Adriano joins me in front of the guy and hands me a pair of gloves.
“Name?” I ask Adriano while I put them on.
“Jack.” Adriano removes his knife from his pocket.
My gun is stashed in my back pocket, concealing it from Jack. I move closer to him.
“Help me,” Jack begs.
I crouch down in front him to be less intimidating. “Jack, I can only help you if you give me straight answers.”
He stammers, “Y-Yes, a daughter. You can have her; she’s young and a virgin.”
Fucker. It’s sickening how quickly men cave under torture. He could’ve extended his life if he wanted to protect his family; I might have some sympathy then, but this man only thinks of himself. “I don’t want your daughter,” I keep speaking evenly. “You can choose, Jack. I will ask you one question. If you do not answer truthfully, Adriano will torture you for hours with a blunt knife.” I stand up and resume Adriano’s former position behind Jack. “Or talk now and I’ll let you go.”
Jack doesn’t make a sound.
Adriano drops to his haunches and cuts open Jack’s right pant leg up to his thigh. Without warning, he drives his knife into Jack’s knee and - ever so slowly - slices open the skin to the middle of his shin.
I muffle Jack’s tormented screams by roughly covering his mouth with a white cloth. His head’s frenziedly swaying from side to side. Red covers his leg and blood pools on the floor beneath Jack’s right foot.
I signal for Adriano to stop. “Ready to talk, Jack?” I remove the cloth, and Jack hyperventilates through his cries yet stays silent.
Adriano moves his knife lower, slicing open more skin, and I smother Jack’s cries again.
“Ready now?” I taunt.
Jack nods his head slowly. “You’ll kill me anyway after I’ve given answers.”
“I might, or not. Do you want to take that chance? Adriano can keep going if you want.”
“NO. Stop. I can’t take it anymore.” Jack coughs up spit mingled with blood.
Adriano steps back just in time so the blood doesn’t splash on him. Revolted, he wordlessly begs me to finish this quickly.
“Talk. Why were you interfering with the last money drop-off at Crystal Lake? You only get one shot,” I warn him.
“Leggia paid me to botch it up.” Jack’s voice is growing weaker. Blood is leaving his body, fast. “That’s all I know. He gave me ten thousand to make sure you wouldn’t receive your last payment for Crystal Lake.”
This is interesting.
I release Jack’s head, letting it slouch forward, and go to Adriano. “Did you find money on him?”
“I found ten in the trunk of his car. This could be true. We still don’t know why Leggia wanted Crystal Lake.”
I reach for my gun. Shit. I left the silencer in my glove compartment. “Have a silencer on you?” I ask Adriano.
“You forgot?” he answers in disbelief.
I was distracted by Fallon. I never come unprepared to the warehouse, except for today. I raise my brow impatiently. “Yes or no.”
“No, not for that one.” He signals to my Smith & Wesson.
“Give me yours.”
Adriano hands me his gun and reaches for the silencer from his back pocket.
I attach it to the barrel of the weapon and stand beside Jack, aiming the gun at his temple. The infinitely small part of my conscience that’s left feels sorry for ending this man’s life. Who am I to be judge and executioner? I have no answer for that question. All I know is that in this Syndicate, it always comes down to you or him. And I’m selfish enough to choose myself repeatedly. Every time I kill, the face of that first associate I finished off pops up in my head. As I pull the trigger, the thwack resounds through the warehouse, ending Jack’s agony with one bullet.
Adriano removes his gloves and takes two shirts from a garbage bag he brought with him. My collared shirt has blood spatters, but my pants and shoes are still clean. We change our shirts and ditch the bloodied ones in the bag, along with the gloves.
I instruct Damian when he comes up to us. “Burn the garbage bag. Dispose of the body on Crystal Lake ground.”
“Yes, Padrino.” Damian begins cleaning the evidence.
Adriano and I leave the warehouse.
At our cars, Adriano expresses his concern. “How do we know it was Leggia for sure? We don’t have anything to back Jack’s story and you’ve already killed him.”
We lean against his car, and Adriano reaches for his pack of cigarettes in his pocket.
“I went to Francitalia for dinner with Fallon. Guess who was there, out in the open, following me? One of Leggia’s men. I’ve only seen him once before, at Leggia’s house months ago. I never forget faces. He’s up to something.”
“But disposing of the body on his turf will start an all-out war.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and tiredly say, “I think he already started the war.”
“So he saw you with Fallon?”
My lips thin and I say with bite, “Yes. He clearly saw her too and is most likely doing a background check on her as we speak.”
“Luca, this is bringing her deeper into our messy world. What does she think you do for a living?”
“I told her about our company, of course. You almost blew my cover, by the way. I took both phones with me to her apartment and forgot to silence the disposable one.”
“You seem agitated, yet not. Tell me you didn’t…”
“I was interrupted.”
Adriano grins. “What is it with her?” He inhales another deep puff of his cigarette. “Tell me this. Was it good or not as good as you thought it would be?”
I slowly nod my head. Never have I waited this long before becoming intimate with a woman. But this night has already made the wait worth it. “It was fucking better. I didn’t want to leave. Your timing sucked.”
