Killing Me Softly: A Chicago Mafia Syndicate (Castaletta Book 3)

by Ali Parker

  "Fuck," Drake mumbled beside me. "He didn't do it, D. You can tell, unless the kid took acting lessons."

  "Who then?" I leaned forward and turned the TV up.

  The door to the office opened, and Freddy stood up and turned, putting his ass in front of the video recorder.

  "What are you doing?" A familiar voice asked.

  "Just working on some YouTube content. You know. Pot smokers like me love this shit."

  "Stop it and get back to work. You have a job to do. Find Thomas and set up this next shipment to him. Fuck this up and I swear to God, I'll drag your ass down to the alley where momma died and make you watch my boys do the same to Izabella. Is that what you want?"

  "No. Please, God, no."

  The room faded as I stood up, my whole world turned upside down.

  Thomas Kallup wasn't the one pulling the strings. Neither was Adam Cooper.

  It was much closer to home than I could have ever imagined.

  Izabella would be crushed.

  "Son of a bitch." Drake stood up beside me. "Marco orchestrated all of this. How? Why?"

  "I don't know," I mumbled and walked to my room to get my gun. "Stay here and protect the tapes. They're the evidence we'll need to pin this to him."

  "I'm going with you."

  "No! Stay here and I'll be back shortly. Don't fight me in this. It's my mess to clean up."

  "D," Drake pleaded with me, but I ignored him. I was the head of this syndicate. Marco was mine to kill. It was time to pay the piper, no matter what last name he wore.

  A rat was a rat.

  Chapter 22

  Izabella

  "Talk to me." Eddy reached out and gripped my shoulders tightly.

  "No. I asked you not to come over right now. I'm in no mood to be around anyone. Seriously." I pushed at his chest, hoping like hell he would leave before I was forced to bend him over emotionally and hurt him again.

  "I'm not just anyone." He touched the side of my face, the love in his eyes enough to cripple me. Why couldn't D look at me like that? "It's me. Talk to me."

  "There's nothing to say, Eddy. I had to kill Charlie last night and it's weighing heavy on me." I moved away from him and turned to walk toward the small balcony in my bedroom. The afternoon had turned into evening while I wasn't watching. I had a million things I wanted to do, but explaining myself to Edward wasn't one of them.

  "Charles DeSalls?"

  "Yes," I breathed out and walked out onto the balcony. "I just want to run away from all of this shit. Nothing makes sense anymore."

  "We make sense, Izzy." He wrapped his strong arms around me from behind. "Our friendship makes sense."

  "Does it?" I leaned against him and closed my eyes.

  My brother's voice caused me to jerk forward. "Izzy? You in here?"

  "Yes." I turned in Eddy's arms and kissed his cheek. "Don't stay here, okay? I can't deal with too much more without exploding. You're the last person-"

  He pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me deeply and leaving my knees weak. He might not be Demetri DeMarco, but he still knew how to shut me up.

  "I'll be wherever I want to be." He kissed me again. "Go see what Marco wants and come back to me. Period."

  I started to tear him apart, but bit my tongue instead. He deserved a good woman, someone who could love him and help him turn himself into something other than a lackey for a mafia syndicate. He was better than me, better than all of us, and yet he hung around the edges of my world waiting for me to throw him scraps.

  "Fine." I moved past him, hating myself. I was going to have to tell him to leave or give myself over to him completely. Only time would tell which was the right decision.

  "Did I interrupt?" Marco lifted his eyebrow and leaned over to his left a little.

  "No. What's up?" I walked out into the hallway and closed my door after he followed me.

  "Was someone on the balcony with you?"

  "Edward. It's nothing. Really." I shook my head and moved toward the stairs. "Why didn't you tell me about you and Catherine?"

  "What's there to tell?" He caught up to me as we jogged down the stairs. "She and I fuck from time to time, big deal. You fuck everyone that's not family."

  I stopped short and gave him a look. "Did you have something you wanted, or did you just want to remind me that I'm a good fill in for one of the whore's at Madam Giselle's?"

  He chuckled and walked toward his office. "You know that I love you. I would never say or try and make you feel less than you are." He extended his hand. "Come in here and let's talk. Someone stole the fucking tapes you gave me. We need to find out who."

  "My understanding is that Audrey took them from your office the other day." I crossed my arms over my chest and walked in.

  "The whore that moved over to the drug ring?" He had an incredulous look on his face. "Why would she want the tapes?"

  "That's actually a great question." I pulled out my phone and texted Marcus Blaine, asking if he had the tapes. His response was quick and short. D had them.

  "I think we need to stop playing around with this and figure it out, Sis. This is our little brother we're talking about here. He died a horrible death. To have dad burn the memory of him or taint him any farther would be disgusting, and you know good and damn well that he would do it."

  I slipped my phone in my back pocket. "D has the tapes."

  "Fuck," Marco mumbled and slipped his hands into his back pockets. "We have to get them. Now."

  "What? Why? Is there something you're not telling me?"

  "Yeah." He closed his eyes and lifted his chin toward the ceiling. "I wanted to check it out before I said anything. Sometimes shit can be misrepresented, you know?"

