Desired Too

by Lessly, S. K.

  Basile sat up, his features changing to incredulous. “I’ve crossed you?”

  “Seriously, let’s cut the shit. I told you specifically that Ms. Waters was not to be touched and yet, your fucking idiots tried to kill her. The way that I’m built, that alone was an act of war. She’s protected. You knew that. You don’t cause harm to her at all, unless you want to start something. Now am I to understand that’s what you want?”

  He and I locked eyes for a tense moment before he looked at my father, then back at me. “You have to understand my position,” he said. “She stuck her nose into shit she shouldn’t have. I don’t give a shit about ignorance; I don’t know what that is. If she was protected by you, she should have known better.”

  “I agree,” I added quickly. Shock radiated from across the table as well as next to me. “And if you would have come to me first, I would have attempted to make this shit right if I could. What I don’t appreciate is you not giving me the common courtesy to do that.”

  Basile slashed his hand across his body. “There wasn’t shit you could’ve done to make this right.”

  My eyebrows rose. “Really? So you getting ownership of one of the largest shipping ports of San Francisco under your family wouldn’t have sufficed?”

  The doubting look that came over Basile almost made me shoot him in the face for underestimating me. I added for effect, “I don’t believe in ignorance either, so the look you have on your face doesn’t move me at all. You know the kind of power my family has. You know what I would’ve been able to do for you, and yet you still went against me. Now, if I so choose, I could take over everything you own at a drop of a hat and disseminate it to your enemies, instead of the other way around.”

  “You have balls to threaten him the way you are,” the pale man said to me, which brought him to my attention.

  I added, but continued to keep my eyes on the ghost across from me, “I understand your position. Really I do. So I’m going to show leniency in this matter.”

  The pale man scoffed, “And what matter would that be?”

  I ignored him and continued to speak to Basile, “Here’s what I’m prepared to offer you. I will not kill the two of you. You will take your men and leave my city. What I will do for you is provide you with the person you’re looking for, however he will not be delivered alive. He will be sent in pieces. I will also provide you a forty percent increase of control within San Francisco’s underworld.”

  The pale man scoffed again, and I quickly slammed my hand on the table while keeping my voice even. “You and I will have words once all of this is over. You can count on that.”

  He smiled. “I look forward to it.”

  I could feel the tension building within, and I thought about just killing him now, but I still had to take care of business; pleasure will undoubtedly come later.

  “Please tell me how you’re going to give me a 40% increase in control,” Basile asked.

  I took my eyes off Casper, then placed them back on him. So that’s where I remember him from. He was the one that tried to pick up Raquel at the club; the one she was threatening to leave with. I shook my head. Wait until I tell her who he really was.

  “Don’t worry about how I plan on doing it. Just note that within ninety days, you’ll have it, but it comes with a cost.”

  “More than what I already suffered?”

  I ignored his sarcasm. “The men that shot at Ms. Waters belong to me. I will have my retribution; it’s your penitence for not coming to me in the first place. If I see anyone, hear anyone thinking about her, or fucking smell anyone close to Ms. Waters, all bets are off. I will come at you with everything I have. It will be bloody, nasty, and final. I won’t leave anyone alive.”

  Basile looked at Pop’s stoic body language, asking. “Is this coming from just one man or the family?”

  Pops puffed on his cigar a bit but didn’t reply. He wanted me to handle this. This was mine, she was mine and I would defend her until my dying breath. Pops knew this, so he kept his tongue. I, of course, didn’t and said, “I don’t know what you’ve been told, but let’s dispense of the confusion and say that this is my family, not Eddie’s. My father is retiring, and this family is mine. So to answer your previous question, yes this, is coming from the one man who runs this family.”

  I met Basile’s eyes and held them, making sure he knew that I wasn’t bullshitting. He got it and nodded.