Adriano doesn’t know how to respond.
I’m breaking my rule to not get attached, but at this moment, I don’t care. “I need to be careful - Fallon’s smart. She was visibly unhappy when I left.”
“That’s women for you.” Adriano lets out a half-hearted laugh, followed by a puckered brow. “Is she suspicious?”
“I don’t think she’s consciously suspicious yet. She did clearly see me silence my smartphone in the car, and then the disposable one rang when we were inside. She also eyed my suit jacket which was holding my gun.”
Adriano flicks his cigarette butt away. “I’m just going to repeat myself - be cautious.”
CHAPTER 10
Fallon
I squint my eyes open the next morning and jump out of bed when I see it’s almost nine and quickly check my messages: Teagan and Luca. Luca called right after he received my text. Around six in the morning, he sent a text.
Good morning, Fallon. Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. - Shakespeare
I smile to myself while reading the quote from Twelfth Night. Luca knows I collect book quotes and write them down everywhere. A lazy grin pulls at my mouth as I sit on my bed thinking about last night, first thing in the morning; that’s what he wanted and why he sent the message at six. He’s up early.
Reminded of the fact that I’m already running late for work, I decide to text him back later and shower in record time.
The entire day is busy, and I’m home late that night. All I want to do when I arrive home is eat dinner, shower, and visit my bed. After ordering a deep dish pizza – screw the no-carb policy - I skip the shower because I’m too tired and climb into my bed.
***
After discussing some more changes to be made on the texts and font of several invites with Alex on Tuesday, he offers for us to have lunch together. We visit the deli across the street. He has a sandwich, and I order a shrimp salad. I’ve never felt completely relaxed with Alex, partly because he’s my boss, and also because he’s a distant man. During lunch, we discuss se
veral charities and other events he’s working on. I notice that he’s been acting agitated, and he appears stressed while he eats hurriedly. Apparently, he has a lot of work waiting for him at the office.
I’m not even halfway through my salad when Alex checks his phone and rises out of his seat. “Fallon, I have to take care of an urgent e-mail.”
I want to finish my lunch. “Okay. Go. I’ll finish and then return too.”
His mouth quirks up uncertainly. “See you in a few.”
I don’t even get to say goodbye before he hurries out of the deli. I’m pleased he left because his distressed mood was annoying me. This gives me time to read a few pages, so I get my e-reader out of my bag and am engrossed in an astonishingly emotional historical romance that I’ve already added to my ‘favorite’ shelf on Goodreads, before I’ve finished the trilogy. “Oh Shura, don’t you dare go in there!” Every so often, I talk to my book characters. It helps me cope with my feelings, and at the moment, I’m pissed off at the male lead. I’m dangerously close to throwing my e-reader across the room.
I finish my salad and order another tea. My tea arrives. “Thank you.” I don’t want to stop reading for a second, so I don’t even look up to the waitress. The shadow that falls over me - I thought it was the waitress - doesn’t move. My head snaps up to a tall, striking Italian.
“Fallon, always with your face in the books. Do you even realize how sexy that is?” he says in a throaty voice and bends down to place a feather light kiss on my lips.
“Luca. Hi….” It takes a minute for me to compose myself. I was going to text or call him back tonight because I was too tired last night. “What are you doing here?”
“Lunch.” He looks at his watch, and his lip twitches for a second. “Are you on your lunch break?”
“I am.” He knows I work across the street, and I think he scheduled his lunch here hoping to run into me. “I was here with my boss, but he had to get back. Some emergency he had to handle immediately. Sit.”
His brows furrow while he looks around the place. “Thank you.” Luca smiles tenderly at me as he decides to sit down next to me. “I was hoping you would text me back.” His tone is serious now.
I tilt my head. “It’s been two days. Don’t tell me you’re missing me?” I ask with a hint of disbelief just to goad him.
Luca braces his hand on my neck to bring me closer to him and runs his fingers over my collarbone. “Maybe I did. Your taste is addictive. I. Want. More.” He pulls me further into him by my small waist.
I turn my head, and our noses touch as his breath fans over my cheek. “Maybe more can be arranged,” I huskily counter and almost press my lips to his before retreating. “I have to get back to work now.” Next time will happen on my terms.
I attempt to rise and Luca’s hand grabs my wrist to stop me. With an enormous smirk, he lifts his eyes to me. “I’m calling you tonight.”
CHAPTER 11
Luca
I needed to keep my distance from her for a few days after our first official date, which is why I didn’t mind her withdrawn behavior. However, after two days of following her to guarantee she was safe from Leggia’s men, I couldn’t refrain and sought to touch her when she was reading alone in the deli. I would’ve planned to see her tonight, but James wants to discuss new businesses with me and Salvatore alone. I have to be at the house for the next two days, but Friday I’m coming straight back to The Loop.
Our Syndicate is scattered all over the city. None of us actually live at the house or even close-by. Adriano and I are the only two members of the Calderone Syndicate to live in The Loop, and no one except James, Salvatore, and Adriano knows my home address. Only Adriano’s welcome in my home, and a few non-Syndicate-related women have been here for a couple of hours.
While I’m packing, I call Fallon.
