodes. I don’t have all fucking day and neither do you. You should be at Prescott’s door, arresting him right now, not making social calls.” Sitting on the bed, I shoved my feet into my shoes, then stood, digging through my top dresser drawer.

  “It’s about your uncle, Mario, and your father...”

  I stopped. Turning my back to the dresser, sagging against it, I bent my knees and slid to the hard floor. Resting my elbows on my knees, I dropped my head into my hands, knowing it was all my fault as she filled me in on what had been happening over the last couple hours, while I’d been taking care of Tommy.

  I knew they’d retaliate. But I hadn’t expected to feel this much guilt about it. At the end of the day, no matter what they’d done, they were still my family, my true blood.

  My uncle had been shot in his home, typical mafia style, with one shot to the head and another as the coup de grâce.

  “Your dad was badly beaten and found unresponsive in his cell about an hour ago. There was a glitch in the cameras. We’re looking into it, but we both know who was likely behind it. You need to get out,” Agent Rhodes demanded on the other end of the phone.

  There was a knock on my door, my eyes flicked to it. I already knew who stood on the other side waiting for me to answer. They were coming in whether I opened it or not. Everything was happening faster than I expected which meant one thing: they knew everything I’d done.

  “It’s too late for that. Running wouldn’t do me any good anyway,” I told her.

  Moretti’s disdain for informants ran deep. It was thicker than blood. He’d kill his own daughter if he thought she’d played a part. I only hoped she remembered what I told her and got out in time.

  “We can help you. Get you and your family to a safe house until—”

  “Do me a favor, Rhodes. Arrest Prescott, find the rat in your department, and take down the Moretti family. Make them pay. That’s the only thing you can do for me at this point.”

  “Mario, don’t do something stupid,” she said, as another knock banged against my door. I stood, rummaging through my drawer to find the watch Eric had given me, and securing it to my wrist. I didn’t bother with weapons.

  “Take care, special agent,” I said before ending the call as she continued to holler out my name.

  The car pulled to stop in a secluded area along the river bank. The destination almost drew a laugh from my lips, despite knowing I would likely be dead in a matter of minutes.

  The cliché bastards.

  I would much rather a bullet to the head. Quick and hopefully painless. But bullets were meant for mercy, drowning was for those they wanted to torture. I’d be shown no mercy. I was the worst offender in their eyes. I’d broken every rule they lived by.

  The car doors opened as the four men escorting me to my final resting place unfolded themselves from the vehicle.

  “Let’s go, Leoni,” Ricky ordered.

  I sucked in a deep breath through my nose before sliding across the dark, leather seat, praying that this would be the end of it, that the women in my life wouldn’t be punished for my betrayal. Especially the one woman I knew would suffer the most, the one who would blame herself. I prayed she would find freedom, and that she knew I would do it all over again. She was worth every damn sacrifice. Her life was worth mine.

  Ricky shoved my back, pushing me toward the Hudson. “Keep walking.”

  “Fuck you,” I shot back, because it finally felt good to say what was on my mind to these dipshits.<
br />
  Ricky withdrew his gun, pushing it into the back of my skull. It was an empty threat. We both knew he wouldn’t pull the trigger when his order was to let me drown.

  We walked until we reached the edge of the dock. I stopped, turning to face them, my back to the water.

  “If I’d known you wanted to go for a midnight swim, I would’ve changed into my swimsuit,” I taunted, glancing down at my clothes.

  They ignored me, three of them holding me at gunpoint while the fourth zip-tied my wrists behind my back and placed heavy weighted cuffs on my ankles, making my legs feel like lead.

  A pair of headlights appeared in the distance, cutting through the darkening sky and closing in on us. The car squealed to a stop. The driver’s door opened and Lorenzo stepped out. He straightened his coat, his eyes scanning the area until they landed on me. Heading my direction, he cracked his neck and puffed out his chest, as if preparing for a fight.

