Take Me Higher: (A Chicago Mafia Syndicate) (Castaletta Book 1)

by Ali Parker

  Demetri got up and walked to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a glass of something dark. "Of course you don't, Joe, but we're human. We have emotions and internal struggles too. Losing Vivian and Maria this weekend has put a strain on all of us — me most."

  "And I understand that." My father stood, and D turned to face him. "But we're in a time of transition here, and there are wolves at the fucking door. You both are all I have to protect this legacy that has spanned for almost a hundred years."

  "I'm sorry." I offered my apology first to my father and then turned to Demetri. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have egged you on. It was immature, and I was pissed at the world, not you."

  "Accepted." D nodded and walked back to the couch he’d been on moments ago. "I'm sorry as well. I'm letting old feelings that died years ago resurrect because of my pain. It won't happen again."

  The cold dagger he'd thrown under the guise of apology pierced my heart and wrapped it back in ice where it belonged.

  Old feelings that died years ago? You fucking liar.

  "Good. Now that we're done with that, update me on where we are with everything else. We have a meeting tonight from what Marco tells me, and the last thing I want to do is go in there with my dick hanging out for everyone to see." He sat back down, and the tension in the room drained almost immediately.

  "As I said, Parker is dead, and you'll need to talk with Marco on what he found when he went to clean up the room and collect the bank information on the guy." I brushed my fingers across my chin and ignored D's stare as I continued to focus on my father. "What pseudonym did you use with Parker, Dad? He showed up and hit on me almost immediately. I was a little surprised."

  "I told him that I was an old associate of his and that I was sending him a gift." My dad shrugged. "I described what you looked like, and knew you would take care of the rest."

  "Interesting." I nodded, forcing the hard emotions that swirled within me to lie docile until I could find a punching bag or someone to beat the shit out of.

  "How so?" D's voice was pinched with the same emotions that were destroying me.

  "He was calm and looking for a fuck." I glanced over at my Underboss. "He hadn't a care in the world. You should have seen the look on his face when I pulled out my gun."

  "After you fucked him." D's eyes narrowed a little.

  "Demetri." My father's tone was a staunch warning. In all our years together, I'd never seen D so close to getting an ass chewing. Where I wanted to hate him and undermine his efforts, I couldn't. Not ever. I loved him far too much for that.

  "I didn't fuck him. I put a bullet in his skull and walked out. You deserved having me poke at you, you drunk ass."

  "Izzy." My father popped the couch beside me angrily.

  "I spoke with Catherine this morning about Freddy." Demetri pulled our attention back to him as his eyes lingered on me just a little too long. "He's fucked up several shipments and a good three weeks of paperwork. I'm going to rough him up and give him direction one — "

  "No the hell you're not." My dad stood back up and ran his fingers through his salt and pepper hair as he walked toward his desk. "I swear that fucking kid is going to be the death of me. The only person in the world that could get him to half behave was his mother, and now... "

  My father pressed his hands to his desk with his back to us and took a shaky breath.

  I got up and moved to his side, rubbing his back softly as I pressed my lips to his shoulder. "Dad. Why don't you take the day off? D and I can work through all of this. Honestly. You've not been intimately involved in the syndicate for a while. Aren't you training Marco to take over soon?"

  "I was." He glanced over at me before standing up and pulling me into a hug. He kissed the top of my head and sighed again. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

  "And today isn't the day you have to figure it out, Joe." Demetri moved up beside us, crossing his arms over his strong chest and locking eyes with my father.

  I moved back and slipped my hands into my back pockets, completely depleting the pissy persona I'd brought into the room with me only moments before.

  "Let's talk to Marco about last night and then figure out our next steps with Freddy. You have time to help me with that today, or do you have other things on your plate?" I softened my approach with D and worked hard not to let my eyes move down the front of his body, coveting him in a way that I couldn't stop myself from doing no matter how bad things got.

