Vengeance Unleashed (The Wanted Men Series Book 1)

by Nancy Haviland

  “Looks like you lost, brother.”

  Stefano. His blood cooled. “You listen to me, you shit-eating cunt. If you touch one hair on her head, I’ll deliver a vengeance unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. I’ll make what you’ve done to me all these years seem like a night out with the boys. When I get to you, Stef, I’m gonna do things that our associates will be talking about for deca—” He cut his threat short when he heard someone in the background.

  “Furio’s forty minutes out and no tail.”

  Disregarding the familiarity of the voice, Gabriel quickly did the math and came to the conclusion that forty minutes out worked for Enumclaw.

  Without a word, he hung up. His brother was already dead to him, his only regret now that he’d let Stefano live as long as he had. He’d been as naïve as Eva to think there might be hope for a reconciliation between him and his only sibling. And his beauty would be the one to pay for his delusions.

  The most important person ever to enter Gabriel’s life was forty minutes out from a hell she should never know existed outside of a horror movie.

  † † †

  Stefano stood in the moonlit woods with more than a dozen men milling about, smoking and talking shit, some looking around as though they thought the Grim Reaper himself was about to float out from the trees and steal their souls.

  If that phone call was any indication, the backstabbing fucker was on his way.

  He reached up to rub away the frown making his head ache. Getting rid of the hollow feeling invading his chest wasn’t so easy. Nor was stopping his little brother’s rant from echoing in his head, over and over.

  “…what you’ve done to me all these years…”

  For the next while, the words continued to skip like a scratched vinyl, repeating until he finally had to shake his head to stop it. But the emotion he’d heard beneath the fury in Gabriel’s voice…Jesus Christ.

  When headlights bounced off the trees in front of him, he turned to see a black SUV pull into the makeshift drive.

  His brother’s voice sounded off again and he had to bring a hand up to rub at his chest. He didn’t get what he’d heard. Didn’t understand the scope of it at all.

  But he felt it. Deeply.

  The loss—anger, mostly—he’d experienced when Adrianna had actually been killed five years ago had been nothing compared with what Gabriel was clearly feeling right now. And nothing had happened to Eva yet. His brother’s reaction was only to thoughts of what might happen to her. And it was that strong. Obviously, he’d been wrong in thinking Gabe would harm this woman like he had the others.

  As he watched Furio get out of the SUV with Eva in his arms, Stefano thought back to all the years he’d fucked with Gabe, basically making him pay for the sins of his father. Why had his brother never once retaliated? He’d always turned the proverbial cheek.

  Until now.

  It was threatening the beautiful pawn Furio carried toward him that had finally broken the steadfast bond siblings shared. One Stefano had refused to form.

  His teeth ground together when he met Furio’s triumphant stare as the guy walked by. Why was he so fucking satisfied? By the look on his face, you’d have thought he had Jimmy Fucking Hoffa in his arms.

  Stefano watched, trying to detach himself as his underboss climbed the two steps and entered the cabin with Eva. He followed more slowly, streams of clarity bleeding through the heavy shroud of hostility and resentment that had cocooned him through most of his life.

  Why now?

  He’d spoken to Gabe twice in the past week, when he hadn’t exchanged two words with him in almost five years, and suddenly he was getting soft?

  Why?

  Because he was regretting? Regretting his actions, regretting what he’d done to Gabe’s childhood…the way his shrink had said he one day might?

  I don’t want you to be upset when I say this, Stefano. But I think you’ll one day see that you caused your brother to suffer, simply because you were. It’s not uncommon for a child to want to share their misery. To not be alone in it.

  A sneer curved his lip as he remembered the compassion in her tone, the empathy in her clear eyes. What the fuck would she know about his reasons for doing what he’d done?

  A lot, a voice in the back of his mind whispered. Because she’s the only one you’ve ever shared them with.

  † † †

  Impatience had an actual taste, Gabriel realized as he looked at his watch again.

