Untamed (Omertà Book 2)

by Anna Widzisz

  As much as she hated doing this, she felt a dire need to go on. Of course, she would need to figure out a new way to stop the Capodecina from going too far, but it was her duty to see it through.

  Nicodemo’s eyes flashed with respect. "Why are you here anyway?" she asked.

  "Noah wanted me to keep you safe."

  "Then do it from a distance, but I need to try again," she remarked, and walked away from the man before he could see her fear. Her words hadn’t been what she longed to say, but rather what was needed in order to be able to continue trying to fulfill her duty. Now her next step would be to find out who Ivan was, and what kind of business he had that involved an investment in the petrol industry.

  CHAPTER 36

  Anticipation had been slowly killing her throughout the rest of the night. She kept dancing, hoping it would all be over soon, and cursing herself for not leaving with Nicodemo. She had so many things to tell Noah, and so many questions to ask that the mere thought of doing it was making her jumpier by the minute.

  She tried calling him, but with no success. And as she had been told not to send messages, there was no way of getting in touch with him. So by the time she was done working, her anxiety had reached its peak.

  What if something bad had happened?

  The realization that this would become an everyday feeling sank in, hitting her hard.

  She left the club at four-thirty that night with the intention of hailing a cab and going to Noah’s place. She was worried sick and couldn’t stand not knowing what was going on. But surprisingly, a black Mercedes was parked on the other side of the lot, the engine running. There was no doubt that it belonged to Noah himself.

  Inèz froze, feeling that it couldn’t be a coincidence. Her steps lost some of their confidence but got a little closer nonetheless. It wasn’t safe for him to be there, so close to her. Just outside of Gastone’s club where numerous people could see them. And after what had happened with the Capodecina that night, she couldn’t take any more risks. Not when she was finally making some progress in her investigation. It would be a waste to be discovered because of something as stupid as this.

  He didn’t get out, only waved at her to hurry up. Looking around there was no one, so she ran up to the car and got into the passenger seat. With a quick glance her way, Noah drove away to the main road.

  "Why are you here?" she asked once they were further away from the club. As relieved as she was that he was alright, she couldn’t resist feeling like something had actually happened.

  "Nicodemo told me about your visit to the VIP room. You should consider yourself lucky that I didn’t enter the club the second I got there. Because believe me, you wouldn’t be fucking working there anymore if I had." His voice was dangerously low, brimming with rage. Whether it was aimed at her or Gastone, there was no way of telling.

  Her brows furrowed. It wasn’t like she had invited herself into the room with Gastone, but at the same time, she couldn’t have refused. Despite how much she wished she could. And for Noah to be bitter about it when he was the one to send her there in the first place certainly didn’t sit well with her. However, she was exhausted so she swallowed her anger back.

  "Do you know a Russian named Ivan?"

  Noah, hearing her question, pulled over without as much as a warning. The car honks echoed throughout the street, but the Capo wasn’t paying attention to any of that, focusing on Inéz instead. His expression had turned stone cold, his lips thinning.

  "How do you know that name?"

  "Gastone met with him in the VIP room. They talked about some money that you agreed to give him to invest in the petrol market. I believe they are working together on it," she explained.

  A loud growl escaped his mouth as his fists viciously collided with the steering wheel. "I fucking knew that he was working with the Bratva. Probably to overthrow as they take over one of the biggest fucking industries in the States."

  "There’s more," she added. "Gastone clearly hated the fact that you wanted Elio’s loyalty in exchange for the money. But from what he said, there’s no way the twin is involved in whatever scams he has going on."

  "What about Fabro?"

  Inéz shook her head. "I have no idea. He might be, but not necessarily. However, I think you could use his brother to somehow find out."

  She had a thought to tell him about the incident with Elio earlier but decided against it. As scared as she had been back then, the man seemed trustworthy, and soon enough Noah might need him one way, or another. Prejudicing the Capo against him wasn’t a smart move. Besides, there were more important things to discuss.

  "I think this Ivan guy could have Lynette. He mentioned something about some girl who is not cooperating. Nothing more. But as you thought that the Bratva might hold her, there is a chance he was talking about her," she added.

  Noah nodded. "I know. Isaac found the Bratva’s new hideout. They moved after I discovered their old place. But one of the soldiers slipped and Isaac was able to discover where they are currently hiding."

  It sounded a lot like he had made up his mind to raid the place. And it made Inéz uneasy. "You’re going there," she whispered.

  "Yes, we are. Cristian is doing a stake-out to see how many people there are and refine all the other details. So that nothing will surprise us during the attack. Tomorrow we go there," he declared, starting the car back up and leaving no room for arguing.

  The rest of the drive to the girl’s apartment went by quietly. They both had many things to think through. While Noah was running different scenarios to determine the best way to take on the Bratva hideout, Inéz was hoping that Drew and Isaac wouldn’t have to join in on the dangerous crusade. But she knew better than to ask, or even beg him not to involve her best friends. The Capo wouldn’t listen to her. He had to put the Famiglia first, and as the men were becoming more and more involved in it, they needed to learn the ropes of their new lifestyle in the most effective way.