  "Joe's going to have to decide on what to do about Freddy." D turned back toward my dad. "I know you don't want to make any sudden moves, and I think that's a great idea, but this shit with Freddy started happening before Vivian died."

  "Find out what you know, and bring me the full story, and then we'll do something about him. I can't have him fucking up something we've worked so hard to build over the last few years. You remember how hard it was to get into the narcotics business?"

  "Of course I do," D mumbled.

  "And without anyone on the force helping cover our tracks." I reached out and took D's drink from him. "It's too early to be drinking."

  "Says who?" He lifted his eyebrow at me.

  I ignored him and walked over to the liquor cabinet, tossing the contents of the glass into the sink.

  "We need to talk about Jonathan." I glanced over my shoulder. "Who are we going to get to work on the guy?"

  "I was hoping his father would." My dad leaned against his desk and shrugged. "Somehow Armstrong has decided that he wants a different life for his son. The kid is doing really well on the police force, working his way up the ladder quickly."

  "What doesn't he have?" I asked as I walked back over to join the guys.

  "What do you mean?" D crossed his arms over his chest as his expression tightened.

  "I mean, what is he lacking? What can we offer him that might not only entice him to join us but to be completely loyal in the process?"

  My father shook his head, his face expressionless. "Neither of you is ready for that conversation, so we'll have it another time."

  I tilted my head to the side and studied my old man. What conversation?

  "Meet with Marco, and get the rest of the story on Freddy." My dad glanced toward D. "You need to start thinking about who we have on our radar that we could use to replace Freddy when we decide that he's not fit to run the cartel, much less push drugs for us."

  "Catherine mentioned that Selma knew of someone. I'll dig a little and at least get someone started on checking references on the guy." D moved toward the door, opened it and moved back. "Come on, princess. We have a lot to do."

  "I don't know how many times I have to tell you two that it's queen." I gave my dad a quick kiss on the cheek and walked to the door, pausing and glancing back only to boss him around a little. "The meeting tonight is at eight, so get some rest, and don't overdo it until then."

  He chuckled. "You forget who I am, child."

  "Perhaps, but I love you enough to remind you of who you aren't anymore. Relax today, and let us deal with this." I moved past D into the hall and worked hard not to inhale the scent of his cologne.

  The door closed behind me, and the sound of D's shiny black shoes clipping the floor filled the air.

  "You know this conversation is far from over with us." He stopped by the office beside my father's and opened the door. "Come in here, and let's talk with Freddy. He's not listening to me, and I'm close to using violence as a means of opening his ears. I figure as his sister you'll want the benefit of smacking him around in a more loving way before I get ahold of him."

  "What conversation isn't over between us?" I tucked in my T-shirt and walked into D's office as he closed the door behind me.

  "The one where you spent the night with Edward. It's dangerous, and I don't like it." He moved toward his desk and took his seat. "Not one fucking bit."

  His dark eyes bored into me as he glanced up with tightly held anger on his face.

  I pressed my hand to his desk and leaned over jus
t enough to let my V-neck open to show the tops of my breasts. "Well, guess what, motherfucker, you weren't here when I got back. I told you how badly I needed someone, but you — "

  "Left for your sake." He shot up out of his chair, and I didn't hesitate to walk around his desk to meet him in his aggression. "You didn't want me here. You were quite clear about that." He stopped in front of me and looked down the long line of his perfect nose at me. "You didn't need to take a man to your bed, Izzy. It was slutty."

  I laughed before reaching up to slap him hard. "Fuck you for thinking you have the right to say anything about my love life."

  "You don't love Edward, and getting involved with him is just going to confuse him. It's a bitch move."

  "And you're an asshole with no courage to take what you want, so fuck you." I turned and walked to the door. "Deal with Freddy yourself. I'm the smoking gun of this organization and nothing more. Tell that to your old feelings that died years ago."

  "Don't go out that door. You know we need to figure a few things out."

  "Nope, we don't. You do." I walked out the door and jogged back up toward my bedroom. I was done for the day unless someone needed killing — then I’d be all for it.