  I added, “This deal is a once in a lifetime deal. There are no negotiations. As easily as I giveth, I can taketh away, and then some. Don’t test me. I understand the position you are in, and you must save face for your own people, which is why I’m offering you what I have. However, don’t take my kindness as a sign of weakness. It’s respect, and this one time I’m giving it, despite the fact it wasn’t given to me.”

  I let that hang in the air before I placed my cigar in between my lips and stretched my hand out to him. Basile looked at me for a moment, but he didn’t reject me. He stretched and shook my hand.

  “When will I expect my package?” he asked.

  “Within a few days; three days tops.”

  We all stood.

  “Until then, Mr. Leonetti,” Basile said and turned to leave. He suddenly stopped and turned to face me. “By the way, you better watch your back. It’s a bitch employing family.”

  He turned and headed out of the door.

  When the silence filled the room, I took a deep breath. Pops placed his hand on my shoulder. “Proud of you, son. That went better than I expected.”

  I looked over at him. “You think he’ll listen?”

  He nodded. “Yes, he’ll listen. That ghost of a being next to him though, may not. You’re going to have to take care of him.”

  I nodded my agreement, about to say something else to him when we suddenly heard a burst of automatic fire coming from outside the room.

  I looked at my father as I pulled my weapons.

  “We have to get out of here.” I moved quickly to the door, opened it and peeked out. There wasn’t anyone in sight. However, I still heard a gun battle ensuing. My father slapped his hand on my shoulder, signaling he had our back. Crouching, I exited the room. I crossed the hallway, looking straight ahead, waiting to fire the moment someone came around the corner.

  Suddenly the gunfire stopped, and a loud war cry boomed from the main warehouse floor, bouncing off everything around us.

  “You like to hit women, huh, punk!” I heard Ducci shout.

  I looked over at my father and nodded in the opposite direction, motioning for him to find another way for us to get out of here. No telling how many Ducci had with him, or where our guys were. For all I knew, it could be the two of us against eight to ten of Ducci’s guys. We needed an exit. Maybe if Pops could get out, he could assess the situation and get some help in here for me. Pops gripped my shoulder telling me that he understood and was off.

  “Answer me, motherfucker!”

  I took a deep breath and said as loud as I could, “You know damn well I didn’t touch your daughter.”

  “Bullshit! I saw the pictures.”

  “Yeah? And who sent them to you?”

  There was silence. Then he spat, “If you’re so innocent, you’ll face me like a man. Or you can hide like the dog that you are!”

  I stood and placed my back against the wall next to me. I brought both of my guns up by the sides of my face, and asked, “Did Lucy call you?”

  “You too afraid to face me, huh? Is that it? Big bad Angel doesn’t have the honor to talk to me instead of sending my daughter.”

  I sighed deeply. He was really pushing me. I was trying not to fall for his shit, but it was beginning to get hard.

  I looked down the hallway where my father disappeared, wondering if he was able to find a way around to the front. I decided to risk a glance around the corner just to see where everyone was. He had the upper hand now, but I refused to be cornered.

  Ducci started firing into the wall I was standi
ng against, sending plaster and wood in my face. I ducked down and waited until he was done.

  I called out to him, “Consider yourself warned then!”

  Bullets started slamming into the wall above my head. There were multiple guns; three to be exact.

  When the gunfire died slightly, to only one weapon, I moved from my hiding place.

  I centered on one man and fired in his direction. He went down as I located a new place to take cover. There was a large assembly line type of machinery to the right of me, and I slid in that direction just before a barrage of bullets flew where I once stood. I took a deep breath, waiting for the right time for me to move on from this spot, when I realized all went quiet.

  I quickly peeked around the machine to find no one was there.

  Shit! I hope to God Darrell and Hugo heard the gun shots and made their way inside this bitch.

  I smelled a trap. Ducci’s guys were trying to out flank me. They were setting me up. Instead of going left out into the open, I went right, around the heavy-duty machines, looking for targets. I tried to keep as quiet as I could, making sure I stayed hidden when I could.

