The Syndicates: A Dark Mafia Romance Collection

by Raven Scott

Narrowed, judging, prying eyes watched me with none-too-discreet interest as I strode down the aisle. I pushed open the door to the conference room to find it empty. After I put my presentation away, I held the thick folder to my chest and braced myself before heading back to my desk.

  The floor was eerily quiet, and I dropped my armful on my desk to sit down and turn on my computer.

  “So . . . ” Popping her head over the short barrier between our stations, a woman not on my team arched a brow quizzically. “How many times did you have to suck his dick to get him to come in and pull rank for you, May?”

  Fucking Jesus Christ.

  15

  Oran

  “You seem pretty interested in this girl, Oran. Interested enough to want to impress her, at least.” Scowling darkly, I slumped a little deeper into the sofa while Dr. Laura smiled almost sympathetically. “It’s a good thing you recognize that your attempt might’ve backfired.”

  “May made it pretty damn clear I fucked up.” Scratching my jaw and up my scalp roughly, I could see the anger flashing in her greenish eyes when I blinked. When May was happy, her eyes were hazel with flecks of green, but when she was mad, the inverse. “She said I was trying to control sub drones because of Kara. It kinda slipped out when we were having dinner. I told May that Kara died because May sprung on me that she’s a masochist. Earlier, in the elevator, May basically told me to stop being a power-tripping asshole.”

  “Where did that jab hit you and how hard?” Clenching and releasing my jaw, I rubbed my lips as they thinned and irritation sloshed against my ribs under Laura’s scrutiny.

  “Hard enough . . . because she’s right. Kara . . . Kara was so . . . empty. I made her that way. I conditioned her, controlled every aspect of her life, even if I wasn’t directly making the decisions. Now, I don’t have that. So, May was right.” Gazing into space, I took off my glasses to be rid of all those unimportant details of Dr. Laura’s office. “I don’t know what to do about it.”

  “You know, Oran, it’s very easy to get you to talk about the issues you have, but I wonder if you actually acknowledge those issues. Every time you talk about it, you sound like it’s a boring business meeting or something. So, since our session is almost over, your homework could be answering why do you act like your problems aren’t your problems?” My cheek twitched at that and I straightened to put my glasses back on as Dr. Laura stood up. “You’re a smart man, Oran. I’m sure you can find an answer.”

  “Hopefully.” Hauling myself off the sofa, I straightened my jacket, the singular reply hanging heavy on my shoulders. Walking out of her office, I paused in the waiting room at the familiar face that sat in the small lobby. “Hey . . . Natasha, right?”

  Natasha, Valerie’s sister, lifted her tired, bloodshot eyes to mine and I frowned under furrowed brows. Predictably, she didn’t recognize me at first, but that gave me more time to study how damn tired her face was.

  “Oh, you’re Carlyle’s brother . . . um, Owen?”

  “Oran, yes, I am. Are you alright? You look exhausted, and not the honeymoon kind.” She smiled and waved in dismissal, her modest ring flashing under the fluorescent lights. But that wave was far from convincing. “I heard you got married- congratulations.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I just . . . I haven’t been sleeping, so I’m kinda tired. I’m still balancing out my meds, so yeah, exhausted is a good word. Are you living here now?” Nodding, I moved to sit in the chair next to her, and Natasha brightened. “Do you know any great places to eat?”

  “How about I take you and your husband to my favorite place? To celebrate.” Oh, shit. Natasha sniffled as if she was about to start crying and I tensed as the hairs on the back of my neck bristled. “Ah, are you alright, Natasha?”

  “Erik and I are married, yeah, but he’s not really my husband, I guess. We’d have to have sex for that, and we haven’t. We probably won’t ever. It just seemed like the thing to do because, you know, he puts up with me, and I guess I need him, but I’m pretty sure we’re not in, like, mushy dove love or whatever.” Natasha just started rambling and discomfort gripped my spine in a vise as I caught Dr. Laura hovering out of the corner of my eye behind her. “I don’t think this med combo is working.”