  Chapter 14

  Demetri

  I shot across my office as fury burned deep inside of me. I had to pull myself together, but that wasn't going to happen until she understood who was in control.

  Pausing at the closed door, I pressed my forehead to it and took a few shallow breaths. Every part of me burned to throw her over my shoulder, spank her perfect ass and give her exactly what she was after. The only problem was that it would never be enough. One time of tossing her around her bed and fucking her ten different ways wouldn't sate either of us. It would simply open the door to what we both wanted most — each other.

  I jerked back as someone knocked on the other side of the door, before pulling it open with force.

  "If you think — " I stopped short of attacking.

  Marco leered and lifted his hands. "If I think what?"

  "Shut it." I turned and walked back toward my desk, and I ran my hand down the front of my face. "Your fucking sister is going to be the death of me."

  "She’s quite the tart, isn't she? Reminds me of my mother far more than anyone might realize." He chuckled and closed the door behind him. "I went to see Joe, and he told me that you were handling everything from last night. I have to say that surprises me a little."

  "How so?" I forced myself into a numbed calm.

  "Because it was his hit. He usually takes care of those himself, but the tide is turning." Marco rubbed his chin and moved to sit down in the seat closest to him. "How much longer do you honestly think he's going to try and keep this up?"

  "No clue. I would have said only a year or so if Vivian were still alive. I think she'd almost whittled him down into retiring and turning this thing over to you." I sat down and leaned back in my chair, grateful as hell that I hadn't gone after Izzy. I needed to distance myself from her, and yet I knew that was impossible. Maybe her getting together with Edward was a good thing. Maybe they would fall in love, and I could simply stew in silence over it. But the very thought had my blood burning through my veins.

  "Hey. You all right?" Marco uncrossed his legs and moved to the edge of his chair. "You really shouldn't let her upset you the way you do. She does it on purpose, much like you do too."

  "Me? I don't do anything. I'm a grown-ass man. I don't need to deal with her childish — "

  "Her childish ways?" He laughed, filling in whatever word he wanted for my sentiments. "You calling her a whore was rather childish if you ask me. She's a woman who has far more on her shoulders than any other woman her age. At least there are none I've ever met. Have you?" He lifted an eyebrow. Of course he was going to take her side. He was her older brother for shit’s sake.

  I'd have been a bit disappointed in him if he hadn't.

  "How exactly did you know that I called her a whore?" I pulled my phone out of my pocket as it buzzed.

  "Had my ear pressed to the door to see if you were in here. I heard the two of you fighting, so I pressed against the door harder. There's nothing more entertaining than watching the two of you deny your feelings for each other. It's been the greatest soap opera of my life." He shrugged.

  "Fuck you, Marco." I stood up and pulled the phone to my ear. "This is Demetri."

  "Hey. When you get a break today, I need you to come to the shipping yard. We found a few more things that Freddy messed up, but I'm not sure these are an accident. Just come when you can so I can show all of this to you before I fix it." Catherine sounded as pissy as Izabella had.

  "Of course. I'll head that way now. Marco's with me." I glanced down at him and covered the phone as Catherine gave me a few more details. "My sister wants us to come out to the shipping yard. She's got more shit on Freddy."

  Marco groaned and stood up. "Fine. Let's go, but we need to be back by six. Everyone should be at Gino's around eight tonight."

  I said my goodbyes to Catherine and pulled my keys from my pocket. "I brought the Jaguar, so I'll drive."

  "Bring Izabella with us." He chuckled and opened the door to my office.

  Bastard.

  "Why? She and I are — " I stopped short as she walked out of the kitchen, across the hall.

  "What?" She glanced between me and Marco.

  "Come with us to the shipping yard." Marco walked across the hall and pulled her into a side hug. "We need to see what your little brother is up to and figure out how to not let him get himself killed."

  "I'm busy." She started to pull from him, but he tightened his hold on her.