  They now had the location of the cabin—from the first call Vincente had made. A guy who, at the time of the call, just so happened to be standing in the woods behind said cabin taking a piss. Quentin, better known as Q-tip, was part of the crew Stefano had brought to Enumclaw.

  As he wondered where the fucking choppers were, his phone vibrated in his hand; another private number displayed. Why did he bother looking anymore?

  “Yeah.”

  “They have reached the cabin.” Lucian’s voice was difficult to hear over the sound of blades spinning in the background. “I have someone with her who will prevent her from being killed, though, if things take a turn, he is far from bullet proof.”

  As Gabriel’s molars ground to dust, Jak motioned they had to go.

  “I assume you know that we have landed above you, Gabriel. Are you coming?”

  To prevent being shot in the face the minute he reached the Romanian, he swallowed a mouthful of orders and demands and hung up as he hauled ass down the corridor with the boys on his heels. Their choppers, Lucians, who fuckin’ cared which of them supplied the ride. As long as he got to Eva before—

  He cut the thought off as they arrived on the roof to see two sleek choppers on the pads. Gabriel ducked under the blades and went straight for the one that held Lucian. The dark-haired ballbuster threw open the door of the Sikorsky to admit him, Vasily, and Vincente. Maks, Alek, Quan, and one other man disappeared into the second bird. The others were already on the road, driving to their destination.

  “Go!” Gabriel snapped before the door was even closed.

  Lucian’s personal guard handed out headsets before closing the door and double-tapping the pilot’s seat to signal him to move.

  “Welcome home,” Lucian said to Vasily before nodding at V. Then, as the roof of the hotel shrunk and they rose into the sky, he turned to Gabriel. “There is a clearing approximately one mile from the cabin. There are two vehicles waiting for us. As we are far from home and short on time, I could only send two bodies ahead of us. They are currently getting into position around the perimeter. It is unfortunate that my transport is more efficient than yours.” His smile was chilly but held a glimpse of humor. “I imagine you would be in those woods without proper backup as we speak.”

  Of course he would be. But then, his own boys were all the backup he needed.

  Keeping that to himself, Gabriel pressed his lips together to prevent himself from speaking at all. One didn’t cross the lines Lucian Fane drew in the sand. You just shut up, graciously accepted the Romanian’s help, and hoped you never ended up on his bad side.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Awareness came back to Eva in a blinding rush that felt unnatural.

  When the first thing she saw on opening her eyes was Furio straightening in front of her with a syringe in his hand, the rapid awakening was explained.

  “Welcome to the party,” he muttered, throwing the needle to the side and falling into a chair in the corner. He wasn’t so much the smug bastard anymore but an annoyed one.

  How much had she missed? Where were they? Who was here?

  Unsure what to focus on first, she took a second to get her bearings.

  She was propped in the corner of a tattered sofa that sat in the center of a one-room cabin. The paint was peeling off the walls, the few faded pictures of doe-eyed deer hanging askew. There was a dust-coated coffee table directly in front of her and a beat-up chair that matched the sofa on the other side of it. Across the way was a kitchenette that housed a ric
kety metal-and-vinyl dinette and a stove and fridge that looked as if they should have been put out of their misery decades ago.

  She was cold, and her shoulder throbbed with pain.

  Her head and eye were aching like she’d been hit with a hammer. Her face was pulsing with her every heartbeat.

  Every breath she took was musty and damp. Someone was smoking.

  She could hear men’s voices outside.

  She blinked, feeling dazed yet wired. She’d obviously been drugged. Duh.

  The knowledge expanded to the question of how many times. How long had she been unconscious? What had Furio injected her with?

  And what had he done to her while she’d been unable to fight him off?

  Her gag reflex quivered as her imagination went crazy, bringing her to places that made her wish she could shut down her brain. Swallowing repeatedly so she wouldn’t throw up, she shifted—

  She barely caught the scream in her throat as her shoulder protested with a vehemence that guaranteed she wouldn’t be moving again soon. She slumped in place once more, wishing she could claw the cobwebs out of her thoughts.

