Desired Too

by Lessly, S. K.

  I started shaking my head. “No, I beg to differ. He cares about me. He tries to control me, but love…”

  “Please, woman, you’re blind if you can’t see that. I could and I’ve only seen you two together a few times. Now if this man is anything like myself, and I have a feeling he is, he has made it his life goal to make sure he knows everything there is to know about your life. So the secret you’re keeping, he probably knows.”

  “You think he knows I’m a PI?”

  “Yeah, I bet my life he knows.”

  “Do you think he knows that I have one of the deadliest mafia families on the west coast after me?”

  Mason didn’t reply. His mouth was open too wide for him to use it.

  I took a deep breath and got myself together. “Being a PI wasn’t a lifelong goal. As you very well know, I graduated with a major in finance, minor in international business. I love the finance world. I love finding out about someone’s dream to change the world and investing in that dream. However, when I became a PI, I felt like I was fulfilling a lifelong dream. My ex-boyfriend used to tell me so many stories about his job that instantly attracted me. Before I decided to be a PI, he used to ask me to do favors for him. Nothing major, stuff like financial backgrounds for his clients. I would research people for him and find money that husbands hid from their wives and money that CEO’s and owners of top companies hid from their investors or even the IRS.

  “I didn’t mind helping him, of course. It felt good helping people,” I told Mason. “That actually became my thing. I worked with Ira, my ex, so he could train me. We were a team. Some business he would throw my way and other times we would work together. When Ira and I split, I continued to do my own thing. I hired a staff of my own, guys that I met at the gym I went to. I was actually quite successful. I was smart with my clientele and made sure the cases I took weren’t things I couldn’t handle.

  “One day, I was working late and my ex came to see me. I had been avoiding his crazy ass for months. When he asked to hire me, I should have told him, ‘Hell no.’ The trust in him was long gone, but he gave me such a sob story about his client that I was hooked. Anyway, to make a long story short, I took his case. I knew deep down that I shouldn’t have done it, but I figured all he wanted was a financial packet completed. It was easy enough, something I could do with my eyes closed.

  “I learned however, that this case was far from simple. Ira asked me to do a complete workup on this company for his client. He wanted to know everything about the profits this company made yearly, as well as the CEO. I didn’t think anything of it at first, of course. I just did my thing and ended up giving him a majority of the information he needed in a few days.” Mason’s eyes grew and I nodded. “Yeah, I’m that good. Actually, I think I’m too good. Ira told me that what I gave him was good enough, but I kept digging. I really wanted to bury the guy, you know. The sob story Ira gave me touched me. I hated bullies, and this man was a complete bully. What I discovered, though, caused me to halt everything. I found that the company I was looking into didn’t really exist.”

  Mason frowned. “It was a shell?”

  I nodded. “Yup, and I will say that information was hidden very well. It took some time for me to find that tidbit of info, as well as who truly owned the shell company, which was some cartel family. When I told all of this to Ira, he was pissed. He told me that I should have given him this information before and that he had revealed all of this company’s financials to his client. He told me that I should have found out everything at one at time. He was right, of course, but he kept hogging me to give him what I had. I should have told him to wait until I had everything, but I didn’t.

  “Of course I was worried about what I found out and who I had just exposed to a potential enemy of this cartel family. Ira did assure me that my name never came up. He told me that his client didn’t know anything about me. Therefore, I relaxed, until one of my employees was killed in a suspicious car crash and another almost met the same fate, but it just so happened he let someone else borrow his car.”

  Mason shook his head. “What did Ira do when you told him about your two employees? Did you go to the police?”

  I felt like an idiot when I shook my head.

