by S. K. Hardy
Benny nervously stood several feet away from Angel, arms hanging loosely at his side. He was a large man and made an intimidating figure, but the way Angel stared at him with those cold green eyes of his frightened him more than anything or anyone he’d ever encountered.
"Mr. LaCroix...I...I'm sorry."
When Angel continued to glare at him without responding, Benny swallowed hard before pleading his case. "Everything was fine the night before they took him. Dominick and Mrs. Spain elected to stay in. I kept an eye on the monitors and never saw nobody who looked suspicious."
For a hefty price, the hotel manager had been persuaded to allow them to install discreet surveillance cameras in the hallway and in front of Dominick's room. It was another precaution they’d taken in order to keep Dominick and Keisha safe, but because of Benny’s incompetence, they may as well have not even bothered.
A dull roar began in Angel’s ears, and for a moment his vision was a tunnel of red haze as he stared at Benny. This was the person he'd entrusted his brother's safety to, and he'd failed. In Angel’s mind, there was no excuse for failure. None. He took a threatening step towards the bastard, then another.
A visibly disturbed Benny backed up once, then again as Angel advanced upon him. He glanced at Carlo, as if looking for direction on how to proceed, but received no help there.
Although Carlo's expression was carefully blank, the muscle in his jaw ticked uncontrollably as he held in his own anger. If he was going to get his ass chewed out, he damned sure wasn't going to take the heat for Benny as well. Besides, no matter what excuse he gave them, the outcome was still the same. Benny had screwed up. Carlo's eyes clearly told him he was on his own.
Angel stopped walking and clasped his hands behind his back, his expression seemingly perplexed. "Let me get this straight. You claim you were with Dominick and Keisha at all times whenever they left the room. When they were inside the room, you monitored the surveillance cameras in the hallway and outside his door...at all times." Angel peered at the man through squinted eyes. His voice was eerily calm, but thinly veiled rage simmered just below the surface. "Is that what you're telling me, Benny?"
"I..."
"Because if that's what you're saying, that means you're lying to me to my face, and anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I absolutely detest liars, thieves, and rats. Which one are you, Benny?"
"I..." Swallowing several times, Benny nervously wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. "Angel, I screwed up."
"You screwed..." Angel broke off mid-sentence and let out an incredulous laugh. He turned to look at Oscar and then Carlo, his amusement evident. "You hear this son of a bitch?"
Chuckling under his breath, Angel returned his gaze to Benny, but the look in his eyes was now as deadly as a wild boar in the brush moving in for the kill.
"You screwed up? Is that what you call inviting some little cunt to your room to get a piece of ass when you're supposed to be guarding my brother and his wife?" Angel spat out, brows bunched low. “Did it ever occur to you that you were being set up?”
Carlo took his jacket off and threw it on a chair behind him. He moved behind Benny and quietly stood there with one hand wrapped around his fist. Although he wasn't an overly large man, Carlo's reputation as Angel's enforcer was well known. He was cold, methodical, and very thorough, executing hits without feeling or emotion. His detached professionalism was one of the reasons he'd been steadily promoted up the ranks throughout the years. It didn't matter that just a couple of weeks ago, he, Benny, and some of the boys had sat around a table drinking and talking shit while playing a game of poker. That was then. This was business.
"I let my guard down, and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Angelo." Benny proclaimed, hands spread wide in appeal. "I'll fix this. I swear to God I will. Just give me a..."
But he never got a chance to complete the sentence. Angel reared back and slapped him with enough force to snap his head to the side. Benny staggered back a step and would've caught himself, but Carlo kicked him at the joint under his thigh, making him buckle to his knees. Almost before he had a chance to take a breath, Carlo was on him, letting loose with a continuous series of forceful blows. Benny didn’t stand a chance.
Angel lit a cigar and half leaned, half sat on the edge of his desk as he watched the beating. Carlo was focused, showing hardly any emotion. By the time Angel gave the signal to halt the attack, Benny was bruised, bloody, and barely conscious.