  “Poetic, isn’t it?” he said airily as he came to a standstill a few feet from me.

  My eyes thinned as I tried to read him through the dim light. “What?” I finally asked, taking the bait.

  He smiled, folding his hands in front of him, legs planted wide. “You and Lena.”

  I bared my teeth at the mention of her name. “What the fuck are you talking about, Ricci?”

  “The fact that while you drown in the depths of the cold, dark water, she’ll be burning in a hot fire along with your mother and sister.”

  I lunged for him, snapping my head forward, getting at least one good shot in, my forehead connecting with his nose. He growled, rearing his arm back. His fist flew toward my face as his men held onto me. The pain of the couple blows was nothing compared to the words he delivered.

  Using the back of his hand, he wiped the blood dripping from his nose and spit at my feet.

  “I’ll fucking kill you,” I promised, keeping my swelling eyes on him.

  “Maybe in another life, Leoni. But tonight, you’re the one dying, along with your entire bloodline. That’s what happens to rats.”

  He turned his back on me, walking to his car.

  “Is that why you killed your own father?” I roared as he opened the door to his car.

  He stopped, his eyes meeting mine. He didn’t need to respond. I saw the truth in his sneer. His dad had ratted out mine to get ahead, and Lorenzo had killed his own blood for the same reason: to be the boss. “Enjoy the swim, Leoni. Be sure to tell Moretti hello for me in hell.”

  “You can tell him yourself.”

  He climbed in his car, slamming the door shut. Flipping the car around, he disappeared into the night.

  “Let’s go,” Ricky pushed me back toward the edge. “Any last words?”

  “Yeah. Go fuck yourself.”

  “You’re a real smartass. A disgrace to the Leoni name,” he snarled.

  With all his weight behind him, he shoved me over, not giving me the chance to say another word. I free fell a few feet before my back broke the surface of the frigid river, my whole body submerging. I kicked my legs, attempting to keep my head above the water as my body went into shock from the cold, the heavy cuffs making it nearly impossible. My lungs already felt like they were going to collapse as I gasped for air. I inhaled a deep breath, the weights winning the battle, pulling me completely under.

  I sunk deeper and deeper, the water like a million needles piercing my skin. My eyes closed, my body numb, and my mind calm as it flashed to memories of Lena.

  Her at eight years old, running through my house with her pigtails swishing behind her as we played tag.

  Her at thirteen, riding her bike beside me and Gia as we raced to the corner store.

  Her at seventeen in a prom dress. We’d gone as friends. But the truth had been I couldn’t stand to see her there with anyone else. It was the first time I admitted to myself I felt something more for her. It was the first time I stole a kiss, right there on the dance floor of the gym.

  Her in my apartment, sprawled across my bed after our very first night together almost a year ago. I watched her sleep for hours, admiring her beauty, feeling like the luckiest bastard in the world that she chose me to be her first, silently promising to cherish her forever.

  Her only a few days ago, laughing and smiling as I chased her through the cabin. She’d been so carefree over the weekend, finally living in the moment.

  Memory after memory flooded me. My ears rang as the noise faded into the darkness and my final breath slipping away.

  21

  Agent Rhodes

  Leaning against the hood of my car, I stared out at the Hudson as the divers searched for a body. Mario Leoni’s body. I’d been split between wanting them to find him and not wanting them to find him.

  Thoughts of both scenarios had kept me from sleeping for the last twenty-four hours. Maxwell thrusted a coffee in my face, forcing my attention away from the water.

  “Got you the venti. Looked like you needed it.”

  “Thanks.” I took it from him without drinking.

  “Any luck breaking Prescott?”

  “No. He isn’t going to say shit, especially now that his attorney is involved. Won’t tell us where he got the thumb drive or the code to access it. We got our best tech guys working on it.”

  I nodded absently. It’d been one dead end after the other. Prescott wasn’t talking. Tommy was still missing. No sign of Moretti or Mario.

