by Haley Stuart
I walk Elise down into the bunker, and she doesn’t make a sound. It is spacious and has room for eight people. There are bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, and a living room, all for the comfortably wealthy to live in, well, comfortably. I take Elise to the room we will share and set her on the bed. Her face is blank of any emotion. She has barely spoken a word to me since we’ve left the town. I check my watch. I don’t have much time.
“Elise.”
She looks up at me, and her expression is filled with sadness. I take a deep breath because I know what is coming next.
“I have to leave for a few days.” Her breathing catches in her throat as she watches me and slowly begins to shake her head. “Listen to me, okay?”
I grab her head in between my hands and look at her dead-on.
“You will be safe here, okay? Matteo knows the codes in case of an emergency. No one is getting inside of this place unless it is me. Okay?”
Her eyes fill with tears, and she shakes her head no. “No, Luca, you’re supposed to stay here. You’re supposed to protect us.” Her voice comes out filled with pain.
“Elise, this is what I have to do. To protect you, our son, our family. I have to do this. Matteo will protect you while I’m gone.”
I don’t give her time to respond; I pull her in for a long, hard kiss. I wish more than anything I can have more time with her to prepare. But this may very well be the last time I will be with her. What I am about to do can very well kill me. These people are highly trained agents. And one slipup, I will be done for. They aren’t trained to take prisoners; they are trained to kill on sight.
I pull away from the kiss, and Elise’s cheeks have a rosy blush on them. I take in each and every one of her features. Her perky nose, her flawless skin, her full lips, and her wide brown eyes. I lift her shirt and looks at my son. I can see my name stretched across her skin from the bulge of her stomach. I trace it lightly and place my palm over her whole stomach. I can’t help the smile that crosses my face. I am a lucky man.
I trace my fingers over every inch of her skin, remembering the soft texture. I pull her in for one last kiss, reveling in the feel of her soft lips against mine.
“I love you,” I murmur. I place my hand on her stomach. “Both of you.”
“I love you too.”
My eyes shoot open, and I look at Elise in shock. She has said she loves me. She has just said it.
She reaches out, grabbing my arm. “Please, Luca, I love you too. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave us.”
What I do next is something I’ll never forgive myself for. I lean into her, pressing my lips against hers. And I take my hand and the small needle and bring it to her arm, injecting her with the fluid. She lets out a small cry before she falls limp in my arms. I lay her down on the bed and take in her sleeping form. She is so beautiful.
I walk out of the room, closing the door behind me, and walk to Matteo, who is waiting by the door. I hand him the keys to one of the cars.
“You know the code. You are only to leave if she goes into labor. Protect her, comfort her, be there for her,” I say seriously to him. “She’s going to be upset when she awakens. If I’m not back in a week and you haven’t heard from me, assume the worst. Call me only if it’s an emergency.”
Matteo takes in every one of my commands and nods. I place my hand on his shoulder and nod at him.
I head up the stairs and away from my future. I close the secret door and lock it, typing in the code and concealing the keypad. Once I am in the car, I take in everything that has just happened.
This will be at the top of my list for most dangerous things ever done in my life. We will literally have to be perfect to pull this off. If I weren’t, I may never get to see Elise or my son.
* * * * *
Two days later, we are sitting in front of their headquarters. The plan is foolproof, and everyone is in position. We have gone over it, have had run-throughs, have played out worst scenarios, and now we are ready. Romelo, Nicolai, and I will take down the eight agents inside. Everyone else is on standby to find the other eight once we figure their locations and end them. Then we will find the leaders of this organization and take them out too. All of us are ready to die for our families. If we fail at this, no one that is a part of the North Mafia will be safe.
I look over at Nicolai on my left, then to Romelo at my right. They both nod, signaling to me that they are ready.
Pure adrenaline is coursing through my veins, and I can feel chills running through my body as I anticipate what is to come. I take a deep, calming breath, clearing my mind of everything. Now is the time for the distractions to come to a halt. I take a step forward, and they follow close behind me.
