by Stone, Piper
Castillo remained quiet, although I could almost taste his fear. He’d been placed on his knees as I’d requested, his hands tied behind his back. He should have known better than to cross me. There were certain unwritten rules regarding poaching. While he was a hired gun, he’d developed his stellar reputation by being politically correct. The entire situation was... unnerving.
I allowed a few minutes to pass by as I contemplated how I wanted to handle this. Killing him would mean questions asked, putting our enemies on notice that I’d become unraveled. That wasn’t in my family’s best interest, but what the fuck did I really care?
“Miguel, I don’t know what you think I did,” Castillo finally said, arrogant as usual.
I held out my palm, refusing to answer him, the rage building even more.
“I wouldn’t cross you. I think you know that.” Castillo’s voice held no hint of discord, no acceptance of what he’d done.
My reaction was swift, my backhand hitting him square in the jaw, blood spewing from his mouth. I flexed my hand as two of the soldiers righted him, realizing he hadn’t made a sound from the direct blow.
“What I know you attempted to do was eliminate a life. What I will find out is on whose orders.” My words were sharp and laced with anger. I shot my head in his direction, studying his reaction.
Castillo looked from soldier to soldier before bothering to acknowledge my statement. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I swear to God.”
“Don’t tell me bullshit, Castillo. I’m not in the mood.”
“Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?” This time, he had a lilt in his voice, as if I was the stupid one.
I smacked him again, nodding at my soldiers to get him on his feet. “We’re going to try this one more time. If you don’t answer my question directly, then everything that occurs to you in the next several hours is going to be painful. By the end, you’ll beg to die. And you know what? That isn’t going to happen. I’m going to keep you alive and on ice for one hell of a long time.”
Swallowing, he blinked several times, finally nodding to give me a sign of respect. “I’ll answer you if I know what you’re talking about.”
There was a damn ring of sincerity in his voice. “Why were you at the fashion show?”
“I had a mark.”
“Yeah, that much I know.”
His quizzical look wasn’t contrived. The man had zero idea what I was talking about.
“It was an enemy of a client of mine.”
“An enemy,” I said, laughing. “We all have them.”
“The dude didn’t show. I’m still on the hunt. He’s South American scum who killed my client’s mistress. Satisfied?” Castillo glanced around the room, no doubt intent on escaping. “Who the hell are you talking about?”
I debated telling him anything; however, the easiest way to find out the truth was throwing out a bone. “The innocent daughter of a very prominent businessman. What I want to know is the name of the man who hired you.”
“What the fuck?” he exclaimed. When I remained quiet, he swallowed again. “And you know I can’t divulge my client, Miguel,” he said, flinching in anticipation of my retaliation. “Look, I’ve killed women before. You know that, but only the kind who deserved to die. Killing innocent women is not something I’m going to sink to the level of doing.”
I sucked in my breath, playing the evidence through in my mind. “You actually expect me to buy that it was coincidence that you were at the fashion show?”
“So help me God on my daughter’s life,” he half whispered. This time, he was exasperated.
I pulled out my Beretta, merely holding it in my hand. “Your daughter. Ah, yes, you have an eight-year-old little girl. If I remember correctly, she attends a very posh private school.”
“You bastard. If you dare try and lay a finger on my daughter!” he snarked.
I held up my hand, shaking my head. “Like you, I’m not into violence against women or children; however, I’m certain that Ashley would like to see her father again.”
“Fuck, Miguel. Fine. Whatever is going on, I’ll find out information. There has to be some shit on the street about a hit. You know the players.”
Castillo was right on certain levels, although there were always new players attempting to take a piece of the pie. I walked away, rubbing my forehead. “Then this is what we’re going to do. It’s your lucky day. I will allow you to live at least for the moment but given my kindness, you’re going to do something for me.”
He eyed me warily. “All right.”
“Put word out on the street that I’m pissed. Then you’re going to find the two motherfuckers who attempted to assassinate Valencia Rivera.”
He narrowed his eyes. “The daughter of Santiago Rivera?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s right. She was at the show. Fascinating, Miguel. Isn’t she the lovely young lady you spent time with during your visit to Cuba?” Castillo’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, I’ve paid attention to your... career.”
As I knew he would. “So it would seem,” I stated without any emotion.
“Whoever the asshole is has balls attempting to take out the daughter. Rivera is a powerful man with very influential friends. Anyone fool enough to attack one of his family members has a death wish.”
“So it would seem.” I kept my tone even. “If you didn’t attempt to assassinate her, someone else has moved in on your turf, my friend. My guess is that you’re not pleased that shit is happening.”
“What do you want me to do with that information if I find out this asshole’s identity?” he asked.
Either he was a better liar than I knew him to be or he had no idea who she was.
“You come to me. If you do that, your daughter will get to enjoy her father’s next birthday. If not, I will hunt you down.” I gave him another hard glare, inching even closer. “And Castillo? You know my reputation. You fuck with me, you die. You attempt to run, you die. You as much as lay a hand on Valencia’s beautiful body, I will cut you to ribbons.” The ring of a cell phone drew my attention as Cordero yanked his phone into his hand.