Carlo slipped a leather cord from his pocket and wrapped it around his hands, but Angel shook his head.
"Not here. Have the men take him out through the west side exit. Make sure they're not seen." Angel never handled business like this in his home, around his family. His annoyance at having to do so now was made evident by the narrow eyed glare he shot Carlo's way. "And make it clean, no loose ends. That is, if the men under your command can handle this simple thing without fucking it up as well."
A muscle in Carlo's jaw jumped, letting Angel know the jab had hit its mark. His disappointment at not being able to finish Benny off personally was obvious, but he snapped his fingers at his men in the room.
After they half dragged a pleading Benny out, Angel turned to Oscar, who had just hung up the phone. "Anything?"
"Maybe. Our men just finished interrogating the hotel employee who assisted Melania in getting in and out of the facility. By the time the men finished with him, they were confident they'd extracted the little information he was in possession of. The same goes for the chauffeur. He’s clean. From the footage of the hotel security cameras outside, we know the make of the SUV as well as the license plate. Our contacts in the bureau are in the process of trying to–"
Angel cut in and finished Oscar's sentence. "Track Melania’s vehicle by identifying the images of the plates. For once, thank God for Big Brother."
Much to the outcry of residents citing privacy rights and violations, surveillance technology in the form of high speed cameras designed to automatically read license plates and track the movements of drivers were everywhere in Vegas. Once the information was recorded, it was then tagged with the date, time, and GPS coordinates.
The DEA and ATF had been utilizing the device to try and keep up with Angel for years. In the past, their attempts had always amused him, but for once he was grateful for the intrusion. Hopefully it would help them get a fix on where Melania had taken Dominick.
Angel gripped the back of his neck with his hand while closing his eyes. It was frustrating as hell to sit here and do nothing while his brother was being subjected to God knew what at the hands of Melania Cruz.
"I should've gotten rid of that bitch when I had the chance." He was unaware that he'd spoken the words out loud.
"You can't beat yourself up about it, Angelo. What you told Keisha is true, Dominick will manage to keep himself alive until we find him. You have to have faith and believe that."
"Faith, Oscar?" Angel’s tone was threaded with disgust as he walked to the window and stared out of it. The two of them along with Carlo were now the only ones in the room. "I don't operate on faith, I create my own destiny. Sitting back and relying on fate is not what I do."
He swung around and locked his gaze on Carlo. "I want you to get on the phone with Lucas and tell him we need information now."
Lucas had finally gotten in contact with the person working inside Melania’s operation.
"I want to be notified the minute you have something, is that clear?"
"I'm on it, Boss." Carlo had his phone out and was dialing before he finished speaking.
Angel turned to Oscar. "I'll be back shortly. If you learn anything..."
"Of course."
Hesitating for a split second, Angel nodded, allowing only Oscar to witness the fear he felt at the prospect of losing his brother. Why was it that he continued to fail at protecting Dominick? He hadn't been able to keep him out of prison all those years ago, and now he'd been captured and was most likely being tortured by one of Mexic
o's most violent and notorious cartels.
He lifted his head when Oscar placed a hand on his shoulder. "I need you to believe and have confidence in everything you told Keisha a few minutes ago. We will find him, Angelo. Everyone understands time is of the essence. We'll find him," Oscar repeated in a strong voice.
Angel inhaled then nodded. "I know we will. Thank you, my friend."
"No thanks needed. You and Nick are my family." Oscar pulled Angel to him in a brief, but fierce hug before Angel pulled away to go and find his wife.
CHAPTER 37
On his way to talk to Nikki, Angel paused when he heard the unmistakable sound of his nephew wailing furiously at the top of his lungs. Frowning, he made a slight detour and found Keisha sitting in one of the rooms, trying desperately to calm Christian down. However, Christian was not happy and wanted everyone in his immediate vicinity to know it.
"Hey, hey, hey what's wrong?"
Hearing his uncle's voice, Christian swiveled around in search of him with eyes wide and full of tears. When he spied Angel walking towards them, Christian let out an ear splitting scream and stretched his arms toward Angel.