I have left the beast caged up deep within me to control myself with Elise. And now he is clawing to get out. A smile comes onto my face in anticipation of the night ahead of me. This is going to be fucking fun.
Chapter 55
Luca
Imagine something that you are so passionate about. Something that you love to do without hesitation. Once you begin with this passion, imagine the way you lose yourself. You immerse yourself deep into this action that you love. And you love it so much you do it so damn well. Well, that was how I felt currently.
I can’t help but smile as the man in front of me screams in agony. The smell of blood, sweat, and urine permeates the air. Puddles of blood are beneath my feet. There are six dead and three currently tied up for interrogation. One of them has managed to lock the system before we can get to them, so we have no idea where the other agents are located. And we won’t figure it out until someone tells us the code. This is a major setback, and if we don’t do something soon, things for us are going to go straight to shit.
We make sure to leave two of the men alive and only one woman. It is a psychological form of torture. She is the one we are watching to crack. But honestly, with the way things are going, the man that is next looks like he is going to crack before I even make it to him.
“You know, I could sit here all night. I enjoy this, I really do.” I smile at the man in front of me. I really am enjoying myself. This is the most fun I have had in a long time.
I pull the knife out of my holster and plunge it into this thigh. He screams, but I don’t stop there. I drag the knife, watching, mesmerized, as the skin separates and blood wells to the surface.
“I just want the password,” I say.
He looks at me through tear-filled eyes, his breathing ragged. “Go … to … hell …”
My smile grows even larger, and I shove my hand into the now-open wound on his leg. The warmth from his body is engulfing my palm, and I form a fist to force the skin to stretch even farther. He cries out in agony, and I cut him off by putting my hand around his throat. I can hear the woman behind me crying as she anticipates her fate. I can feel the man struggling to breathe and enjoy the look of panic in his eyes. His hands are jumping as he tries to pull at the ties, keeping them bound behind him.
I slowly pull my hand from the now-gaping wound in his thigh. He hunches over, spasming beneath my fingertips, and suddenly I am wrenched backward from the man. Romelo is holding me down, and Nicolai goes to check the pulse.
“Dammit, Luca, you were supposed to scare him, not kill him! He may have had the information we needed!”
I slowly try to pull myself down from this high that I am feeling from killing the man. I can’t help it. I laugh. I hear the two agents left cussing behind me in fear. I slowly move, and Romelo lets me go. I stand up, dusting myself off. There is thick blood dripping off my hands, and I take notice that the female agent is literally shaking in fear. I pause in what I am doing and take slow, deliberate steps toward her. Her whimpers grow even louder the closer I get.
I squat in front of her and grab her face in my palm, forcing her to look at me. She squeals even louder as the blood from my fingers meshes where our skin meets. I study her face closely. She is attractive. But nothing compared to Elise. Her face is round.
She also has freckles dusting her skin. The only thing about her that remotely reminds me of Elise is the way she is staring at me. Pure fear. I cock my head to the side to study her more closely, and she squeezes her eyes shut in fear.
“You won’t get anything out of us. We have been trained for this kind of thing. No matter what you bottom-feeders do.” The man that is still alive begins speaking.
I stand and look at him. He is staring at me with hatred. Loud, boisterous laughter fills the room, and I realize it is coming from me. I am laughing so hard my stomach is beginning to hurt.
“Bottom-feeders?” I am still laughing and can barely get the sentence out. I walk closer to him until I am standing over his tied-up body. He has to crane his neck to look at me.
“Please, I would love to know what you mean by bottom-feeders.”
His breathing is slowly speeding up, and I can see the exact moment he realizes the mistake he has made. The room is silent when he refuses to answer me. Out of nowhere, an idea pops into my head. I walk back over to the girl. She begins whimpering loudly. The sound brings more excitement to my body. I stare at her dead-on as I speak to the man behind me.
