by Soraya Naomi
“You didn’t tell me everything...” she whispers.
Yet I can’t read if she’s mad or disappointed or sad. Regardless, the clock is ticking.
Then she adds, “What is the Syndicate exactly? A criminal organization?”
“Yes.”
“So what do you do?”
I step forward, but she moves back, so I expel a sigh and stash my gun in my pants, speaking in a composed tone, “I’m going to make this fast because we can’t stay here any longer. Someone could come. I’m part of the Chicago Syndicate. The Syndicate is the underworld and we launder drug money through Palermo. It’s a front and the reason why I needed to know in the beginning if you were aware of my past with Rachel. She knew about the Syndicate, and tragically, she died due to business gone wrong, but I refused to endanger you in any way and that’s why I tried to stay away from you in the beginning.”
Her eyes round.
“I was attracted to you and wanted to spend time with you from the first time I met you, and that’s all still true. The reason I kept saying it was dangerous for us to be together is because I’m one of the highest ranking members of our organization. We’re the mafia, Brielle, and we protect our own. We have power and pull strings behind the scenes that normal civilians will never know about. But I fell in l—I fell for you,” I correct myself as she tenses up but then seems to calmly take in the info. “And Ivo was someone the Syndicate worked with, but he may have been a spy for someone else. I had to protect you from him; look how unstable he was.”
She blinks and blinks, a tear streaming down as she gapes at me in disbelief. “Now your behavior makes perfect sense and I get why you all have guns and guards at your disposal.”
“I told you as much as I could, Brielle. I tried so hard to keep you from finding out like this.”
She winces and begins to retreat into herself. I brace her cheeks again and kiss her forehead, hearing her breathe a small sigh of relief – she still trusts me.
“Look at me, Brielle. Don’t drown in your own thoughts or I won’t be able to help you. Nothing changes between you and me. If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done so by now, right?”
She nods timidly.
“I’ve helped you, looked out for you, albeit not always in the best way. I want to protect you, but first, you need to let me do my work.” I calmly confiscate her weapon and stash it in my waistband.
“This is so much information.” Brielle palms her mouth, undoubtedly in shock as she keeps anxiously scanning the area. “This is such a mess!”
I grab her shoulders because we’ve run out of time. “Calma!” Calm down. “This isn’t a mess at all, not if I handle things quickly. We don’t have time to weigh our options though. There’s only one choice, and you need to cooperate so that I can make sure you don’t go to jail, and I can do that. I’ll clean this up and no one will ever know – I need you to obey me until we’re home, okay?”
Biting her lip, she agrees as she cries, “Okay.” And she wipes her nose as I yank my phone from my pocket and call Corrado.
“Hey, Michael,” he answers.
“I have a body to dispose of. Get directions from Henry where to pick it up, and clean the area and get rid of the sedan that’s parked here. Did you call Adriano and Luca?”
“Yes, they’re in the office.”
“What did you tell them?”
“Well, what I know, which isn’t much. Just that the fire exit was shot open but nothing’s missing, so it wasn’t a robbery – they weren’t as upset as you. Did you find Brielle?”
“I did.” This works in my favor. They know nothing about what went down between Brielle and Ivo. I just need to manipulate the situation somehow. “And I figured out what happened. It’s a minor issue. I’ll fill them in when I return,” I lie, even though I don’t have an exact plan yet.
“Okay, great. I’ll contact Henry right away,” he replies before hanging up.
Then I go down on my haunches and hastily check Ivo’s pockets, finding two burner phones, but there’s not a single international call to Mexico. Also, there’s absolutely no trace of him being the spy in his deleted emails or texts that I can show Adriano.
Fuck!
“So everyone knows that Palermo is the Syndicate? Does Fallon know? Does Marliya know?” Brielle asks, finally starting to come out of her daze.
My gaze whips up in surprise. “Why would you wonder if Marliya knows?” I respond, ignoring her other questions.