  "What?" I moved toward him, reaching out and running my hands down his arms.

  He let out a shaky breath. "Demetri was involved, Izzy. I'm not sure how, but Freddy on the last tape was crying and talking about how someone was pulling his strings, how they promised to hurt you if he didn't do everything they said, so he did."

  "And?" Chills ran down my spine. Where was Marco going with this? Surely D wasn't involved in anything to do with my mother or my brother's death. He loved me. He loved us. All of us. Fuck, he loved my mother and Freddy.

  "And it was Demetri, but the tape didn't make much sense. Instead of pointing my finger in his fucking face, I wanted to have you and Dad look it over with me."

  "Then we need to get it." I pulled out my phone and called Demetri. His voice was pinched and low.

  "Where are you?" He barked at me.

  "At the house. Where are you?" I returned his aggression, though I had no clue why we were being so terse with each other.

  "With Edward?" He sounded sickened by the very thought that I was with Eddy.

  "None of your fucking business." I paused and turned my back to Marco. "Why didn't you tell me you had the tapes? Is this another Drake moment where you're going to pull out a lie that shocks me to the core of my soul? If it is, I swear to God I'll kill you when I see you."

  "Find Marco and meet me at the house."

  "I'm at the house. Where are the tapes, D? I deserve to see them." I stiffened as someone knocked on the door.

  "They're at my place with Drake."

  I glanced back to see my father standing in the doorway. "We got a problem," he muttered and turned, walking back out into the hallway.

  "Shit," I responded and glanced over at Marco. "I gotta go. Something is wrong with Dad. Get over here."

  "I'm headed there now, Bella. Find your brother and keep him at the house."

  "Why?" I walked toward the door, unable to process anything else.

  "Because I fucking said so," D yelled into the phone.

  I dropped the call, not willing to respond. "He's on his way, but I doubt he has the tapes." I stopped outside Marco's door and turned to face him. "We can ask him about them when he gets here. I honestly can't imagine D being involved in-"

  "Look at me." Marco reached out
and touched the sides of my face. "I've loved you since you were born, always taken care of you, and took every goddamn beating dad threw our way to protect you and Freddy. Demetri is involved. I don't care what your heart tells you. I'm your brother and I would die a thousand deaths to keep you safe. He had a hand in it." He kissed the tip of my nose and backed up. "I'm going to get the tapes. Find out what's wrong with Daddy and don't let D leave. I'll be back and the four of us can watch them together, okay?"

  "Alright." I stood there a few more minutes as my brother turned and jogged out the door. What the fuck was going on?

  "Izabella?" My father sounded exhausted.

  "Coming." I turned and walked toward his office, moving just inside the door and closing it. "What's wrong, Papa?"

  "Adam Cooper is on his way into town, baby. He knows about the Kallups, about Freddy being his brother, about me killing Terrance. I guess news travels fast, hm?" He dropped down into his chair, looking a hundred years old. "I asked D to take care of the Kallups, but he's been a little too busy."

  "Not with me." I lifted my hands, stifling the need to tell my father everything. Sadly enough, I trusted him about as much as I trusted D at the moment. Both of them had lied to me over and over in my short life. How in the world I could lean on either of them was beyond me. I couldn't. I was on my own for the time being.

  "I know that." He took a sharp breath and shook his head. "He's coming into town tomorrow morning and he's willing to meet with us."

  "Fine. I have a few other things I need to deal with tonight." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'll be there with you in the morning. I promise."

  "He's only willing to meet with you, Izzy. Why is that?" His eyes narrowed a little. "Did you agree to something with him the night you slept together?"

  "I've never slept with Adam father. I danced with him, had a few drinks and talked about being raised in a syndicate. We have a few things in common." I gave my father a stare that hopefully gave him a slight awareness that I was nearing my breaking point. "Like cheating fathers who could give a shit about what it means to be a family."

  "So you told him about Freddy." My father put his hands on his hips, his eyes growing wide.

  "What? No. I would never do anything to harm this family." I patted my chest hard. "I'm the only fucking one fighting for us. Freddy is dead. Momma is dead. Adam Cooper and the Kallups are at our door, and you're pointing your finger at me? You're out of your fucking mind. Someone is tearing us apart, dad."

  "Find out who if it's not you." He pointed his finger at me, and for the first time in my life, I was scared of him. D was right... he was the Don of our syndicate first and it didn't matter if I wore the name Castaletta. If I fucked up, he would send someone after me.

  I couldn't help but wonder who would get the honors.

  No... I knew who it was. His right hand man. Demetri DeMarco.

  *

  "Where is he?" Demetri walked down the hall as I slipped out of my father's office.

  "Who, and you better lower your voice, yelling at me." I walked toward him with aggression, tired of playing everyone's bitch.

  "Marco," he growled and reached for me, wrapping his strong fingers around my throat as he pressed me against the wall. "Tell me you weren't involved, Izzy. Tell me that Marco acted alone in this. I can't imagine what it will do to your father if you helped Marco with any of this."

