“Drink this and I’ll tell you a story.”
“A story?”
I look at her in surprise and she shrugs. “It doesn’t have a happy ending I’m afraid but life is shit, as you are about to discover, or maybe you have already.”
Leaning back, I nod because I can’t argue with her about that.
She sips her coffee and say sadly, “My brother is the way he is for a very good reason. Rewind six years and things were very different. He was at university studying business like any normal student.”
She laughs. “Well, as normal as it gets in our family, anyway.”
Suddenly, I’m interested because I’m about to discover their family secret, which can only be a good thing, surely.
She smiles as she thinks back on happier times. “We never had a normal upbringing. My father was in the position Tobias is now. He ruled a crime family with fear and a heart filled with nothing but revenge and consequence. We were kept out of the family business as much as possible and mom tried to raise us to be respectful but never kind.”
Her eyes dim and she shrugs. “I know why we had to build a hard shell around our heart because my family has many enemies and we could never show weakness. Tobias escaped as much as he could and wanted to go more into the legitimate side of our family business. Our other brother, Thomas, was the one who thrived on the other side.”
“You have a brother?”
I stare at her in surprise, and the tears that form in her eyes tell me this is not a happy memory.
“Had a brother. They were twins. Tobias and Thomas, can you imagine two of them? It was hard being the younger sister to two bastards, but I managed to cope.”
She makes a joke, at least I think it is, but the bitterness in her eyes tells me her life has been a hard one.
“It all started when I fell in love.”
I stare at her sharply and she shakes her head sadly. “Yes, I dared to think I could lead a normal life. The trouble is, it was doomed from the start because the man I fell in love with was Carlos Toledo. You see, Ana, Carlos was the son of a rival to Don Moretti. He had quite an organization and they were always fighting for their territory. You know the kind of thing, murder, espionage, drugs and kidnap, usual stuff that goes on under the radar.”
I reach for my whiskey chaser because I feel in need of some courage to face her past and she laughs softly. “Typical Romeo and Juliet, or so I thought. We made plans to run away together because if our families discovered our secret, it would result in a full-blown war. You may ask yourself why I would place him above my family but you see love does strange things to a young girl’s mind and I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. So, with the impetuousness of youth, I packed a bag and snuck out one night. I may live in a fortress but there are no barriers to intention and I had my ways. Carlos was waiting for me and we drove to a motel out of town. You can imagine what happened next because it was all I could think of. I wanted him so badly and as it happens, it wasn’t worth the trouble.”
She laughs as she sees the surprise on my face. “It hurt, honey, and was over before I realized it happened. I told myself it was normal and pushed away my disappointment. I was a woman now—his woman and nothing would ever get in my way. Carlos told me to stay put and he would arrange our escape and I believed him. He was gone for hours, which turned into the next day and I was so damned worried about him. He never came back, so I called for a cab to take me home because I had nowhere else to go. He didn’t return my calls, and I was so afraid he had been discovered and slaughtered by my family. What I didn’t expect was that it was the other way around.”
I gasp and watch as the tears roll down her face as she sobs, “There were so many guards at the house when I returned. Tobias was summoned and the look in his eye told me something really bad had happened and it wasn’t just a result of my escape. He was so angry, Ana. His rage was so great I actually feared for my life. He took my arm and marched me down the hallway toward the stairs to my parent’s room. He opened the door and I saw a nightmare. There was blood everywhere, on the walls, on the bed and on the carpet. I started to scream and he pulled me downstairs to my father’s den where the same scene swam before my eyes. Then he shook me like a madman and told me it was all my fault. Our parents were dead because of the company I kept. Thomas was out on a killing spree to revenge our parent’s execution and the person responsible for setting it all up was Carlos Toledo.”
She is broken. I can see that for myself as she sobs with her head in her hands as the full horrors of her past come back to this room.
I head over and pull her in my arms and stroke her hair because it’s the only comfort I can give her. I’m not sure what to say because her story is a true horror one and I can’t imagine the grief something like that brings.
After a while, she settles back and sniffs, “Thomas never came back. Not alive, anyway. His body was delivered to our front gate cut into pieces in a trash bag. There were many casualties on both sides and for a while everyone retreated to count their troops. We had lost our parents and our much-loved brother, and all of this fell on Tobias’s unwilling shoulders. It destroyed him. He became hard and cold and prone to violent rages. He had lost a vital part of him when Thomas died, and he vowed he would never again let himself feel the loss of a loved one. Maybe now you can understand why he keeps his heart so well guarded. It brought him to his knees and revenge was the only antidote to a lifetime of pain.”
It all slots into place and my heart aches for my husband. I understand now and know he had to distance himself from me, not because he wanted to but because he needed to.
I feel like such a fool—again and wish he was here so I could tell him it doesn’t matter. I can live without love as long as I live my life with him.
The tears fall from my own eyes as I picture the past this family have lived through and then Sophia says, “Tobias ended the war.”
“How?”