“Because she carries a gun too,” Brielle says.
Another scenario plays out in my brain. Why would Marliya have a gun if she’s just a waitress? Why was Marliya so interested in me at first?
“Maybe she is Reymario’s spy,” I muse aloud.
“What name did you say?” Brielle sniffs.
“Reymario.” I stand up. “Why?”
“Do you not hear it? ReyMARio. MARliya.” She has a guarded look on her pale face. “Or maybe I’m just going crazy and imagining things.”
“No, you’re right. It could be that she’s his family or something, which would explain why we couldn’t find the spy. Because Reymario didn’t send anyone from his crew; he sent a family member. Have you noticed anything off about Marliya?”
“Yes, she’s way too smart and poised to be a waitress,” Brielle answers, astounding me.
I guess I never truly paid attention to her. I’ve been even more obsessed with Brielle than I realized.
As Brielle’s mind begins to settle, she adds, “But Marliya’s my friend and I have no idea what’s going on or what it means that she’s the spy.”
“For us, it’s good news, but we need to talk to her. She can help us. Let’s go.” I hold out my arm.
“We’re just going to leave the crime scene?” She merely stares at me.
“Yes. This will be cleaned up within a few hours by my men, men who work for the organization and who don’t know anything about your involvement.”
Her eyes dart around nervously when I signal her to move because every second counts. As she treads forward through the forest, I shuck out of my jacket, placing it over her shoulders so that she doesn’t have to see the blood on her shirt, and pull her into me. She remains quiet until we’re in my BMW, where I text Henry to send me Marliya’s address.
Then I immediately take the dirt road to return to the Loop.
IT’S TEN A.M. WHEN I’m standing at Marliya’s door in a modest looking apartment building and turn to Brielle to whisper, “Don’t ask questions while I negotiate, okay? Whatever Marliya says can either help us or work against us, so I’ll decide how to handle her when I’ve confirmed that she’s the spy. Whatever I do, I’m doing to protect you. Do you trust me?”
Her red-rimmed gaze wavers and she doesn’t react, looking small with my jacket wrapped around her.
“I’m disposing of a dead body for you. Please tell me that you trust me.” I allow myself to be vulnerable.
She nods, yet she hasn’t said a word since we left the outskirts of town.
I kiss her forehead and knock on the door twice.
It’s instantly opened by Marliya with her auburn hair tied into a pony tail, and she frowns when she sees Brielle’s pale face and the dirt streaks on her neck and hands before she suspiciously regards me.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asks in an even tone, but she inches the door open as if she’s trying to reach for something behind it.
I seize my Smith & Wesson and point it at her heart. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Brielle gasps, so I entwine our fingers, and she clings to me like a lifeline. Marliya brings up her palms yet remains composed as I push past her into a surprisingly enormous living room with a state-of-the-art kitchen and lavish artwork hanging on the wall. When she closes the door, I notice several burner phones on the kitchen counter while I continue to aim my gun at her.
“Who are you, Marliya? A waitress can’t ordinarily afford this type of high-end art. And what’
s with the phones?”
She drops her arms in acquiescence, staring at Brielle and me. “I think you’ve figured out who I am.”
“Did you come here to spy on us?” I say.
“Yes,” she answers, evaluating Brielle. “Are you okay?” Then she addresses me, “What’s with her?”
Brielle’s so deeply in shock that she just vacantly stares back at Marliya. Lowering my gun, I try to release Brielle’s hand, but she tightens her grip, telling me without words not to let go, so I rub my thumb over her skin.
“There’s been an incident between Ivo and Brielle,” I reply, detecting honest concern flashing across Marliya’s expression.
These two seem to really be friends and genuinely worried about one another.
“Brielle’s in trouble, so tell me if you’re Reymario’s spy. I don’t have time to beat around the bush,” I start.
Marliya hesitates before answering, “I am, and I know you suspected Ivo. Did he hurt her?”