  I looked up and found a rafter circling the large room. I saw shadows bouncing off the walls and windows up there. I couldn’t tell if the shadows were friendly or not. What I couldn’t do though was stay where I was.

  Suddenly, shots started flying over my head from behind and shots started coming from in front of me. I ducked, firing blindly behind and in front of me. I had no choice but to move out into the open. I kept low, still firing into the shadows where I saw muzzle flashes behind inoperable rusted machinery. I heard a grunt in one direction. As I started to look for more targets, I came face to face with Ducci and three other guns. I stood there, guns in front of me, not wavering at all.

  He was going to go before I did; I promise you that.

  “Put the guns down little brother,” I heard Eddie say behind me. I didn’t have to wonder if he had a gun trained on me. Two seconds after his demands, I felt the steel of a gun on the back of my head.

  Eddie then leaned around me and said close to my ear, “You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this moment.”

  Someone else came on the sides of me and took my guns from my hands.

  Eddie moved around to face me, gun still in my face. A deadly grin suddenly creased his face as he brought his hand up and smashed the butt of his gun against the side of my face. From the force of the blow, I stumbled slightly, but I didn’t fall.

  “Do you have any smart ass shit to say now motherfucker?!” he yelled down at me.

  I took a deep breath, trying to channel the pain in the deep recesses of my mind.

  As I stood and made eye contact with Eddie, I was surprisingly close to him. I smiled.

  Dumb little fucker, rang through my mind right as I snapped my head forward, smashing my forehead right on the soft spot of Eddie’s nose.

  “Argh!” he cried as he fell backwards on the floor. I started for him when Ducci’s men stepped forward, guns in hand. I kept my one good bloodless eye on Ducci as he raised his gun to my face.

  “I hope you rot in hell,” Ducci spat.

  I grinned again and blew a kiss at him, “Vaffanculo!”

  My eyes never wavered as his face tightened. It never wavered as his grip grew taunt around the trigger, and my eyes never wavered as I watched the side of the goon’s head to Ducci’s right explode into Ducci’s face and eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Drake

  The M40 felt comfortable in my hand, like a long lost friend, as I moved quickly to the side of the building. I showed Darrell and Hugo, along with four of Junior’s family where the majority of the people were inside the building and where I needed them to be. I assumed Basile’s men were spread out along the large warehouse, covering their boss’ exit. I couldn’t tell which heated bodies were Uncle Bruno’s men or Basile’s.

  It didn’t matter really. We were there to provide support for Angel and the Don. I didn’t give a shit about causalities. My contact in the NSA cyber division, Mark, gave me the specs of the building and places I could enter without being detected. I moved in that direction, hoping shit wouldn’t get messy before I got there.

  Knowing Angel as I did, he’d probably start the party without me.

  As I came around the building, I found a metal ladder bolted to the paneled wall of the warehouse. I slung the rifle over my shoulder and started climbing quickly and as quietly as I could. I hadn’t heard anything inside to tell me things were turning to shit just yet, but that didn’t mean anything.

  I made it to a landing that ran along the beginning of the roof of the building. I unslung my rifle and moved slowly, until I found a way for me to enter without being seen. There was a window open and a man standing in front of it with his back turned. Since he was facing away from me, I couldn’t see his face to know if he was friend or foe. No matter, I slowly slung the rifle back over my shoulder and crept slowly behind the large figure in front of me. I crouched down slowly, pulling the knife slowly from its holder around my ankle, and just as the figure turned around, I saw it was foe. I moved quickly, striking the blade along his neck, making sure I got the artery as I moved. Blood squirted out as he gurgled entirely too loud for my taste. I clamped my hand over his mouth as he dropped to the roof, trying not to get his blood on me.

  As his heart continued to pump blood out of him, I checked his pockets. I recognized this was one of Ducci’s men, not Basile’s. I’d seen this man in countless meetings standing close to his boss.