  And then, Natasha started crying— deep, heaving, inconsolable sobs.

  And that was when I took my leave, but not before letting Laura know to give Natasha my number. An offer I was now regretting.

  My phone gave a shrill ping on the stairs, so I paused to pull my phone out of my pocket.

  May: I’m going to be an ice block before 5

  My heart stuttered faintly and my thumbs circled above my screen as I leaned on the railing to exhale through my nose. Guilt tightened my throat, and shame followed quickly behind, because, damn, I fucked up bad.

  Oran: I apologize.

  I mean, what the hell else could I say?

  May: I’m not mad hoping they’d warm up to me was just a pipe dream no harm done that wouldn’t have done itself you just sped it up

  “Not a single comma in sight.” My lips quirked up and I shook my head slightly as my mind churned, searching fruitlessly for a response. May really was something else— independent and forceful and she didn’t need someone else to stand up for her.

  Oran: I just finished my 11am. On to the next meeting.

  Slipping my phone into my pocket, I headed outside to my car and hopped into the back seat, and the vehicle rolled off the curb. Gazing out the window, I propped my elbow to hold my chin on my fist as my mind wandered. Normally, I took a walk after my session with Laura, but today, I didn’t have the option. My next meeting was with Port Authority, and those guys were assholes because they knew their worth.

  I’d rather be doing pretty much anything else.

  Dr. Laura’s question circled behind my eyes and I frowned slightly as we pulled out of the complex. Was that what she thought, that I didn’t think my problems were my own problems? What did that even mean?

  “It’s quite the notion.” I liked Laura. I thought she was an expert in her field, and I could talk to her about my less than savory activities. The good doctor was, after all, Carlyle’s employee, and anything she could possibly say would endanger her life. She handled the threat well, kept to herself, and had her private practice to cover for her.

  “I think I’m handling things fairly well.” Although, that could just be an illusion. I did do something stupid earlier with absolutely no second thought. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I unlocked the device to shoot May a simple message.

  Oran: Friday at 7?

  She started replying immediately, an easy ‘sure’, and I clenched and released my jaw as some of the tension eased off my shoulders. Turning my mind to the issue at hand, I shoved Laura out of my thoughts to focus on business. I had one goal with this meeting with Port Authority— keep them happy by increasing their percentage. My operations required a good relationship. Both the legal and less than legal endeavors started and ended in Seattle Harbor.

  Of course, shipping guns, explosives, hostages, and whatever other horrors those sickos come up with wasn’t exactly something I could share openly. Money was still money, and Port Authority didn’t take a second look at a good deal.

  My phone gave a shrill cry for attention, and I glanced down through narrowed eyes.

  Malory: Port Authority official is here. ETA?

  “Jesus, it’s not even quarter past noon. Our appointment isn’t until one.” Grumbling in disdain, I shot Malory a reply before rolling my eyes at the gall of whoever the Authority sent. Rubbing my jaw and neck, a huff of a sigh escaped me as irritation flooded my lungs, and I was still twenty minutes from my office.

  16

  May

  “Sarah, what the hell is this?” I dropped my purse on the floor as all the energy rushed out of my entire body and Sarah glanced up from the kitchen sink. There was blood and feathers everywhere, and she wore my cooking apron to cover her clothes.

  “I saw it in
the park earlier and thought, how cool would it be to have a real bird skull?” She spoke like butchering a bird in the kitchen sink was an obvious route to go, and I couldn’t even think to breathe let alone form a response. My sister frowned at my silence, then turned to me fully to showcase the cleaning gloves I kept under the sink. “I’m being safe about it— I have gloves on.”

  “O-okay. I . . . I’ll just . . . leave you to it. Make sure to clean up after yourself.” Sarah nodded and turned back to the sink, and I sluggishly reached for my purse. The stress of the past two days smacked me in the face and my shoulders slumped as I shuffled heavily out of my apartment. The sun warmed my crown as I stood on the small risen step to stare blankly at a crack in the pathway.