  "What are you talking about?" I pushed at his chest, but his grip grew tighter. He was out of his mind with rage. Marco was right. He had to be. Demetri was involved, but why? How?

  "Hey! Get the fuck off of her. Now." Edward ran toward us, pulling at D and punching him twice in the face.

  I dropped to the ground and hit my knees, gasping for air as the two of them took turns beating the hell out of each other for what seemed like forever.

  "Back off, you little bitch. You don't belong here. I should have killed you one of the millions of times I had the chance." D picked Eddy up and punched him twice in the face before throwing him across the room.

  "Dad," I whispered, reaching for the door. I beat on it twice and tried to see if Timothy or someone were available to help us. Fuck. Anyone. The door to my father's office opened and closed. He wasn't interested in whatever we were up to. Or maybe he was in on it too. Fear mixed with devastation raced through me as I pulled myself up.

  "And stay down, bitch." D turned from Edward, who wasn't moving. "Where is Marco? Last time, Izzy."

  I pulled my gun and pointed it at D as tears filled my eyes. "Who are you? I don't know the monster you've become. Back the fuck up, or I swear to God, I'll shoot you."

  D closed his eyes and took a deep breath, opening his eyes and focusing on me. "Tell me where your brother is. Now, Bella."

  "Why?" My gun shook as a sob rose up in my chest. "You gonna kill him to, you bastard? What was in it for you, D? All these years of serving my father, my family and finally you'd had enough?"

  "You've lost your mind." He moved toward me and grabbed the gun, spinning me and wrapping his arms around me. "Tell me where Marco is or I'm going to assume that you're helping him with all of this."

  "All of what?" I pushed against him, but it was useless. I didn't want to hurt him. I loved him with every ounce of my heart. I'd rather have died and gone to hell than cut him down. He wasn't going to leave me a choice though.

  How could I not have seen it?

  "Where is HE?" He screamed against the side of my head. "He's the killer. He's the mastermind. The fucker did all of this to us. Tell me where he is or I'm going to tear up this whole fucking town looking for him."

  "He's at your place, getting the tapes back that you took from Marcus behind my fucking back!" I elbowed him and turned, lifting my gun again as we circled each other. "Why should I believe you? You lied to me."

  The door opened behind D, and Marco walked in, looking ill. "He got rid of them."

  "What?" I moved toward my brother as D turned, pulling out his weapon.

  Marco lifted his hand as sadness swept across his face. "You had Drake come back to take Izzy's place, and you were finally going to take mine?" His eyes were on D.

  "Shut your fucking mouth. You forced Freddy to make every sick move you needed to set him up as the villain, but the little shit got you in the end didn't he, Marco? He confessed to everything on those damn tapes. He didn't even have to say your name. You walked in on the fourth tape and said everything someone listening would need to know. The question is why?"

  "The tapes that you destroyed?" Marco's voice was soft, his expression filled with anguish. "Why are you doing this to me? I've loved you like a brother my whole life. I kept the Drake thing from my sister when you asked me to because I knew you would tell her when you were ready. I've given up my position to you because I felt like you were more worthy of it."

  I moved in between them, shifting myself to where I could still point my gun at Demetri. Edward still wasn't moving. Sickness rolled through me in massive waves.

  "Shut up for a minute." I pointed the gun at Marco. "I don't know who to believe."

  "Where are the tapes, D?" Marco asked and glanced over at me. "He destroyed them so you wouldn't know, Izzy."

  "You said there was nothing on them originally, remember?" D bellowed. "Why? Because you knew if she watched them that she'd know exactly who was involved in Vivian's death. You, you sorry bastard." D flipped the safety off his gun.

  "D. Don't." I cocked my weapon and steadied myself, focusing on him again. "Marco is my brother. My flesh and blood."

  "And I'm your lover. Your man. Your goddamn future. I've held this fucking family together for as long as I can remember."

  I moved in front of my brother and kept my gun on D. "You lied about Drake, about Terrance Cooper, about my father sleeping with your mother." I nodded toward Edward. "And you beat the hell out of Eddy and wrapped your hands around my throat. I have no clue who you are right now. Where are the tapes? Give them to me and we can clear this up. Please."r />
  "Ask your goddamn brother." He pointed his gun toward my left and fired it, sending shock waves through me. He was crazy. Completely lost to his insanity.

  "I'm going to ask you nicely to put your gun down one more time, and then you leave me no choice." I'd found my center. "I helped you when Drake needed to leave. I have no clue if Marco did this or if you did, but I'm asking you to return the favor until I can figure it out."

  His eyes grew dark. "No."

  "Go," I whispered to my older brother, my flesh and blood as I pulled the trigger on my gun.

  Lovers would come and go, but blood was thicker than water every time.

  The scream that lifted in the air was shrill and ear shattering.

  Scary enough, it belonged to me.

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  About the Author

  Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary romance writer who left a life in Corporate America to try living a dream. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her. She's in Texas, but they're pulling up their roots soon and going nomad across the country for 14 months. She might be coming to a city near you... be on the lookout!