by Ali Parker
She smirked. "I like you already."
I kissed her hand and bit my tongue. I wasn't quite sure how at liberty I was to tell her just how much she would like me... between her taunt thighs.
"Come on in. Audrey fell asleep a few hours ago. Long night." The Madam glanced over her shoulder. "And call me Sandra. Everyone else does."
"I'm going to grab a glass of juice. You want something?" Eddy turned to face me, but I ignored him, following Sandra with my eyes as she shook her fine ass down the hallway. "Hey." He popped me in the chest and I growled.
"No. I don't want anything." I pushed at his chest, and he turned, half-stumbling and mumbling something about me being a total dick.
Good. The sooner he figured out that I was a class-A asshole, the better.
"Marcus, this is Audrey. She's been great here at the house, but after the stunts she's pulled lately, helping us get the Kallups under our thumbs, we just think that-"
"Nice to meet you." Audrey moved forward and extended her hand, her long blond hair a mess, and lips swollen. She looked like a sex kitten, but something about her grated me. She was confident. Too confident for a whore. She reminded me a female cop in the way she studied me, her eyes full of knowledge that didn't fit her age.
Tit budded nipples poked through her t-shirt, and her long legs seemed to go on for miles under her tight boy shorts. My cock twitched in my jeans, and I knew I was in trouble.
I needed a long night of fucking before I made a mess of my new lot in life.
"Pleasure is all mine." I took her hand and shook it firmly. "I hear you're going to be joining me at the warehouse as part of my new team."
"That so?" Her eyebrow lifted and she glanced over at Sandra. "When was this decided?"
"This morning." Sandra wrapped an arm around the girl and kissed the side of her head. "Marcus is new, but D's sister Catherine is still out there. He needs a few good people to clean up the mess Freddy left for everyone."
The girl flinched, and I couldn't help but wonder why. Did she have connections to Freddy? I knew very little about the kid other than he'd fucked up a lot and was missing in action. I needed to talk with D and straighten things out. Soon enough.
"When will you be out at the warehouse?" I asked and turned a little as Edward walked up beside me.
No one spoke, and I glanced around, assuming that someone would take the lead and answer my question.
"No clue. I just found out about this." She smirked, her cockiness a turn on as well. Little bitch was full of herself. I loved it.
"How about Tuesday? She can wrap things up here and head your way?" Giselle dropped her arm from Audrey and smiled. "Would that be okay with everyone?"
"Good for me." I glanced back over my shoulder. "Sandra, what's the protocol for taking one of your girls on a date?"
"A date?" Edward snorted. "You mean fucking them?"
"Yeah, slick." I popped him in the chest and turned my attention back toward Sandra.
"You can have one now. Anyone you want." She crossed her arms over her chest as her expression tightened a little.
"Great. Show me to a room and bring whoever you want. Anyone but her." I glanced over at Audrey as I followed Sandra back into the house.
"What? Why not me?" Audrey's voice followed me down the hall.
"Because you'd like it too much," I mumbled and stifled my grin. If nothing else, breaking the sweet little thing down was going to bring joy into my bleak existence.
She wasn't Kate, but no one ever would be.
Chapter 6
Demetri
I couldn't shake the scene from the night before. Freddy's body was gone, but knowing Marco, he'd carried it off somewhere so that the family could have a funeral. Eddy had thrown up three times before I kicked his ass out of the warehouse and found the supplies necessary to blow the fucking thing up.
"Two explosions in the same fucking neighborhood in a matter of a week." I ran my fingers through my hair and forced myself up from the couch. I hadn't slept a wink the night before. None of us involved in the family had, or so was my guess.
I yearned to call Izzy. To find out how she was doing and see if she'd heard about Freddy yet. Certainly she had. It's not like she was the type of woman to stay in bed and enjoy a late Saturday morning. Life didn't afford her that luxury.
Rubbing my chest, I moved into the kitchen, my phone sounding from the living room behind me.
