Men of Honor: Cosa Nostra book 1

by Jasmine Denton

  He struggled to sit up, grasping at her hand. “Bela, don’t,” he said. “You don’t have to go with him.”

  “Yes, I do,” she whispered. “I can’t let him hurt you.”

  “Let’s go,” Trey said, his voice loud and commanding.

  She felt a ripple of anger wash over her at the sound of his order. She knew it was risky—stupid, even—but she didn’t know if she would ever see him again so she brought her lips to his in a quick, desperate kiss. “Watch your back,” she whispered the warning to Vincent, right before Trey grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet again.

  This time, she didn’t fight as he hauled her toward the door and down the rickety stairs. Once they got to his car, he opened the passenger door and shoved her inside, as if he couldn’t let go of her for a second or she might run away. The second the car started rolling, he started yelling at her again.

  “I thought you were hiding something,” he said. “But this? How stupid can you be?”

  She gawked at him. Had he really just called her stupid?

  “The guy’s up to no good, I can smell it. He’s probably working for his family this whole time, trying to get inside information and you just…”

  “I what?” she demanded. “Come on, Trey. What did I do that was so terrible?”

  “You believed him,” he snapped. “You stood on that rooftop trying to defend a guy who’s only using you to get to your family.”

  “He’s not using me,” she exclaimed. “Do you think I’m an idiot? Do you honestly think that thought never crossed my mind? Of course it did, but he proved me wrong. He’s been there for me—”

  “Spare me the details,” he said with a look of disgust. “Whatever you had, it’s over now.”

  The way he was bossing her around was really pissing her off, and though she knew it was dramatic and clichéd, she felt the need to say, “You can’t stop me from seeing him, Trey.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  “I love him,” she blurted out. Turning to her brother, she began to desperately ramble, “And I’m not talking a school girl crush or infatuation. This is the real thing, Trey. I love him and he loves me and I want to be with him more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

  His head turned to look at her in surprise. His dark eyes studied her until the car started to swerve and he had to look back at the road. “That’s too bad,” he said finally, fixing his gaze steadily ahead. “Because you’re never going to see him again.”

  The thought made her heart sink. She felt like the very world was slipping out from under her feet. She knew her brother, and she knew his temper. When someone betrayed him, they paid for it. And she could tell he saw Vincent as a traitor. “Are you going to hurt him?”

  His lips stayed clamped shut, while his steely gaze didn’t waver from the road.

  “Trey, please,” she said, trying to reach out to that part of him that was still her brother. “Please don’t hurt him.”

  Still, he refused to answer her question. She could tell by his body language that as far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. When they got back to the mansion, he confiscated her cell phone and took the cordless from her bedroom before he left her alone. With each deliberate, controlling maneuver she felt the walls around her shrink in, suffocating her and stealing her freedom.

  “I can’t believe you knew about the two of them and didn’t tell me.” Trey paced across Mandi’s living room, in the middle of yet another long-winded tirade. It’d been two days since he found out about Vincent and Bela and he hadn’t been able to stop ranting about it since.

  “I can’t believe you couldn’t see it,” Mandi replied. “I just looked at them and I could tell.”

  “You should have told me,” he said.

  “I knew you’d be upset,” she said. “And I also know Bela loves him. Can’t you see it in her eyes? She’s head over heels.”

  “Yeah, that’s what worries me.”

  “I don’t think he’d hurt her,” she said. “He’s had plenty of chances to hurt her and all he’s done is try to gain your trust.”

  “Yeah,” he scoffed. “The guy lies right to my face for months. There’s no trusting him now.”

  “Isn’t there a chance that the two of you can get past this…family feud?” she asked. “If he can do it, why can’t you?”

  “He hasn’t gotten past anything,” he said, leaning his hands on the bar. “He’s just pretending so he can get close enough to take me out.”

  “Aren’t there easier ways to do that?” Mandi asked. “Like actually taking you out?”

  “How do I know he’s not the one who sent that half-ass hit-man after me?” he asked. “Someone did try to kill me that night. I have the scar to prove it.”

  “Maybe it was him,” she said. “Maybe this is all part of some diabolical plan to steal power away from you. All I know is that Bela called and begged me to reason with you. She wants to be allowed to see him.”

  “Over my dead body,” he said.

  “You really hate this guy, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Yes. He’s a showoff and a liar and a Marcano. Yes, I hate him. I hate the very ground he walks on.”

  “All I know is the more you push her away from him, the more attractive you’re making him,” she said. “Maybe it would be best for you to step back and let this play out.”

  He thought about this a minute. “I just can’t shake this gut feeling that he’s up to something.”

  “Well, once you know for sure you can kick his ass and tell her you told her so,” she said. “But if you keep…refusing to listen to her, you’re going to push her away and she might need you when this is all over.”

  Before he could answer, his cell phone rang. It was Johnny delivering a message from Nik to meet them both at one of the warehouses they used to store drugs. When he arrived there, though, he found the place empty. After giving the building a quick sweep and finding nobody, he decided to wait for Johnny and Nik.