“Yes. Update me on why you’re here.”
“He’s my father. All I’ve been doing is infiltrating to see if the Syndicate would fuck with us. The same as John is doing in Mexico,” she reveals that they’ve known we sent John. “I’ve been giving positive updates on your organization since I’ve learned that you’re reliable. This is why I showed interest in you; I could’ve stolen your phone, but I didn’t. I...like the Palermo team. I also pushed Brielle into your arms since I thought you were possibly using me to forget her.”
“Is that true?” I look at Brielle.
“Yes,” she answers, loosening her hold on me slightly.
“Why don’t you have an accent?” I ask Marliya.
“I can speak Spanish and English fluently as if I’m a native. Reymario’s children are taught to speak proper English from the moment we can learn so that we can infiltrate wherever we’re needed in the U.S.”
Cunning.
“I’ve kept to myself and have only observed to make sure the Syndicate follows the rules and keeps everything on the down low. I’ve informed my father that our deal in nine days is a go, and I’ve told him the Syndicate will be a dependable partner. You know I’m not lying or else this deal would’ve been canceled – if I had reported anything else.”
“Why did the time for the drop-off change then?”
“Because police discovered our old route, so they had to plan a new one which takes an hour longer,” she explains, which makes sense. “You’ve already seen my phones.” She motions to the granite island. “Check the burner phones.”
I tug Brielle with me and read the messages to see that she’s been reporting just what she said. That the Syndicate has a professionally trained team who are loyal to each other. And that she likes us, which bodes very well.
With Marliya’s assistance, I can defuse this mess, so I turn back to her. “I have an issue that involves Brielle. Ivo kidnapped her and tried to harm her, and he also told her about the Syndicate.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, no, Brielle! Are you okay?”
Brielle merely gazes at her as if she’s in another world.
“Is she in shock? What happened?”
I go with my gut and answer, “I’m going to tell you the truth so that you can help Brielle.”
“Okay,” she replies instantly.
“My mission the last few weeks has been finding the spy. However, I wrongly accused Ivo and had him followed, which pissed him off and made him anxious. Because of that, he tried to take Brielle to either get info from her or use her as bargaining chip or both, but they fought and he was shot. The body is already being disposed of, and none of this would be an issue if I had everything under control, but because Brielle knows about the Syndicate, there’s no way out for her anymore. If I tell Adriano—”
“Adriano?” Brielle comes out of her fog to ask.
“He’s the boss,” I reply and continue to Marliya, “If I tell Adriano that I found our spy and take you to him now, I can make the Brielle and Ivo situation a side problem that I fixed easily. I’ll say that Ivo hurt her because I was dating her, but I’ll have to take care of something on my side first.”
“Does she know the plan?” Marliya inquires, and Brielle glimpses back and forth between us but doesn’t ask questions.
“You have to inform Adriano that I came to your house and we calmly talked. I’m trusting you now.”
She mulls it over. “Okay. But I want something in return. I’ll help you, then you can help me.”
“With what?”
“I want to stay in Chicago. I want to stay with the Syndicate. I can hold my own very well, but my life is restricted in Mexico with five brothers. I had to fight tooth and nail to get this assignment.”
“How am I supposed to help?”
“Can you make sure I can stay here? My father has a weakness for the Syndicate because it’s a family business built on loyalty, so it’s my only chance to get out from under his reign. A woman is nothing in business in Mexico. I’m constantly just a damsel to the men there.”
Liking Marliya more and more, I inform her, “I can tell you how to negotiate to make sure you get your way.”
“I’ll take that.”
Then I release Brielle’s hand and take my suit jacket off her shoulders. “Do you have a clean shirt for her and can she clean her face and hands?”
“Yeah.” Marliya leads Brielle down the hall and into the bedroom while I worry about her dazed state.
Within a few minutes, they return and Brielle appears to be more herself in a clean black shirt, though she’s still pale.
