“Another mob group?” I asked.
“You know a lot about your father’s operations, don’t you?” he asked.
“More than I probably should. That’s what I get for eavesdropping and poking around in his office.”
Luca snickered. “You’re relentless.”
“And I’m valuable. So, stop being upset, give that steering wheel a rest from your grip, and talk to me.”
“You shouldn't be here. If something happens to you--.”
But, I cut his words off by settling a comforting hand against his knee.
“Despite what my father thinks, I can take care of myself. In ways people don’t understand. Now, fill me in. What do I need to know?” I asked.
“That’s about it. We have an address from The 9-1-7 as to where this new mafia-slash-gang could be operating from. So, we’re pooling resources because their leader’s been taken, too. Which is why we think it’s a turf thing. Taking out both of our groups at once gives them control of over half the city.”
“Large ambitions for a nameless group.”
“You’re telling me,” he murmured.
Then, after a bit of silence, Luca spoke up again.
“I promise to keep you safe, you know that. Right?”
I squeezed his knee. “I know.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you. Even if it means harm to me.”
“I know what my father pays you to do.”
“I’d do it, even if I wasn’t being paid for it.”
My eyes slowly panned over to him as we came to a stop at a red light.
“You would?” I asked.
Luca nodded. “In a heartbeat.”
Then, he settled his hand over mine.
I smiled softly at him as we took off from our stopped position. With the handgun in one hand and his hand in the other, he weaved us through back alleyways and around stop signs. And the entire time, his grip on my hand slowly tightened. He was worried. I knew he was. But, I was fine with facing the gang. I was fine with helping to rescue my father.
What I wasn’t fine with was being held back simply because people expected me to fulfill a certain role in my life.
I felt my phone vibrating and I slipped my hand away from Luca’s knee. I reached into my purse, pulling it out to see my mother calling. I ignored the phone call, then opened up the few texts I had from Giana. She’d gotten to the estate, and Ciro had taken up residence by the front door.
But, Mom wasn’t happy about my absence.
I typed her a quick text back, letting her know I’d call when things were okay again. I told her she had free rein over my bedroom and clothes, just in case this took a little longer to clean up than usual. I kept ignoring my mother’s phone calls, knowing damn good and well they wouldn't amount to anything except her yelling at me before I hung up on her.
Then, I placed my phone back in my purse.
“Giana and Ciro make it all right?” Luca asked.
“Yep. She’s there, and Ciro’s helping to lock down the estate,” I said.
“Good. Because we’re almost there.”
“To the address?”
He nodded. “Four minutes out.”
I drew in a deep breath and sat upright in the chair. I sent up a small prayer, hoping that whatever God was listening to me decided to have mercy on my family. I felt Luca take my hand again, threading our fingers together. I opened my eyes slowly, watching as we traveled down a back alleyway. I furrowed my brow as I studied the buildings. I gazed around, trying to get my bearings.
“Wait a second, is that the old strip mall?” I asked.
“Are you familiar with this area?” Luca asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I am. I spent a lot of time here as a child with my mother. Walking around and shopping and…”
Then, my eyes fell onto that infamous brick building.
“Stop,” I said.
“Why? What’s--?”
“Damn it, Luca. Stop the fucking car,” I said.
I relinquished his hand as he came to a grinding halt. The darkness of the alleyway shrouded the SUV, which meant I had to lean up in order to peer around the corner. It all made sense now. What was going on. What was happening. Why this was the address they’d brought my father to.
“Text Mario and tell him to accompany you inside. I have to stay here,” I said.
Luca paused. “Wait a second, I fought you this entire time on not coming, and now you’re not--?”
“For the love of fuck, just do it.”
“Are you going to tell me why?” he asked as he took out his phone.
I reached over and turned the car off while he sent the text. Then, I sighed as his eyes met mine.
“What are you not telling me? What is this building?” Luca asked.
“I don’t think you’re going to get a fire fight more than you’re going to get a psychological one,” I said.
“What makes you think that?”
“This address. This strip mall. It’s important to my family.”
“Are you going to tell me why now?” he asked.
“Are you going to tuck in the attitude?” I asked.
“Stop trying to get the upper hand and spit it out, Alianna. We don’t have time to measure dicks.”
I snickered. “Though, we both know I’d win that one. Hands down.”
But, when Luca glared at me with that icy stare of his, I sighed.
“This strip mall is the first place my father tried to acquire for his ‘professional’ business endeavors. My father has investments all over the nation. It’s how he cleans his money,” I said.
“I’m not going to even ask how you know that.”
“At any rate, he bought this place too early. Sank a lot of money into it before it bellied up less than two years later. It was a source of contention between my father and my mother that almost ended them. To this day, I think the only reason why they didn’t divorce is because my mother’s such a staunch traditionalist.”
“What does this have to do with what we’re about to walk into?”
“Do you really think it’s a coincidence that this group has supposedly brought my father back to the one place on his portfolio that went under? Which just so happens to be the first investment he ever made when he was building his empire?”
He paused. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“You and Mario need to be careful,” I said.