"What now?" I grumbled and pivoted, walking back toward the couch and praying silently that it was her. I just needed to hear her voice. To know she was emotionally still put together.
Had Joe told her to steer clear from me? Had he laid down the law on her as he had on me the night before? No. He expected me to do that, to ruin whatever might become of us. It was better that way. Too bad it didn't feel better.
"This is D," I barked into the phone, the number unknown.
"Hey brother." Drake.
I closed my eyes and breathed out from my nose slowly. "Hey. It's good to hear your voice."
"Oh yeah? I felt like you might want to hear Happy Birthday from me before anyone else." Drake chuckled, the lightness in his voice giving my heart room to beat again. He'd been knee deep in the Castaletta syndicate as a young man, his ties going much deeper than my own.
He was the bastard son of Joe Castaletta and my mother, Maria. Only a handful of people knew it, and even fewer knew that he was still alive. My greatest treachery against Don Castaletta was helping Drake fake his death. He had to run. We had no choice and my ability to protect him from the mistakes he'd made in his sloppiness within the syndicate was running dry.
We had no choice. We... me and Izzy.
The poor girl had no clue that Drake wasn't only my brother, but hers too. It was a connection that felt too intimate. Drake was Joe's dirty little secret, and for my brother's sake, it was a secret that would stay buried. Even from Izzy.
"Happy Birthday?" I scoffed. "I'd honestly forgotten. I think everyone else has to."
"Naw... Izzy will remember. Cat will too. Don't be such a downer." He chuckled.
"Yeah. I guess." I dropped down on the couch and leaned back, trying like hell not to let the weight of everyone crush me. "Freddy was murdered last night, Drake. Joe thinks it was Izzy, Izzy thinks it was the Kallups and I have no fucking clue what to think."
"Oh shit." Drake's breath grew heavy. "You need me. I can tell."
"No," I barked into the phone and glanced toward the door as someone knocked at it. I rarely got visitors. Standing, I reached for my glock sitting peacefully on the table in front of me and walked toward the door. "Someone's here. I'll catch up with you later, man."
"Alright. Call me before I get my ass in my car and head your way."
"I will. Just don't come down here. Joe seems to know something about what we did. I don't know how or why I feel like he does, but he does. Stay away from here until I can figure this shit out. It's too much right now. We're all powder kegs, ready to blow."
"I'm here for you." He sounded sure of himself.
I wasn't sure of anything anymore. "Thanks. Later, bro."
The next knock at the door was followed by the sound of my older sister, irritated. "Let me in, D. I'm holding an ice cream cake and the fucker is starting to melt."
I opened the door and chuckled, reaching for the cake. "What's this all about?"
Her long dark hair framed her pretty face, age not standing a chance against her good Sicilian genes. She looked so much like my momma that it hurt for a minute.
"It's your birthday." She leaned in and cupped the side of my face, kissing my cheek and pausing. "Is it safe to come in, or did you have someone making your night last night?"
I rolled my eyes and moved back. "I'm too busy running the family to have a life of my own. You know this."
"That's your choice, and you know it." She walked in, carrying a couple of bags. "I brought everything to make breakfast for you. You got time?"
"And if I didn'
t?" I closed the door and followed her into the kitchen.
She glanced over her shoulder as she set her purse down. "What happened? I can see it all over your face, hear it in your voice."
"What didn't happen would be easier to discuss." I walked to the freezer and put the cake in. "Thanks for this."
She was in front of me as I turned, her height putting her almost able to look me in the face. "Happy Birthday, now, tell me what's going on. More shit with Freddy?"
"He's dead, Cat." I crossed my arms over my chest as the emotion of losing Vivian's youngest son plowed into me. Pain laced my insides, darkening my resolve to move past the loss, numb as I had felt with momma, with Vivian as well.
"D. What the fuck-"
"The Kallups." I swallowed hard and moved around her, reaching up to press my fingers to the bridge of my nose. I trusted my sister. I trusted her and I trusted Drake. I wanted to trust Izzy, to completely confide in her, but our relationship was being bent over more and more every day. Sleeping with her was a travesty I couldn't afford, and yet, I'd done it anyway, knowing it would set us back.
