Mafia Romance

by Aleatha Romig, Skye Warren, Annika Martin, Natasha Knight, Kaye Blue, Michelle St. James, Renee Rose, Parker S. Huntington, Alexis Abbott, Willow Winters

  As he spoke, a heavy weight settled in his gut.

  Adam snorted. “I don’t even have access to those servers or the deep, dark secrets inside them,” he said.

  “Me either. I’d bet access would go for a pretty penny, though,” Seth said.

  Seth and Adam’s conversation gave voice to the thought Lucian couldn’t escape.

  “I don’t think our friend is out for vengeance,” Adam said.

  “I don’t think he is either,” Lucian said, his voice solid but his insides shaking.

  “Which means…” Seth said.

  “Which means Cassandra is stuck with a psycho terrorist who wants something I can’t give him, and he’ll do anything it takes to get me to change my mind.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A bomb.

  She was in this room with this man and a bomb.

  Cassandra looked around as surreptitiously as she could, searching for it, wanting to see it, though she couldn’t say why. It certainly wouldn’t make her feel better, but seeing the bomb was a desperate need.

  “Over here, sweetheart,” Miller said, looking at her knowingly.

  “I don’t see anything,” she said.

  Her voice was stronger, and the sound was in direct opposition to how she’d felt when he held up that small black device. The pit in her stomach had gotten impossibly deeper, and the already precarious situation became much worse. And then when he spoke, confirmed that it was a detonator, it took everything inside of her not to try to run, even though she knew she wouldn’t get anywhere.

  “Don’t you love inquisitive minds? Those with the time to dedicate themselves to making munitions smaller and smaller with each passing year?”

  He patted his pocket and Cassandra flinched, noting that he didn’t take any particular care with it.

  He smiled. “Don’t worry, Ms. Portersen, this is very, very stable. Unless of course I have to push this button. Which I hope, for both our sakes, I don’t,” he said.

  Cassandra looked away then, but turned back when he began pacing, watching him, considering the bizarreness of the situation. But Cassandra stayed silent, knowing that there was nothing she could say in this situation.

  What she did know was that what she had thought before was a difficult situation had gotten much worse. She’d held out hope that Miller was something else, that maybe he simply wanted money, or even revenge, but the chill that crept over her skin told her how wrong she had been.

  His eyes looked like his sister’s now. What she had thought was emptiness was certainty, fervor, not as warm as Tammy’s, but just as intense.

  Cassandra looked away, her stomach dropping, and what little faith she had had that she would make it through this day began to crumble.

  * * *

  Another fifteen minutes passed by with excruciating slowness, but Lucian held himself together. Miller was playing straight out of the playbook, and he knew that this time was only designed to make them squirm, to make him think about all the terrible things that might happen to Cassandra.

  Miller was softening him up, letting him imagine the worst before he made his offer. It was exactly what Lucian would’ve done were their roles reversed, and he wouldn’t fall for it.

  No matter how hard it was to stay strong.

  Because the detonator was one thing, but they had bigger problems.

  Cruz had found at least three caches of plastic explosives strategically placed around the building. He’d left them in place, uncertain as to whether there were more, and what effect moving one would have on the others. The last thing they wanted was an accidental detonation, especially before they had a chance to determine where any other explosives had been placed.

  That alone was enough to make the situation excruciating, but thinking of Cassandra alone with Miller…

  He tried to keep himself from going there, knew that Adam and Seth were doing the same, but it was difficult, nearly impossible.

  Because whatever happened, it wouldn’t be slow. Miller might not be sadistic. Lucian didn’t have enough information to make that determination. But what he definitely wasn’t was stupid, so he wouldn’t just kill her, getting rid of all his leverage in one shot. No. He’d make her suffer, make her suffer for so long, Lucian wouldn’t have a choice but to give him exactly what he wanted.

  And the thing was, he couldn’t say for sure he wouldn’t. Didn’t know how he’d respond to the sight of Cassandra suffering. Wasn’t sure he wouldn’t open up the doors to the damn Department of Defense himself to spare her a moment’s pain.

  That was what Miller was banking on.

  “We need to call this in,” Seth said.

  Adam said nothing, but his silence was agreement.

  “No fuckin’ way,” Lucian said.

  “Yeah. I know. You need to call this in,” Seth said.

  He knew the kid was right, but that didn’t mean he appreciated the intrusion.

  “I’m not going to have some incompetent bureaucrat fuck this up and get Cassandra killed,” he said.

  “Yeah. Me either. We need to call this in,” Seth said.

  Lucian bit back the growing frustration. It was that persistence, that unwavering sense of right and wrong, that had proven Seth’s value and talent, but right now those characteristics were proving irritating as fuck.

  “Yeah,” Lucian said, saying the only thing he could muster.

  Seth heard and looked at him almost with pity, barely managing to keep his expression neutral.

  “I have a couple buddies at Homeland. I’ll call them. Ask that they be discreet about this for a little while,” he said.

  “Thanks, Seth,” he said. And then nodded.

  He appreciated the gesture, he really did. But there was not a lot they could do. Explosives on American soil would trigger an all-out response, and while there would be no malice directed at Cassandra, her safety would not be the primary concern.

