Catching Fire (The Fire Duet Book 2)

by Billie Lustig

“What about me?” Imogen yells from the couch. “What am I going to do?”

  “Follow us around and look pretty?” Liam bellows.

  Her head peaks up from the back of the couch.

  “You think I’m pretty?”

  He sighs in response before rolling his eyes.

  “You’re alright, blondie.”

  “Just alright?” She scowls.

  “Okay.” I get up from the table. “That’s my cue. I’m going outside for a minute. I’ll be right back.” My eyes find Kane’s with a smile while I ignore Imogen and Liam’s bickering.

  I head to the deck before taking the stairs that bring me to the helicopter platform. I find myself on this deck at least once a day, trying to process and clear my thoughts while I also force myself to relish in all the great shit that’s now part of my life.

  I enjoyed my three weeks on the yacht, even though I was a hostage. The luxury combined with Kane keeping my pussy satisfied hadn’t exactly felt like a prison.

  But being here as a guest?

  Well, motherfucker.

  Now that is a real treat. We’ve been cruising the Mediterranean coastline for the last week, moving from country to country. The first week we went clubbing in Ibiza, visited the markets of Mallorca, and went to the beach in Menorca. My nightmares only appear on the rare occasion when I fall asleep without Kane, but they become less frequent every day.

  I walk onto the helicopter platform, feeling the soft sea breeze run through my hair.

  The afternoon sun warms my face as I gaze over the calm blue ocean in front of the Greek coast.

  Kane always gives me a moment to be on my own before he joins me, asking if I want to talk about whatever is on my mind. At first I did because I felt this desperate need to justify everything in my life. To give it all a bigger meaning, to understand why every single person did what he did.

  Even Junior.

  I like to believe that the things he went through in life, the experiences that were thrown in his face, all made him the person he became. And even though I’ve always felt we are all responsible for our own actions, I can’t help but at least wonder if maybe Junior wouldn’t have been the psychopath that he was if he hadn’t witnessed the death of his own mother.

  Maybe he wouldn’t have been so hateful if my father hadn’t slit his mother’s throat.

  I think in the end; we are all just trying to survive.

  To try to make it to another day.

  I cried a lot about it, and it kept me up at night, but after a few weeks, I’m now at the point where I don’t blame anyone.

  I’m just grateful to still be here.

  But there is one thing that keeps nagging in the back of my head, that is fueled by a longing that I can’t get rid of.

  I want to know my family.

  I want to know my Russian side.

  I want to connect with the people who share my blood.

  Reign started looking for any relatives, but apparently, my father had no siblings, and his parents disappeared a few years after I was born. He couldn’t find them, and if Reign can’t find them, they must be dead.

  My mind tells me to let it go because there aren’t any members of the Kulakov family left, but my heart still has high hopes, wondering if maybe there is someone out there. At this point, I’ll even settle for a next-door neighbor if they can tell me anything about the Kulakov family.

  Goosebumps appear on my skin, and I automatically straighten my back, before Kane’s arms snake around my waist, and he buries his nose in my hair.

  My body really has a fucking radar for the man.

  “You okay, baby?”

  I hum in response, placing my hands over his as I lean into him.

  We stay like that for a while, looking over the blue-green water in full contentment.

  “You know? I may never find out what really happened in my past, but I’m excited for the future,” I confess, laying my cheek against his chest as he kisses the top of my head.

  “Yeah? What’s in that future?”

  “Hmm, you.”

  “Just me?”

  “That’s all that matters.” I shrug.

  “You wanna know what I see in the future?” he asks in my ear.

  “Let me guess. It involves me naked?” I cock an eyebrow, looking up at him.

  He lets out a burst of laughter, making me chuckle in response. Lately, he’s been smiling a lot, and even though he fucking turns me on when he’s all demanding and relentless, it’s nice to see him so light and happy.

  “Well, I did promise to fuck you on this helicopter platform one day,” he reminds me, waggling his eyebrows.