  I needed to explain my stupidity and professed, “Honestly, Mace, I didn’t think anything of the two incidents with my employees, at first. I don’t know, maybe I was in denial, but I didn’t think they were related. When the threatening calls came into my office and cell, that was when I knew something wasn’t right. Whatever Ira told me was a lie. My name had to have been out there. Why else would my employees have been targets? I told Ira everything that was going on and he became my bodyguard. He said he found out someone was following him the other day and figured we needed to stick together in this. Two heads were better than one, and I agreed, until the threats started literally hitting home. One night, he and I were at my apartment when someone actually did a drive-by and bullets turned my apartment into Swiss cheese. Shit, we barely made it out with our lives. I was scared half out of my mind. I told Ira I was going to the police. I had enough information that could get me at least some protection, but then Ira finally told me who his client was.”

  “I take it Ira didn’t agree with you?” Mason asserted and I nodded soberly.

  “No, he didn’t. He simply reminded me who this family was, and what kind of connections they had. ‘You could be captured and dead the moment you call the police,’ is what he said to me. I couldn’t disagree with him. He suggested I go home and said that he would take this heat for me. If he needed to, he’d go to the Feds with everything. He again promised to keep my name out of all of this. Before I left the state, he called me and told me that he had everything under control. He said, ‘Once the Feds saw what I had, they were jumping through hoops to keep me safe.' Therefore, I came home with that assurance. However, a few weeks ago, Ira popped up out of nowhere and told me that this family did indeed know my name and was coming after me.” “And you haven’t told Leonetti?”

  I shook my head.

  Mason frowned letting his frustration evident. “And why the hell not? Raquel, your life is in jeopardy, and so are the people around you. How could you be so selfish?”

  “I know that, okay? Why do you think I’ve stayed away from here and stayed away from Max? I don’t want to put anyone’s life in jeopardy. Ira and I are working everything out. He’s calling his contacts to try to get Basile off of my back. You know, leak that I’ve been an innocent bystander in all of this, but for some reason it’s not working. Shit, I’ve been so scared Mason, every second of every day. I’ve been scared to drive my car or any car for that matter. I’ve been scared to leave the house, and I’ve been even scared to stay in the house. But, the crazy thing is, I’m more scared of losing Angel than anything else. I don’t know how he will take what I’ve done. I snitched on this family. That has to be a deal breaker for men like him, right? How can he protect me from something like that? I feel like I need to settle this on my own, take matters into my own hands and just to save him.”

  “No, that’s a horrible idea, Raquel. Don’t you dare do any dumb shit like that, got it?”

  “What else can I do?”

  Mason and I watched each other for a long minute before he spoke, his voice changing with each syllable he used. “Who’s the guy with you?” his head nodded in Junior’s direction.

  “Yeah, that’s another thing. Apparently, Angel’s cousin somehow knows everything. He’s told me, in not so uncertain terms, that if I didn’t tell Angel what was going on, he would. And, his version wouldn’t be the one I would want Angel to know. He said not to go anywhere else with Ira. Junior over there would be my protection until I tell Angel what’s happening.”

  Mason nodded. “Yes, I actually agree with Angel’s cousin. That’s the best thing to do here. Angel needs to know because his life is in jeopardy right along with yours. One thing you don’t want to do is leave him blindsided. Men like that, he
ll men like us, need to know when the threat is coming, if we can. Call it control if you like. We actually make it a point to know. Also, you don’t want him to learn about this second hand. He would feel betrayed.”

  “You should have told him the moment you two started dating, but you didn’t. Which, I get that. Why bring up old shit, right? Especially when it’s not an issue. However, the moment it became an issue, you should have told him, but you didn’t. Now when you do, he’s going to feel like you didn’t trust him. You went with your ex, put your faith in that piece of shit, instead of your man. He’s going to feel betrayed and lied to. But you have to know he would destroy this city brick by brick if something ever happened to you. And if something happened to you and he didn’t know you were in trouble to begin with…Well, let’s just say that wouldn’t be a good thing for anyone around him. He would blame himself for the rest of his life.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Tough shit. It’s how men like that are wired. Raquel, you have to come to the realization that you mean a lot more to him than just a chick he’s fucking.”