Looking frazzled and stressed, Keisha looked up at Angel, her voice cracking as she spoke. "I'm sorry, he won't stop crying. H-he wants h-his Daddy, k-keeps crying for him. Nothing I do is working."
"It's okay, sweetheart, give him to me." Angel bent down and plucked Christian off Keisha's lap and held him in his arms. "Come to Uncle Angelo, baby boy. Stop crying. I’m going to bring your daddy to you real soon. I promise.
Kissing the child's forehead, he walked around the room, lulling Christian to a state of calmness by continuing to talk to him in a low, soft voice that the child seemed to find soothing. When Keisha sent Angel a look of gratitude, he winked at her and kept rubbing Christian's back.
Angel kissed the top of Christian's head, rubbing his cheek over the crop of curly hair Keisha had yet to allow Dominick to cut. His niece and nephew were as precious to him as his own son. He loved his family with a fierceness that burned deep in his soul; the need to protect them was instinctual. He would give his life to save any one of them. If he could switch places with Dominick now...
"Any news yet?"
Angel turned when he heard Keisha's hushed question. Christian had fallen into an exhausted sleep and she didn't want to wake him.
"Maybe. I'm waiting to hear from Oscar now."
Keisha inhaled a chest expansive breath and brought her hands up to her hair. She threaded her fingers through strands that were already in a messy state of disarray from doing just that all morning. She impatiently rolled it in a quick twist, managing to tuck it in so that it would stay until she could find a clip to secure it.
"Okay, okay, okay," she chanted under her breath. "Dominick is going to be alright. He has to be." She half turned away and covered her face with her hands. "This is crazy. I just want to wake up, any minute now, and discover this was all just a bad dream."
She looked at her son, now sleeping so peacefully in Angel's arms, and couldn't help but smile. "Poor baby. The minute he saw me he peeked behind me, asking for his da-da." Her eyes lifted to meet Angel's. "Thank you for calming him down."
"You don't have to thank me. Dominick and I sound so much alike, I think when he heard my voice, he figured his Uncle Angelo would have to do for now."
They looked at the toddler and smiled. Keisha was getting ready to add something to his observation just as Nikki walked into the room. She came to stand beside Angel, running a gentle hand over Christian's back. The little boy's breath hitched in his throat as he sighed and snuggled closer to Angel.
Nikki smiled then glanced at Keisha. "I was just coming to check on you and make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine. Christian was fussy so I came in here to try and calm him down. I was about ready to start crying with him when Angel found us." She gestured towards her child and her brother-in-law. "As you can see, he has the situation under control."
"It's a man thing," Angel interjected. "You two wouldn't understand it."
For a quick second a glimmer of amusement lit up Keisha's eyes before she realized that what he said was so true. A little boy needed his father. Christian needed Dominick. They all needed him. She was having trouble breathing without him right now. How was she supposed to live the rest of her life if...if...
A movement at the door caused all of them to look in that direction. Seeing Oscar walking in, all eyes were on him, their bodies tense with anticipation. Nikki reached up and gently took Christian from Angel. The little boy stirred and switched to Nikki's other shoulder, but didn't wake up.
Oscar's eyes were on Angel. "I just got a phone call from Lucas. We know where Melania took Dominick."
Keisha gasped, her eyes frantically going to Angel, but Angel's attention was focused solely on Oscar. "Call Lucas and tell him-"
"I already did." Oscar had anticipated Angel's order. "We have men that are closer than us, they’re already headed that way. I told them we'd be behind them fifteen, twenty minutes tops and to wait for you before engaging."
"No. Call them back and tell them the minute they get there it's a go. No waiting. They won't be able to hide the fact that they're there, so the best chance we have to gain the upper hand is to move swiftly."
"Got it."
"And Oscar?"
Oscar was already halfway to the door, phone to his ear, barking out orders. He turned and quirked a brow upon hearing Angel call his name.