  I swat his arm, glaring up to the wheelhouse.

  “Hell no, Carrillo. I’m not providing free porn for your captain up there.”

  “You want to get paid?” he jokes.

  “Shut up.” I roll my eyes, my smile wide.

  “I do see sex on this platform in the future, but I also see a sassy firecracker with strawberry blonde hair carrying the Carrillo name.”

  I spin in his arms, pressing my palms against his chest.

  “I’m confused. Was that a marriage proposal? Because if you’re trying to be romantic, you suck at it,” I chuckle.

  “I’m not proposing shit, I’m predicting the future.”

  “For fuck’s sake, who says chivalry is dead?”

  “Chivalry is boring. You wouldn’t even want me to get down on one knee and give you a bunch of roses. Or would you?”

  I feel my brows dip.

  “Depends. Would you also be holding a bottle of whiskey?”

  “Do you want a ring?”

  “Yeah, duh,” I blurt out.

  “Then you have to choose. Roses or whiskey? I only have two hands.”

  “Whiskey. Definitely whiskey.” I nod with a beaming smile.

  “Diamonds and whiskey. My kinda girl,” he says while he cups my cheek, his lips brushing against mine while an army of butterflies flutter through my stomach.

  We turn our head when we hear a loud whistle coming from the deck above us. I put my hand above my eyes to protect them from the sunlight before I look up at Liam looking down on us.

  “It’s Wolfe. He’s on the phone in the conference room. He says it’s urgent.”

  We share a look, having no clue what this could be about, before we make our way inside. A minute later, we walk into the conference room where Liam is waiting for us at the head of the table.

  “Yeah, they’re here now,” he says to the phone on the table, which is clearly on speakerphone.

  “What’s up, Wolfe?” Kane inquires.

  “Hey, Reign,” I jump in as Kane and I sit beside Liam, then I rest my elbows on the cold surface while Kane leans back in his seat.

  “Asshole,” Reign says with a mocking tone before he softens it some for me, “Angel.”

  Kane rolls his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his body while he looks at me with a sexy smirk.

  “Is everything alright?” I ask, feeling my heart speed up a little, terrified as fuck he may have bad news.

  “Actually, yeah. It’s fucking great news, Angel.”

  Kane furrows his brows in confusion while he keeps his gaze focused on me.

  “What is it?” I push.

  “I found your grandmother.” The words come through the speaker, but I don’t register them right away. My gaze moves back and forth between Kane and Liam, who are looking at me with wide eyes.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, not sure if I heard him right.

  “I found Mila Kulakov.”

  I feel my head spin in excitement as I lean back in my chair, feeling flabbergasted as fuck.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  Epilogue

  Callie

  six months later

  * * *

  I walk in and smile at the sight of Kenzo sitting in one of the chairs on the outside terrace of the Distucci restaurant in Sienna. Most of the Distucci companies are
located on the East coast, but they have a few businesses that are still located in the heart of Italy where their roots are. Kenzo’s eyes are closed, obviously enjoying the warmth of the Italian afternoon sun. Towards the center of the terrace is a man who is moaning in pain, while getting beat up by a few Distucci men. Kenzo is clearly unaffected. Ronnie is sitting beside him, wiping blood off his hands onto what is now a bloodstained dishcloth.

  “Fucking hell, are we late to the party?” I ask, wrinkling my nose from under my sunglasses at all the blood on the floor as I take a seat on one of the bar stools at the outdoor bar.

  Kane and Liam follow behind me, taking seats next to me.

  “Amoré, nice to see you. You brought your bodyguards?” Ronnie taunts, making Kane growl.

  I lift my sunglasses before I give Ronnie a reprimanding look, warning him with my eyes.

  “If you want to get a decent deal, snarky comments aren’t going to help, Distucci.” Liam gives him a dull look before he leans over the bar to grab the nearest whiskey bottle.