"No." Cat moved up beside me as I fiddled with the coffee pot. "Go sit down and I'll cook. You talk."
"I need coffee." I walked toward the kitchen table, pulling out a chair and sitting down with a heavy sigh. "Joe found me last night at momma's grave and told me to steer clear of Izabella. That she was off limits for me."
"You've always kept her off limits anyway. Well, after you took the position of Underboss from Marco." She turned and put her hands on her hips. "Why does it sound like you're crushed by this?"
"I slept with her before running like a teenage boy to the cemetery. Joe interrupted us, and Izzy diverted him. I thought maybe..." I pressed my hand to my chest and let my head fall back. I couldn't get through talking about losing her again.
"D. You're going to have to let her go for good." Catherine's voice was close.
I glanced up and nodded. "I realize that. Losing mom, Vivian, Freddy and now her..." I paused and glanced down at my hands. "I just want to be more like Papa than Joe. You understand?"
"Of course I do, but you chose a different path. Daddy never would have dirtied his hands in this syndicate, no matter how much he cared about Joe. He wouldn't have gone to the lengths you have. Killing people? Selling drugs?"
"It's all part of the job, Cat. You're no saint yourself." I scoffed, though I knew she meant well.
"Agreed, but we're all here because you fell for the wrong woman. Plain and simple." She reached out and ran her hand down the back of my head, moving back only when I swatted at her. "I can't believe Freddy is dead. What are you going to do?"
"Joe wants to visit Adam Cooper in California because he simply has to be the one pulling strings. There is no way in hell it would be Thomas Kallup. The guy's a thug at best." I nodded toward the kitchen. "Did you say you were making coffee? Any day now would be good."
"Ass." She gave me a warm smile and walked back toward the counter. "Are you going after Thomas?"
"I'm going to let Joe make that call, but if he's for it, then yes. This has to end. The fucker had pictures of all of our women on the walls of that warehouse a few days back, Cat. You and Izzy included."
"That was meant to fuck with you, D. You know he was sending a message."
"Yeah, but the things they did to Jenny. You have no idea how horrible her death must have been." I ran my fingers by my lips as my stomach turned. The Kallups were sending a message for sure, but it was one that better have been backed up by a much bigger bastard than any of them were capable of being.
"Well, not that I like her, but you probably don't need to send Izabella to take them out. If they're bent on violating women or killing us all off-"
"I didn't plan on it." I studied my sister's face as she glanced over her shoulder. "The Kallups are mine to deal with. Retribution will be paid in full. I just need to see if Joe's wanting to be the smoking gun or if it's finally my turn."
"Let Joe do it. They're sending him a message. Plain and simple."
"Yeah, but someone else is whispering that threat in their ears. We have to assume it's Adam."
"And if it is?" She turned back to the counter as the smell of coffee filled the air.
"Then he'll die just as easily as they will. No man is beyond bleeding out."
"Poetic," she mumbled sardonically as I let myself slide deep into my thoughts.
Her phone buzzed on the table in front of me. Marco.
I picked it up and put it to my ear. "This is D. What's up?"
"Hey." He sounded like shit. "I thought I called your sister's phone."
"You did. She's cooking me breakfast. How are you holding up? Where are you?"
"I'm around, and I'm not holding up. My little brother bled out in my arms last night. How would you be doing if Drake bled out in your arms, D?"
He was angry and broken. "Where are you? I'll come pick you up."
"No thanks. Put your sister on the phone. I'm not interested in your help. I needed it last night and you were nowhere to be found. Time for my family to find a new savior, and it isn't you."
Catherine stood beside me, the look on her face a mixture of sadness and concern. "Give me the phone."
I handed it over and watched her half jog out of the kitchen. Since when did her and Marco have a relationship where he would call her when he was hurting. Something was up.