  “Why don’t you get out of here. Get some rest. I’ll call you if they find anything.” He bumped my shoulder with his. “I mean it. Get out of here. That’s an order.”

  I sighed, slowly standing up straight. “Fine. Call me immediately.”

  He gave me a mock salute, and I passed him back the coffee. He didn’t even pretend to argue about me keeping it for myself.

  On my way home, I detoured, driving past Mario’s old apartment building then the Leoni’s family restaurant, now nothing more than ashes and another dead end.

  Witnesses said Mario’s family and Lena were the only ones inside. Not one person saw them come out with the occupants of the apartments above. The fire had burned the place practically to the ground before the first responders could put it out. If they were in there, there was no way they could’ve survived. No charred bodies had been found, though. It would take a while for forensics to work through the fire evidence. Something told me it was unlikely they’d find anything.

  I parked along the curb, in the last space along my street. I took the steps up to my apartment, the fatigue starting to set in the closer I got to my bed. My phone vibrated with an update from Maxwell. I fished it from my pocket, reading it as I walked. They still had nothing and were calling it a day.

  I cursed under my breath. With my head down, I typed out a response. As I neared the door to my apartment, I heard the loud barking of my dog interspersed with growling through the door.

  Quickly unlocking it, I stepped inside, then shut and secured the deadbolt. “Mandy,” I called for my golden retriever, following it up with a whistle.

  She continued to growl at something behind my couch, her little reddish golden body jumping around as she did.

  “What is it girl?” I asked as I tossed my keys to the entry table with a clatter, moving toward her. She growled again this time lunging forward, biting down on something, and yanking it around like a chew toy. I stilled at the sight of a man’s shoe in her mouth, immediately withdrawing my gun from its holster.

  Aiming it out in front of me, I slowly moved around the living room with a wide berth to get a better visual of the backside of the couch. My heart raced as I rounded the side. I stilled when I saw the man slouched against the backrest. I kicked at his foot and he barely moved, mumbling something incoherent. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not that the man was still alive.

  Keeping my gun on him, my eyes roamed over his battered, yet bandaged body. His clothes and long hair were covered in dried blood. It wasn’t until my eyes read the piece of paper stuck to his chest t
hat I nearly lost my breath.

  I fumbled for the phone in my pocket, quickly dialing Maxwell’s number.

  “You’re supposed to be sleeping,” he said in answer.

  Ignoring his reprimand, I holstered my gun. “You’re not going to believe this. Where are you?”

  “Just leaving the docks. What am I not going to believe?”

  “How quick can you get to my place?”

  “I can head there now. What’s going on?”

  I stared at the barely breathing man at my feet. “I think I just found Tommy.”

  “I want around-the-clock agents outside his hospital room door. Only ones I pre-approve and sign off on,” I told Maxwell as they loaded the man found in my apartment.

  A few fingerprints and a quick run in the system verified our John Doe was indeed Tommy Wilson. Based on his description and the convenience of him ending up in my apartment, I had no doubt he was the Tommy, the one Mario had given us the lead on. The one who could be the break we needed to take down the Moretti crime family. That was if the mole in the department didn’t get word we had Tommy in custody. I had no doubt Moretti’s men would be looking for him if they knew he was still alive.

  “I’m starting to wonder whether I’m still in charge here,” Maxwell quipped, climbing into the back of the ambulance next to Tommy’s stretcher.

  A small smile crept onto my face. I couldn’t help it. This was the best damn thing to happen in months.

  “Where are you headed?”

  “To see an old friend of yours,” I responded. Even though one of the missing links had been found, I still had a ton of questions. Like how the hell Tommy Wilson ended up in my apartment.

  Maxwell’s grin was as wide as mine by the time I helped close the back doors of the ambulance. With lights flashing and sirens wailing, I watched them drive away before climbing into my car and heading to EAM Security.