“You know, how about we play a game?”
She closes her eyes, and more tears spill over as she shakes her head no. “Please, please, please no,” she whimpers. If only she knows how much I fucking hate begging.
“I have people awaiting my orders and not a lot of time.” I walk over to the black bag, pulling out a pair of pruning shears, and her cries grow louder. Romelo and Nicolai remain silent and waiting by the computer. As soon as I get these answers, it is time to move.
“I’m going to ask you a question.” I motion to the man in the corner. I step closer to the woman, grabbing her hand, and she cries out. “Each time you don’t answer me, well, that’s a finger.” I place the shears over her finger for emphasis. She tries to jerk away from me, but she is nowhere near strong enough.
“Here’s the catch.” I motion to the woman. “You can’t answer me. Only he can. So whether or not your fingers stay intact is up to him.”
I look at him, and his eyes are wide with shock as he stares at the woman and takes in her predicament.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” I pull her forefinger in the shears. She starts screaming and begging, and I turn on her, giving her the most malicious glare I can muster.
“If you don’t shut the fuck up, I won’t be able to hear him. And if I can’t hear him, I will assume he didn’t answer.” She immediately pulls her lips into her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs, and nods furiously.
“So …” I turn to the man. “What’s your name?” I look at the man. He looks between me and the woman, and when he doesn’t respond, I begin to press on the clippers. She screams as the blade barely punctures the thin layer of skin.
“Dylan! It’s Dylan!” he shouts at me.
I stop what I am doing and watch as the blood begins to trickle down her finger. I wave the shears at him in a scolding fashion.
“You may want to answer a little sooner next time, Dylan.”
The girl is behind me, sobbing like a crazy person.
“And tell me, Dylan, what is her name?”
He responds immediately this time. “Lissette.”
I give him a sarcastic smile and nod. “Now, understand this, Dylan. Lissette. I have a wife at home. A lovely wife. And she’s pregnant. With a son. I believe he’s my son. She says she was pregnant before he was sold as a fucking sex slave by your superiors. I want my son and my wife to be safe. Which is why I need that password. So, Dylan, what’s the password?”
He stares at me with wide eyes and closes his mouth.
Snip.
Lissette screams at the top of her lungs as her finger falls to the floor. The sickening snap of her bone being severed echoes throughout the room. She is still screaming, and the chills on my arms are growing into more excitement as I take in her cries.
“Password, Dylan.”
He still doesn’t make a motion to speak. I barely register Lissette in the background screaming and begging him to tell. Damn, this guy is an asshole.
Snip.
Lissette is screaming at the top of her lungs. Dylan looks torn, but he still doesn’t step up. I go chop off another finger when Lissette screams the password.
“Porthouse44! Please, it’s Porthouse44. We change the password every hour. We’ve just changed it. Just please, please stop!”
I register Nicolai and Romelo putting things in the computer and getting the information. Now that we are in the system and getting what we need, I can have a little more fun. I look at Lissette, giving her a scolding look.
“Thank you, Lissette, but it was Dylan I asked. Remember?”
Snip.
She is screaming again at the top of her lungs, and the sound is sending vibrations throughout my body. I shudder in pleasure at the agony that leaves her lips. I pull out my knife and hold it to her throat, ready to slice it open. She is trembling in fear, and her pants grow darker as she loses control of her bladder.
“Luca.”
I stop immediately and look over at Romelo, who has an amused smile on his face. He motions toward Nicolai with his eyes. I arch my eyebrow at them. Nicolai won’t meet my gaze. And when he does, I can see a red tint across his cheeks. Then realization dawns on me. I laugh out loud.
“Holy shit!”
I slowly stand and, without warning, throw my knife, loving the sound it makes as it penetrates Dylan’s chest. He cries out in shock and looks at me with wide eyes. I step closer to him and pull it out, only to plunge it back in. I move lower and make sure to puncture his lung. When I finally pull it out, he is staring at me in shock, making a choking sound.