"Tell them to leave Melania for me."
As soon as Oscar left, Angel turned to Keisha. He held a hand up to halt the questions he could see burning brightly in her eyes. "I don't have time to explain everything right now. I will tell you this, the next time you see me it will be with Dominick walking in beside me. You have my word on that."
Keisha nodded vigorously, refusing to allow the terrified whispers of doubt to creep into her head. She'd personally seen the things Angel was capable of. Plus, Dominick had unwavering trust and confidence in his brother. No matter how afraid she was, she had to trust and believe that Angelo would do as he said.
"Tell him I'm waiting and to hurry his ass up," she bit out in a determined voice.
Angel nodded once before turning to Nikki. Until now, he'd kept her far away from the ugliness of the world in which he lived, shielded her from the dangers that were too often a part of his life. Angel saw the fear and worry in her eyes, but she kept her gaze steady with his.
He curled a hand around the back of her neck. "I'll be back soon. I love you. Kiss my son for me."
"I will. And I love you too."
Angel brought his mouth down on hers, meshing their lips together briefly before lifting his head. Angel leaned down and softly kissed Christian's forehead then hurried towards the door.
"Angel?" Nikki called out softly. Her heart was full of so many emotions, the most prominent one being fear. Fear for Dominick's safety...and fear for his.
Angel stopped in his tracks and angled his head to glance over his shoulder as he waited with a hint of impatience.
"Just...just be careful. You not coming back to me is not an option."
Angel's features softened as he took in her overly bright eyes and trembling lips. The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly as he nodded. "I agree. It's not."
Giving her a quick wink, he walked out, his mind already on the situation that awaited him when he came face to face with Melania Cruz.
Green eyes blazing, he vowed to permanently eliminate the threat she posed to his family; as he’d said earlier, he should've done so that day she taunted him in her hotel room. If the aftermath resulted in a war between him and the Juarez cartel, so be it, but if he let this pass without retaliating, it would send a message that it was open fucking season on him, his family, and his operation, and he couldn't have that.
Besides, Melania had to have known it was a declaration of war to actually go after his brother, his blood. No, there was nothing on this
earth that would allow her to continue to draw a breath after today. Nothing. He would make sure of that.
CHAPTER 38
The first thing to penetrate Dominick's subconscious was a white hot pain so intense it felt like a torpedo had imploded in his skull and blown it to kingdom fucking come.
Dom swallowed, trying to keep the nausea at bay. With his eyes still closed, he fought to calm his mind and piece together where he was and exactly what the hell happened to get him here. He was sitting in a hard, wooden chair, his hands tied to the back. He tried to inhale a deep breath then immediately regretted doing so when the agonizing pain that resulted told him his ribs were possibly fractured or broken.
Wincing, he squeezed his eyes closed and gritted his teeth as he struggled not to succumb to the darkness that threatened to overcome him. The events he was able to remember played out behind the screen of his closed lids. They unfolded in slow succession: the hotel room...opening the door for the housekeeper...men bursting in...guns...fighting...Melania...Keisha...
Dominick inhaled swiftly. Ignoring the pain that almost caused him to black out, he lifted his head. Squinting, he looked around to get his bearings.
Where in the fuck was he? How long had he been there, and most importantly, where was Keisha? If they'd done anything to hurt her...
"Well, well, well. Our guest has finally awoken from his slumber. Hola, Dominick."
His eyes darkening like a brewing storm, Dom fixed them intently on Melania Cruz when she sauntered confidently in front of him. "Where's my wife?"
Melania laughed and threw a look towards her men, who were standing behind her. "Awww, isn't it sweet that his first concern is for his little wifey?"
Laughter accompanied by lewd comments sounded out in the room, but when Melania turned back to Dominick, there was no amusement on her face. "Let me give you a bit of advice, Dominick. Your wife is not the one you need to be worried about right now. Comprende?"
"You can take your advice and ram it up your ass," Dominick snarled, straining against the confines of the ropes. "Comprende that. Now where’s my wife?"