“I promise, we will be. And you’re staying here? You’re sure about that?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m sure. I know this place well. I know it’s back exits and things like that because my father’s always been overprotective. My mother and I came in the back of this strip mall more than we did the front, most times. His paranoia became stunted a bit as he rose up the chain of command within the family. But, during the ‘time of the strip mall’, he was so overbearing it was constricting.”
“Anything else I should know about this place?” he asked.
“If you want a sneak attack, use the sewer entrance over there. Pry open the lid, go down the ladder, and walk straight. It’s an escape tunnel my father carved out for the place. If you want to go in hot, go through the back doors. But, if you want to stay concealed until you know what the hell’s going on, use that tunnel,” I said.
“You’re brilliant.”
Then, he leaned over and captured my lips before opening the door of the SUV.
15
Luca
I turned around, catching Alianna’s worried stare as she gazed back down the alleyway. I sat there, with the car door open, wondering what she was thinking. How she was feeling. What she could possibly be debating in her mind.
“Promise me something,” I said.
“Yes?” she asked, not looking at me.
“If shit goes down, and if it looks bad, get the hell out of here.”
“Luca, I--.”
I held up my finger, stopping her sentence in its tracks.
&
nbsp; “I’ve brought you this far. And I haven’t regretted it. But, if you do something that gets you in trouble--if you do something that gets you harmed in any way--it’s done. It’s over. Got it?” I asked.
She slowly panned her head in my general direction and her eyes looked dead. Her lips downturned into a concentrated frown as she nodded her head slowly. I pointed to the keys in the ignition before cranking up the SUV again. Then, I closed the door softly and headed down the alleyway.
Straight to where Mario was standing.
Then, Ciro appeared.
“What the--?” I asked.
“Don’t ask. It’s been a hell of a day, and I’m tired of going through it. Just know I’m not letting you two go in here alone, nor are the girls back at the estate without protection,” he said.
I didn’t have the energy to ask. Mostly, because these Russo girls--and the girls connected to them--were tough as fucking nails.
Mario chuckled. “You two sound like you’ve been run through the ringer.”
“No fucking shit,” Ciro murmured.
“Okay. I’ve got some information from Alianna. Apparently, this abandoned strip mall used to belong to her father. It was the first investment he made to clean the money coming through the family,” I said.
“And she knows this?” Mario asked.
I held up my hand, then shook my head.
“Just listen. Someone just… needs to listen,” I said, sighing.
Ciro grinned. “Tough keeping up with them, huh?”
“You have no idea,” I murmured.
“Okay, so. This place belongs to Mr. Russo?” Mario asked.
“Used to. The strip mall went under less than two years after his development. Alianna seems to think there’s a connection between what’s going on and why they’ve dragged him off to this place. She thinks we’re in for a psychological battle and not a fire fight,” I said.
Ciro shrugged. “Hell of a coincidence.”
“She also said there’s tunnel access through the sewer system. I say we take that instead of going in hot. So we know what’s happening before we get ourselves in trouble,” I said.
“You mean the sewer access you’re standing on?” Ciro asked.
I jumped, listening to the metal rumble. “Yep.”
The three of us moved, then heaved the heavy metal up together. I looked up, catching Alianna’s worried stare as she peeked from around the corner. Ciro dropped in first, then Mario. I brought up the rear, dipping below the surface of the road and dropping down into the muck of the sewers. I brought out my flashlight and my gun. I held them up, creeping down the tunnel directly in front of us. Just like Alianna said there would be.
And it didn’t take us long before I saw Ciro turn off his flashlight.
Mario and I followed in suit, standing still as light streamed against Ciro’s face. He looked up, and I saw something that looked like grating. A grate in the ceiling of the sewer. Along with shadows moving around. Mario and I crept along silently, gathering on either side of Ciro so we could get a clear shot of what was going on.
Then, I heard Mr. Russo’s voice.
“You really think this small-time gang’s a threat to us? Because I think ‘gang’ is a generous word. The 9-1-7 is a gang. You and me? We’re crime families, boys. And this small-time idiotic group of kids thinks they can come take all of us out? At once?”
Ciro looked over at me and I shrugged. I had no idea what the fuck he was talking about. But, he sounded healthy. His words weren’t slurred. His voice was crisp. Clean. His voice wasn’t muffled, nor did it sound like he was struggling against handcuffs or rope of any kind.
Then, a voice I knew all too well piped up. Which shocked me stone cold.
“Yes, that’s exactly what we think. Why do you think we staged both of your kidnappings so well?”
That was the voice of Aika Akiko. The leader of an Asian crime family who dubbed themselves The Yellow Dragons. I looked over at Mario and saw his nostrils flaring. Ciro had his gun trained at the grate, ready to take aim at any face from that fucking family that crossed our path.
“You almost got yourself killed, asshole.”
And that voice belonged to the leader of The 9-1-7. A man known only by the name of ‘Ghost’. Because he was damn good at disappearing from crime scenes.
Or from the scene, in general, when things got too hot.
“Well, your women came looking for you. They’re standing right behind you, aren’t they? And my my, how pretty they are,” Akiko said.
