Deadly Games

by Mary Stone

  She dug her hands into her pockets. “Like I said, his name is Nino Capitano. The Columbo family usually calls him when they want their dirty work done.”

  This didn’t sit well with Linc. “But he’s a nobody. Who’s calling the shots? Who ordered the hit?”

  She shrugged. “That’s what we’re working to find out. The main boss for the family’s in prison, so we need to pinpoint who ordered this.”

  He clenched his fists and looked back at his girlfriend and her mother in the truck, whose faces looked so pale and stricken. They couldn’t take much more of this. “Well, can you find it out a little faster? Doesn’t William know?”

  She scowled. “We’re doing everything we can, Linc. We think it’s got to be Jackie’s son, who’s partners with William Hatfield. If so, we have eyes on him, so he can’t so much as blink without us knowing about it. Once they find out Nino’s dead, they’ll make another move. That’s assured. They won’t stop. And now we have people in place, and we’ll catch them.”

  “All right. But if I take the women up to my home, will they be safe?”

  She didn’t meet his eyes but nodded. “I think so. We’ll send extra protection.”

  “I don’t want what you think. I need you to know it, Faith.”

  She sighed. “What do you want me to tell you, Linc? Nino’s dead. They’re scrambling now. We’re putting tabs on the other big players in the family so we know where they are at all times. So yes, they should be safe. For tonight, at least.”

  “Would they risk coming here after this?”

  She met his eyes this time. “I don’t know. If they were smart, they’d pull back and circle the wagon, stay out of sight. But…”

  “They’re not smart?”

  Faith snorted. “They’re very smart, but their arrogance can take over and…” She shrugged.

  Jacob finished with the officer and wandered over to them, his voice grave. “Shit. He’s really bad. I’m going to head over to the hospital to meet his wife.” He looked at Faith. “You need a ride somewhere?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll call myself an Uber.”

  “Jacob,” Linc said pointedly. “I’m taking the women up to the house with me for tonight. But I need you to make sure you get your best men watching Kylie and Rhonda around the clock. You hear me?”

  His best friend looked exhausted. “Yeah. I’m on it.”

  Linc and Faith watched Jacob as he turned around, heading toward his truck. Suddenly, Faith called, “Jacob!”

  He turned, and she ran up to him, wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.

  Linc turned away. That was probably something they didn’t want an audience for.

  He went back to the truck, climbed inside, and shut the door, just realizing country music filled the cabin. Kylie hugged herself in the passenger’s seat. “Well?” she asked as he turned down the radio. “Who was that guy?”

  “One of their hit men,” Linc grumbled.

  “Hit men?” Rhonda blurted. Linc looked into the rearview mirror and knew, from the mystified expression on her face, that Rhonda didn’t know a single thing her ex was up to. “Kylie, what is going on?”

  “Dad’s been involved in some pretty bad things. I’ll tell you everything I found out when we get back to the house,” Kylie said to her, then looked at Linc. “So, you’re saying that whoever ordered the hit is still after us?”

  He threw the stick into drive and the truck lurched ahead. She needed to know. If she didn’t, she was liable to go off half-cocked again, and get herself killed.

  He nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I’m saying.”

  29

  The plane landed shortly after midnight, and as it taxied to the gate, I checked my messages.

  And promptly went insane.

  There was a frantic message from someone named Valerie. She was so hysterical that I could barely make out a word she was saying, blithering something about William and the office and an arrest. I had to play it a second time, and that’s when I remembered Valerie was William’s secretary, and she was saying the offices of D & H Construction had just been raided by the Feds. William had just been arrested, and all of the company files had been confiscated pending FBI review.

  This was not good.

  “William Hatfield.” I said the name like a curse. He’d always been such a pussy. I should’ve known he’d screw all of us, sooner or later.

  You didn’t play games unless you were prepared to lose.

  And William Hatfield was about to lose. Badly.

  But would he really care?

  That was the question.

  He tossed away his first family, then was a robotic participant with his second. The real family. The family that needed to be protected.

  And the first family could destroy it all.

  William Hatfield had been chosen for his personality, not his smarts. The family needed a figurehead and the money-hungry bastard had been perfect for the role.

  Malleable and ambitious.

  Teachable and adaptable.

  Personable and persuasive.

  Hell, he’d persuaded me, and I wasn’t one to be easily swayed.

  The entire family had agreed that he’d make a good match. After all, he had no one to turn to. He was alone in this world.

  Or so we’d thought.

  Fire blazed through my blood.

  Now, the entire house of cards could tumble down, all because of a woman and her girl.

  They were the legitimate heirs to William Hatfield’s entire fortune. The fortune we’d put in his name for safekeeping. With a smart attorney, they could take half of everything.

  Which wouldn’t do.

  It wasn’t smart to go after them so soon, but the family had agreed that time couldn’t be wasted. If I had been smart, I would’ve just let Nino take care of it all.

  But the heart wants what the heart wants. And my heart wanted vengeance.

  Rhonda Hatfield.

  Kylie Hatfield.

  Then William would fall soon afterward. But not until he looked at the pictures of his dead first family. Not until he watched the live feed of their funerals.