  Digging my phone out of my purse, the world moved around me, not the other way around, as my thumbs struggled to tap the screen hard enough to work. Inhaling a shallow, shaky breath, I held my phone to my ear in a clammy palm and my teeth damn near chattered. I wasn’t tense. I wasn’t upset. I didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to feel.

  “Couldn’t wait until Friday?” Oran’s sultry voice barely registered in my head, and my mouth dried as my brain stopped working. “Hello? May?”

  “My sister is dissecting a dead bird in the kitchen sink.” Oh, God, that was not a sentence I’d ever thought I’d say. Stunned silence met my declaration. Licking my lips heavily as a confused crease formed between my brows, I opened my mouth to force my tongue to work. “Can you come pick me up?”

  “Of course. The car should be there in fifteen minutes or so. Uh, so why, exactly, is your sister dissecting a dead bird in the sink?” Somewhere, somehow, I realized he’d put me on speaker and his voice muffled ever so slightly as he posed his question. “Where’d she get a dead bird?”

  “She thought it was a good idea. I d—” My phone beeped, and I pulled it from my ear to stare blearily at the caller I.D. “One sec. This is my mom.”

  Switching over to my mom, I took a massive breath that did nothing to fill the emptiness in my chest, and my mom was already talking before I lifted the phone to my ear. And she just kept talking even though I didn’t understand what she was saying. I was just too frazzled by the fact Sarah was . . . cutting up . . . a bird . . . in my sink.

  “M-Mom, okay, shut up for a second. Why are you calling me?” At the very least, I knew why my mom wasn’t calling me— she never even asked about Sarah these past few months. “I’m on another call, so if it’s not important, I’m going to hang up.”

  “I was just calling to chat. I wanted to know how your week went so far.”

  “Um, yeah, I’ll call you later. I’m kinda dealing with something right now. Okay? Bye.” Transferring the call back to Oran, I opened my mouth and nothing came out, so I cleared my throat roughly. “So, yeah, I have no idea what’s going on anymore and . . . I need a damn break. I’m so stressed out. I need to move. I can never cook in that kitchen again.”

  “I don’t blame you, May. Have you eaten yet?” Shaking my head even though he couldn’t see me, I rolled my lips between my teeth, and Oran sighed heavily. “Do you want me to order you some pizza or something?”

  “Yes, please.” Raking my hand viciously though my hair, I sucked in a whistle of a breath and blinked hard. “Did I really just walk in on that?”

  “I don’t know— I wasn’t there. Why would Sarah think it’d be a good idea to do this?” Glancing warily over my shoulder, I heaved a massive sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Finally, my brain puttered into action, and Oran was patient on the line as I furiously organized my thoughts. What more could I say? The issue was fairly straightforward.

  “Sarah doesn’t have great impulse control, and this isn’t the first time she’s done something so . . . out of the box. One time, when she was little, she got as many caterpillar egg sacks as she could and left them under her bed until they all hatched at once.” That story was definitely one of the more innocuous ones. I rubbed my forehead with the butt of my palm. “I can’t deal with this right now. I’m frostbitten from work, and I wanted to go home and sleep, and—”

  “I’m not sure there’s anything else you can do in this kind of situation, to be honest . . . ” Trailing off, Oran clearly didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to say. I just didn’t want to hang up because . . . what the hell, man? “Work was rough today?”

  “Yeah. I mean, at least everyone is full-on ignoring me now instead of openly talking shit like they were on Tuesday. You know, I know you feel really bad about it, Oran, but I was only hanging onto this job because David promised me that promotion. Both teams I’ve been with obviously don’t care about my contributions or my skills or even teaching me a few things to help me improve. So, I’ve been thinking about it, and you might’ve actually done me a favor. I’ve decided to start looking for a new job at a new nautical firm.” I could hear it in his voice that he felt bad about my work environment, and I’d been mad . . . at first.

  But it wasn’t like Oran made that animosity pop up out of nowhere.

  “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?” His wry tone made me pause as I sat down on the step to hold my purse in my lap and frown at the pathway stretching out to the street. “It’s okay if you are, but it’s not working, frankly.”