“Keep your eyes to yourself, homes,” Ghost said.
“Though, I’m curious. Where are your men, Mr. Russo?” Akiko asked.
“Why don’t you look down at the grate to your side? Pretty sure that’s one of my issued firearms gleaming up at you,” Russo said.
And when Akiko looked down at us, Mario and I trained our guns on him, too.
“Impressive. I didn’t even hear you approaching. Why don’t you come on up and join the conversation? I promise the gash in your boss’s head isn’t too bad,” Akiko said.
The three of us looked at one another before we dispersed. We rushed down the tunnel until we came to our first ladder. I climbed up first, flipping the air conditioning vent over as I chuckled. A nice concealment in plain sight. A trademark of Mr. Russo’s. I climbed out and held my hands out for Ciro and Mario, helping pull them to their feet.
Then, we followed the sounds of voices before entering into a back room.
“How nice of you to join us,” Akiko said.
I looked over at Mr. Russo and he did have a gash on his head. Held together with two butterfly stitches, I checked his eye movement. Whether or not his body was shaking. He didn’t seem swollen in his face. He had no bruises or ligature marks anywhere I could see. I motioned for Ciro and Mario to take up their positions behind our boss while I stayed at the only entry or exit point out of this room.
I stood strong, crossed my arms in front of me, and brandished my weapon.
Which caused Akiko to chuckle.
“This isn’t a hostile meeting. Unless you’d like to make it one,” he said.
“You made it hostile the second you ripped me from my bed. In my fuckin’ underwear, dude!” Ghost exclaimed.
“I had one of the guys go get you a robe,” Akiko said.
“And he brought us some pretty good intel,” Russo said.
“Pretty good?” Akiko asked.
“That’s what I said, and that’s all the praise you’ll get,” our boss said.
I grinned at his words as I planted myself, readying for a fight. I saw Trishelle standing behind Ghost, with two other strong, angry-looking women at her sides. They had automatic rifle straps tossed around their shoulders. Aimed at Akiko, ready to load him and his goons with bullets. It’d been a long time since I’d laid eyes on the head of the Yellow Dragons.
Which meant if he was in town for a personal visit, it was serious.
“Should I recap for the boys?” Akiko asked.
“You can recap for my men, sure. But, the only boy I see in this room is you,” Russo said.
“I think I could use a recap, actually,” Ghost said.
“Fair enough. Simply put, there’s a new group in town pushing out both guns and drugs in our territory. The three of us have control over the whole of New York City. But, this infiltration has cost me a great deal of money to try and fix. To no avail, of course. Hence, my presence,” Akiko said.
“It’s cost me ten foot soldiers so far. They’re killin’ in broad daylight those mother fuckers!” Ghost exclaimed.
“You can calm your voice down now. That’s enough squealing for one afternoon,” Russo said.
“What you say to me?” Ghost asked.
The women pointed guns at our boss, which forced us to aim our barrels at women. Fucking women, for Christ sake.
“That’s enough. It’s clear we all have very powerful crews and influences in the community. So, unless one of you is wil
ling to die today, I suggest all weapons be holstered,” Akiko said.
“Over our dead bodies,” Ciro murmured.
Mr. Russo put up his hand, though. Silencing Ciro behind him. He looked at me and nodded, signaling to me to lower my weapon. The second I did, Ciro and Mario followed. Which made the women feel comfortable enough to slide their rifles around behind their backs.
“There. Isn’t that better?” Akiko asked.
“Get to the point of all this pomp and circumstance,” Russo said.
“My proposal is simple. The three of us team up and take down this mysterious force,” Akiko said.
The room fell dead silent before Ghost started laughing.
“You can’t be serious,” he said.
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Akiko asked.
“No, you don’t. But, I’m with Ghost on this one. The last time the Russo Family attempted anything with you, it almost got me killed. Got three of my men killed. One of them wounded, who happens to be standing at the door,” Russo said.
I lifted my hand. “Hi.”
Akiko looked back at me. “You’ve grown.”
“And I have a perfect shot of the back of your head,” I said.
“I won’t hesitate to give him the cue to take the shot, either,” Russo said.
“I flew into town to hold this meeting because every single one of us is threatened. Word on the street is this group’s drugs are better than The 9-1-7’s. I’ve lost three ammunitions clients to them already. And you? Rumor has it you haven’t heard from a couple of your clients in a few weeks,” Akiko said.
Russo shrugged. “Clients come and go.”
“But, not like this. Right?” Akiko asked.
“Their drugs aren’t better than ours. I have the best men on my side to--.”
“They’ll push you out of this area first. Mostly because you’re disorganized, at best. They’ll come for me next because I’m rarely in the area. I mostly designate to my upper hands what to do with our part of the city. Then, they’ll take down the Russo’s. Simply because they will have proven by that point they can. They will divide and conquer, then scoop up what’s left and keep it for themselves,” Akiko said.
“You’ve got no proof of this. Just some rumors and whispers,” Ghost said.
Luca: Sinful Shadows Mafia #1 Page 10