  Not until I thought he’d paid enough.

  How would I do it? I’d been considering that. The bastard couldn’t simple disappear, and his death couldn’t come under any suspicion.

  Poison. Like the witch handing an apple to that gullible girl, I could feed him bite after bite of death, then watch him succumb to his illness.

  Employees would watch their boss wither away. Stockholders would wholeheartedly agree that he needed to be replaced. William Hatfield would watch his name be systematically removed from every board, every agenda.

  Until he simply disappeared.

  Ding.

  The sound of the seatbelt warning turning off brought me back to the present, and I forced myself to be patient as the doors opened, and I stepped in line to exit the plane.

  In the first bathroom I came to, I pulled off the brunette wig and traded it for one with auburn highlights. I switched glasses, too, then changed my jacket and made a few other adjustments.

  Presto-chango. My new cover was executed in less than a minute.

  Security cameras could be such a nuisance.

  Looking fifteen years younger than when I strode into the bathroom, I made my way to the rental car counter with my fresh identification.

  The luxury car was nice, but I quickly became irritated when the representative of the company dragged his feet, wanting me to do an inspection of the vehicle before I drove it off the lot.

  “Look,” I said to him, handing him a hundred-dollar bill. “If we can dispense with all the formalities, the car is fine. I’m in a bit of a rush?”

  “Yes. Of course, whatever you need,” the idiot blithered, practically salivating at the sight of the cash.

  That was one thing Nino had learned very well from me. Money talked. With money, you could do absolutely anything. Which was why I taught Nino to alwa
ys travel with a wallet full of hundred-dollar bills. They got respect and attention more than anything else. It was amazing how they even allowed us to bypass security with our weapons in our carry-ons.

  When I slipped into the driver’s seat of the sleek black S-Class Mercedes, I punched the address Nino had given me into the GPS on my phone.

  As I drove, I thought of William. He’d constantly let me down, since Day One, but I’d always given him the benefit of the doubt. I’d picked him up out of the slums and changed his life around, much like I had Nino and dozens of other men. I always looked out for him, took a special interest in him, helped him become what he dreamed of being. And how did he repay me?

  By screwing us all.

  And I wasn’t going to let this betrayal go unpunished. Jackie wouldn’t either.

  I could almost imagine how relieved William had been to be arrested. He was going to prison instead of a grave. Or so he thought. I bet he thought that he’d be safe from us in there. What he didn’t know was that I’d put a price on his head so high that our men in the prison walls would kill each other to be the one to rip him to shreds. They’d destroy him in the most painful way possible, until there was nothing left of him.

  He deserved the worst, and I would make certain he got it.

  As I reached my destination, I glanced at the seat, at the carry-on where I’d kept my gun. As I put on my blinker to turn onto Rhonda Hatfield’s street, I frowned at the police cars blocking the road. I exhaled and powered down the window as a police officer neared the car. “What’s the problem here?”

  “Sorry. Only residents allowed through. Otherwise, if you go down to the next block and—”

  “What happened?”

  “Domestic disturbance,” he said. “You’re in no danger. If you’d like—”

  Making up my mind, I motioned to the blockade. “I’m not a resident, but my elderly grandmother lives on the street. She called me. Can I make sure she’s okay?” Glancing at the GPS, I spotted a house number at the end of the street and gave it to him.

  The dumb prick nodded. “Oh. Of course. Back up, and I’ll let you through.”

  I did, and the officer moved aside the cones for a makeshift blockade and waved me through.

  The neighborhood was what nice people would’ve called quaint, but what I considered a slum. That was all Rhonda Hatfield was good for, clearly. She’d lived in a slum with William in Brooklyn, and she lived in one now. I drove along the road slowly, inching by at a snail’s pace, watching out for the police cars and ambulances.

  I ground my teeth so hard, they ached in my skull.

  What exactly had Nino done?

  I’d made it exceedingly clear that he needed to wait for me. He’d always had a bit of a happy trigger finger. Had he gotten overexcited and offed them too soon?

  I sighed. Well. At least the job was done. The family would punish Nino later. He needed to follow directions.

  I pressed on the brake and slowed to a complete stop when I spotted a stretcher being wheeled toward the house. The medics didn’t appear to be in a hurry, and I thought I could see a folded black body bag laying on top.

  Was it for Rhonda?

  The boyfriend who’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time?

  The daughter?

  The door to the house opened, and a man and two women walked out. A blonde and a brunette.

  They were familiar. I’d seen them both in pictures.

  Rhonda and Kylie Hatfield.

  My gloved hands tightened on the steering wheel.

  A young man escorted the women to a big truck, then walked over to talk to a group of law enforcement officers standing at the back of a patrol car.

  What was going on?

  And where was Nino?

  I turned my attention to the women sitting in the truck. The very fact that they were alive scraped at my nerves. Rage gripped me by the throat, and I forced myself to breath slowly in and out.

  A car door slammed, pulling me to the present. The lights to the truck turned on, making me squint. They were leaving. And so was I.

  Putting the car into drive, I waited until the gas guzzling behemoth was nearly to the end of the street before pulling back onto the road. At this hour, I wasn’t worried about losing them. The family was always prepared, and we each not only relied on protection, we’d learned to be our own protector from a young age.