Her face tells me I’m not going to like what I hear next and she has a wild, feral look about her as she hisses. “He hunted every one of the Toledo family down and their men and slaughtered them personally.”
I feel sick and wish she hadn’t told me. Tobias murdered not one but many people, and I feel sick.
“It’s where they are now, looking for Carlos.”
I stare at her in shock and she says bitterly, “He escaped every time. No matter where he was seen, he was always somewhere else when they went looking. He used me to find out information on my family that he wanted to use to kill them all and make his family more powerful. He took my virginity as an added bonus, not because he loved me but because he could. I will never forgive him and hope Tobias does find him and tortures him long and hard because the torture we were left with on a daily basis is hard to live with.”
“But how can he murder people and get away with it?”
Sophia stares at me incredulously and laughs. “He is a master at covering his tracks. None of this leads back to this door. The cops may think they know but they know shit. Tobias is too clever to get caught. You see, Ana, we have trained for this our whole life. It’s what we do. Hide behind respectability with an undercurrent of menace that keeps the questions from our door.”
Suddenly, her cell phone rings and she looks down and says in a dull voice, “It’s Tobias, I should take this.”
As I watch her expression change from resignation to fear, I feel a prickle of danger heading my way. She just says, “I’m on it.”
As she cuts the call, she turns to me and her eyes are wide and frightened as she whispers, “We have to leave.”
Chapter 32
Tobias
As soon as we touched down in Chicago, the cars were waiting. Matteo briefed me on the way. Carlos has been sighted around the district and a reliable source wired the mansion yesterday with the news. Michael D’Angelo runs the biggest crime family here, and so we head straight for his offices downtown.
Matteo called ahead and info
rmed him we were coming and as we skid to a halt outside his tower block, my men accompany me inside.
They are asked to wait in reception and only Matteo and myself are granted access to speak with the man himself and I am anxious that we don’t miss our chance to finally get our hands on my most wanted.
We are shown to his office and as the man who walks the same path as me stands, the look on his face is of mild curiosity.
“Tobias, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
Matteo stiffens beside me and I say darkly, “You tell me, Michael. We had word from you that Carlos was in town.”
From the look on his face, I know we’ve been played and I feel the blood scorching my soul as he shakes his head. “Not from me, Tobias, I would have called you personally.”
Matteo immediately reaches for his cell and calls the mansion, and I can hear someone talking rapidly on the other end.
Michael looks concerned. “Anything we can help you with?”
Feeling like a fool, I say angrily, “I’m sorry to have bothered you, it appears our information was misdirected.”
I turn to leave and Michael says no more. He knows I’ve been played, it’s obvious, and like fools we raced here without checking the facts first, just to get our hands on the one man that escapes me.
As we walk, I snap, “What the fuck, Matteo, who the hell is responsible for this?”
“I’m on it, sir. Our instructions came from Harlow. He is loyal throughout, so I trusted him.”
“Maybe that was your first mistake.”
He falls silent as I grab my cell and dial Sophia’s number, hoping she answers. As I hear her voice, I snap, “Take Ana and leave. You’re not safe. Carlos may be in the area and will come for you there. I’m not sure who we can trust because someone there is playing us. Matteo will arrange transport and make sure you keep your head down and your wits about you.”
I cut the call, feeling so helpless I want to kill someone. We are miles away in the wrong bloody state and it will take us hours to return, hours we don’t have and a traitor in our midst.
Matteo speaks urgently on the phone and as he cuts the call, says in a low voice, “I called for Vincenzo. He will collect your family and take them to Ana’s sister. She has contacts that are above the law and will provide a safe refuge.”
My heart twists as I know just where they’re heading. Twisted Reaper MC. Fucking bikers who hide their real role behind their steel-clad walls. Government assassins who, as Matteo said, are completely above the law. As much as I hate the thought of either of them in that fuck palace, even I agree it’s the safest place for them.
Turning to Matteo, I snap, “Cancel Vincenzo. I want Angel to collect them. She’s the only one I trust.”
Matteo nods and dials Ana’s sister and I hope to God she can pull this off because if Carlos gets his hands on the two most important people to me in the world, I am fucked.
ANASTASIA
Sophia turns to me and says in a whisper. “Tobias thinks that Carlos may be in town heading our way. He is arranging a car to collect us and take us somewhere safe. We can’t trust anyone, so follow my lead and I’ll do my darndest to keep us from being killed.”
The fear in my heart is now very real, as I nod and follow her to the top of the stairs leading down.
She listens and then sets her shoulders back and hisses, “Act natural.”
As we reach the foot of the stairs, there is silence around us and she says quickly, “Follow me outside.”
As we make to leave, Angelo heads out and says apologetically, “I’m sorry. You cannot leave the house.”
Sophia rolls her eyes and heads toward him, swaying her hips suggestively. “Listen, Angelo, you may have your loyalty to my brother but you’re on my staff now. I command you to let us go.”
He stands firm and looks so unhappy I feel sorry for him as he shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I have my instructions.”