  "No you're not, and besides, I'd love to fill you in on my trip to the Moonlight Hotel last night. I'd love to hear your side of the story too."

  "Fine, but let's make it quick. I wanted to talk to Dad about Jonathan before the meeting tonight." She pulled from Marco's grasp and walked to the door. "We all riding on D's bike?"

  "No, he brought the Jag; he must be sullen today." Marco laughed as I flipped him off and walked to the door, ignoring Izzy. I didn't have anything to say to her that I hadn't already said. Joe was right about the two of us acting like children. We needed to move past the hard emotions that lay between us, but that was far easier said than done.

  *

  "Let me do the talking." I glanced over my shoulder and pinned Izabella with a hard stare. Where I knew Marco would keep his composure, I wasn't so sure about the emotionally bent enforcer. She and my sister didn't see eye to eye on anything.

  "Of course, D." Marco shrugged as if my request was directed at him and quite silly.

  "Izzy?" I asked and paused at the entrance to the small office building where my sister and her team worked.

  "I'm not quite sure I understand what you're asking." She moved past me and opened the door. "I'm not a puppet, so stop acting like I am. I'll speak when the fuck I want to."

  I growled and moved up beside her, gripping her arm tightly and jerking her toward me. "I'm telling you that I'm done with your bullshit. Cut it out. Now."

  "Hey, leave her be. She's been through a lot of shit," Marco spoke softly and laid his hand over mine.

  "We all have," Catherine responded as she walked out from the back of the building to the small receptionist area we had set up. "It doesn't give any of us, me included, the right to fuck up what we've all worked so hard for. Freddy needs to go."

  "Well, that's yet to be seen, and it's not your call." Izabella squared her shoulders as I released her and turned to my sister.

  "Show me what you've found." I moved in behind her as she turned and walked back down the hall. I spoke loudly as to let my voice carry back to Izzy and Marco. "I had breakfast this morning with Catherine, and she and Selma said that the last three weeks Freddy has been high more often than not."

  "And he's sent two shipments to the wrong location and fucked up three weeks’ worth of paperwork. He's getting sloppy, and it's because he'
s smoking more than he's working." Catherine opened the first door on her right, and we followed in behind her.

  "Where is everyone?" I asked and ignored the tension building up inside of me.

  "Lunch break. I sent everyone out so that we could look things over without having to be quiet about it." Catherine picked up a clipboard and handed it to me. Marco and Izzy moved in on either side of me, leaning in a little as my sister dragged her finger across the page.

  "This is a shipment of cocaine that should have arrived this morning while we were at breakfast, but it didn't. I put in a call with our supplier, and he told me quite clearly that Freddy called and diverted it to go here to this new dock." She moved her finger along the water's edge.

  "What?" Izabella moved over closer to Catherine and took the clipboard from me. "Why the hell would he push a shipment to a dock that doesn't belong to us? I'm going to kill him if he's fucking Dad over."

  "Don't jump to conclusions just yet." Marco stepped closer and ran his finger around the delivery point. "These used to be ours a few years ago. Remember when we first started shipping over in this area?"

  "Yeah, I remember, but Freddy isn't dense. He knows that we closed down these two ports almost two years ago." I ran my finger around the two we'd closed, one of them being where the little shit diverted the drugs to that morning.

  "There's only one way to figure out what the fuck's going on." Izzy looked up with a darkness in her eyes that would scare most grown men. "Where is my brother?"

  "He was at the mansion." I pulled out my phone and turned my back on the group as I called him. "It's going to voice mail."

  "His apartment is two blocks down the road. Let's just check and if he's done something stupid, then we can yank his ass from the ring and find someone else." Marco reached out and squeezed Catherine's shoulder as I turned back to face the group. "Thanks for making things right. I'm glad you're here."

  "Of course." Her cheeks colored pink, and a new thought entered my mind. Was something going on with my sister and Marco? Certainly not. They were nothing alike.