  In truth, it wouldn’t be a concern at all.

  He knew the other men in this room knew that, knew Cassandra probably knew that, but Miller also knew it, which meant this would come to an end one way or another, and soon.

  The phone rang as if to confirm Lucian’s thought, and he reached quickly to grab it, only to be intercepted by Adam.

  Lucian looked at the other man quizzically. “What—”

  “You’re too close to this, Silver. Let the kid handle it,” Adam said.

  Lucian went to protest, but Seth had picked up the phone.

  “Hello,” he said.

  Unprofessional, certainly not what Seth had been taught, but Lucian immediately picked up the direction he was going.

  It was clear that Miller knew the playbook, so it was time to change the strategy, and Seth’s informal greeting was the first step in the plan to doing that.

  Adam dropped his hold on Lucian’s arm and moved to join Seth, but Lucian stayed back, listening, though, ever conscious of what was being said.

  “Seth Faber. I work with Silver Industries,” Seth said.

  He stood, tense, hunched over the phone, but his voice was silky smooth, not betraying anything beyond idle curiosity at most.

  “You’re Elton Miller,” Seth said after a moment.

  “I’m sure you already established that.” The voice came across the line strong, as though the man stood in the room, which was something Lucian wished was the case.

  “Never hurts to be certain,” Seth said.

  “And if I say I am, will you believe me?”

  “They say trust is the most necessary element for any relationship,” Seth shot back.

  “That what this is? A relationship?”

  “It is. You have someone we care about, and it’s obvious you want something in exchange. That’s a relationship, which is going to require trust.”

  “Such as?” Miller said.

  “We need some guarantees Cassandra is okay before this goes any further,” Seth said.

  His voice had firmed ever so slightl
y, taking the initial interaction from loose, relaxed, to much more focused.

  “You can see her, I’m sure,” Miller said.

  “We need assurances,” Seth said, neither confirming nor denying they had eyes on the condo. Smart.

  “Hold on a moment.”

  The line went dead silent, but was soon filled with the most precious sound. “Hello?”

  A single word from Cassandra’s voice was enough to both reground Lucian and remind him of what was at stake.

  “Cass, you hanging in there?”

  “Seth.”

  “Yeah. It’s me. Hang tight, okay?”

  “O-okay,” she said.

  Lucian could hear the effort it took for her to keep her voice calm. Again she displayed the strength he knew was so much a part of her.

  “Okay, that’s enough conversation.”

  “Thank you,” Seth said.

  Bile burned at the back of Lucian’s throat at the prospect of Seth thanking Miller for anything, but he knew what the purpose was. Outright antagonism wouldn’t get them anywhere.

  “You’re quite welcome. Now, where’s the man in charge?”

  “Elton, I’m not good enough for you?” Seth asked, feigning hurt.

  “Don’t take it personally. I need to know that I have someone who is authorized to make decisions.”

  Seth looked over at Lucian, then Adam. After a moment, they nodded.

  “I’m here,” Lucian said.

  “Good,” Miller said. Then he chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever had an employer who’d go to such lengths for me. Am I to assume that Ms. Portersen is someone special to you?”

  “Just assume that you’ll be very sorry if anything happens to her,” Seth said, speaking before Lucian could.

  Probably for the best, because the stream of threats and anger that were on the verge of erupting from him would not help.

  “Don’t know if you’re in a position to make statements like that, Seth,” Miller said, his voice tight, though Lucian could hear the wavering rage in it and wondered how long Miller would be able to keep that anger under control.

  “Even still, I want to make sure you understand,” Seth said.

  “I do. I do understand. I want you to do the same,” he said.

  Then the line went silent and as one they looked through the glass at Lucian’s home. Miller stood in front of the window, holding something in his hand.

  Seth reached over and pushed the mute button. “Plastique?”

  Adam nodded.

  “How many units in that building, Silver?”

  “One hundred and sixty units, plus the retail space on the first floor.”

  “And so many others in the surrounding buildings, because somehow I don’t think Cruz found his whole stash,” Seth added.

  “Then we’re looking at a pretty substantial explosion should it come to that,” Adam added quickly.

  “Hundreds of people. Maybe more,” Seth said.

  “Yeah,” Lucian said.

  There was nothing else to say, and the tension in the room intensified, thickened, became heavy with the potential for destruction. Lucian knew he was playing directly into Miller’s hands, but that awareness didn’t mean that he was able to fully choke back the fright that threatened to overcome him.

  “So you understand, Seth?” Miller said.

  “I do believe you’ve made your point,” he said.

  “Good.”

  “So, what do you want in exchange for not blowing up yourself, our friend, and hundreds of other innocent people?” Seth said.

  “You know what, I think I’ll spare you the philosophical debate about innocents and cut right to the chase.”

  Seth shrugged as if to say “thank God,” but he stayed silent.

  “I want access to Silver Industries’ servers,” Miller said.

  Before he’d even finished speaking, Seth shook his head.

  “Assuming we gave you this access, what do you plan to do with that?”

  “Seth, you seem like a pretty smart guy. I’m sure you can figure it out,” Miller said.