  She was still wishing a few minutes later when she heard the door open. Her mouth made a small sound when her jaw fell open.

  Alesio had just walked in. Gabriel’s cousin was here.

  Not sure if she should make Furio aware they knew each other, she didn’t utter a word around the avalanche of relief coursing through her.

  It was short lived.

  When Alesio glanced her way, his normally smiling face wasn’t just empty of all expression, it was eerily devoid. God, if she didn’t know better, she’d think they’d never met before. The optimism that had sparked inside her died. Gabriel must have been wrong about him. He wasn’t here to help her. He was with Stefano.

  Who’d just entered the cabin and was closing the door behind him.

  As Alesio took a position to the right of the door, Gabriel’s brother dragged a vinyl-covered chair over from the table and seated himself across from her. He put his ankle on his knee and rested his hands loosely in his elegantly suited lap, looking to all the world as if the two of them were about to have an enjoyable visit.

  If she had a gun, she’d have shot the asshole right then for all the trouble he’d caused. In her pain-and-drug-soaked mind, that didn’t even shock her.

  Thanks for the streak of vicious, Dad, she thought dimly, appreciating the timely reminder of whose daughter she was.

  “Let me begin by apologizing for not being prepared to offer you something for the pain I suspect you’re in. You’ve been moaning,” Stefano explained with a dark look in Furio’s direction.

  Er…

  The apology, the seemingly genuine concern, tripped up her loathing.

  “There’s no excuse for your condition. Isn’t that right, Furio? So if there’s anything I can do for you, to ease you while we wait, just let me know.”

  She wanted to frown, but it hurt. Was this guy fucking serious? She couldn’t decide whether to be reassured by his sudden amicability or terrified.

  As he leaned forward, his suit jacket easily adjusting to him resting his elbows on his knees, Stefano chuckled without looking amused. “Don’t be afraid, Eva,” he murmured. “Gabriel is feeling enough of that for the both of you. Oddly enough, that’s affecting me in a way I hadn’t anticipated.”

  As Furio quietly grunted behind her, Eva shook her concussed head, forgetting her body’s previous warning not to move. When the motion jarred her shoulder, her yelp of pain echoed through the room. Jesus H! She ground her teeth through the agony and wasn’t surprised when she felt sweat bead on her cold forehead.

  “I d-don’t understand what’s going on here,” she admitted, her voice hoarse. “Aren’t you supposed to kill me now? Or is making me suffer some l-long, drawn-out horror part of the f-f-fun?”

  She recoiled when he got to his feet, regretting her big mouth when he closed the distance between them in two strides, his face suddenly dark. When he lifted the neckline of her shirt, she tried her best to push his hand away but only ended up causing herself more pain.

  “Christ Almighty.” He threw a withering glare at Furio. “You said you shoved her. You didn’t say you dislocated her goddamned shoulder, you fuckin’ moron. Eva, you need to relax.”

  She gasped. “No, please.” Was he was going to try to fix her? Touch her arm? The one that felt as if it were being sawed off? “Can’t you just kill me? Get it over with?”

  He ignored her and waved Alesio over. “Hold her steady. Here and here. Tightly,” he stressed, pointing to her waist and good shoulder.

  “Please, don’t! Oh my God. Stefano, don’t.” She didn’t care that she was pleading. “Just leave it! It’s—”

  She was ignored as Alesio, her supposed friend, did as he was told, holding her tight while Stefano grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm into an odd position.

  “Fucking stop it!” she screamed as the pain overwhelmed her.

  “Stay with me,” Gabriel’s psychotic brother murmured as he gripped her bicep and slowly shifted it before leisurely bringing her arm back in. She wailed through a sickening pop, and just when she thought she was going under, felt an instantaneous relief in her limb.

  “Is it back in?” he asked.

  She blinked and tried not to cry. “Y-yes.” She took her first full breath since coming to. “Yes, it is.” His satisfied expression blurred as her eyes filled. “Thank you. That was…God, that’s amazing. Thank you.”