“Yeah, okay. I can do that. What’s this girl to you? Develop feelings for her, Miguel? You know that’s a dangerous path,” Castillo stated.
He knew better than to ask or insinuate anything. “She means nothing other than leverage. I want this information in twenty-four hours. Enrique, let him go.”
Enrique half smiled before moving to untie him.
Castillo shifted and I shoved the barrel of my weapon under his chin. “Shit, Miguel. I’m not your enemy here.”
“I’m not fucking with you on this, Castillo.”
“Boss, we have another problem,” Cordero said, grumbling under his breath.
I backed away, finally turning toward my soldier. “What now?”
“Another shipment has been hijacked.”
* * *
There were two things I couldn’t handle in life: lying sacks of shit and those attempting to cut into my business. At this point, I had no way of knowing whether the hijack had anything to do with Santiago, but in my mind, I knew the asshole was fucking with me.
Granted, taking his daughter certainly held a high probability of revenge, but destruction on this level seemed beneath the man. Then again, what lengths would a father go to in order to free his little girl? Maybe I’d underestimated the man. If so, other decisions would need to be made, including helping Santiago understand that enraging me wasn’t in his best interest. That would mean an escalation of other business practices.
Two could play at his game.
I stood on the docks, staring at what remained of the boat, the debris strewn less than one hundred yards from shore. What little fire remained would disappear within minutes. While the Coast Guard had been notified, the various men who were on my payroll had put a cease and desist to any unwanted questions or a full-scale investigation. However, the fact two of the best runners I’d us
ed had perished in the attack left my mouth dry and my need for retaliation at the forefront of my mind. Almost two million street dollars’ worth of product had been lost, unacceptable on every level.
There was no calling card of the individual who performed the deed and I doubted there would be. At least not yet. This was a game, a flexing of muscles. Fuck this shit.
“What now, boss?” Cordero asked as he flanked my side.
“Find out if Santiago has left the country yet. I also want you to put a hold on any further operations for now. Make certain this remains as quiet as possible and I want to know any shit coming from the streets.”
“Yes, sir, boss.”
I noticed headlights in the distance and bristled, realizing that while this particular visitor was unexpected, his arrival in town meant whatever information he’d been able to ascertain had disturbing implications. I remained in position, taking several deep breaths. My next call would need to be to my father. Seeing Aleksei walking in my direction was both welcome in certain regards as well as disconcerting.
Aleksei moved beside me, shaking his head as he followed my gaze. “It seems your luck is bad, my friend.” His Russian accent seemed heavier than usual. “I suspect you’ve been sent a warning.”
“The second in mere days.”
“You have damaging enemies.”
A few seconds passed by until I couldn’t stand the sight of the wreckage any longer, turning to stare at the various dilapidated offices fronting the entire dock area. “What are you doing here, Aleksei? Aren’t you a little far from home?”
“I do enjoy the sights and sounds of Miami.” Aleksei glanced from right to left, no doubt checking for the possibility of being overheard.
“The location is secure. I take it that you’ve been able to find Kostya?”
“He was brazen in his actions, coming home almost immediately. My men were able to track him easily. For Bratva, the behavior is unusual.”
“That certainly doesn’t sound like the Kostya I know.” Something was off. Kostya wasn’t a stupid man nor did he take the need for precautions lightly. “Is there some operation coming out of Russia that I should be concerned about?”
“Not that I’ve been made aware of and as you know, I have several connections remaining in Russia. Kostya’s activities since his arrival spoke of a man with no fear.”
“Interesting,” I said half under my breath.
He shrugged, glancing toward the dock. “Yes. Either Kostya felt safe or there was a distinct reason he found it necessary to return to Philadelphia. While he has some family, they were not on speaking terms.”
“And you had a discussion with him?”
He moved until he could look into my eyes. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity. However, Kostya will not be an issue for you any longer.”
“And why is that?”
“He was gunned down yesterday in a restaurant just outside the city. My sources tell me that he anticipated meeting with someone. The assassination was clean, a silencer used.”
“So the asshole knew his assailant.”
“It would seem that way. Then again, from what my soldiers mentioned, Kostya had no intention of hiding, even purchasing a Maserati upon arrival in town. I will say, the timing is interesting, the scuttlebutt on the street far too quiet. That doesn’t bode well for my business operations.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets, taking several deep breaths. “If I were to venture a guess, your theory was correct. It would seem that someone is attempting to muscle in on the entire East Coast. We may need to put Dominick on high alert.” Whoever had taken out Kostya was tidying up loose ends. Working together might be the only way to eradicate a combined enemy.
Whoever the hell that turned out to be.