  I sighed and nodded, conceding. “You’re right about everything, I know this. I know how he feels about me. I also know that the moment I tell him all of this, he’s going to lose his shit. That’s why I don’t think he knows everything about me. If he did, bodies would have dropped way before I left San Francisco. He would have made his presence known.”

  “How do you know he didn’t? I’m sure he’s not going to tell you that he dropped some bodies in your name.”

  “I think I would have found out. I’m sure all of San Francisco would’ve known. It would have been messy.”

  Mason shook his head with a hint of pity in his eyes. “Oh, Roxy, I can guarantee you, if Leonetti buried some bodies in San Francisco, no one would have ever known.”

  Mason and I stared at each other for a minute longer before he said, “Tell him tonight.”

  I nodded. “I plan to.”

  “Good.”

  We both stood as I got Junior’s attention and signaled to him that I was ready.

  Mason touched my arm, and I looked at him. “You call me if you need anything.”

  I shook my head. “No, I can’t do that.”

  “Raquel, you can and you will. Trust me, if you don’t and I find out you were in trouble and you didn’t call, I will also feel betrayed. You don’t want to betray me, got it?”

  “Okay, I got it. And, Mace, thanks.”

  “Anytime.”

  I walked out with Junior, not before he checked our vehicle while I waited in the building. I pulled out my phone and dialed Angel. I figured, what better time than the present to let him know that I needed to talk to him.

  When he didn’t answer, I texted him that there was some things I needed to talk to him about. I asked him to call me the moment he had a minute.

  Once I got to the apartment, and I hadn’t heard from him, I texted him again, then called him. His phone went straight to voicemail, but I didn’t think anything of it at first. Sometimes when you’re making a call and someone was calling you at the same time, a call could go straight to voicemail. I tried a couple more times before panic started to settle in. I didn’t want to believe something had happened. I would think if there were something on the horizon, Ira would’ve told me. Ira claimed he had his ear to the ground, but as this day fell away, I was beginning to think something wasn’t right with Ira being here too. Things were starting to unravel; namely me.

  After an hour went by, and panic settled in, I went looking for answers. I started with Junior and grilled him on what he knew. I opened the front door and found him leaning against the wall, face in a frown while looking at his cell. I went in on him quickly. He claimed he didn’t know anything.

  “I don’t have a clue what’s going on. Maybe he’s in a meeting or something. Look, I’m sure-”

  I poked him in his chest, quieting his lies. “Do you really think I’m stupid? There is no way you wouldn’t know where your boss is. That would be your demise. No, I know you know. I heard you on the phone out here ‘yes, sir’n someone. Just tell me what I want to know. It will go smoother for you that way.”

  I gave Junior my most intimidating look with warnings all through my eyes. However, I seemed to be losing my touch. He didn’t tell me anything. He put his hands up in front of him in a patronizing way and smiled.

  “Ma’am, I really don’t know what’s happening. I really wish I did.”

  I didn’t reply. I couldn’t actually. I was getting pissed. I was scared and my heart was hammering in my chest. I didn’t like not knowing what was going on. I didn’t like that Angel hadn’t called me to tell me if something was going on. I thought he would send word if he couldn’t do it himself, but I hadn’t heard anything.

  I was going to let it go, really I was, but the smug satisfying look on Junior’s face enraged me further. So the claws came out and with a little persuasion, making a few phone calls and going to see Darrell face to face, I got what I wanted and it didn’t make me feel any better.

  Shit!

  Chapter Twenty

  Angel

  I can’t breathe. I’m so fucking pissed. I want to kill someone.

  They released me from Federal custody after sitting in a cold ass room attached to a table for six damn hours. Those damn fucking brainless idiot agents! I swear they were dumber than a barrel of spit and just as useful. I knew this shit was going to be a waste of time, but I didn’t expect it to take this long. Typically, it didn’t. I’d made countless trips, and it didn’t take them nearly this long to realize that they didn’t have shit on me.