Then I watch in disbelief as Sophia heads closer and with one lift of her arm, presses her hand against his neck and he falls to the ground out cold. “Pressure points, you’ve gotta love them. Shame really, I liked having him around.”
“Is he…?”
“No, just out cold, but we don’t have long. Come on.”
She wrenches open the door and as she does, a black car is waiting and she smiles. “This must be the one Tobias arranged.”
She heads over to the car and opens the door and then to my horror, she is pulled roughly inside and the door slams and the car pulls away at speed. “Sophia!”
I scream after her and suddenly the guards are pouring out from every doorway, “What happened?”
One of them looks after the car, as several of the men jump into nearby cars and tear after it. “Sophia was forced into that car; I think it may be Carlos.”
The man lifts his cell and I can hear him issuing instructions and I stare around me in amazement at the scene before me. There is shouting and doors slamming and the squeak of tires as they give chase and then the man beside me says urgently, “Come with me.”
“No, I can’t, I must stay here. Tobias said so.”
Before I know what’s happening, he hauls me over his shoulder and carries me toward the gates and I scream, struggling to get away. “Shut the fuck up, I’m saving your life.”
“What?”
As we reach the gates, I see another car heading toward us and as it stops, someone jumps out and shouts, “Ana, it’s ok, you’re safe.”
Angel runs toward me and says to the guard, “Thank you, she’ll be ok.”
He drops me and I run toward her with the tears running just as fast and sob as she pushes me into the car and before I know it, we are tearing off at speed.
I think I’m in shock as she says softly, “It’s ok, honey, you’re safe now.”
“But Sophia.”
I can’t even imagine what her fate is, and Angel shakes her head. “I’m sorry, honey, I don’t know what happened. We received a call from someone called Matteo who told us that you were in danger and to come and get you. We must take you to the Reapers where you’ll be safe.”
“The Reapers, you mean…”
“Yes, the guys I trust with my life. You won’t come to any harm there, honey, and I’ll wait with you until this is resolved.”
“What if it isn’t?” I stare at her fearfully and she shakes her head sadly. “Then we will deal with what that means when and if it happens.”
I notice that Sebastian is driving and he says softly, “I’m sorry, Anastasia, you must be wondering what the hell is happening.”
“You could say that.”
I can’t think about anything than Sophia being pulled into a car and I fear what could happen to her if Carlos was the one inside. Tobias would never recover if his sister arrived home the same way as his brother and my heart breaks for him. It’s all too much and I place my head in my hands and cry so hard I barely register the comforting arm my sister puts around me.
Then, as the minutes turn to hours on our journey, I fall into a fitful sleep.
Chapter 33
Tobias
By the time we touch down, I am so angry I almost can’t speak. Matteo told me what happened at the house and the only thing that settles me is that Ana is with Angel and Sebastian. If they reach the Twisted Reaper MC, they will be safe and I snap, “Any update on my wife?”
Matteo consults his phone and nods. “They checked in twenty minutes ago. They are an hour away from the Rubicon.”
“And my sister?”
He shakes his head. “The cars lost them somewhere outside of Jackson county. We have a trace on Sophia’s cell but when we located it, it was in a ditch off the highway. It appears it was tossed from the window. We have men out combing the area and our guy tracing the vehicle registration, but so far, it’s come up as unknown.
I make a fist and hate the feeling of helplessness that consumes me and I snap, “Have you found out who the traitor is?”
Matteo nods and his expression tells me I’m not gonna like it.
“It’s Todd.”
“Todd!” I stare at him in total surprise because Todd has always been one of my most loyal guards. He was with my father before me and was almost one of the family. “Has he confessed?”
Matteo nods. “He broke down when questioned by your enforcers.”
Luckily, I have a team of men who are my enforcers, men that have no soul and carry out the shadier side of the business. My own band of assassins who live to invoke terror and fear in the men I instruct them to find. I called them from Chicago and asked them to flush out the traitor, and as usual they have done so with ease.
“Where is he?”
“In the holding cell.”
“Take me there.”
The cars are waiting and we waste no time in heading toward the holding cell which is approximately twenty minutes away. It’s a deserted farm I use on the edge of town that is private and secure. I take my business there that I want to hide, and Todd is now my main concern.
Throughout the journey, I hear Matteo getting updates and still nothing. My anger knows no bounds as I think of ways to extract the information I need from the man who has betrayed me after generations spent in my organization.
We are soon at the holding cell and I waste no time in heading straight inside, reaching for the sharpest knife from the rack as I pass.
I see him bound and gagged in a chair on the concrete floor, and his eyes look at me with fear and resignation. He knows what’s coming.
Nodding to one of my enforcers, he rips the gag from Todd’s mouth and he gasps for air, looking so wretched I spit on the ground.
He says in a rough voice, “It’s not what you think.”
“What do I think, Todd?”
My voice is low and menacing and he starts to shake.
“I didn’t betray you. I took the call, that’s all. I thought it was D’Angelo, I had every reason to believe it was him. I would never betray you.”
Completing Beauty: Books 1-3 Page 32