  “Glad you think so, but you’re the first to be so confident in my intellect, so why don’t you explain it to me?” he said.

  “As Ms. Portersen has so helpfully reminded me, she doesn’t have access to any classified information, and she swears Silver might not either. I doubt that, but ultimately, I don’t care, because those servers do. Once I’m in, who knows what I might find, what that information might be worth?”

  Adam rolled his eyes, leaving no doubt as to where he stood on the issue. Seth stayed calm, and Lucian was distracted by something he saw in the corner of the penthouse.

  “Do you have some more reasonable demands?” Seth asked.

  “If ever there was a time not to be reasonable, this would be it, Seth,” Miller said.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. Now is most certainly the time to be reasonable. You want to walk away from this. Live your life. Spread your message, whatever it might be,” he said.

  “I do, but sometimes a man has to stand up, and this is one of those times. I am fully committed to seeing that I get that access. Willing to do what it takes, as Ms. Portersen and I have discussed. So give me access to the servers or pick the body part you think she can live without,” he said.

  A gleam flashed just then, and Lucian looked toward his penthouse and even from this distance could see the wickedly sharp blade that Miller held in his hand.

  If Lucian didn’t give Miller what he wanted, he knew Miller wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Relax, Cassandra,” Miller said.

  That might have meant more coming from a man who hadn’t just insinuated, no, promised, that he soon planned to start removing parts of her body.

  She had no doubt that Miller meant to go through with what he said. Not a single one.

  She also knew that this was about more than her.

  When he’d revealed the plastic explosive, Cassandra had started doing some math. Lucian’s building was tall, one of the tallest in the city, and it sat on a busy intersection. An explosion would do untold damage, not to mention those who might be injured by shrapnel, debris, structural collapse. Things Cassandra was sure she probably hadn’t even thought of.

  The loss of life would be enormous.

  And also unacceptable.

  What was also unacceptable was allowing him access to the servers. Cassandra had no idea what specifically was inside them, but whatever it was, Miller and people like him couldn’t be allowed access to it. The government wouldn’t allow it. Lucian wouldn’t allow it. She didn’t blame him, she understood, but that meant there were precious few options.

  She slyly looked at Miller again. Certainly not many that didn’t involve lots of pain or the loss of her life.

  This went far beyond Cassandra, probably beyond Lucian’s ability to protect her.

  Which meant that she would have to protect herself.

  How would she go about doing that?

  She’d taken self-defense classes, was comfortable handling herself, but this was a delicate situation, one she definitely wasn’t trained for.

  Maybe a brute attack. Miller was stout, almost husky. Cassandra knew she didn’t have a chance at taking him in a one-on-one fight, but maybe if she surprise-attacked—

  “Relax,” he said.

  She just managed not to jump and instead looked over at him.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Women are so predictable. I can see the wheels in your mind spinning. You should stop them. We’ve had a pleasant morning so far, and I’d like to keep it that way, at least as long as Silver will let me. So, like I said, relax.”

  Cassandra didn’t even bother to deny his statement, certain he wouldn’t believe her, and decided not to waste the energy. He was right, but that didn’t mean she would just sit here and wait for Lucian to come. She’d fight for her life and the lives of the innocent people around her
.

  Miller began to pace, and Cassandra couldn’t resist asking the question that popped up to the front of her mind.

  “Why are you waiting?” she said.

  He paused, turned to face her, his back to the large window. “Are you anxious? In a hurry?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then why so inquisitive?” he said, narrowing his eyes on her.

  “I’m sorry. An old habit, I suppose. I was just wondering. I mean, you were waiting?”

  “Okay,” he said, nodding. “I’ll humor you. You can’t just spring this shit on people. I need to really let him think about all the terrible things I could be doing to you right now. Let him stew. That’s half my work right there. So it’s a matter of being patient, and once he’s all worked up, imagining your pretty face not so pretty, he’ll be much more willing to talk.”

  “You don’t know him, do you?” Cassandra asked. Miller didn’t, or he wouldn’t try to extort Lucian.

  “I know he’s a man in love,” Miller said, smiling. “Which makes him predictable.” He shook his head. “I never quite understood the impulse myself. Who needs the added pressure?”

  He took a step closer, and Cassandra didn’t react. She wanted to, though, badly.

  “Since you raise the matter, I suppose I’ll let it be your choice. If you want my advice, I’d start with the ears. People always think fingers, because there are so many of them, but there are lots of little nerves in the fingers, lots of pain. Ears are mostly cartilage. You won’t feel a thing,” he said.

  “I…” Cassandra trailed off, her voice closing off as her sickness intensified. She knew she was giving him exactly what he wanted, but the wave of repulsion, the shudder of fear, were beyond her ability to control.

  Miller tsked. “Cassandra, how many times do I have to tell you? You need to relax. You’re going to give yourself a—”

  He cut off in the middle of his sentence and let out a low grunt. He looked at her, his face twisted in a mask of surprise, surprise that mirrored her own. She watched as he lifted his hand to his chest, and when he pulled it away, Cassandra stared at the dark, slick substance coating his fingers.