“You will not die quickly. You will suffer.”
I grab the bucket of blood from the corner, where we’ve drained his fellow agents’ bodies, dropping it in front of him. Before he can think, I kick the chair forward and plunged his head in the thick liquid. I hold his neck down as his body jumps and struggles. Eventually, it stops, and I leave him like that.
“Bring me some ice.” A second later, Romelo is setting a bowl of ice in my hands. Lissette is sobbing in the corner. I place her fingers on ice in the bowl, kneeling in front of her, grabbing her face in between my fingers and forcing her to look at me.
“The only reason I am letting you live is that he wants you. If it were up to me, you’d be dead. Pull anything on him and I will drown you in your own blood.” I roughly push her face away from me and stand to look at Nicolai, putting on the most serious face I can muster.
“Do you have the address we need?”
He nods.
“Stay here, survey cleanup, make sure this place is destroyed. Leave no trace of us being here.” I motion to Lissette. “She’s all yours. If she escapes and we get caught, I will kill you before the cops can.”
He nods in complete understanding. When I am sure he understands, I let my amusement shine through at the situation.
“Enjoy.” I can’t help but laugh as I walk away with Romelo to fulfill the rest of this plan.
“Luca!” I stop and turn around to face Nicolai. He has a serious look on his face as well. “Be careful. We don’t need Elise becoming a widow now.” He gives me a small smile, and I nod.
We all know we are far from in the clear. We have no idea if the leaders already know about our infiltration or not. Romelo and I just know the addresses where they reside and spend most of their time. We are literally going in blind. We have no time to do recon and no time to pick up on patterns, security, etc.
“You too,” I say.
Nicolai is in just as much danger as we are. He has to get rid of this place and the evidence before anyone shows up. If there are reinforcements, we have no idea if they are headed this way. Romelo and I exit the building to fulfill the demands of the rest of the night.
Romelo and I are standing together, getting all our weapons loaded and placed in the righ
t places on our bodies. We are silent. The only sound is coming from the reloading of our guns. Once we are ready, we finally face each other. Two leaders. We are both about to split up on our own and take them down. If we fail, we die. If only one of us succeeds, we die. We both have to succeed.
Romelo looks at me with a calm demeanor. He reaches out and clasps my shoulder. “No matter what happens, I’m glad to have been sworn in under you, Luca.”
“Thank you, Romelo. I couldn’t ask for a better man to be at my right side.”
He nods in understanding. From the moment we have been born, we have been inseparable. Romelo and I have actually grown up together, whereas I’ve met Nicolai years later because of complications with his family. All three of us are very close and will take a bullet for one another. So this is almost like saying goodbye. Until that phone call comes in that we have all done our part, we are not in the clear.
We both move to our cars and depart on our separate ways into the unknown.
* * * * *
Jared Mitchum. Head of the secret agency called A-417. Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, torture, etc. Lives in the middle of nowhere. He has been itching to take us down for years. And he almost has. If I haven’t found Elise and gotten things in order, they are going to hit us hard. Kill every last one of us. Elise is my weakness, and in the time she is gone, I’ve neglected things I shouldn’t have. And they are going to have the perfect opening. But I’ve found her. And I’ve doubled up my security. They are responsible for all the rats in the family. They are the ones that have been working with Arianna and the other Trovolis to take down the North Mob and give the Trovolis immunity.
It is all a part of Eli Trovoli’s plan from the start. Marry his daughter off and kill us using her. But when she has proved to be useless, he has planned on pitting her against me. Which is where Arianna comes in. Getting information from Elise in her emotionally unstable state, which they then feed back to their capo, who in turn feeds it to the feds. Trying so hard to claw his way to the top. To power. To have us out of the way. There will be no one left to stand in his way. But what he hasn’t taken into account is that I don’t trust them. And I’ve foiled his plans. But now that he has given them their opening to rid the world of the Italian Mafia of the North, well, he is taking every chance he can.