  He didn’t see the attack coming. He was sure the only thing that saved his life was hearing the hammer of the gun click echo in the quiet building. He turned just in time to feel a bullet pierce his shoulder. He dropped to his knees, both out of pain and to hide behind a stack of crates. He pulled out his gun and waited as the sound of heavy boots drew closer. He counted, realizing that there were two guys after him now. When he finally saw one of the gunman, he shot first and questioned later. Aiming point blank, he sent a bullet straight into his attacker’s head.

  But the second attacker snuck up behind him and stunned him with a fierce kick to the back. The blow tossed Trey’s body forward onto the cold stone floor, and the attacker didn’t let up. He kept kicking at Trey’s ribs and stomach, only stopping to throw an occasional punch to the face.

  All of the sudden, another gunshot rang out. Trey squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain, waited for the bullet that would bring him death. But it never came.

  Opening his eyes, he saw his attacker’s body fall to reveal Vincent standing behind him, his gun poised in the air.

  Chapter twelve

  Vincent tucked his gun away and stepped forward, reaching a hand out to Trey.

  Trey stood on his own, though. Then he slowly raised his gun and aimed it at Vincent point-blank. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

  Vincent held his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. “Oh, come on,” he said. “I just saved your life!”

  “Yeah, you like doing that, don’t you?”

  “Easy man,” he said. “I had nothing to do with this.”

  “Oh, yeah?” he asked, his tone louder this time. “Then how did you know I’d be here?”

  “Look, man, you’re bleeding pretty bad,” he said. “We need to get you to a doctor.”

  “Don’t try to change the subject,” he snapped. “Did you send these guys after me?”

  “What?” he asked. “If I’d done that, why would I bother saving you?”

  “
To play the hero.”

  “Dude, this job is making you really paranoid.”

  “I get that way when someone tries to kill me,” he said. “If you didn’t send them, how’d you know to be here?”

  “I was outside,” he said. “I heard gunfire and I thought I’d check it out. Then I saw that guy about to kill you and…”

  “Why did you save me?” Trey’s eyes locked on Vincent in a suspicious scowl. “Your life’s easier if I’m out of the picture.”

  “Where’s the honor in that?”

  He studied Vincent, and then decided he was telling the truth. Maybe he just had good timing, or maybe he was up to something else. Finally, he lowered his gun. “Were you following me again?”

  Reluctantly, Vincent nodded. “We need to talk. About Bela.”

  Trey scowled. “Come to ask for my blessing?”

  “No,” he replied. “I came to tell you I don’t need it.”

  He started to answer, but then he suddenly felt lightheaded, like he was floating. Bringing his unwounded arm up, he propped it against one of the crates to steady himself.

  “Somebody needs to look at that,” Vincent said.

  “No doctors. I’m fine,” he said, surprised to find he sounded breathless. “I just need to…”

  He felt the blackout creeping up on him. Soon, the world dimmed out and he felt himself falling…

  Trey wasn’t sure how long he was out. When his eyes finally opened again, he was horizontal on a couch. He could hear the laughter and applause of an 80’s sitcom in the background. Through his blurry vision, he looked around and saw a coffee table next to him. A bloody bullet lay in a bowl on the table, surrounded by other first-aid supplies. Grunting with pain, he sat up and noticed Vincent sitting in a foldout chair next to the couch.

  Vincent looked over at him and smirked. “How was the nap?”

  Trey rubbed a hand over his face and looked around, trying to get his bearings. It was one room with a kitchenette off to the side and a small twin bed in the other corner by the door. “Is this your place?”

  “Home sweet home,” he said.

  It was a pretty rundown place for a mob prince to be living in, he thought. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Trey had always thought Vincent was still living off Marcano money, but apparently not. “Not much for decorating, are you?” he asked. “Why am I here?”

  “Because you were about to bleed to death all over an abandoned warehouse,” he said as he stood. Vincent walked into the bathroom and came out with a pill bottle. Opening it, he dumped a couple pills out into his hand and handed them to Trey. “And we still need to talk.”

  Trey looked at Vincent skeptically as he dry-swallowed the pills. “I don’t get it. Why’d you patch me up? Why not just let me bleed out?”

  “You really have to ask yourself that?” he asked as he sat back down. “You do, don’t you?”

  Trey waited for an answer.

  “Bela.” Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees and looked Trey in the eyes. “How do you think she’d feel if I let her brother die? Believe it or not, she loves you. And I’d hate to see her heart get broken.”

  Just the thought of Bela made him think about the hidden relationship, and the thought of that sent his gaze darting subconsciously to the bed in the corner.

  Vincent followed his gaze. “And just so you know,” he added. “Bela and I never…” his words slowed when Trey cut his gaze to meet Vincent’s again. With a subtle swallow, he continued. “We never slept together. Well there may have been some sleeping, but it was of the literal variety. Honestly.”

  He didn’t know if he believed that, but it was better than believing the alternative. “You can stop sucking up to me,” Trey said. “It won’t do you any good.”

  “Look, I get it,” Vincent said. “You hate my father. Guess what? I hate him too. My dad is a greedy, power-hungry dick with no loyalty and no code of honor. But that’s not me. I’m different.”

  “Yeah? And how am I supposed to know that for sure?”