  As she blinked the tears back, Alesio walked away and Stefano propped a dislodged pillow behind her.

  “How did you know what to do?”

  He gave her a droll look. “Most of us know a thing or two about in-the-field patch-ups. That one I’ve had to do twice on myself. It works a little differently, but the end result is the same. Relief. You’ll have to ice that first chance you get.”

  “Oh, yeah, sure,” she said before she could stop herself. “I’ll try to remember to ask Saint Peter for an ice pack when I reach the pearly gates.”

  His lips curved as he brushed his thumb gently over the aching hot spot on her cheek. She jerked back, his touch foreign, but she failed to show the scope of her disgust when she caught a glimpse of familiarity. She saw Gabriel somewhere in his smile.

  “I truly am sorry for this, Eva.” His hand dropped away, and he moved back to his seat.

  “Yet, here we are,” she said under her breath, very tempted to ask about this apparent one-eighty she was witnessing. This wasn’t the Stefano Moretti she’d met at Caleb’s. Nor was it the monstrous one she’d created in her head since that meeting.

  Testing her renewed ability to move, she inched around and brought her feet to the floor, straightening so she didn’t feel so vulnerable. It sounded really loud when she cleared her dry throat and dipped her toe in the water.

  “What did you mean when you said, ‘while we wait’? Wait for what?”

  “Gabriel.” His eyebrows rose when she gasped. “What. You didn’t think he’d come after you? Have you met him?” He snorted. “The guy’s a fiend when it comes to those he cares about. Why do you think he’s never taken me out?” He tipped his chin her way. “From the impression I’ve gotten, he’d level an army to get to you.”

  As she processed that, her heart celebrating it, her confusion only grew. “You sound like you respect that.”

  “I do.”

  “Yet, you hate him.”

  His gaze shifted to his lap, but not before she saw confusion flash in the depths of his eyes. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  “I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean.”

  He looked up and motioned Alesio and Furio to the door.

  Furio stood, his irritation at being dismissed apparent on his twisted features. “You fuckin’ serious?”

  The expression on Stefano’s face shifted, and Eva saw just how scary he could be when pushed. “I would say so,” he ground out.

  Scowling, Furio cro
ssed to where Alesio was holding the door open and stalked out. Alesio followed, looking like he didn’t care either way. Such cold men.

  “You’re not in much of a hurry to do this, huh?” she commented, praying he’d somehow found his conscience.

  He didn’t respond. Just sat there staring at his lap with his brows down low.

  Her nerves didn’t handle the stretch of silence well.

  “You sure know how to create tension,” she commented once she couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you going to kill me or what?”

  “No.”

  “Sexually assault me?”

  His lip kicked up again. “No.”

  Fucked up sense of humor, but okay. “Let your men have me?” Her voice came out on a squeak.

  “No, Eva.”

  Thank you, God. “Then maybe you want to tell me why you don’t seem like the boogeyman everyone’s been going on about?”

  “Christ.” He looked up at her. “Do you interrogate my brother like this?”

  A soul-deep yearning for Gabriel filled her chest. “Sometimes. Though, we haven’t been together long enough for him to know what a real pain in the ass I can be.” Or maybe they had, she thought fondly, remembering him calling her one. “Are you sure there’s no Tylenol around here?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry.”

  “S’ok.”

  She studied him for a moment and came away with a weird take. Despite the fact that he’d come out on top, since she was there, he seemed defeated. At the moment, he looked a decade older than Gabriel when he was only a couple of years.

  “I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but—”

  “If I told you I do mind, would you stop talking?”

  A nervous laugh bubbled from her. “Probably not. I’m worried and scared. That’s makes me chatty.”

  “Great,” he muttered.

  She gave him another moment, then allowed her nerves out through her mouth. “I was going to say that you look tired.” He gave her a dry look. “I get it. I’m exhausted, too. With all of this. I obviously didn’t grow up around people like you, so this is new to me.” She waved a finger around to encompass her kidnapping.