I intended on finding out what.
Chapter 7
Izabella
The rest of the weekend was a blur of activity. My father and D spending far more time together than felt natural, but I steered clear of them, of everyone.
Loss hit me early Monday morning and I spent a couple of hours on my knees in the shower, weeping over the loss of my little brother. I'd been the one to walk him to kindergarten, the one to pick him up and dust him off when he got dirty in the church playground after being told not to.
It was almost as if his life was somehow tied to momma’s. The minute she was gone, he was soon to follow.
Another wave of agony hit me and I wrapped my arms around myself and let go of my pretentious bullshit nature and gave in to it. Bile rose in my throat, burning my nose and eyes as I threw up over and over again.
"Izzy?" D's voice was nothing more than a whisper above the roar of the shower.
"Get out." I tightened my hold on myself. "Now!"
Silence filled the room, and I eventually found the strength to stand and dry off. No one was allowed to see me broken. Not even my father. He'd yet to say two words to me, as if I was solely responsible for Freddy's death.
After pulling on a pair of jeans and a sweater, I worked my hair into a messy bun and checked myself in the mirror.
It took work, but I forced my facade into place. Cold. Uncaring. Bitch.
"Better," I mumbled and grabbed a pair of socks as I walked down the hall and jogged down the stairs. Marco had been holed up in his office since Saturday, sleeping in there and eating very little. Time to remind him that life still went on, no matter how bad something might seem.
I scoffed internally at the very thought. What a fucking joke.
We were dying one by one. I couldn't help but wonder who was next on the chopping block.
"Izabella." D's voice was firm, commanding.
I pulled my hand back from my reach for Marco's doorknob and glanced over my shoulder. "What?"
"A second, please?" His voice softened a little, but not nearly enough. I was almost grateful that he was in business mode. It would help me keep my shit together.
He closed the door behind us, and I tried hard not to breathe in deeply, letting the delicious smell of his cologne remind me of our night together. He was cold and withdrawn. It had to be Freddy's death. D would take it hard for the fact that he was in charge of all of us. We were his sheep to shepherd over, and he'd lost one... another one.
"You need to get dressed for the funeral. It's in an hour. Your father expects you to say
a few words." He pressed his back against the door, his black button down fitting him beautifully.
"What the fuck happened Friday night, D? You rush out of here and I don't hear anything from you all weekend? My brother's dead and you're not the one telling me the details of what happened?" I put my hands on my hips as anger burned through me. Why did I trust him enough to let him in my bed? Who thought that was a good idea?
What had I thought? He would make love to me, fall in love so deeply and never resurrect a wall between us again? What a joke.
"It's complicated."
"Right. Of course it is." I pursed my lips and glanced up toward the ceiling. If I was shedding tears that day it would be for the loss of my little brother and no other reason.
"Freddy made his bed, Izzy."
"What?" I lowered my chin as my heart sank. "Marco said he was beaten, abused and treated like an animal, and you're saying that he deserved that?"
"No. I'm saying that he made his decision to run with the Kallups and got himself involved in something that led to his mother's death-"
"My mother's death," I screamed as tears filled my eyes. I walked toward him, slapped him hard and pushed him out of my way. "You callous prick. You stand idly by while we're being picked off, searching for answers in cold back alleys and sending the rest of us to the front lines. Well, fuck you, Demetri DeMarco. Fuck you for a million things today."
"Izzy." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him, the hurt palatable on his face. "Don't do this. We have to bind together."
I jerked my hand from his. "You lied to me. About so many things, and just so you know," I turned and poked my finger into his chest and growled, "I'm going to find out about every one of them, and when I do, you'd better pray like hell you weren't involved in any of this."
"Any of what?" He pulled me closer and got in my face, the snarl on his face built on loss and anger far more than hate. He loved me and I loved him, but love had a way of being so fucking ugly at times.
There would come a day when we were unable to forgive each other for our latest attack on the other. I could only pray that day wasn't here just yet.