  “For one, my father would’ve let you bleed to death based solely on the fact that you’re Trey DeLuca.”

  “How can I trust someone who openly hates their own blood?” Trey challenged.

  Vincent didn’t skip a beat before answering. “Blood doesn’t make you family. You know what does? Loyalty.” He held his captain’s gaze as he said, “You have my loyalty, Trey.”

  Again, Trey studied Vincent. There was sincerity in his dark-colored eyes and his voice didn’t waver. He didn’t glance away or fidget. As far as he could tell Vincent was speaking the truth. Finally, he gave a slow nod. “So maybe I can trust you,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you can be with my sister.”

  “Do you realize how you sound?”

  “Yes, I do. And do you realize you have people after you?” Trey asked. “Switching teams is a dangerous thing to do. I’m sure your family’s figured out that you’re working for me by now. What if they try to teach you a lesson? What if Bela is the lesson?”

  Vincent was quiet, thinking about this.

  “It’s too dangerous,” he said. “I can’t risk it. Are we clear?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I understand.”

  “Good.” He relaxed against the couch.

  “You’ve got to let me see her one last time,” he said. “Just so I can explain things. I want her to hear it from me.”

  Trey considered this and then nodded. “Fine. Now who the hell is trying to kill me?”

  “Made any new enemies lately?”

  “No more than usual,” he said. “What’d you do with those bodies?”

  “They’re downstairs in your trunk,” he said.

  They both went downstairs to the parking garage to check the bodies for information. After rummaging through the pockets, Vincent and Trey found absolutely nothing. No wallets, no notes, not even a phone.

  “Is it just me or are these guys a little too clean?” Vincent asked.

  Trey nodded. “You know what that means.”

  “Whoever sent them knew what they were doing.”

  After two days of not seeing Vincent at all, Bela finally found a moment to sneak away from the house so she could visit him. But, as Bela approached the hallway to Vincent’s apartment she heard echoing voices, fighting. She stopped on instinct just short of the corner, her ears tuning in.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” Vincent was saying. “Every single day, looking over my shoulder, thinking one of them is going to blow my brains out!”

  “You made us a promise,” another male voice said. “You’re in too deep to back out now.”

  Bela peeked around the corner and saw Vincent talking to a man in a black suit. She didn’t recognize him.

  “Yeah, you think?” Vincent snapped.

  “You just need to keep your head on straight,” the man instructed. “It won’t be much longer now.”

  “That’s what you said last month. The deal’s off. Consider me done!”

  The man grabbed Vincent by the jacket and shoved him up against the wall, causing Bela to jump. Leaning close, the man threatened, “We’re too close to taking down the DeLuca’s for you to chicken out now! If you don’t man up and control yourself, you’re gonna find yourself floating at the bottom of the river. So finish what you started.”

  The man let go with a shove and then walked down the hallway to the staircase on the other side. Bela stood, frozen, peeking around the corner, while her brain tried to process what she’d just seen. What had she heard about Vincent trying to take her family down?

  It was as if he sensed her presence. His head jerked to look at her and his expression fell. She stepped back, her eyes fixed on him in a glare of betrayal.

  “Bela, wait,” he said, heading her direction.

  She didn’t want to hear a word of it. All she could think about was the lengths she’d gone to protect him, the way she’d betrayed her family for him. How much she’d trusted him. She turned on her heel t
o walk away, but he caught her quickly, taking her by the arm.

  “Bela, that wasn’t what you think,” he said.

  “You really don’t want to know what I think right now,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

  “Bela, please—”

  “Was it all a lie?” she demanded, tears of anger stinging her eyes. “Was Trey right? Were you just using me to get to my family?”

  “No,” he said quickly, seeming sincere. “That’s not it, I swear.”

  “He was right,” she said. “You’re working for your family, trying to take mine out.”

  “No, I’m not—”

  When he tried to take her arm again, she lost it. Her Italian temper getting the best of her, she unleashed her anger without even trying to hold it back. Yanking away from him, she began to hit his chest with her fists as she shouted, “You fooled me into trusting you! I felt sorry for you. I stayed up at night and worried sick about you! I begged my brother for your life! How could you do this to me?”

  He grabbed her by both shoulders and pinned her against the wall, holding her there. This made her even angrier and she struggled to break free so she could hit him again.

  “I thought you loved me, but this whole time you were just some…Trojan horse sent by your family to—”

  “Bela,” he shouted, the seriousness of his tone stopping her accusations cold. His eyes were desperate, pleading for her to listen to him. “I’m a cop.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  A cop. The word ping-ponged around her head, raising a thousand frenzied, panicked questions. Long after he’d taken her into his apartment where they could talk privately, she still tried to understand how she didn’t see this coming. How could he be a cop? He was the son of one mob boss while working for another. What was he doing with her brother, then?

  While she was still stunned speechless, he began to explain further. “I joined the police academy when I ran away. Not long after that, I was recruited by the FBI.” He explained quickly, as if he was afraid she’d bolt at any moment. “They knew about my family and wanted my help putting my father in prison. The idea was to go undercover and gather enough evidence to bring him down.”