  Seeing the familiar building emerge, she gripped the handle to leave before she actually voiced her concerns, but Noah stopped her by grabbing her left hand. The hold wasn’t tight, but strong enough to make her stay. His palm was rough under her perfectly smooth skin.

  "If Gastone wants you in his office or VIP room again, you call Nicodemo. Understood? I don’t want you alone with him ever again," he ordered.

  Anger sparked in her brown eyes. She didn’t do well with being told what to do. The years of having her brother do it had taught her not to be completely docile ever again. Especially when it hadn’t been her choice to take such an important task in the first place.

  "Don’t look at me like that, Inéz. I know that it was my idea, but I think you are smart enough to come up with something that can get you the information without having to give in to Conte’s will. He won’t care about you saying ’no’, cara.”

  "When all of this is over, what do you expect me to do? You said it yourself, that you won’t let me quit."

  She had always wondered about that. She might have been initiated, as the first woman in the Famiglia. And probably the last one. But somehow, she didn’t believe that Noah would let her be involved in the Made Man’s world as much after all of this. A woman’s place was always by some man’s side - whether it was a father or a husband. And she had none of those. What was more, she couldn’t imagine belittling herself just to fit into the mafia world.

  "I have no idea. Thinking about the future is time wasted for me. I can never be certain that I’m even going to be alive tomorrow, let alone in the long run," he said dismissively.

  He wanted to care badly. However, there was a huge gap between what he wanted and what he needed. And at this moment, he needed to put his Famiglia above all, even though all he wanted was to save Inéz from everything that could ever hurt her. Which included her job as a spy.

  When Nicodemo had called him earlier, telling him about Inéz getting into that room with Gastone, he had almost immediately stood up and driven to the cl
ub. Without thinking of the consequences, he had wanted to go in there, throw the girl over his shoulder and leave, killing his Capodecina on the way out for good measure. And he would have probably done just that if not for his Enforcer stopping him. When it came to Inéz, he tended to forget how important it was to keep her involvement secret. And that it was also keeping her safe.

  So he had resorted to waiting in the car until she was done, ignoring her phone calls to gather his thoughts. Get them under that control that he so fucking badly needed at the moment, but that kept evading him.

  CHAPTER 37

  Shifting his weight to his left foot after standing by the front door for so long, he checked his watch to see how much longer he would have to wait for Cristian to call him to make the necessary arrangements. It was already ten in the morning.

  He was wearing his white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and black pants, as he always loved the irony of preparing for a mob action wearing anything but appropriate clothes.

  Inéz emerged from the kitchen, holding a plate of sandwiches. While Noah had insisted to take her back to her apartment, she had protested, saying that she wouldn’t be able to keep herself calm on her own, wondering what was happening. And the Capo hadn’t had the heart to refuse her request. Since it would involve her friends as well, she preferred to be informed of everything as it happened.

  A buzzing noise had him reaching for his phone, not taking his eyes off the girl who was merely standing a little further from him, curiosity written all over her face.

  "What have you found out?" he answered, not wasting any time on pleasantries.

  His brother appeared from behind Inéz at once, signaling to Noah to put the call on speaker.

  "There are fourteen men inside, and at least six girls. Mostly prostitutes. I cannot be more precise. I got this information from their messenger when he left the hideout," he began. "The building has three levels. Two above ground and another one - the basement. Two men guard the main hall as you enter from the front, and one is in the back. Upstairs, the Pakhan resides in his office. It’s at the end of the corridor on the right of the highest floor. He’s never alone. The messenger said he doesn’t know for sure what goes on in the basement because he wasn’t allowed there, but he saw a few men go there, coming back after a few minutes, sometimes more. And the prostitutes walk around the building whenever they want."

  Noah smirked, realizing that the man who had stabbed him would most likely be in the building since there were so many people inside. He couldn’t wait to return the favor with his own knife and make it as painful and brutal as possible. Revenge was sweet.

  "What about the rooftop? Any guards, or snipers?" Flavio chimed in, processing many different plans for attacking the hideout.

  "None that I have seen. I highly doubt they would think of such protection without being given a good reason. And they couldn’t have found out about our plans," Cristian stated.

  "Perhaps, but they were given a reason. Stabbing a Capo wouldn’t slip their minds while setting up guard duties. It can hardly be considered an action that doesn’t bring consequences." A hint of exasperation appeared in the Underboss’ voice.

  He wanted a precise answer without any hints of uncertainty.

  Cristian snorted. "I can’t say for sure. However, since I’m still alive, there’s a big possibility that the Russians actually didn’t think about a rooftop guard."

  Flavio rolled his eyes and retreated to the living room without another word, followed by Inéz.

  "Alright, I will call you with the plan when we have one, and then we will hold a meeting with those I chose to take part in this endeavor," he said to his soldier and ended the call, returning to the main penthouse area.

  The Underboss shook his head as an answer to something Inéz said that Noah hadn’t been able to hear. He put on his jacket and grabbed the car keys from the table. Then, he advanced towards his older brother. "I will give you all that fucking information tomorrow morning at the latest," he seethed, still angry at the incompetence of one of their best soldiers.