“Hi.” She clears her throat.
“Hi, did I wake you?”
She clears her throat again, her voice is still coarse. “I fell asleep on the couch.”
“Shall I call you tomorrow then?” My tone is soft.
“I can talk now. What time is it?”
I glance at my phone for the time. “Midnight,” I answer. “It’s late. You should go back to sleep, so I’ll keep it short. I want to have you all to myself Friday night.”
A door closes on her end. “Are you home?”
“Yes, I just got here.”
“Oh okay, we can talk tomorrow then.” She sounds disappointed.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m happy to talk to you.” And I truly am. Even if it’s for a few seconds; I’m already starting to crave her daily.
“I’m in bed now.”
I growl, thinking of her in bed. “I’m looking forward to tasting you again, Fallon,” I admit in a low voice.
I hear her moving around in the background; she’s undressing. “Sweet talk will get you everywhere,” she replies, followed by a yawn.
“You should sleep. Good night, Fallon.”
“Friday night,” she confirms. “Night, Luca.”
I finish packing and drive to the headquarters. The house is busy. All three Capi are present with most of their soldiers in the living room, and Adriano’s talking to his equals. I greet Alesandro and Robert and start toward the third floor to my private room. Only James and I have a private room on the third floor and an office on the second floor in this house. The Capi are allowed to occupy rooms adjacent to the ‘strip club,’ but the third floor is off limits unless they’re invited by either James or me. After dumping my belongings, I meet James in his office.
“Luca.” He motions for me to enter from behind his desk when I darken his doorway.
I close the door and make my way across the room, greeting James with a firm handshake and my left arm wrapped around his shoulder.
James has a commanding personality that has also been instilled in me. He’s fatherly and intimidating. Always calm and controlled, thinking deeply before he speaks his mind.
I revel in always being calm and controlled too. Lately I can think of several occasions where I’ve been confronted with unknown emotions, where I debate letting go of my controlled reaction - with Fallon.
“Sit, son.” James’ fifty-five years aren’t apparent in his outer appearance because he’s fit and always polished in his Italian suits. Only his grey hairs reveal his age.
I sit across from him as he resumes his seat. “Thanks, James.”
“Giacomo Leggia contacted me. He wanted to know what finding Jack’s body meant.” James’ tone, of course, is bland.
“It was a message that I know he’s after us,” I disclose.
“Good thinking, son. Leggia is always running behind on all the facts. He was so dead set on taking over Calderone territory that he didn’t even think twice about why we would hand it over. He’s power hungry and jealous. Too volatile. Alessandro’s spy in the Leggia Syndicate discovered that Leggia was on a rampage after he found out that most dealers in Crystal Lake weren’t pledged to a Syndicate. They answer to no one, which will make it impossible for him to manage the money, and he’ll encounter the same problems we did.”
“He must be driven by his jealousy to take over our territory so carelessly. I want him to know that we’re always one step ahead of him.”
“He knows. I was amicable to him. He surrounds himself with incapable Capi. Let’s wait and see what he does next.”
I lean forward and pour myself a glass of water. “What new business do you have? Is Salvatore coming?”
“Yes, he—”
Salvatore arrives, his usual disheveled self in his rumpled, brown outfit. That’s his strength though - with his appearance, people easily discount him, but he’s a shark. “James, Luca.” He sets his briefcase on James’ desk and sits next to me.
James informs us of his plans. “We presently rule the drug trafficking in the north, and there’s demand in the east, so I’m thinking of expanding. Luca, what do you think?”
“I
don’t know anything about the east. Are there small drug dealers operating there? I’ll have to send Alessandro or John to investigate. We can easily regulate uncharted territory. Smalltime drug dealers can be pushed out within weeks or fall under our payroll. And we have to make sure Leggia’s men aren’t doing any business in the east,” I advise.
James nods his head in acknowledgement. “Salvatore?”
“I say let John do some digging around. We will need new offshore bank accounts to discreetly manage the cash flow.”
“Let’s put it in motion, gentlemen,” Salvatore resolves.
CHAPTER 12
Fallon
Luca calls me every night until our date. Sometimes we talk for half an hour. Sometimes we talk for only five minutes, but I have come to anticipate the evening calls.
Promptly at six on Friday night, Luca knocks on my door.
Opening the door, I say jokingly, “Did you just stand outside the door until it was six and then knock?”
Luca’s lips curve in a crooked grin. “No, I’m just punctual.”
“Well, it’s creepy,” I throw back. Luca’s looking dashing, as always, in his black jeans and silver grey button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his handsome features strengthened by the gleam in his eyes. I motion to him in full length and state in a sarcastic tone, “This is casual?” He texted me last night to dress casual.
“It is for me.”
I look at myself - in dark jeans and a turquoise shirt that hangs casually over one shoulder, hair contained in a low side-knot – and frown.
Luca tilts my chin up to him with his finger. “You look beautiful, dolcezza. Don’t frown like that. I come bearing gifts.” He beams.
“Dolcezza?” I question.
“An endearment.”
“Not ‘baby,’ I hope?” My brows crease, hoping he did not just call me baby.
For Fallon (Chicago Syndicate) Page 7