by Soraya Naomi
“Give me some time, Cam. Time to evaluate my options and find a way out for both of us.”
She doesn’t stir, so I press a kiss to her forehead and lean back on the other lounger.
The light behind me in the living room flicks on, and a moment later, Fallon, whose cheeks are flushed, and Luca join me on the terrace.
I covered Cam just in time.
Luca points his fingers to me and then gestures out the door. “Dolcezza, I’ll be back as soon as possible. Adriano and I need to visit Security Simplicity.”
I meet his eyes, astonished that we’re going to SS at this time of night, and he gives an almost imperceptible nod, silently ordering me to withhold questions until we’re alone.
I motion to Cam. “Stay with her. Make sure they drink lots of water when they wake up,” I order while she settles on the lounger.
“Will do. See you later.” Fallon’s hand disappears into a bag of chips.
***
At Security Simplicity, a package from an unknown sender has been delivered, and a security scan has shown that it has some distressing content. We have a few soldiers working there to intercept all deliveries for us. We can’t have the other companies and people on other floors learn of our illegal business. Our soldier scanned the box and contacted Luca late in the afternoon, but with the chaos of the day, he overlooked the message, so now we’re going to SS, even though it’s after ten p.m.
The young soldier waits in our office with a square brown box that’s sitting on my desk.
Luca greets and dismisses him.
Taking the letter opener, I slice the tape on top in one swift motion and pull back the lids. I swallow and show Luca.
“Is it real?” he asks as he peeks inside.
The box contains a ring finger wearing a gold band on a bed of gauze with a crimson halo surrounding it. The golden band is Capo John’s wedding ring; Sal cut off his finger and mailed it to us.
Luca rubs a hand over his jaw. “Shit!”
“He’s going to send him to us limb by limb if we don’t fire back. One of our Capi is being tortured.” I close the box and fall into my leather chair. “We’re waiting too long to form a plan of action. He’s targeting our Syndicate and SS. Fat Sal needs be taken care of. What’s James waiting for?”
“I think he’s wary to proceed because of Cam. She’s a pawn in this game. And he has Henry searching for intel on who’s providing Sal the gadgets that aren’t on the market yet.”
“We assumed she was a pawn, but she’s useless to Sal now. And I think James is being too cautious and letting Cam undermine his judgment. I understand having Henry on it – it could be lucrative to find out who’s providing the gadgets. But now, a Mafia war is raging. And this is just the beginning. If John caves under torture, he’s a dead man, and then we’ve lost an influential Capo,” I explain.
Luca unbuttons his suit jacket and grabs his phone. “I’m calling James.” And he puts him on speaker.
“Luca,” James answers.
“It’s Luca and Adriano. We opened the box. It’s John’s ring finger.”
“Was there a note?”
“No,” Luca replies.
“I just spoke to Henry. We have a timeline,” James says.
“Tell us.” I lean forward.
“Fat Sal started asking Henry questions about us approximately two months ago. Before that, he would just give him an assignment and pay him, just like you two agreed with Sal.”
We met Fat Sal a couple of months ago when our search for Cam led us to Club 7. We’ve never had any altercations with him or his club, and he even asked to use Henry’s services. To show goodwill, we agreed.
James continues, “He started probing about the three of us but let it go when he realized Henry was loyal. They were just harmless, general inquiries so Henry didn’t see the importance of mentioning it to us. He’s accustomed to questions and knows how to keep his mouth shut. When Sal discovered this, he never asked Henry about us again. However, when Henry was doing a quick fix in Sal’s system, he stumbled upon communications between Sal and another party that has recently stepped up in the underground technology world.”
By underground, James means illegal.
“Contact name is Aubrey.”
“It’s a her?” we both ask, amazed.
“I’m guessing the woman is a front,” James mentions. “It’s a relatively unknown person, but Henry’s arranging a meet as soon as possible. The trafficking device came from Aubrey. Sal used our money to pay off Aubrey and was going to replenish it as soon as possible in the hopes of filling the gap before we noticed – so he knows about our delayed routes. Sal’s purchased technological gadgets from Aubrey worth a fortune and huge amounts of drugs from us for that club. However, he never foresaw the financial decline that’s infected the underground fight club. His human trafficking business has tanked. The underground sex and fight club is being avoided by the wealthy sickos since the death of Alex Gentry, one of Sal’s patrons, became known. His main sources of income were the bets, and apparently, the auctions. He’s had an unprecedented decline in income and has been forced to make snap decisions: his plan being to take our money and pay off Aubrey, which worked once with the first million that was stolen from Capo John during the exchange in the harbor. So he tried to pull that scam again tonight at the dock, since he realized we’d already caught him – we had Cam in plain sight, so he knows we removed the microchip. And I guess he’s pissed off that you delivered his soldier to his door with a carved up back.”
“What did he expect would happen after we found out?” Luca retorts.
“He believes the club is safe. His weapon is location, and our problem lies in location. Sal’s establishment is in the middle of the Loop. It’s a part of Club 7, the legal dance club. How can you raid that place without capturing the authorities’ attention?” I reply.