  "Let me go with you, Flavio," said Inéz with determination.

  "No. If someone sees you with me, your mission will be over," he snarled.

  Noah regarded the girl who clearly wanted to be useful. And it wasn’t such a bad idea either. She was already a part of the Famiglia. Initiated, as the first woman in the Cosa Nostra. So, by taking into account her question of what he would do with her after Gastone was handled, he should permit her to go on routine assignments, and doing reconnaissance work was surely a good way to start.

  "Take her with you, Flavio."

  The Underboss glared at his brother, obviously not excited about the prospect. "I wanted to take Elio with me."

  As Inéz had confirmed Elio’s lack of involvement in his father’s plans, the men were starting to slowly engage him in certain activities that hadn’t been part of his job description before. Working for a Capo was completely different than for a Capodecina. Much more intense and more challenging. It wasn’t the same as saying Noah trusted the soldier. He barely trusted anyone. But it would be considered foolish not to use the twin.

  "Another time. I will take him to the meeting with Coluccio. Someone in the Famiglia has to be able to charm their way in if necessary. And we all know that I’m not the right person for that job." He chuckled. "Maybe he will want to get involved in the Bratva action and lend us his soldiers."

  "Are you sure?" Inéz asked, frowning. "If Lynette is really there, it could turn out really bad. Your Capodecina will know about her and everything could go downhill should he decide to spread that information."

  Flavio nodded in agreement. "We will use our own soldiers. It should be enough."

  "Coluccio Guerra is still trying to push his daughter onto me. I won’t marry her, so I’ll give him the opportunity to take part in Russian hideout invasion. He needs to shut the fuck up about marriage before I lose my shit," Noah stated. His eyes travelled to the girl once again. "Take some kind of disguise. Do whatever necessary not to be recognized. You still have a job to do," he added, leaving them alone.

  If there was one thing Noah hated the most was being challenged for his decisions. Not many survived doing it. Besides his brother and now, surprisingly, Inéz.

  § § §

  Noah decided to put off his plans for the Bratva hideout invasion until his brother returned with more detailed information about their security. Even though he always liked the thrill that came with rushing blindly into action, now wasn’t the time for that. Acting without thinking could ruin all the plans he had for Lynette. If she was the one Ivan had talked about, that was.

  He still hadn’t told any of his trusted people what it was that he wanted from the girl. No matter how many times Flavio asked him, he always changed the subject or answered with another question that was strictly aimed at getting the man annoyed. And Noah keeping a secret wouldn’t be anything horrible, if not for the mere fact that it was written all over his face, each time the topic came up. It couldn’t mean anything good.

  Instead of wasting time, he continued the business side of the job. The meeting with his Capodecina, Coluccio Guerra, had been set up because of a few issues that the man seemed to have encountered with one of the whorehouses. Usually, Flavio was more patient when dealing with the man, but as he was occupied, Noah had to step up. What was more, it looked better if the Capo dei capi showed interest in his people every once in a while. At least Coluccio wasn’t even remotely interested in dethroning Noah, holding a deep respect for him. The Capo’s young age wasn’t an obstacle in their dealings, and, to Noah’s dissatisfaction, it offered the man the possibility of introducing his oldest daughter to him.

  Alongside Elio, he parked in the driveway of an imposing mansion that he had visited not long ago. Judging by the fact that only four people lived in it, it was a waste of money to have such a house where you could barely find one another. It looked more like a museum than a rea
l family home. And since Noah wasn't into that sort of thing, he gladly moved to Las Vegas as soon as he got initiated to learn the business, rather than stay in Sicily in a big ass house that had never felt like home.

  "Have you dealt with your father?" Noah asked Elio as they were walking up the stairs to the main doors.

  The twin shook his head. "He’s acting as if the topic is over, and there isn’t anything left to discuss. It’s the same with my brother."

  "Fabro should be happy. He’s the only heir to the business at this point, isn’t he?"

  Elio chuckled. "He’s always been the only one as far as I’m concerned. But it doesn’t mean that having me work under your command isn’t straining our relationship. Most of our conversations were about the club or the restaurants. Now we have two separate jobs that can’t be entangled," he stated, but considering the core of what he said, he didn’t seem sad, or at least guilty.

  It only encouraged Noah to maintain his statement that the twins had always been brothers, but never a family. So, proposing the job of his soldier to Elio hadn’t been the worst idea. But he couldn’t imagine agreeing to something like this himself if it would mean being on Flavio’s opposite side.

  The doors opened before they could ring a bell, and a short blond woman appeared in the threshold, greeting the men with a warm but restrained smile. She was only eighteen years old, but for mafia standards, old enough to get married. It didn’t take a genius to know why suddenly she was the one to answer the door. As the Capodecina’s younger daughter she wasn’t supposed to do that herself, and with many staff members, she clearly didn’t have to.

  He nodded his head in a greeting and moved on inside, hearing Elio’s quiet laugh from behind him. It was more than obvious how desperate Coluccio was to have his daughter marry into the leading family so he could gain even more privileges, and also how awkward the girl felt at being flashed as a golden prize to someone who didn’t actually give a damn about obtaining her.