  I quickly brought my mic to my lips and said softly, as I looked around for any other threats, “Ducci and his men are here. Not sure how they got clear of the guards posted around the building, so keep an eye out.”

  I heard back in my ear, “Basile is leaving the warehouse from a side entrance.”

  “It’s time, ladies. Get into position,” I told them before I looked through the window.

  I brought the M40 up and looked through the scope. I had excellent position and could probably pick off anyone I wanted. I looked at the dead body at my feet. “Was that your job, fat boy?” I whispered in the darkness.

  I peeked around the area of the window, listening for any sounds. I didn’t hear anything, so I climbed into the window as silent as I could. I thought about leaving the window open, but I didn’t want to leave my back exposed. I moved to lock the window, when suddenly I heard gunfire below me. I crouched and watched Ducci and his men overcome a couple of bodyguards as they moved into the main area below me. I heard more gunfire elsewhere in the building, and I hoped it was friendly. I shifted from my position, looking for a more favorable one; one where I could see everything just as I saw Angel dart from his hiding place.

  His father wasn’t with him.

  Damn it.

  I found a good position that allowed me to see everything. I heard Ducci bait Angel, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before he would grow tired of sitting around. Abruptly things deteriorated as I saw the trap unfold below me. I wanted to warn him, but I couldn’t. The way Ducci and his men were moving in the shadows, I didn’t have a clear shot.

  I saw Angel emerge from the shadows shooting behind him. He actually hit two, and I shook my head. That fucker was accurate as shit with those damn guns.

  I started to tell him to move from that open spot, but it was too late. I had no time. I moved to a better spot, a place that would give me operable advantage to make my presence known, as well as keep me hidden until I pulled the trigger.

  I will say that I could have pulled the trigger right then and there. It would be about a five-hundred yard shot, but I wasn’t worried about that. I knew my cousin. He was going to bait Ducci to make the first move. I waited and as soon as Ducci mouthed something to Angel, I took a deep breath and fired. I didn’t wait to see if I acquired my target. I moved my gun a fraction to the left and fired again, blowing the head off the man that was standing to the right of Ducc
i.

  Angel was already on the man to his right, so I looked for Eddie and found he was gone.

  Fuck!

  I stood and found him running to the back of the building. I slung my rifle and started looking for a way to get down to the bottom level. That son of a bitch wasn’t getting away from my bullet this time.

  There was a ladder not too far from where I stood and I headed there, running as fast as I could. As the latter got close, I dove for it and practically slid down the sides to the level that I needed.

  Bullets were flying everywhere. I could tell by the sounds of the guns that they were was M4s, which meant Darrell and Hugo had entered the fray.

  I pulled out both of my Berettas and moved quickly to the direction that I saw Eddie disappear to.

  When I got to the doorway, I did a quick peek and found the hallway before me empty.

  Keeping myself low, I stepped into the hallway and walked slowly, looking everywhere I could for movement.

  At the end of the hallway, I came to another doorway. I remembered that Mark told me that this led to the back of the warehouse with a door that lead out toward the pier, an easy escape.

  Not this time, Eddie.

  I crept in the dark room, as silent as I could. I could hear erratic breathing coming from a place in the corner. I knew it was Eddie and his broken nose.

  I headed in the direction that I heard Eddie in. I was trying not to make a sound.

  Allowing my undying hatred, the burning desire to rip him to pieces with my bare hands, drive me, I completely missed the sound behind me. That is, until I heard the click and felt the barrel against my temple.

  The lights suddenly came on, and I was face to face with the barrel of Eddie’s gun.

  Angel

  Everything happened so fast that I had no time for shit to sink in. Don’t get me wrong, I knew who had just saved my ass. Hugo and Darrell couldn’t have made that shot if their lives depended on it. Also, anyone with sense would have shot the one pointing the gun at me, but not my cousin. He knew I wanted Ducci for myself, and he’d made that happen.