“We can’t.” Luca folds his arms over his chest. “You can’t attack and kill everyone, because then the entire club would cease to exist. And authorities that we don’t have in our pockets might get involved. The risk is too high.”
“Bringing me to my point,” James interjects. “Sal is a Capo crimine – albeit a boss from a smaller organization – therefore, I still need approval from the New York Syndicate to even arrange a hit. But that’s not our main problem. It’s what to do with that entire organization. We operate in the world of drugs. I’m not getting into human trafficking or sex clubs.”
“Sex clubs can be lucrative with the right management,” I remark.
“Even so, I don’t want that to become part of the Chicago Syndicate under my regime. I’m already handling a large drug operation. And there’s another small thing – Cam has been doing a lot of prying into Syndicate business; she’s counting on me to help Santino. I’ve decided to honor her wish.”
Bracing my neck with both palms, I catch Luca’s disapproving eyes. I can’t believe James is humoring Cam. Nonetheless, we keep our objections to ourselves.
After a strained silence, James comments, “Henry has been ordered to contact Aubrey and set up a meet as soon as possible. We have a common enemy, and she will undoubtedly be of help. Chances are, Sal owes her money too. I need you on standby to accompany me to the meet whenever it takes place.”
“Fine. Call us when you have a time and place,” Luca answers and ends the conversation.
“I foresee where this is going,” I say ominously.
“Raiding that underground club is going to be a major operation, I fear,” Luca ends my thought.
“And James talks about only a few problems, but he’s forgetting the rest of them,” I add, agitated. “It wasn’t easy for me to move the money around in time for the audit, and it was a huge blow to me moneywise. Everything I have is now in offshore accounts. We have to be smart if we want to maintain our standard of living. I have four other people to support,” I relay my true concern.
“But you do have enough money, right?”
&nb
sp; “Yes, for now. But you and I both need to think long term. It’s just a matter of time before Security Simplicity also tanks in this economy: no accountant can keep it viable on that scale without any legal activity. If this company doesn’t perform better, how the hell are we going to keep laundering our drug money? I’m not keeping cash around, because that will make us walking targets. We’re already hiding too much money. It needs to be legitimized or else it’ll stay useless.”
All these issues surrounding us make me long for the comfort of Cam’s seductive body. Now that I’ve had a taste, I’ll never leave her alone again. “I need to go. I’m going to Cam.”
“I’m not even saying anything anymore. You two don’t listen,” he mutters.
I pull up my shoulders. “Remember you once asked me if I knew how it was to be consumed by someone?”
He nods.
“I know that now. It’s hell and heaven to be attached to someone.”
“Out of all the women you’ve met and fucked in your life,” Luca says with a smile. “She had to be the one to bring you to your knees.”
“I’m tired of staying away. Tired of fighting a losing battle.”
“Be careful with her. Like James said, she’s sly. Why is she probing into Syndicate business? What will happen when we have Santino; what will her next request be? She’s slowly inserting herself into this organization. Cam’s smart enough to take this chance at power.”
“I know that. And that’s what turns me on about her.”
He laughs and pockets his phone. “Then I guess you need to make sure James doesn’t find out what you two are doing behind his back. Now let’s go to the girls.”
***
James has a time and place much sooner than expected and texts us the details of the appointment for tomorrow while we’re on our way down to my beamer.
The darkness of the parking garage is replaced by the darkness of the night when I drive out and turn to the left, entering a side street that leads to the main highway. I press the button to open the window and let the warm summer breeze rush inside my car.
Then a loud bang resounds off the interior. I brake before I round the corner, and then another thud hits the metal exterior of my car. Luca and I bend forward when another shot rings out.
“Someone’s shooting at us!” Luca snatches his gun. “We need to ditch the car. We’re a huge mark in this vehicle.”
We’re being targeted on the street, between the skyscrapers. Hurriedly, I put the car in ‘reverse’, and I hit the gas, speeding backward in a straight line, past the garage entrance. Then I brake and turn the steering wheel with one hand, back into the lot, parking in the first vacant spot we see.
“We split up,” Luca orders with his palm on the door handle. “Don’t go back inside; we can’t have a shooting inside this empty building; we’ll be visible on all the security cameras. We don’t use our weapon until absolutely necessary. Meet at my place.” And he jumps out, as do I.
Creeping down beside my car, I round the front, staying low beside the inner wall of the garage, and then I make a break for the exit in a straight run just as Luca runs ahead.
Then I leave the garage, running toward the entrance of the street that opens into the main road while restlessly checking the area.
Taking a right, I almost stumble upon a woman walking her dog but dodge her just in time. I slow my walk as I spot nothing out of the ordinary, but then I distinctly hear another thud through the wind, engines, and street murmurs. The surprisingly busy lanes for this time of night make it impossible to discern from what direction the shots are coming.
As I move forward along the curb, my hand is on my back, gripping the handle of my gun that’s hidden underneath my untucked dress shirt. I’m taking a huge risk with this stance with people behind me and a cop standing at the intersection I’m approaching; there’s been an accident, which explains why it’s so busy.