  My lips thinned as memories rushed behind my lids when I blinked. David wasn’t that great a boss. As a matter of fact, the firm itself wasn’t all that great of an atmosphere for someone like me, just out of college and all that typical crap. I had done my research when job searching the first time, and this firm didn’t have the best reputation.

  How lucky could I expect to be, getting a job at a great firm, though? Even though the past two years were basically for nothing, I chose this particular job at this particular place because I knew it wasn’t all that. I wanted to start out half-cocked and work my way up. I didn’t want a great work environment to stop me from taking an advanced position somewhere else.

  “I’d hazard a guess that’s why David was stringing me along with the promotion in the first place— so I wouldn’t try to find a new job with better people and he could keep stealing my work while I held out hope. This isn’t the first time in these past two years I’ve considered finding a new job, and really, the only thing you did was hasten the inevitable. The gossip being spread about me at the office was already pretty bad. Why not make it worse by adding sleeping with the boss to that list?” My brows furrowed at my own mini-tirade and I absently tugged at the ends of my hair. “I mean, as much as it sucks, you gotta remember also that my co-workers are investing real time and energy into speculating about me. That’s kinda funny, when you think about it.”

  “Well, if people are talking about it, we might as well do it.” Smirking lightly, I sat back a little to tear my eyes off the sidewalk, and the sky above me brightened as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud. “Seriously, though, if you’re looking for a new job, I may be able to help with it.”

  “Okay, Oran, no offense, but you’re not associated with me professionally, so a recommendation letter isn’t going to do anything.” A car pulled up to my apartment building and I frowned under furrowed brows. Had we really been talking that long? I stood up to head for the sleek, black vehicle.

  “Actually, I have been doing a little research myself, surprise, surprise.” Shutting myself in the back seat, I set my purse next to me and grunted softly in acknowledgment as I buckled. “I’d like to talk about it with you another time, once I have a bit more concrete information.”

  “Sure, yeah, okay. I haven’t really started looking yet, so you have time. I highly, highly doubt I’ll get a good recommendation letter from Jerry, and certainly not David. He can’t get a job. I heard Jerry huffing because David is moving across the country because he can’t get a job.”

  “Well, I doubt he’ll find employment there, either, if those people do their due diligence.” Nodding as the car pulled away from the curb, I glanced dubiously out the window at my
first-floor apartment. What was I going to do about Sarah? I legitimately couldn’t handle her— not now, with my job in jeopardy.

  “Hey, Oran, do you think I’m a bad sister?” The sudden change of subject led to silence and my mouth dried at the very limited actions I could take. I could send Sarah back to our parents, but she’d get kicked out if my mom backed up her threat. I could put her in her own place, though I’d have to move in right next to her. It’d be less than preferable.

  I didn’t want to stir the pot because I didn’t want her getting arrested or something for being stupid.

  “I think you’re a great sister, May. You’re not Sarah’s mother. If you really feel that overwhelmed, you should sue them. Get their attention. Show them you mean business.” I guess I could do that. Gnawing on my bottom lip, I closed my eyes to heave a sigh through my nose. “I’ll supply you Landry. He’s a very good lawyer. He may not have much information about family court, but as you’ve experienced, he’s very good at covering up that fact.”

  17

  May

  “You have a really nice place.” Craning my neck to gaze around at Oran’s surprisingly modest apartment, my brows rose in surprise. “It’s smaller than the movies made me think a billionaire bachelor would have.”

  “Why would I want all that space on the top floor to remind me how alone I am and how unlikely it is someone would climb that steeply for me?” I turned as he shrugged, like what he’d just said was normal, and my heart twisted. Oran’s place wasn’t barely furnished, like most movies portrayed, and he gestured me to sit on the sofa. The sleek, modern interior design fit the apartment— the living room, at least. He dropped heavily next to me and gingerly propped his bare feet on the glass coffee table. “A bird has never been in this place, though. That’s good enough right now. Did you see what kind of bird it was?”