“We have to go to Palermo because Adriano and Luca know the lock was broken, which was Ivo’s doing. So I went in search of Brielle, which Henry can verify, and I killed Ivo. Then I continued my mission and came to you and we talked. That’s all you need to know.”
“Okay,” Marliya says.
Yet Brielle’s husky voice suddenly speaks, “You’re going to say you killed Ivo?”
“Yes, no one else needs to know. If they know, they could use it against you one day.”
Brielle’s eyes begin to tear up and alarm flits across her face. “But there’s more...I’m pregnant,” she blurts out, studying me intently while my world seems to slow and stop.
“What?! And you just now tell me!”
CHAPTER 49
Brielle
“WHAT?! AND YOU JUST now tell me!” Michael barks, his voice, which has been soft all morning, becoming stern now.
I clutch my hair. “I’m...I’m sorry, but I-I’m flustered! This is all too much!”
Michael approaches and hugs me, and I cling to him. I have an innocent child to protect and don’t want to go to prison. When you’re in trouble, survival instinct kicks in and you’ll do almost anything to save yourself. If Michael didn’t have this kind of power, I’d be screwed, so I’ve been going with it, although I’m downright overwhelmed by all the information coming at me.
Michael cups my cheek. “When did you find out?”
“Yesterday,” I confess, realizing we’re both guilty of lying.
“It’s okay, but you should’ve told me right away. We also need to get you examined, Brielle.”
“I know. I just can’t concentrate at the moment.”
Michael plows a hand through his dark hair. “This is a lot, even for me, but we need to get going. Can you keep it together for another hour until we’ve gone to Palermo?”
“If they ask me questions, I’ll panic because I don’t get the entire plan.” I can barely keep up, but I force myself to stay strong.
Michael pulls back and gently takes my hands in his. “The only thing you need to do is verify anything Marliya and I say. I’ll lie and twists facts, but there’s only one way to protect you completely.” His voice lowers and he speaks words I never expected, “We have to get married.”
CHAPTER 50
Michael
“WE HAVE TO GET MARRIED,” I tell Brielle.
A deep creases cros
ses her forehead. “What? Why?”
“Because you’re carrying my child, but also because you know about the Syndicate – the boss doesn’t allow that knowledge unless we’re bonded for life, unless you’re my wife. But then you’ll be protected by the Syndicate, and I can shield you forever. And as my wife, you’ll have power too.”
“What are you talking about?” she retorts, glimpsing at Marliya.
“You’ll just be aware of more than regular civilians now because you’ll be part of the underworld. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out, although I was planning to tell you as soon as I figured out a way to do it that wouldn’t scare you.”
“You were going to tell me?” Her tone softens to the one I’m used to, which settles the manipulative killer inside me who’s fighting to control this situation.
I frame her face. “Of course. Everything I do is to protect you,” I say with conviction. “But we have to go now. Just follow my lead when we’re at Palermo. I’ll pretend it was all standard relationship stuff, so you have to act neutral, as if you’re not shocked at all that we’re the Syndicate. Besides, you found our spy. I’m proud of you.”
“Okay. I’ll try to keep it together.” The corner of her lips twitch as she smiles cautiously while I soothe her nerves.
Then I turn to Marliya and inform her, “I’m putting a lot of trust in you to follow my lead as well. If you fuck with me or Brielle, I’ll torture you. And I don’t care if you’re a woman; don’t forget that...”
She swallows heavily. “I won’t. I’m on your side.”
Marliya gets her phones, and without delay, I escort her and Brielle down to my BMW where Marliya occupies the back seat while I help Brielle get strapped into the passenger seat. Then I drive away in a rush while calling Henry.
After he picks up, I speak, “Henry, I found Brielle. I don’t have time to give you all the details, but Ivo took her, so I shot him because she’s carrying my child and he endangered her. She knows about the Syndicate—”
“Wait a minute – what?!” he roars.