Cars honk, and I zero in on the tower across the street, which is most likely where the sniper is hiding.
Suddenly, up in front of me, right underneath the street lantern, a guy in washed jeans wearing a Bears baseball cap collapses, and chaos erupts. People start to scream when blood seeps out of his temple as he lies face-down on the concrete.
I look up and hide behind a pedestrian as the cop notices the people gathering at the curb. Taking cover in the crowd makes it easier for me to maneuver without the possibility of catching a bullet, but I get my gun out anyway since the shooter could be working with an ally that’s on the ground.
My phone vibrates in my pocket.
Inconspicuously, I turn into a dead-end street and keep peeking around the corner with my gun aimed at the ground.
Aggravated, I fish out my phone that keeps vibrating and frown when ‘Blackhall reception’ flashes across the screen. That’s Luca’s residence.
I swipe the phone and hold my gun behind my hip as I answer, “Yes.”
“Mr. Montesi?”
“Yes. Speak quickly,” I order while glancing around the corner and hearing sirens approach the crime scene.
“Sir, I tried to contact Mr. DeMiliano, but he didn’t answer. You’re the first reserve contact. A package has arrived for Miss Guillermo. I scanned it, but she walked in and demanded to take it up with her. I’m afraid there might be disturbing content in it.”
Nerves spike up. “What was in it? Was she alone? Where’s David, my guard?”
He clears his throat.
“Listen! Was it an explosive device?”
“Oh, no! No, sir. Nothing like that. More like…a body part.”
“And you let her take it with her?” I spit. “Stupido!” Fool!
“Sorry. She was very adamant.”
“Where’s David?”
“Right here, sir.”
“Let me speak to him.”
“David here.”
“Go to Cam, and do not let her or Fallon out of your sight until Luca or I arrive. We have trouble. Their safety is your only concern.”
“Yes, sir. I was already on my way up when the receptionist told me about the content of the package.”
I stash the phone back in my pocket and suddenly feel pressure against my gun, so I whirl around, and my eyes widen in shock when they land on the small round face of a young boy, who’s touching my gun with his fingertips.
I take a step back as I hear a woman’s voice coming closer, yelling. Probably his mother. Stashing my weapon back in my pants, I press my finger against my lips and wink at him, making him smile and reveal his tiny teeth.
Then I turn the corner and walk in a normal pace toward the subway that will take me to The Blackhall, deserting the scene right before the cops arrive.
***
The entire time I’m on the subway, I’m anxious to get to Cam. We’re being attacked full frontal. In every aspect of our life – even our personal lives. This will be dealt with according to Syndicate regulations: retaliation.
I call my brother, Carmine, and instruct him to go to my parents’ apartment and stay inside with them and my sister, without explaining why.
Luca informs me through a text message that he’s taken a cab to his penthouse and that James is also coming to meet us there.
Within twenty minutes, I’m barging through the reception area of The Blackhall. The receptionist shoots me a troubled look when he recognizes me.
Tensely, I push the elevator button, but it seems to take forever.
Desperate to ensure that Cam’s safe, I swear under my breath. I need to hold her tight before James gets here.
CHAPTER 25
Camilla
Fallon cancels on our ten p.m. self-defense class because she’s too lazy after smoking the pot, so I get to travel alone – with David of course. I’m eager to work out because I want to grow stronger physically. It has empowered me from the first class, and I don’t want to skip it. This is also my window to talk to Wade alone. Usually, I’m with Fallon and David. I’m rarely alone, except a
t night in bed.
In the back seat of David’s car, I text Wade to secretly meet me at the gym in the women’s locker room in an hour. My class is forty-five minutes and the last one of the day, so the changing room will be empty by that time.
Wade confirms within a minute.
I smile when I see his acceptance without any further questioning. I had a hunch he’s a helpful guy. From what I’ve learned from Fallon, he’s a private investigator and trustworthy. He’s exactly the kind of man I need for the job.
Slightly nervous, I bite my lip, knowing it’s not smart to go behind James, Luca, and Adriano’s backs, but they can’t expect me to just sit around, living the new life, while they figure out some master plan. James might be persuaded, but I can tell that Luca and Adriano are in no way planning to help Santino.
Nevertheless, I’ve been waiting for nine months, and I’m not waiting anymore. I have money, my strength is increasing, and James is teaching me so much about the Syndicate that I’m starting to think I might be offered a place within the organization, which I would accept. I’m enjoying this newfound power. Without any education, I’ll never find a normal job besides waitressing, and I’m not planning to go back to that either.
***
After an intense class that wipes me out, I stay to talk to my instructor while I wait for the last five people to leave the locker room and David waits for me in the gym area. When the last woman leaves, I thank my instructor and go in to meet Wade.
He’s sitting on the bench, slouching against the wall with his legs crossed at the ankles.
“You summoned?” he says mockingly.
“You’re a P.I. I need information on someone.” His stoic expression makes me add hurriedly, “If I hire you, is there some kind of client confidentiality agreement?”
“I’m not a lawyer,” he retorts with a smile.
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes. I won’t speak of any business between us. What kind of information do you want?”