  I look around the courtyard, breathing in the Italian air as my nose detects the smell of garlic. The cobblestone walls of the buildings surrounding the patio are plastered with flourishing green ivy, and the tables are decorated with those typical checkered tablecloths with a single white candle in the middle of each table.

  I can feel my stomach growl at the aromas entering my nose while Liam hands me a glass of whiskey.

  “No, I haven’t eaten.” I shake my head at him, instantly being met with a suspicious look.

  Ignoring him, I turn my focus back to Ronnie, who saunters over to shake Kane and Liam’s hand before he gives me a soft kiss on the cheek.

  I can feel Kane’s annoyance radiating towards me, forcing me to suppress a grin.

  Still a jealous bastard.

  “Why did you summon us, Ronnie?” I ask while he grabs the glass of the bar that was meant for me.

  He walks back to Kenzo, who opens his eyes and winks to acknowledge my presence.

  Taking a seat next to him on one of the metal chairs, Ronnie gives me one of those knowing looks. You know, one of those looks that tells me he knows something I don’t.

  It’s fucking annoying.

  “What, jackass?” I sass, rolling my eyes.

  My patience is at a low level today, so I don’t have time for fucking games.

  “Ten percent,” he voices, referring to the interest he owes us after we loaned him fifty million dollars.

  I hear Kane and Liam huffing, yet they don’t say a word.

  “You’ve gotta be shitting me. We practically gave you our pipeline on a silver platter, and here you are, asking for fucking more?”

  “I thought that was a thank you for keeping you safe for three months?” Ronnie tells me.

  “You do realize he found me, right?” I cock my head a little.

  “Like you didn’t want to be found.” Ronnie narrows his eyes, daring me to argue against that.

  I stay quiet for a while, staring into his eyes before finally I open my mouth.

  “The answer is no.”

  We don’t owe Ronnie shit anymore. He got to expand his business by fifty percent because Kane and Liam agreed to give him their drug channel, providing him with a cash flow of millions every single week. Yeah, it was also a thank you because we wanted to get rid of the drug business, but that favor was paid long before Ronnie came begging us for another fifty million to invest in a shipment of firearms.

  “Boys?” His gaze moves back and forth between Liam and Kane because he’s stupid enough to think that will actually help him.

  “She’s in control of the money. If you want her to give you something, you need to give her something.” Kane shrugs, sipping his whiskey like it’s just another Monday.

  Kenzo’s smile widens while Ronnie’s mouth curls into a smug grin.

  “I thought you were going to say that. So I brought you Gianni Zito.” Ronnie points towards the bleeding guy on his knees who’s barely able to hold his eyes open.

  Four Distucci men now have their automatic weapons pointed at him, and he just sits there, looking more dead than alive.

  I meet Ronnie’s toothy smile with a confused look, wondering why he thinks giving me some random Italian guy is something I want.

  “Am I supposed to know who that is?”

  “No.”

  “Oh, good.” Sarcasm is dripping from my voice while I glare at him through my sunglasses.

  “You don’t. But he was seen with Cristina last week.”

  I feel my eyebrows move towards my hairline and my heart instantly speeds up just hearing her name.

  “Where?”

  “Paris.”

  “Motherfucker,” I mutter as I get off the stool and reach behind my back to pull out my gun.

  I clench my jaw in annoyance before I saunter towards the guy in the middle of the courtyard.

  “Nuh-ah. Not so fast.” Ronnie holds his finger up, making me halt in my tracks.

  I snap my head towards him, feeling more impatient by the second.

  “Ten percent,” he repeats.

  “Fine,” I bark as I crack my knuckles, then take several steps towards the last person to have seen my snake of a cousin.

  I crouch in front of him, placing my gun under his chin, slightly bringing it up so he’s facing me. His dark brown eyes are hardly visible through his swollen eyelids.

  “Do you know who I am?” I ask when his eyes are looking back at me.

  “Si, the redheaded bitch Cristina warned me about.”

  I hum in agreement.

  “She taught you well. Where is she?”

  He raises his chin in a defiant way, keeping his mouth shut.