“Trust me, my friend. Dominick is aware of every activity,” he said, chuckling. “He has his soldiers combing New York and New Jersey for any additional information. My people are checking DC and the surrounding cities as well. Eventually, someone will talk. Nature of the beast. I also suspect that we’ll both hear of drugs in our streets that didn’t come from our supplies.”
Eventually. Those odds I could barely stomach.
I tilted my head, the slender light from the moon as well as the few lights on the dock allowing me to see the gleam in his eyes. “Yes, I agree. You know, you could have told me this over the phone, my friend.”
“I could have but I needed a couple days off. The lure of such a magnificent city.”
“How is your lovely bride?” I asked in passing.
He grinned, an unusual sight for such a hard and brutal man. “A beautiful yet very disobedient woman.”
“Exactly what you need.”
“As she continues to tell me.” His face clouded over as he took a deep breath. “Besides, I wanted to bring you some information that should be important to you and in truth, security should be of the utmost importance within your organization.” Aleksei pulled an envelope from his jacket, cursing in Russian under his breath.
“What is this?” I asked, peering down at the thick package.
“Call it insurance, which you may need. I took the opportunity of doing some research on Mr. Rivera. It seems that he’s ruthless in various endeavors, leaving behind a trail of... what I would call stupidity.”
“Interesting choice of words.”
“Mr. Rivera has many sides. I’d be very careful in how you handle him.”
I took a deep breath before nodding. My friendship with the Russian was proving to have several uses. “Duly noted.”
“Also, it would seem you have a traitor in your operation.”
“What does that mean?” I bristled once again.
“Information that Kostya threw around about your business techniques. I would imagine it came from your inner circle. From what I’ve been able to tell, whoever is attempting to muscle in on your organization, and as you say perhaps the entire East Coast, has had a plan in place for some time using valuable resources in order to gain a significant position in order to strike. I believe, my friend, that the sights are set on your operations first. I would watch your back.”
“Rivera,” I hissed. I trusted almost no one, including the majority of the people my father continued to do business with. With my father retiring, I had to take into consideration that the leak was coming from a supposedly trusted source. Another reason for a conversation with my father.
“While there is absolutely no indication of his involvement that I was able to detect, I wouldn’t put playing a game past him. Whoever is responsible does have powerful connections. That much is obvious. I feel an electricity in the air I haven’t since taking over the operations.”
“Yes, I feel that same. Unfortunately, you don’t know Santiago very well,” I retorted. “He’s cunning and has enough connections that a level of caution is needed.”
“Then you should take extreme precautions. How is that... package? Were you able to secure your prize?”
I chuckled again, my thoughts drifting to Valencia. “I was successful, although there was an attempt on her life.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Her life holds another meaning.”
“Maybe.”
“Be careful, Miguel.”
“Yeah, I plan on it,” I snarled, my anger further riled, and fingered the envelope before shoving it into my pocket. This was no place to air dirty laundry. Given the crisis with the shipment, certain other enemies would be on high alert, even attempting to cut in on other operations. That shit just wasn’t going to happen. What had occurred with Danton hadn’t been enough of a warning. Perhaps it was time to clean house. “I appreciate your care with this particular matter. What do I owe you?”
Aleksei laughed, turning to study the last of the flames just seconds before they faded into the water. “You owe me nothing. However, there may come a day that I need a favor.”
“And you will have it,” I said with sincerity. What our fathers could never understan
d is that while we were the privileged princes of the underworld, all brutal and ruthless men, we also had honor and respect.
“You are a formidable man, Miguel, and anyone who opposes you will learn a hard lesson.”
“Why do I feel like you have more to say?”
“Ne der’mo, gde ty yesh’.” The Russian flowed off his lips.
I lifted a single eyebrow, amused given his gruff demeanor.
“Don’t shit where you eat. Very wise words.”
This time I laughed. “Why do I have the distinct feeling that the proverb is for my benefit?”
His eyes flashed again. “Be careful. When things are too quiet, that usually means a powerful operation. Someone is out to destroy you and your family.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know.” I took one last look out at the darkened ocean, my mind reeling with my own thoughts of revenge. If Santiago actually believed that he was going to best me, he would see find out that I would become his worst nightmare.
* * *
I’d talked to a few sources, runners whose livelihood would be affected by the shipments’ destruction. While they all seemed scared, there was no indication of further betrayal, at least as of yet. My personal warning to each and every one of them should buy me some time.
The penthouse was entirely too quiet when I walked in, barely acknowledging Enrique other than to tell him to go home for the night. With Castillo on ice and Kostya in some Philadelphia morgue, I doubted there would be any attempt of a hit for the rest of the night.
However, I’d remained prepared for anything.
I didn’t like the way things were occurring, as if someone held a grudge against my family first and was using my family’s business almost like a ransom without any demands made. As. Of. Yet.
I tugged the envelope from my pocket, rubbing my thumb back and forth. Whatever information was inside, I had no doubt the details would further increase the rage furrowing in my mind. I merely tossed it on the coffee table, along with my keys. I held the Beretta in my hand for a full minute before easing it beside the envelope.