  I knew how to shoot.

  I took a defensive driving course every year.

  My defensive fighting skills were honed each and every week.

  I was ready.

  I wasn’t going home without the blood I’d come to see spilled. If I had to do it on my own, then so be it. I would.

  Happily.

  Turning on the radio, I found a jazz station in the midst of all the country ones and settled back in the luxurious seat as I followed from more than two-hundred yards away.

  The trip up the mountain was tricky, and I found myself falling back farther as I navigated the sharp turns. For a panicked moment, I thought I’d lost them. But then I noticed dust settling back onto a gravel road.

  Peering hard through the trees, I spotted the red lights of the truck. The mailbox said Coulter.

  Perfect.

  As I searched for a place to hide the rental, I inhaled a deep, soothing breath.

  Since Nino had clearly not finished the job, I’d do it myself.

  The game was over.

  30

  Kylie listened to her mother’s sniffles and sobs from the back seat of Linc’s pickup as he drove toward the house in the mountains. The only thing that kept her from freaking out was that she was trying to stay calm for her mother, who looked about two seconds away from flipping out entirely.

  “How do we know that they won’t find us up here?” her mother asked.

  Linc looked in the rearview mirror. “I spoke to the FBI. Nino was sent from New York to carry out the hit. Right now, they’re probably scrambling to figure out what to do, so we should be safe.”

  “But we won’t be for long,” Rhonda said, connecting the dots. “Someone will come for us, eventually.”

  Kylie swallowed. Her mother was right. “But the FBI is looking into it?” she asked Linc. When he nodded, she replayed the scene in her head. “I didn’t see the FBI there.”

  “Faith. She’s FBI.”

  Her eyes widened. “Your ex is a Fed?”

  Linc nodded.

  Great, so not only was she beautiful and wonderful, she was fearless and badass too. There were more pressing matters to think of, but for some reason, that stuck in Kylie’s mind. Cursing herself, she forced it from her squirrely brain and back to the problem at hand. “Well, what did she say?”

  “She said that she’s been working with William Hatfield to bring down the Colombo family in New York for a long time. He’s their informant.”

  “The…Colombo family? Are they mafia?”

  He nodded. “They’re one of the most powerful. Part of the Five Families.”

  Behind them, Rhonda blew out a shaky breath. “This is so hard to believe. I can’t believe that my Adam would do this.”

  Kylie turned around and reached between the seats for her mother’s hand. She figured that now was as good a time as any to spill the whole story. “I know. It’s absolutely crazy. Adam was a better man than William, I think. He started going by William when he began working for the DeRoss family, who are somehow involved with the mafia. Apparently, I stirred some things up when I went poking around New York a couple days ago.”

  Rhonda’s eyes narrowed. In the headlights of oncoming traffic, she looked older than her years, with the mascara caking in her wrinkles. “He joined the mafia? Surely your father wasn’t that suicidal?”

  Kylie sighed. “Maybe he didn’t realize what he was getting into when he was getting into it. He wanted a better life for us and thought this was how he could do it. But by the time he was so involved, they wouldn’t let him go.” She squeezed her mother
’s cold hand. “That’s why he left so suddenly. They forced him into marrying the mob boss’s daughter so that he could act as the figurehead for one of their shady companies.”

  Rhonda blinked, stunned. “So, he just up and disappeared and married someone else?”

  “He said he had to. And he couldn’t acknowledge us, or they’d have had you killed.”

  Rhonda was silent for a moment. “And you spoke to him? To Adam?”

  Kylie nodded. “Linc and I both did. At first, he just tossed me out because he knew the mob would be after me. But then he spilled the whole thing.”

  “And from what I hear,” Linc said, “he’s been working as an informant with the Feds, even before Kylie went up to see him. He’s been trying to find a way out. I guess the whole dirty business was starting to wear on him.”

  They pulled up into the driveway. The house was dark and silent, the dogs in the yard barking their greeting.

  When Kylie slipped out of the truck, her mother just sat there, unmoving. “I just can’t believe that he would do something so asinine.”

  Kylie shrugged and offered her a hand to help her out of the back of the truck. “Well, if it’s any consolation to you, he didn’t leave because he didn’t love you. He was forced to.”

  She didn’t meet her eyes, but simply took her daughter’s hand. “I told you. It’s of no consequence what he did, or why he did it, to me. It was a lifetime ago. He’s long since stopped mattering in my life.”

  Kylie walked her to the door, knowing that was a lie. Linc had opened the front door and was already tending to the dogs. She opened the screen door and walked her inside. “All right. You want something to drink? Some tea?”

  She looked around the house. At first Kylie thought she was scrutinizing it, but that wasn’t her mother. Her mother was simply dazed and in shock. Kylie wasn’t even sure she’d heard her question until, at least thirty seconds later, she heaved a sigh. “Honestly, sweetheart, I’m just bushed.”

  She knew the feeling. She was running on pure adrenaline now. Like if she stopped, just for a little bit, to think about what they’d gone through, she’d break down in tears, crawl under the bed, and never want to come out.