  “Gianni, is it?” I ask, getting up without waiting for his reply. “I don’t have anything against you. If it’s up to me, you’ll just walk out of here after we are done. But you really have to give me something. That’s how the world works. You give me something, I give you something.”

  “I won’t give shit to Carrillo whores.” He spits on my new black boots, and I look at it in disgust.

  Motherfucker.

  Any other day, I would’ve laughed. Made a snarky comment and moved on.

  But like I said, my patience is at a low level today, and well, he just threw the last ounce I had out of the damn window.

  Without thinking, I slam my knee against his already crooked nose, making him cry out in agony, grabbing his nose with both hands.

  “Callie,” Kane’s voice booms from behind me, probably upset at me for coming this close to a man who can use his hands to hurt me if he still has the guts.

  I point my gun at his head, looking down at him.

  “Look, I found my grandmother about six months ago. A real sweetheart, she actually demands that I call her Babushka. You know what that means? No? It means grandmother in Russian. You see, apparently I’m half Russian instead of half Spanish. But I bet you already heard the story because, well, Ronnie here tells me you’ve been hanging out with my cousin. Or actually, she’s not my cousin anymore. I know, it’s confusing,” I ramble while he slowly pulls himself together and looks into my eyes. “But anyway, after this, I’m going to visit my grandmother again, because well, she missed twenty-five years of my life, and she isn’t getting any younger. So, of course, I want to see her as much as possible. She lives in Greece, by the way. A super cute house on a hill. It’s really nice.”

  I throw him a mocking smile before I lower my voice, glaring at him with every ounce of fury I can muster.

  “But every second I have to spend here talking to you, is a second I could be spending with her. So talk, before I cut off your fucking balls.”

  The entire courtyard is quiet except for the sound of Liam chuckling behind me and Kenzo mumbling, “Damn” from his chair.

  The panic is creeping into this guy’s bloodshot eyes, and then he starts to sob, leaving his head hanging for a while until he moves it back up to look me in the eye
.

  “I was with her in Paris. We’d planned to go to Amsterdam after that. She said something about needing to visit someone, but then the next morning, she was gone.”

  I calm down a little, metaphorically put down the lighter in my head that I was about to spark in order to set fire to my barrel of anger. Even hearing Cristina’s name pisses me off, though, because after six months, I still haven’t found her. Liam is always telling me to let it go, but I refuse to sit and wait for her to come barging back in to my life to torment me like Junior did.

  No, I need to find her because if anyone deserves to be tormented, it’s her. And that’s exactly what I plan to do.

  But as I look down at this poor motherfucker laying at my feet, I realize he’s just another victim of the Reyes family.

  He doesn’t know shit.

  “Alright. I believe you, Gianni,” I utter, turning towards Ronnie and Kenzo while I run a hand through my hair.

  “Holy crap! Is that a ring on your finger, Callie girl?” Kenzo blurts out.

  I look down at the ring on my left hand; the diamonds shining brightly against the Italian sun.

  “Fuck me. He really did tame you, didn’t he, amoré?” Ronnie adds.

  I roll my eyes at both of them, although my lips tilt up as I walk towards the exit.

  “He’s all yours,” I call out, referring to the bleeding fucker.

  “Wait! He’ll kill me! You said I would live,” Gianni shrieks, his pleas echoing through the courtyard.

  With Kane and Liam at my sides, I turn around one more time.

  “If it’s up to me, you can stay alive. But I don’t know what you still owe him,” I respond, assuming he is in deep shit with the Distuccis. As much as I hate knowing that he’s about to die—he was already dead anyway, since apparently he owes the mob. “See you around, Ronnie.” I spin on my heel, leaving the patio.

  “Pleasure doing business with you,” Ronnie quips.

  “Don’t make a habit out of it, asshole,” I shout without looking back.

  I watch in awe as my precious grandmother carries a basket filled with bread outside. She is as fiery as I am, so you’d never guess she is already in her eighties.