  I should have known things were going to go to shit when he came to arrest me. Special Agent Daniel Lincoln, who had a complete hard on for this family, was the reason for this debacle. He didn’t just arrest me on suspicion of possession with an intent to distribute, but on terrorism as well. Yup, that’s right. He claimed he had proof that I’d been funding terrorists and that we were using the multiple humanitarian companies we had as means of sneaking weapons to insurgent’s hands overseas.

  Daniel had it bad for Lincoln and for this family; it was something that I’d known for years. He was the one that tried to pin those murders on Lincoln a year ago, and he was mixed up with my brother on the kidnapping of Georgia. Although he claimed that he didn’t have a clue about Eddie’s double cross, you would think he would have learned his lesson messing with my brother, but it seemed he hadn’t.

  Yes, I knew that this little arrest was the work of my brother. This was probably his biggest play and if I wasn’t smart, I’d probably be still inside that building being water boarded or some shit. However, I was smarter and over the decades that passed, I’d proven how smart I was, but it was clear that Eddie hadn’t learned his lessons yet either.

  Let me double back and tell you what happened.

  Daniel came to arrest us at the warehouse, as you well know, claiming he had evidence of an obscene amount of drugs on the premises. He showed me the warrant before he signaled for his team to take Hugo, Darrell, and me downtown to the Federal building.

  I sat in a cold ass room for hours before Daniel walked into the room. He wore that “I have you by the balls” look on his face as he sat down in front of me. Daniel Lincoln was tall like his brother and me, solid, but not as bulky as us. His hair was short and dark, as well as his eyes. He tried his best to pull off the brooding look, but he couldn’t quite do it like his brother, and I think he knew that. I also believe he couldn’t hate Lincoln as much as he put on; mixed into that hate was a lot of jealousy that he would never admit.

  Lincoln was everything that Daniel wasn’t; fearless, strong, brave, smart. Lincoln was a survivor. Even though Daniel followed in his father’s footsteps and became a part of the prestigious FBI, Lincoln had been sought after by a secretly driven organization that had more clout and fear among a shitload of countries than the FBI could even dream of. Lincoln had created a name for
himself while Daniel was still trying to be a gleam in his daddy’s eye; a gleam that quite honestly would never exist as long as Lincoln was running the streets, spitting in the FBI’s face every chance he got.

  I knew why Lincoln felt the way he did about his family. What I wanted to know was how deep the rabbit hole went for Daniel and why. I actually had an idea where it started, and today I was going to test my theory; you know, poke the bear and all that.

  Daniel sat down across from me and placed the folder he had under his arm on the table in front of him. “Why don’t we dispense with the tug of war and you confess now? Make it easier on yourself.”

  I didn’t reply.

  We stared at each other for a long moment before he smiled. “I didn’t think so.”

  He turned and looked at the two-way mirror behind him before he faced me again. He sighed and opened the folder. He went through the contents inside, and I took this time to start poking. I hated the motherfucker for one simple reason; he fucked with my blood. You don’t fuck with the people I care the most about, not without feeling my wrath.

  I tilted my head to the side and folded my cuffed hands in front of me. “Why do you hate him so much?”

  “What?” He looked up at me questioningly, but the realization of where my question was going caused him to frown. “I’m the one asking the questions here.”

  I ignored him and added, “I mean, I can understand why you hate me. I’m better looking than you. Drake hates it too, so I’m used to it. However, it’s a little baffling as to why you hate your own flesh and blood. Now, if I had to guess, I figure you hate him because he’s a far better man than you are. My brother hates me for the same reason, so I know the signs. I bet you wish you could do half the shit Lincoln could. He was better in everything growing up, wasn’t he? He could probably run circles around you in sports, academics, even though he barely gave an effort, and I bet you couldn’t get half the pussy he could. Still can’t, can you?”